The Love Hypothesis film changes a lot from book, including Tom, Holden and Adam’s storylines

Prime Video’s The Love Hypothesis follows the same fake-dating romance as Ali Hazelwood’s novel, but the film makes quite a few changes to the story. From Anh’s background and Tom Benton’s role, a lot of important scenes happen differently on screen.

The 2021 novel follows PhD student Olive Smith, who starts a fake relationship with grumpy professor Adam Carlsen. The movie keeps the central romance, with Lili Reinhart as Olive and Tom Bateman as Adam, but changes parts of their story and the people around them.

So, what actually changed between The Love Hypothesis book and the movie? Here are the main differences.

Holden Rodrigues is completely removed

In the book, Holden is Adam’s childhood friend and a contrast to his serious personality. He also dates Malcolm, connecting him to Olive’s group of friends. Holden is important to the book’s later events, too. He helps Olive understand Adam’s plans and why he was considering a move to Harvard. Without him, the movie changes how Olive finds out about Adam’s feelings and career decisions.

Tom Benton has a much bigger role

Tom Benton is involved in Olive’s academic life in both versions, but the movie gives him a larger role. In the book, Tom’s visit to Stanford is brief and linked to a grant and research.

In the film, he gives guest lectures and puts Olive on the spot during a staff dinner by asking about her personal connection to pancreatic cancer. Olive lies about it at first, but later tells Adam the truth. 

The car battery scene is missing

The book includes a scene where Adam helps Olive with her stalled car. He moves the car while shirtless, showing off his strength. This is completely cut from the movie. But the film keeps the ultimate frisbee scene, where Olive helps Adam apply sunscreen. 

Adam’s role and Tom’s harassment at the conference are different

In both the book and the movie, Adam is a keynote speaker at the Society for Behavioural Dynamics conference. But in the book, he misses Olive’s presentation because of the schedule. Tom is on the panel with Olive and later sexually harasses her by asking her to have s*x with him in exchange for a position at Harvard. At Dr Aslan’s request, Olive records the conference as part of her mentorship, and the recording captures Tom’s behaviour. 

In the movie, Adam finishes his speech much earlier and arrives in time to catch the end of Olive’s presentation. Tom’s harassment happens later, after Olive and Adam sleep together following their sushi date. The next morning, Tom brings coffee to Adam’s hotel room as an excuse to speak to Olive privately. That’s when he sexually harasses her in the film.

The reason Olive and Adam break up is also changed

In the book, Olive is the one who ends the relationship. Adam is considering a move to Harvard because Olive is planning to be in Boston. Holden later tells Olive that Adam only interviewed for the Harvard position because she would be there.

In the movie, Adam is the one who pulls away. After Tom harasses Olive, Adam tells her that the funding has been released and they no longer need to keep pretending to be in a relationship. Tom has also told Adam that Olive needs to focus on her research. Adam believes that ending the fake relationship will help her career, so he lets her go without properly explaining his feelings. 

Adam finds out about Tom’s harassment in a different way

In the book, Olive accidentally plays the recording of Tom’s proposition in front of Anh and Malcolm. Later, she exposes Tom at a restaurant in front of his Harvard colleagues, and Adam attacks him.

In the movie, Malcolm is not involved in this part of the story. Olive goes to Anh instead, and Anh tells Adam what happened in the bathroom where he and Olive first met. Adam then leaves to confront Tom during a lecture.

The movie leaves out is how long Adam has actually had feelings for Olive

In the book, Adam reveals that he has been in love with Olive for three years, ever since they first met in the bathroom. It gives readers access to Adam’s thoughts and feelings, so we know that his feelings for Olive started years before their fake relationship. 

This is something the movie never reveals because we do not get Adam’s point of view at all.

Dr Aslan has a different role at the end

In the book, Aslan is preparing to retire. Olive asks her to connect her with research labs, which eventually helps Olive get an opportunity at UC Berkeley.

In the movie, Aslan is not retiring and has a smaller research role. Olive instead pitches the idea of working in Aslan’s lab.

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