5 STARS
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Christina Lauren have hit a home run again! This is by far one of my favorite of all their books (and I pretty much love them all). This one had its funny moments, but had a much more serious tone than their previous novels. This one centers around Jess, a single mom and River. This one is an enemies to lovers (favorite trope) that was very reminiscent of Pride & Prejudice (favorite book) at times.

And yes, there was a LOT of nerdy math and science talk surrounding statistics and DNA. While most of the actual wordage/terms went over my head (not as smart as these MC's lol), It did not take away from the story as a whole. Especially because this book gave me ALL the feels. It had angst, had laughs, made me smile a lot and cry a little. It was the absolute perfect romance read! Would make a fantastic summer/beach read.

I highly HIGHLY recommend if you love a good contemporary romance.

Special Thanks to Gallery Books who gifted me an eARC through NetGalley

Content: This one does have some open-door sex scenes (not extremely detailed though) and language.

5 Star Book Review! The Soulmate Equation is Christina Lauren's latest novel to suck me in right from the beginning and keep me satisfied the whole way through! The basic concept is right up my alley - a dating company that analyzes your DNA and shows the compatibility of potential matches. It's all sorts of nerdy and I adored every detail.

There's so much meat to this story and a whole lot to love.

First of all, there's the single mom factor. Not something you normally find in romance novels since it adds all sorts of complications for the lead. It was so refreshing reading about a woman managing a career, raising her daughter, and enjoying friendships. They also weren't shy about showing how much she relied on her support system to help her find time to go on dates.

River is an undeniably dashing lead. The forced arrangement between River and Jess was a strange combo of a bunch of romance tropes, but it worked! My only gripe was the conflict at the end when his workaholic personality became a bit too much of a red-flag and his later redemption was slightly sudden/unbelievable.

Thankfully, that small wobble wasn't enough to take away from my utter enjoyment of this love story! Easily one of my favorite Christina Lauren stories to date and I know this will top my list of the best romances of 2021!

Thank you to Gallery Books and Netgalley for a chance to read and review this book. I absolutely adored this book - it was very sweet and very well written. This book is definitely one of the better books Christina and Lauren have recently written so if you’ve been put off, this is definitely a great new addition to their collection!! I really enjoyed the chemistry between Jess and River as well as their story. I adored Juno and Fizzy and Jess’ grandparents. I don’t know how necessary it was to add Jamie in though. Being a bit of a nerd, I loved the statistics and the numbers - and even though there wasn’t much of it, there was enough to satisfy my nerdy side. I really liked how the story progressed and how their love blossomed although I wanted to smack them both a bit. I know I’ve already said this but Juno made my heart happy and I wish there was a mini-sequel with Juno & River.

I gobbled The Soulmate Equation up in about a day, and it was just the charming, easy, romantic read I wanted it to be. Jess is a great protagonist, well-developed without being too broad a character, and though the love interest, River, could be fleshed out a little more, the pair have good chemistry together. The supporting characters are also fun - Jess's romance novelist BFF, Fizzy, is a delight, and Juno, Jess's daughter, is entertaining and adorable without ever feeling too mature or too young for her age, something that often bugs me with child characters in this kind of book. I will say, it wasn't entirely satisfying on the com part of 'romcom' - it just wasn't particularly funny or jokey. But I was fully engaged in Jess's journey from start to finish, and loved following it with her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the advance review copy!

I liked the idea of the plot but it was boring. The characters didn't have any chemistry and it felt insta-lovey. The main characters kid was probably the best part of the book.

I just loved this gem of a book! The characters, the science references, the chemistry between Jess and River were all fantastic. I adored the side characters and the single mom trope was well done. This is a rom com i would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a light, fun easy read. Christina Lauren always knocks the rom com genre out of the park... bringing laughing and swooning to their novels with amazing execution!

