I became a fan of Christina Lauren last year when I read In a Holidaze and am happy to say this book didn’t disappoint.
First of all the whole plot is fantastic. I loved the major and minor characters and found this to be a fast and easy read!

DNF @ 45%

Sadly this book just didn’t work in my favor. Not a fan of the stem romance and all the details and data. Also didn’t feel the chemistry between Jess and River. Even with an enemy to lover trope there should be some type of chemistry between the two. Fizzy was an awesome side character, but it’s not enough for me to keep reading.

Edited:

I decided to give this book another shot by listening to the audiobook. I should have definitely stuck with my original decision. The twist was predictable, River got off easy and there should have been more groveling especially since there is a child involved. Christina Lauren and I had such a good run and it pains me that the last few books haven’t worked out in my favor. 😩😩

4.5 stars for me--the perfect summer read! For my full review of this and many other Christina Lauren books, check out The Soulmate Equation or Bossy Bookworm.

The Soulmate Equation is the latest book from the writing pair known as Christina Lauren, and I loved it.

Single mom Jess is a data analyst. She's good at crunching the numbers for work, taking care of her daughter, and leaning on her grandparents (who raised her) for help, but she's not comfortable with the idea of dating again.

Her father wasn't part of her life, her mother disappeared when she was little, and her daughter's father took off when Jess was pregnant. Jess has no optimism or dreams about opening her heart to someone new.

But then her daring best friend (who writes sexy romance novels!) pushes her to consider a DNA-based, data-driven dating program that makes sense to her--and she receives an unheard-of 98 percent compatible romantic match with an unlikely partner.

The Soulmate Equation is often funny, and the best-friendship between Jess and Fizzy (Felicity) is one of the funniest aspects and was one of my favorite elements. The heartwarming familial support isn't stereotypical in its structure, and imperfect, broken family members add to various conflicts. I appreciated that the will they/won't they romantic tension hinges on factors somewhat outside of the main protagonists' control (rather than a forced misunderstanding or circumstance that might feel frustrating to a reader or falsely constructed).

The story is steamy and romantic at times without being dramatic. I love the tone the writing team of Christina Lauren struck with this one!

I received a prepublication digital edition of this book courtesy of Gallery Books and NetGalley.

***I received an uncorrected proof of this ebook from netgalley in exchange for an honest review***

I’ll read every Christina Lauren book at least once, but occasionally they don’t hit quite right. The Soulmate Equation was cute, but I didn’t love it. I adore CL books specifically for the organic (and usually hilarious) development of the main couple’s relationship. I didn’t really find that with this one. They sort of went from bad first impressions, straight to this strong emotional connection. Obviously, the genetic-match aspect was unique to this book… but to me this didn’t completely excuse the vaguely insta-love vibe this book gave me. Jess and River also didn’t really have any chemistry, and River had no personality. This led to a lack of that satisfying sense of closure at the reunion.

It was a decent read, but not a CL I’ll be returning to year after year. I just didn’t believe in their love.

I'm a huge fan of Christina Lauren and The Soulmate Equation lived up to the hype for me. I really liked the concept behind a dating service that finds matches based on DNA. It took a little bit of time for me to get into the characters and support the relationship, but River made it a lot easier. He was the perfect male love interest, and I enjoyed watching both Jess and River's character growth throughout the story.

4 stars

I loved this book so much. If you like hate to love romances you’ll definitely enjoy this one. Christina Lauren manages to create such authentic and dreamy romances that will make you fall in love. The interactions between characters felt genuine and believable, making this such a lovely story.

Quick, engaging, and light read. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline. I wasn’t completely drawn into the chemistry between Jess and River but it was still a good read overall. I would recommend.

This is such a fun and interesting contemporary romance. River and Jessica are brought together by science, which neither one of them can deny. So they make a pact to be skeptical, but genuine. Enter a number of adorable dates and cute run-ins that make it clear that these two are perfect for each other. Right...?

I love that both of the main characters are nerds, and that we get a little bit of a nontraditional heroine in Jessica. She's self-reportedly a little frumpy and the mother of a precocious 7-year-old. River is a fantastic hero. He's got all of those hallmark vibes of a romance hero without all of the macho "I'm in charge" stuff I don't care for. He's just a good guy that gets really caught up in his work.

This novel even does a good job with the stereotypical conflict that always comes into romance novels as a misunderstanding or miscommunication. It felt real and believable.

I LOVED The Soulmate Equation. Love love loved. I was completely unprepared for how much I would get sucked into Jess and Rivers story. Josh and Hazel are still my top CLo couple (from standalones only), but Jess and River are coming in at a very close second! Was it the steamiest of CLo’s books? No, definitely read their series if you want tons of open door scenes. But these characters! And the tension!! I loved them so much.

Here are some of the reasons I loved everything about this story.

- Grumpy hero
- Nerdy and smart characters, I love a STEM heroine and Jess was amazing
- Quirky side characters (adored Juno and Fizzy!)
-Floor sex!
-Set in San Diego!

I forgot how much I love a book set in someplace I adore. The Coat scene had me swooning, easily one of my favorite scenes in the book. AND it’s set in one of my favorite SD places, Shelter Island!

I know there’s a lot of science in this book, but I loved that aspect so much. I’m not a all a science or math person, but my husband is, and he talks to me about neural networks so much I understood it in the book.

If you haven’t read The Soulmate Equation yet, I highly recommend it!! 4.5 stars!

