As always the team of Christian Lauren gives you a great story.
Cute, and funny even if it was a bit predictable
Loved the chemistry between the two characters, and the entire premise of finding your
soul mate from a DNA test.
Not only are the main characters entertaining and fun, but the story is full of fun and loveable secondary characters. I especially enjoyed Juno, the daughter of Jess. She and her best friend Fizzy gave me some
of my favorite moments in the book.

My biggest complaint in the book was some of the technical words when it came to River and Jess speaking
about their careers when way over my head.

Another highly entertaining romance from Christina Lauren! This fast read was charming and funny.
Jess is a freelance statistician who loves numbers and data and is a single Mom raising a seven year old daughter. After hearing about a start up company that purports to help singles find their soulmate via DNA, Jess’s best friend Fizzy convinces Jess to see who she matches with. Her test however, shows a 98% compatibility with one of the company’s founders, Dr. River Pena. As these too reluctantly agree to get to know each other, sparks begin to fly.
The idea of a link between genetics and soulmates was an original and intriguing premise. And the cast of likeable characters and sense of the importance of family really added to the story. Although the romance was slow to start, Jess and River have tons of chemistry and heat that keeps the reader engaged and invested. A highly anticipated read that did not disappoint!

Christina Lauren does it again! I don’t think there has been a book written by this duo that I haven’t enjoyed. The Soulmate Equation is such a fun and charming summer read. My only complaint is I wasn’t by a pool when I read it!

I absolutely loved every single minute of this journey. Nerdy geneticist? check! Nerdy statistician? check! Precocious child? check. Best friend who just rocks? check. Funny? check. Romantic? check. This story checked all my rom-com boxes but not only that. It checked my heart in my throat, fist around my heart angst loving heart as well. Not a ton of angst, but just enough in the "holy heck, how do they come back from this" way. River is single minded and it shows in how he treats people (not purposely cruelly just cold). Jess just wants to live a good life, taking care of her daughter and not become her mother. These two should never come together much less work. But fate and circumstance has them spending time together and both will learn that sometimes, what you want is not necessarily what you need. Fizzy is a character that I need a book about all on her own. I laughed out loud so many times, hubby was getting a bit perturbed lol. And I absolutely adore puns and the science puns delighted me to no end. Sweet, sexy, intriguing and funny.

What a fun read this is! The last thing- the very last thing- Jess expected was that a spit sample given to GeneticAlly would match her to its founder, Dr. River Pena. See, she's met him at a coffeeshop and knows he's grouchy. An offer from the company to date him comes with cash and she always needs funds so...Well, rom-com fans know what's going to happen. What's different about this, though, is Jess who is raising her daughter Juno with her grandparents and coping with her mother, who has had and continues to have issues, She's delightful, as is Fizzy, her friend who urges her forward at each turn. River might be the classic man with a steel facade and a big heart. I liked that this also used a topical scientific issue as an impetus for the love story. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read that made me smile.

Before I started reading Christina Lauren’s novels, I was not the biggest fan of romance books. With their lovable characters, often hilarious banter, and addictive storylines, they won me over and now I can’t get enough of their books. Their latest, The Soulmate Equation, is the tenth book I’ve read from them and I’m happy to say it’s one of my favorites yet.

The story follows Jess Davis, who is a freelance statistician. Her passion is crunching numbers all day. Abandoned by her mother at a young age and raised by her grandparents, Jess is now a single mom raising a 7-year-old daughter. Between her career and her daughter, Jess has no time or interest in dating. I really liked Jess right away. She’s a STEM girl, which I loved, and I also loved both her devotion to her adorable daughter, Juno, and her fierce sense of independence. All of that said, I also loved that her curiosity about the data and the science behind a new DNA-based dating app called GeneticAlly leads her to actually submit a sample of her DNA to see if it actually works. Even though she’s all about science and numbers, when she is found to be 98% compatible with another subject in the database, she is skeptical, especially because she has actually met the guy and can’t stand him!

The guy is Dr. River Pena, the sexy scientist who is the brains behind the GeneticAlly app. Jess makes a snap judgment about River because she sees him at the local coffee shop every day and he doesn’t speak to anyone. She thinks he’s arrogant, rude, and obnoxious, but as she starts to get to know him, she realizes she may have been a bit hasty and overly harsh in her initial assessment. I loved watching Jess get to know River. It becomes clear that what she deemed arrogant and rude was actually just him being shy and awkward. The more they talk and interact, the more Jess starts to wonder if there’s any merit to that 98% compatibility score. As much as I liked Jess, I have to say that I flat out adored everything about River, especially the way he interacts with Jess’ daughter, Juno, when he meets her. They are adorable together, which made it impossible not to root for a happy ending for River and Jess since it would mean a father figure for Juno as well.