Another stellar one from Christina Lauren! I have been a long-time fan so I'll read anything they write, but this premise is exactly as good as it sounds filled with tension, humor, and swoons galore. I wholeheartedly recommend!

This was everything I’ve been waiting for from Christina Lauren. A very well paced romance with a cynical single mom and a scientist that believes in love on a textbook level. This book was also packed with chemistry from textbooks to real life relationship chemistry. I really enjoyed the journey of Jessica and River especially with the cast of characters. Jessica’s grandparents, best friend and daughter add a levity to the development of Jessica and River’s relationship. I laughed with Fizzy, loved watching Juno interact with River and Jessica’s grandparents were the kind of support anyone would wish to have. It’s a fun, science based dating experiment with plenty of banter, that shows that love is always the answer.

I loved this book! What an absolute delight. .

This was a little different than the typical book from Christina Lauren. It was a bit less funny and had a more serious vibe to it. That isn't bad at all and its still a great book but I just wasn't really expecting that and it threw me a bit. That being said I loved some things about it. I loved the character and the ways that they developed and interacted. I also loved the main character in this one was a single mother. That really added depth to the story, and the daughter was a great character. It did also add a more serious tone to the book for me though. Overall I did really enjoy it and would recommend it.

This was a cute, fun read. Fast and engaging, each time I had to put the book down I couldn't wait to pick it back up again. The characters are all likeable and you wanted them to take a chance and figure things out (together) so bad! I enjoy the single mother romance trope and I like the way this one was handled.

3.5/5 Stars

I loved the concept for this book and even preordered before seeing it on Netgalley (Thanks for the ARC).
It was sweet, cute and a bit predictable.
I know, I wanted fire but just felt warm, didn't have to clutch my pearls or gasp at any type of audacities. It was steady and easy, which is probably something you want in a soulmate, which is ok too, I'm adjusting.
The book itself is well written and I loved all the characters, especially Jess and her little tribe. I loved her conversations with her daughter and her best friend. And felt a little bad at times because I find the best friend more appealing than her (I can't help these bad thoughts).
I am also a sucker for enemies to lovers tropes, and yeah we get a bit of that here as Jess and River bump heads in the beginning.
I love that the angst was almost nonexistent, these are 2 super smart people navigating the intricacies of high tech dating and even though they are pushed together by DNA evidence, they don't lose themselves in the science.
Overall, a heartsy little nugget full of warmth.

I've read a few Christina Lauren books & this one was a clear favourite. It was light, fun and fast read with several likeable characters (and strong female leads) that highlighted the importance of family, friendship and love. It was a fun read & one I could easily see having a sequel! The premise reminded me of the Netflix series "The ONe" but this was far more enjoyable. This will definitely be a book I will recommend to friends looking for a fun escape/beach read.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC!

I have been a fan of Christina Lauren for a while but their last few books just haven't been as great as some of their older books I loved. This book redeems those books. I absolutely loved the characters and thought they had a cute love story and interesting subplots. My only complaint is I felt like it ended too abruptly with very little "happily ever after" at the end. It was a short, quick read - which most romances are - but I felt like there could have been one or two more chapters exploring a little more into the future to see what happens. It was also a pretty predictable book but that's OK - I loved it anyway! Just what I needed. Now I can't wait for the next Christina Lauren book again!

If you're anything like me you love Christina Lauren and squeal with giddy when they release another book and you get it in your reach.

The Soulmate Equation didn't disappoint. This is the story of what would happen if DNA could predict your probability of succeeding as a couple, and what would happen if you just thought it was made to be?

This didn't contain as much humor as many of their other books I've been fortunate enough to read, but it did have the characters I couldn't help but love. All of them from the lovable star River Nichols, to little seven-year-old Juno. It was a book I couldn't put down once I started.

This book is probably one of my top Christina Lauren books! I could not put it down. I felt such a connection to all the character, I loved how Jess was so determined to be the best mother for Juno. And River fell perfectly into place with the family. I found all the science aspects interesting. When the conflict/climax came I was a little confused about the genetic talk, but it did not deter from the enjoyment I felt.