This was my first Christina Lauren boon and I will pick up any others I have the chance to read! It was such a different story. It would have been easy to tell the story in a way that you got bogged down in numbers but the story was told so well- the science and numbers behind what was happening just added to the story instead of being a distraction!

This book felt like revisiting my old friends Christina & Lauren & their earlier work. It was such a surprising burst of joy! I’ve enjoyed their latest work, but not like their Wild Seasons days. This book here brought me back to some of those moments & left me feeling elated.

Jess & River are two very unlikely matches, but when their DNA gets tested for compatibility, the results might just show a new outlook on their future relations.

The concept of this novel was fun to read about, but let’s be real.. it was the cast of characters that stole the show for me! I loved Jess’ little village SO MUCH. From her adorable grandparents, to her hilarious best friend, and then to her amazing little girl — every single character was beautifully crafted to compliment the romance between Jess & River. And oh that River! All the swoons!!!

I highly recommend this novel to all CLo fans, and definitely think it’s a great place to start if you’re new to their work. I love that I am reading their books… over six years later & still giving it 5 stars!

I read this book on vacation and it was a lovely romance book. It was full of humor and I loved the characters. I will have to read other books from this author. I will recommend it to the patrons at the library.

The Soulmate Equation was my first read this month, and it was just the kind of adorable romance that I’ve come to expect from Christina Lauren.

Light on the steam, with a bit of enemies to lovers thrown in. Having just read The One a few weeks ago though, all I could think about was that dna-match-gone-wrong book!#iykyk

*many thanks a Gallery Books and Netgalley for the gifted copy

Do you believe you believe in soulmates? If someone told you they could find your soulmate based on your DNA, would you believe them? I don’t really believe in ~soulmates~ but I do absolutely think there is some scientific basis for attraction and compatibility. When I saw the premise of The Soulmate Equation, I knew I needed to get my hands on it!

Plot:

Jess is a single mother who has sworn off dating. Americano is a scientist who has put all of his time into discovering the connection between DNA and love. Okay, his name isn’t Americano – but it works for him. There is so much to love about this story. Fake dating, a best friend with no filter, steamy romance, need I continue?

Characters:

I don’t think there was a single character in this book that I didn’t like – which almost never happens! The story is told from Jess’s perspective. I loved her. She is tough, doesn’t back down, and is a smarty pants. There were times she would be talking to the room of scientists and totally holding her own and I would just be in awe. She’s also an excellent mother, daughter, and granddaughter. The swoony scientist, River Peña, is brilliant and kind and obviously too good to be true. Jess and River start off on the wrong foot and I loved their back and forth banter. I would be remiss to leave out Fizzy – Jess’s best friend, inappropriate cheerleader, and one of my favorite book characters of the year.

Writing:

I’ve only read one other Christina Lauren (The Unhoneymooners) but I think it’s safe to say that she’s become an auto-buy author for me. I love her writing style. The books are impossible to put down, you fall in love with the characters, there’s tension and heat. I need to order a big stack of her books because I need more immediately.

I found this plot to be *very* predictable. Nevertheless, Christina Lauren has yet to fail me with their lovable characters and easygoing writing style. Truly there is not a character in this book that I didn’t adore. Overall, I enjoyed reading but the predictability took away from the experience for me.

Is your DNA the key to find your true soulmate? Dr. River Pena certainly thinks so. The question is: Can he use his potential scientific breakthrough to unlock love in his own life?

Jess Davis is a fiercely independent single mother who learns of Dr. Pena's practice and sends her saliva on a whim. To the surprise of no one who has read a romance novel, her DNA supposedly finds her a near-perfect partner - Dr. Pena.

The company pays Jess to hype this match on a media tour before the company goes public. And, again, to no one's surprise, the more she spends time with Dr. Pena, the more she realizes they truly are a match outside the lab.

If you've read Christina Lauren before, you know to expect some adorable repartee, a seemingly slow burning romance that suddenly ignites and a happily ever after.

This was a 5 star read for me right until the 90% mark. Leading to this point I was all in. I liked the characters, I felt the chemistry was real and natural, and I thought the plot was good without being overly rom-com calculated. However, the reuniting scene with River coming to talk to Jess felt so formulaic. At one point Jess internally questions if she should be mad, and at that point it felt like the authors were asking themselves that question.

In a relationship, you let your partner deal with their stuff in their way. You put your own stuff aside and let them exist in their space until they’re ready. That’s the adult way to handle things, yet Jess was very childish in this moment and it was a complete turn off. She was acting so selfish, especially because she had much less to lose with the subject matter at hand.

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

Was not able to read before the publish date, my library has purchased several copies of this book and it seems to be doing well.

Yes!!! Christina Lauren has done it again! Another wonderful romance novel full of humor, cleverness, and of course a love story! They can seriously do no wrong. Romance fans will love it as much as i did!

This book was so good!! I am a huge math and science nerd, so I absolutely loved all the genetics and stats talk! River was the sweetest character ever and just sounded like a big teddy bear that was so sweet to Jess and Juno. Juno sounded like the cutest and most fun little girl and I loved how much everyone in the story cared about her. Nana and Pops were so beyond adorable and I would’ve loved to know their DNA score just because I’m curious! Fizzy was so fun and there is so much opportunity for her to be the main character of a future CLo book. I really loved the romance between Jess and River and I just found them to be so cute. I loved how even though they had a high score they were very clearly similar in the little descriptions of the two included throughout the book. The only thing I was a bit confused about was why all of the press opportunities were required for the couple? Like why wouldn’t they wait until after they knew they got along to release that?

Overall, such a good book!! Already cannot wait for the next book from these authors!