The actual DNA science and how that worked was a little over my head at times, but I didn’t care. I was so into Jess and River and their journey that I flew through the pages, smiling all the way. With The Soulmate Equation, I think it’s safe to say Christina Lauren have another hit on their hands for romance fans.

Christina Lauren do it again! Yet another amazing romance to add to their growing collection of contemporary romance classics. This soulmate love story is low angst, high chemistry and a touch of enemies to lovers. I adored it all. The main characters are wonderful. They have given us yet another book boyfriend to swoon over for which we will be forever grateful.

So I am not one for a single parent romance. I don’t like children being used as plot points or twists in their parents love story. But apparently I just haven’t met the right single parent romances. CLo does this so so well. Juno is adorable and smart and charismatic and you can’t help but want more of her in the story! All of the secondary characters are fantastic: Fizzy, the grandparents, they are all wonderful. We also need more Fizzy! I think I just wanted this book to go on and on!

While I still think that The Unhoneymooners is my favorite CLo, this is definitely in the running for the top 3! I highly recommend this book to my romance lovers of all types! This is a great summer read!

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5/5

This book was a sweet vanilla latte of a romance. The hard-working, financially struggling single mom meets the aloof developer of an up-and-coming dating app which uses DNA to pair couples, and they are matched to be almost-perfect soulmates...by said app.

The romance progressed as expected, but the little moments as Jess and River began falling each other were absolutely swoon-worthy! All of characters were well-developed, but my favorite was Jess's best friend Fizzy! She provided much-needed lightening up to the tone of this book.

I also really liked how smart both of our leads were, but I think that because both characters had pretty serious personalities, there wasn't much comedy. But there are some fun scenes, mostly involving Fizzy. The discussions between the couple felt not so much like witty banter, but more like deep, guarded revelations they made to each other, which I still loved, but they weren't light-hearted.

The way River handled the unexpected revelation at the end felt a little out if character for him, especially with how his relationship with Jess was at that time. Also, everything was just so neatly and quickly wrapped up, I was a little surprised when it ended.

Overall, I enjoyed Jess and River' journey and their sweet love story.

An entertaining and heartwarming read! The Soulmate Equation may just give us a glimpse of dating in the future! I loved how Christina Lauren wrote this one and I can only imagine that something like this COULD exist in the future!

Jessica Davis (Jess) is a freelance statistician and a single mother. She was raised by her grandparents and, even with their help with her daughter, she barely has it together. Her best friend, Fizzy, and Jess meet at a local coffee shop everyday where at exactly 8:24AM (everyday) a man they refer to as "Americano" enters. The man turns out to be Dr. River Pena, co-founder of a company who matches people based on their DNA. On impulse, Jess sends in her sample.

When she finds out she matched with someone at a 98% level, she can't believe it. When it turns out to be River, she is even more floored. The two of them didn't start off on the right foot. When GeneticAlly wants to pay Jess to spend time with River to see if the numbers are correct, she can't turn it down. Soon, Jess will start wondering if their feelings are real or are they fabricated, because the numbers say they should be a match.

This started out a little slow for me and sometimes I got a little lost with the science talk, but it turned out to be a sweet read. I loved Juno, Jess' daughter, and Fizzy was just the best. Everyone needs a Fizzy in their life! I haven't had much luck with this duo authors' recent works, but I can say that I really enjoyed this one. I would have loved to have River's point of view. That might have upped it a star.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Jess is a single mom who is not looking for love, but then she and her best friend, Fizzy, meet River, the founder of GeneticAlly, the DNA matchmaking company. He is rude and arrogant, but Fizzy wants to try it out as ‘research’ for her next romance novel, so Jess reluctantly joins her. Their samples are taken and soon after they receive their matches. Who will her match be and will he be her soulmate?
It started a bit slow for me with the science and DNA lingo, but the idea of a matchmaking company that uses DNA to find your soulmate, how original! Although predictable, it was light, fun and enjoyable and a book I would recommend to others. Thanks to NetGalley for a digital arc of this novel.

DNA and dating/soulmate matching sites/apps seem to be all the rage these days in books. Heck, if you can find out your ancestry from a DNA Swab, whey not find your soulmate?

Statistician and single mom, Jess has not dated since her daughter, Juno, was born. But her best friend, Fizzy wants to put an end to that. BTW, Fizzy is the best! We all need a Fizzy in our lives! With Fizzy's encouragement, Jess submits here sample and is soon called into GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company. There she learns she has been matched to Americano, err, I mean Dr. River Pena. He is hot, he is sexy, and he is smart like her! No wonder he is her perfect match! But is he? Numbers do not lie, do they? Is she ready to dive back into the dating pool? Will there be sparks? Will he be ready to dive in that dating pool as well?

