Olive Smith finally has her PhD, and she’s living her happy ever after. Well, not quite her ever after, since postdoctoral fellowships are temporary by nature, but she doesn’t mind: she has her friends, her research, and best of all, she has Dr. Adam Carlsen. Intense, brilliant, endlessly undaunted by the chaos Olive has smuggled into their shared house, Adam is determined to spend his future by her side. And yet, there are no fairy tales in academia. Being in love with another researcher means navigating the hard reality of clashing schedules, an increasingly grim and ultracompetitive job market, and Olive’s desire to be seen as a formidable scientist in her own right. Being with Adam is the most real thing Olive has ever known. As the pressure tightens and the stakes rise, she’ll have to set all confounding variables aside and learn to trust her heart.