Loathe to Love You Summary, Characters and Themes

Loathe to Love You by Ali Hazelwood is a collection of three STEM-themed romance novellas centered around female engineers who initially find themselves at odds with their eventual love interests. Written by the bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis, these stories combine steamy romance with the world of science, focusing on women working in male-dominated fields. 

Each novella follows the classic enemies-to-lovers trope, with smart, independent heroines who must navigate both professional challenges and personal relationships. With a mix of wit, banter, and heart, Loathe to Love You is perfect for fans of Hazelwood’s signature STEMinist romances.

Summary

Loathe to Love You features three interconnected novellas, each focusing on one of three best friends—Mara, Sadie, and Hannah—who met in graduate school and are now navigating their careers as engineers while dealing with romantic complications.

In the first novella, Under One Roof, environmental engineer Mara inherits half a house from her PhD advisor. The other half is owned by Liam, her advisor’s nephew and a lawyer for a big corporate oil company. Mara, who has just started her dream job at the Environmental Protection Agency, cannot afford to live elsewhere and needs to stay in the house. 

However, Liam doesn’t want a roommate and repeatedly offers to buy her out. Despite their opposing careers and clashing personalities, Mara and Liam slowly warm up to each other. Their initial animosity turns into attraction, leading to a romantic relationship after Liam overhears Mara confessing her changing feelings about him to her friends. 

The main conflict stems from Liam’s job, which conflicts with Mara’s environmental principles, but they ultimately find common ground.

The second novella, Stuck with You, follows civil engineer Sadie, who works at a small, environmentally-friendly startup. One day, she meets Eric, a partner at a large, competitive firm that has been trying to buy out her company. 

Despite their professional rivalry, they hit it off and spend a whirlwind 24 hours together. However, when Sadie’s company loses a major client to Eric’s firm, she assumes he used her for insider information and ghosts him. They later get stuck in an elevator, where they hash out the misunderstanding. 

It turns out Eric genuinely respected Sadie’s work and had no ill intentions. With their differences resolved, they rekindle their romance.

In the final novella, Below Zero, aerospace engineer Hannah, who works for NASA, embarks on a dangerous research mission in Norway. 

Years earlier, she met Ian, her interview subject for a grad school project and a senior NASA engineer. They hit it off but lost contact until they cross paths again at NASA. When Ian vetoes funding for Hannah’s Arctic project due to safety concerns, she assumes he’s undermining her. 

However, when she becomes stranded during her mission, Ian personally undertakes a dangerous rescue operation to save her. Through this, Hannah realizes Ian’s actions were driven by concern for her, not sabotage. The two finally admit their feelings for each other and begin a relationship.

The stories are tied together by themes of women in STEM overcoming professional obstacles and misunderstandings in their romantic lives. Each novella highlights the dynamic between the independent, ambitious heroines and their seemingly aloof but deeply caring love interests. 

The collection concludes with a bonus chapter that offers a glimpse into the happily-ever-afters of Mara, Sadie, and Hannah, now all in committed relationships.

Characters

Mara (Under One Roof)

Mara is an environmental engineer fresh out of grad school. She’s portrayed as passionate about her field, dedicated to her work at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

She’s idealistic, driven by her desire to make a difference, especially when it comes to environmental issues. Her practicality is evident when she accepts living in a shared house despite the tension with her new roommate, Liam.

Mara’s emotional journey is central to the novella. She transitions from resentment toward Liam, who represents everything she opposes—corporate law defending big oil companies—to eventually understanding and loving him.

Her inner conflict lies in reconciling her attraction to someone whose values she initially believes are incompatible with her own. Over the course of the story, Mara matures as she learns to navigate the complexities of love and career ambition.

Liam (Under One Roof)

Liam, Mara’s roommate and later romantic interest, is a lawyer working for a large corporate firm. This immediately puts him at odds with Mara’s environmental ethos.

Described as tall, muscular, and brooding, Liam fits the archetype of the “grumpy hero.” His character slowly unravels as someone who, despite working in a corporate environment, cares deeply for those under his protection.

Liam’s internal struggle is centered around his role in a company that clashes with his personal values. He’s often seen protecting his colleagues from the corporate machinery.

His growth comes from recognizing Mara’s passion and dedication, which leads to mutual respect and, eventually, love. Liam’s protectiveness, hidden compassion, and eventual vulnerability form the core of his character arc.

Sadie (Stuck with You)

Sadie is a civil engineer working for a small firm focused on environmentally friendly construction. Like Mara, she’s portrayed as ambitious and passionate about her work.

What sets her apart is her initial burst of confidence followed by vulnerability after feeling betrayed by Eric. Sadie’s character reflects the emotional turmoil many women in competitive industries face—balancing personal relationships with professional aspirations.

She quickly jumps to conclusions, interpreting Eric’s involvement with a rival firm as a personal betrayal. Her journey is one of learning to communicate and trust, which is explored through her confrontation with Eric when they are stuck in an elevator.

Sadie’s character is less about career evolution and more about emotional maturity. The novella focuses on her handling misunderstandings in relationships.

Eric (Stuck with You)

Eric, a partner at ProBuild, comes across initially as a rival to Sadie in the corporate world. However, his character is more complex than the typical antagonist.

Like Liam, Eric is tall, handsome, and calm, fitting Hazelwood’s archetype for male characters. His motivations are rooted in genuine admiration for Sadie’s work, which contrasts with her suspicion of him.

He respects her professionally, and that admiration eventually blossoms into romantic feelings. Eric’s role in the story revolves around clearing the misunderstanding with Sadie, highlighting his patient and understanding nature.

He embodies someone who is sincere in his intentions, quietly confident, and respectful. Eric doesn’t fit the aggressive or overly dominant male archetype, making him a nuanced character.