Every time I pick up a Christina Lauren book, I wonder why I have not read more of their work. I have enjoyed every single book that I have read by this dynamic writing duo. This book is no exception. It was fun, witty, smart, heartwarming and had likeable characters with depth, emotion, and intelligence. Both characters have a strong connection to their family which was a nice touch. I mention that as many contemporary romance books have characters who have family issues, or no family and go off to other countries where they find love. Not that I have a problem with them but… It was nice to read a book where a single mom is dealing with real life issues such as raising a child, worrying about paying the bills and who will watch her child while she goes on dates. While River, works too much and must find a balance for dating in his life. That is my long-winded way of saying the characters and their lives felt realistic.

This was a delightful book that left me smiling.

Note to self - READ MORE CHRISTINA LAUREN!

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book. All the thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I've loved my Christina Lauren reads in the past, but this one didn't appeal to me as much. The tone felt more overly earnest than rompy, and the main character, Jess, was extremely hard for me to empathize with. I don't know that there's anything wrong with her per se, but basically everything she thought and did was the opposite of what I would do and think. Jess is one of those characters who is portrayed as a works-too-hard, never-does-a-thing-for-herself, martyr of a single mother, and for some reason that character type grates on me. I also think this perspective of her fed into my reading of the general tone as being too earnest. Some readers really enjoy this type of book, but I'd caution anyone looking for a straight up fun romp.

My other main problem was the actual premise of the book: a combination of OkCupid and 23andMe functioning as a dating service to pair people up based on their DNA alignment. Okay, by itself, it's fine. But everyone in the book took it SO SERIOUSLY. It sort of bothered me that not one person in the book ever expressed true skepticism of what a match could mean. When Jess is matched insanely high with the company's founder, River, their skepticism is not aimed at what a high match could mean for them but at the results themselves.

However, this brings me to the best part of the book, which is the love interest, River. He probably has the best dialogue of any character in the book and is genuinely interesting to read about, along with seeming like a realistically good mate. Also, there's some touching on the topic of telenovelas that makes me think fans of Jane the Virgin will absolutely love this book (Jess actually reminds me a bit of Jane, if she had a child).

I am not a fan of romance novels but I had heard good things about The Unhoneymooners and In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren so decided to give her newest a chance. Sadly, I still don't like romance novels... They are just so predictable! Two people hate each other at the beginning, and then guess what happens... Anyway, the premise reminded me of the book The One by John Marrs, as they both use DNA samples to match up couples. (But of course a very different vibe!) The concept is cool, but I didn't love Jess or River and it was too cheesy for me.

This book was a solid four stars for me! It was a slow start at the beginning, but once I got into it a bit it really hooked me and I couldn't put it down! So, if you have that problem, keep going, it's worth it! It is so refreshing to have our main characters as scientists and mathematicians and I love all of the fun side characters as well! Fizzy is my jam, but also couldn't get enough of the grandparents! You know, Juno, Jess's daughter was written so we'll! Such a believable 7 year old! I have one at home, so I should know! I kind of felt like the more intimate scenes could have been a bit more sexy/passionate, but I'm not complaining really! It was still overall a great read and it got me out of a reading slump, so thank you! This book just proves how science is sexy!

Single mom Jess does not want to reenter the dating world, until her friend encourages her to try a new genetic-based matchmaking service and it claims to have found her soulmate.

CLo does it again! I loved this story and ALL of the characters. Fizzy had me laughing out loud and is truly what best friends are made of, Juno is adorable, and the grandparents were so sweet. I can't forget about our main pair, Jess and River, whose chemistry and nerdiness had me swooning. Jess was so relatable as she's just trying to hold her life together while never feeling like she's doing a good enough job. I loved that River was shy and the jokes about how far he's come with the help of his sisters -- it reminded me of my own siblings.

I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the genetics and statistics talk throughout, but the authors did a great job of making the science seem legit without dumbing it down for people like me. I stayed up too late finishing this one and my heart is just so full. Where do I sign up for GeneticAlly and find my own Dr. Pena?!

I highly recommend picking this one up when it publishes Tuesday, May 18! Thank you Gallery Books and NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

THE 411...

