Natalia Stevens is smart, nice and shy-and this is exactly how everyone sees her. Even day-to-day conversations with friends and classmates are difficult, and guys certainly don't pay her any attention. During her senior year, Nati begins to notice unexpected interactions with her volleyball coach, Alex. Despite the apparent chemistry developing, she struggles to believe there is anything between them. Before she can make sense of it all, volleyball season is winding down, and it appears her mystifying crush will be out of her life for good. Natalia enters university just as socially petrified as she had been in high school, but new experiences with friends, booze and boys open up a surprising world of possibility. She realizes she can talk openly to other people for the first time, and this exhilarating discovery fosters a newfound confidence she thought she might never uncover in herself. Along the roller coaster ride of thrilling and frustrating crash-and-burn encounters with various crushes, however, there is one guy Nati can't seem to shake from her mind.

Yeju Hwarng no longer believes in love. After breaking up with her long-term girlfriend and watching her parents divorce over the summer, all her passion disappeared, including her passion for science that got her into her microbiology Ph.D. program. When a new roommate moves into the apartment, Yeju recognizes her as more than just a familiar face; she is an enemy that needs to be chased out of her life. Lia Choi does not need love. Her parent never gave her any, and confessing to her childhood best friend over the summer only caused a fall out. Love has proven to be both unnecessary and a liability, and all Lia needs instead is to do well in college and get into a prestigious research position in the microbiology department. Unfortunately, her research mentor turns out to be her new roommate. And she is hell bent on ruining Lia's life. Tension escalates both at home and in the lab, but the more they work together, the more they realize: they have a common goal, and they need each other to achieve that. All they need to do is to open their hearts. Love is hard, but a life without love is harder. *** THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS meets DELILAH GREEN DOESN'T CARE; a STEM-oriented college sapphic romance about struggling adults navigating love despite their broken hearts. *This is a stand-alone spin-off to Cherry On Top. 💫 2023 Watty's Winner! 💫 Editor's Choice, 26 May 2023 - 29 June 2023 💫 Featured on Wattpad's Summer Loving Days reading list, 21 Jul 2023 💫 Featured on the official @lgbt, @Romance, @FreeTheLGBT, and @WattpadAfterDark profile First Published: 2 Feb 2023 Completed Date: 24 June 2023 Edited Date: 22 July 2023 Word Count: 55,000-60,000 Also posted on Scribblehub, Tapas, and RoyalRoad (Not on Amazon or anywhere else!) Cover art by Sarimopi on Instagram