5 Stars!!

I am newer to reading Christina Lauren and as of yet, The Soulmate Equation is probably one of my top reads by them. I liked the concept of letting DNA determine who your match is. Can you trust it? Jess is done dating. She has been hurt and is barely making ends meet. Her family is what matters most. But she is lonely. When she hears about a new dating program she is intrigued, until she learns who her match is. The app owner and founder, Dr. River Pena. They definitely do not mesh at all, right?

I loved Jess. She was smart and determined and her daughter means everything. Her family and best friend are always there for her. I found this story charming and fun. I loved the characters and their journey so much.

Happy reading!

I am a HUGE fan of Christina Lauren and the brought the magic again with The Soulmate Equation! This book is definitely in the top three of books I've read by the duo.

If you liked The Unhoneymooners or Roomies, you'll love The Soulmate Equation!

Between raising her seven year old daughter on her own and working hard as a business consultant, Jess doesn't have time for dating, even though she definitely feels lonely. But through a chance of fate, Jess finds herself signing up for a new matchmaking company, one that users your DNA to find your soulmate. To her surprise, she ends up with the highest match the company has ever seen—a 98% match to one of the company's founders, who happens to be someone that she really does not like. The company offers her money to "date" him in advance of their public launch, and Jess cannot turn down that proposition, as she is barely getting by. But we all know how the fake dating stories go...

Both characters were genuinely likable. They each had their flaws, but both were well-intentioned and passionate, plus they both had strong morals. And the premise was not actually that unbelievable, as sometimes is the case with romance books. I read this book in about two days and will likely re-read it many more times! I can't wait to see what Christina Lauren do next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of The Soulmate Equation.

eBook provided for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Calling all Christina Lauren fans! Our favorite romance writing duo is back with another laugh out loud romp — "The Soulmate Equation."

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What if a DNA test could find your soulmate? That's the premise behind a new up-and-coming dating service.

No more gross Tinder messages.
No more catfish on Bumble.
No more no-shows from CoffeeMeetsBagel.
No more awkward Grindr meet-ups.

You spit in a tube, set up your profile, and wait for GeneticAlly's science to match you with only people you are compatible with at the DNA level.

And single mom Jess Davis wants nothing to do with it or dating. She may be a data and stats wizard, but even numbers sometimes get it wrong.

But when Jess's best friend and romance author, Fizzy finds out the hot (but grumpy!) guy that is a regular at their favorite coffee shop is GeneticAlly's founder, Dr. River Peña, she cons their way into a sneak peek at the matchmaking service before it goes public.

They say life's what happens when you are busy making other plans and that's just what Jess gets after she makes an unheard-of 98% match with grumpy Dr. River Peña himself. With weeks to go before GenerticAlly's highly anticipated public debut, Jess finds herself signing up to go on a few dates with River in exchange for a fair fee (hey! she's got to support her and her daughter somehow between freelancing clients).

What's the worst that could happen .... ? Love, Jess. Love.

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I speed through "The Soulmate Equation" in a couple of hours, staying up well past midnight finishing it! Jess and River have clear chemistry, the side characters are *chef's kiss*, and the comedy is LOL and ROTFL funny.

You'll definitely want to add this fun Christina Lauren book to your reading list for the summer.

3.5 stars, a good read if you're looking for a cute, quick book.

Christina Lauren's The Soulmate Equation was a cute story, and I am glad I read it (romance isn't usually my go-to genre, but I enjoyed this book nonetheless). I was really intrigued by the first half of the book, I enjoyed the characters (Jess and Juno were great) and the laughs it brought me. However, the last half was dry and slow-moving (maybe because it was predictable? maybe because River and Jessica's romance was kinda ehhh?)
Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley who provided me with an ARC of this book (out now!)