My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars 

My Thoughts: 

I had a feeling Madeline Henry’s The Love Proof would be one of my hidden gems of the year based off reviews, but I didn’t realize just how hooked I would be by this contemporary romance following a physics prodigy at a Yale University. I started The Love Proof on Saturday morning and even after spending some time during the day doing school work, exercising, and some Sex & the City rewatching, I made time to keep reading and had it finished right before I went to bed that night. At just under 300 pages, The Love Proof spans over decades, beginning with Yale freshmen Sophie and Jake’s meet-cute in their Intro to Psychology course. Jake has dealt with some tough circumstances leading up to the point of getting into Yale, while Sophie has been a science and news sensation for her brilliant understanding of physics. As Sophie and Jake get wrapped up in their relationship over the time during undergrad, Sophie finds herself losing her passion for finding answers about time and physics, but unexpected circumstances inspire Sophie to chase after those questions. 

The Love Proof was one of the most unique contemporary books I’ve ever read. I have never taken physics in my life, but you don’t even need a basic understanding of the subject to deep dive into Sophie and Jake’s relationship. The book alternates between their third-person perspectives from their undergrad days at Yale through their adult lives. I think the book begins somewhere in the 2010s, and I liked getting small peeks at the future between the mentions of how tech and life has evolved during Jake and Sophie’s adulthood. 

While yes, I was likely more invested in Sophie’s storyline for her research, I did like following Jake’s own journey. I believe The Love Proof does fall into the contemporary romance category, but it was just so unique in the genre. There’s really no straight-up romance scenes, as Jake and Sophie’s conversations about life and Sophie’s interests drive their relationship. It was really a ‘quiet’ and reflective type of contemporary, which is the type of story I’m always on the hunt for! 

Sophie was definitely my favorite character in the book. While of course fictional, it was so fantastic to see a female lead be such a prominent figure in the sciences. I admit that some of the time theories and Sophie’s work on block theory went a little over my head, but Sophie really questions why memories of the past, including memories of first love, can entrap us in time. Sophie is quite introverted. I thought there was so much revealed about her character, but at the same time, leaves so much to be said. For example, Sophie, in my opinion, has such a unique relationship with her mother that had me wondering if Isabel really understood her daughter. For example, Isabel would push Sophie to have a normal childhood or embrace love, but at the same time, encouraged her daughter’s unique interest in research and never really tried to encourage Sophie to maybe take a break from her studies. For this reason especially, I loved Sophie’s relationship with Professor Malchik and his family. I’m trying so hard not to be spoilery, but I just want to talk so much about the evolution of Sophie and Jake’s relationship and their lives post-undergrad. The only thing I will really say that is borderline spoiler territory is that I absolutely LOVED the ending, especially when Sophie reveals what had driven her life between a big break-through and the place we leave her and Jake at the end of the book.

Overall, if you’re craving a contemporary read about love, time, and relationships, I highly recommend picking up Madeline Henry’s The Love Proof. I hope more & more readers pick this one up so it gets all the hype & love it deserves! 

Have you read The Love Proof? What contemporary or contemporary romance books should I check out next? Share in the comments!