Hannah (Below Zero)

Hannah is a NASA aerospace engineer, and her character stands out for being more emotionally guarded than the other heroines. She’s passionate about her work but holds herself back from relationships, fearing that people will grow tired of her.

This defensive mechanism is central to her character arc. Hannah’s independence and her ability to survive in harsh environments highlight her strength, but they also reveal her isolation.

Her relationship with Ian develops slowly, with Hannah grappling with her trust issues and fear of emotional vulnerability. Her internal conflict about letting someone in—when she’s so used to being self-sufficient—makes her a more complex character.

This adds depth to her romance with Ian, which unfolds against the dramatic backdrop of a life-threatening Arctic mission.

Ian (Below Zero)

Ian, a NASA engineer and Hannah’s love interest, is portrayed as calm, patient, and deeply caring. He takes on the role of protector, not only professionally in vetoing Hannah’s dangerous project but also personally.

Like the other male leads, Ian is older, more experienced, and professionally established. His quiet but profound affection for Hannah contrasts with her initial resistance to emotional intimacy.

Ian’s character reflects a nurturing, protective figure who values Hannah’s intelligence and independence. His willingness to risk his own time and safety to save her shows his dedication, not just to his work but to her well-being.

Themes

Feminism and Professional Identity in Romance

In Loathe to Love You, Ali Hazelwood weaves a complex narrative that explores how the heroines’ professional identities as engineers are tied to their experiences of romance. The STEM backgrounds of Mara, Sadie, and Hannah serve as more than just superficial traits; they are the foundation for broader feminist themes related to ambition, competence, and the challenges faced by women in male-dominated fields.

These women are portrayed as highly intelligent professionals navigating tensions between their career aspirations and personal lives. The stories reflect a nuanced examination of societal expectations, asking them to juggle intellectual rigor and emotional vulnerability. For instance, Mara’s job at the EPA and Sadie’s work in a small firm position them as deeply invested in fields where their expertise is often undervalued.

In each novella, the women confront professional challenges, such as being undermined by male counterparts, and resolve those conflicts as part of their romantic growth. Hazelwood suggests that feminist progress in the workplace can exist alongside romance but often requires the women to struggle for both career and emotional fulfillment. The complexities of modern feminist ideals in professional environments are thus central to the narrative.

Power Dynamics in Relationships and Career Trajectories

A significant theme in the novellas is the portrayal of power imbalances within romantic relationships, particularly in terms of career trajectories. Across all three stories, the male leads are more professionally advanced than the women, highlighting a critique of the gendered expectations of authority and success in the workforce.

Liam, Eric, and Ian are positioned as established professionals with considerable power, while their female counterparts are younger and less experienced. This imbalance reflects a broader social commentary on how women are often perceived as “catching up” to their male peers. The men are not just older, but often portrayed as more successful, reinforcing traditional patriarchal structures even within progressive settings.

These power dynamics are central to the progression of the romances. The heroines gradually assert their professional worth and agency within the relationships, confronting insecurities that arise from these imbalances. By the end of each novella, the relationships evolve into more egalitarian partnerships, showing that while the women may start off at a perceived disadvantage, their growth enables them to stand as equals.

The Emotional Mix of Mistrust, Misunderstanding, and Reconciliation

Mistrust and misunderstanding drive the tension between the couples in Loathe to Love You. In all three novellas, the heroine misinterprets the hero’s actions, often assuming the worst. For example, in Stuck with You, Sadie believes Eric used her to win a work contract, while in Below Zero, Hannah is convinced Ian sabotaged her career.

These moments of doubt shape the emotional landscape of the stories. The misunderstandings are rooted in realistic concerns about betrayal and competition, especially in professional environments. The eventual resolutions—where the truth is revealed and the characters reconcile—highlight the importance of transparency and communication in relationships.

The theme explores how professional conflicts can lead to romantic mistrust, showing the intertwining of personal and professional identities. By reconciling these misunderstandings, the characters demonstrate growth and maturity, emphasizing the need for both vulnerability and communication.

Romanticization of STEM and the Idealization of Masculine Archetypes

Hazelwood’s work often romanticizes STEM fields and idealizes masculine archetypes within this context. STEM is not just the backdrop but a character in its own right, with the heroines’ careers being integral to their identities. The detailed descriptions of their professional lives create a sense of admiration for the intellectual rigor and problem-solving inherent in STEM careers.

However, the male characters follow a predictable pattern: tall, muscular, emotionally guarded, and older. These archetypes conform to traditional romantic tropes of the brooding, misunderstood man who softens for the right woman. While this dynamic offers readers comfort and fantasy, it contrasts with the otherwise progressive portrayal of the heroines as STEM professionals.

This tension between STEM’s progressive ideals and traditional masculine archetypes presents a subtle critique. While STEM is romanticized as a space for challenging gender norms, the romantic relationships often revert to conventional ideas of masculinity and feminine submission to the emotionally dominant male.

Professional Ambition and Personal Fulfillment

Loathe to Love You deeply engages with the tension between professional ambition and personal fulfillment. Each protagonist faces significant career hurdles—whether it’s Mara vying for a leadership position, Sadie losing a project, or Hannah fighting for approval on a risky NASA proposal. These career struggles are central to their self-worth and run parallel to their romantic conflicts.

The novellas explore how personal and professional fulfillment are intertwined, particularly for women navigating systemic barriers in male-dominated industries. The heroines’ success in both realms becomes a metaphor for their overall growth, with romantic resolution only arriving after they achieve professional validation or self-acceptance.

Hazelwood presents the idea that love and career success can coexist, but finding balance requires emotional growth and a redefinition of what success looks like. This nuanced portrayal acknowledges the challenges of modern womanhood, showing that love and career are not mutually exclusive but demand resilience and determination to achieve.