Single mom Jess Davis is a statistician convinced that the dating scene is just not for her. She’s felt abandoned way too many times and doesn’t want to put her daughter through that again. Jess and her BFF Fizzy hear about GeneticAlly a match making company that is in its early stages of testing. Finding a soulmate through DNA sounds far fetched and she thinks her odds are low. That is until she matches at 98% with one of the app developers!!! 😮 the same guy who walks into the coffee shop every day with ZERO social skills. The guy who is hot AF but is always on the go to even consider his surroundings. Sort of hate-to-love if you can actually hate someone you don’t really know? Think more along the lines of modern day heartwarming tale on the lower end of the steam scale between two individuals who would make quite the odd pairing if you’re only matching by personality. Jess is super relatable as a single mom who is struggling financially to make ends meet even though she’s quite good at what she does for a living. She also happens to have a strong support system between her grandparents and best friend. Jess isn’t fully convinced that GeneticAlly is accurate, she entertains it with skepticism, intrigue, and sarcasm all at once. Dr. River Pena has invested everything into GeneticAlly, it’s basically his baby and although he also doesn’t believe he could’ve matched correctly with Jess…in order to protect the integrity of his research, he has to be willing to date her.

WRITING & FINAL THOUGHTS...

I didn’t really go into this expecting a steamy romance, my hopes were that I’d walk away with a new favorite Rom-Com and I feel that’s exactly what I got. Besides the developing romance, we get to see a positive f/f friendship where the BFF is more like family. I ADORED Fizzy! a romance writer who has even written a character based off of Jess and honestly every time she threatened to kill her off, I giggled thinking of my own best friend. I would absolutely read a spin-off based on Fizzy’s own escapades which we get a slight glimpse to in this book. Even seven year old Juno was fun to get to know on the page, she’s got such an inquisitive mind and loves the library. Our love interest is just about the only aspect I wish was a bit more fleshed out. We get to know him through his research but it isn’t until the last quarter of the book where we get to see some of his personal life influences like his family. This is also where we learn he’s Latinx which tbh, I would’ve loved to have learned from the very beginning. A more balanced approach towards the main characters is something I find helps me get more invested in their lives. That being said, my heart melted every time Dr. River Pena interacted with little Juno! his respect for women and just his whole love language was *chefs Kiss* perfection!

The Soulmate Equation hits shelves next week Tuesday May 18th

I am a big fan of CL and I'm always so thrilled to get a chance to read and review their books! Most recently I devoured In a Holidaze and I was looking forward to more fluffy, cozy goodness and they absolutely delivered.

Jess is a freelance data scientist, single mom, and fits the "caregiver" label to a T. Everyone's needs and wants are placed before her own, including her daughter (Juno), parents (Nana and Pops), and a bit of her best friend (Fizzy). Hustling to make ends meet and to make sure everyone is cared for, Jess has become an expert and putting her own needs to the side. Witty, smart, and loyal, Jess is the sort of friend and family member that you want for your own.

Throwing our beloved Jess into an enemies-to-lovers pairing was perfect for shaking up her routine. Dr. River Pena is kind of a dick. He's the sort of character that you might consider for a hate shag. All the early interactions between Jess and River had my hackles up and I wasn't sure if CL would be able to redeem him for me. I ended up swooning hard, especially seeing his sweet moments of caring for Jess and interacting with her friend and family.

The concept of genetic based dating was intriguing! It also ended up being a bit more thought-provoking than I expected and made for some interesting conversations with Mr. B. Jess and River's shared excitement over spreadsheets and data made me giggle and smile. I love moments like that, especially when they start out as enemies. I admit I skimmed over the mathematical chatter, my eyes glaze over anything beyond typical budgeting math, but it was a fun inclusion nonetheless.

I adored the supporting characters as much, if not more, than our leads. Fizzy, Juno, and especially Nana and Pops. Jess's support network brought so much to the story and I really hope we get to see Fizzy in the future. Fizzy is a romance novelist and it really is the best! Even River's sisters made a huge impact with their short time on page. I would have loved to see them pick on River more.

I do wish the ending had a bit more oomph. The resolution for the conflict didn't feel complete but that also might be because I am slow to forgive. Between that and the conflict with "Jess's Mom" feeling underdeveloped, I had to knock my rating down a star.

Overall, The Soulmate Equation was a sweet, utterly delightful romance with plenty of chuckles, toothachingly sweet romance, and a whole lot of heart. Throw in some low key drama to balance out the scorching chemistry between this begrudging couple, and you have an amazing feel-good, romantic comedy that will make your alternate between bursting and aching. It all sounds painful, I know, but really its a good thing.

Recommended for fans looking for a heroine in STEM, single-mom, and the trope-ish goodness that is enemies-to-lovers and fake dating.

I really enjoyed Christina Lauren’s newest release, Soulmate Equation. The premise of a genetic based matchmaking service was unique. I loved the characters and their relationships with one another. However, at the beginning, I disliked our seemingly aloof, main male character, River. The start was a little slow, but once it got going, I was hooked on this storyline. Then, just when I was swooning over River, his personality took another 360...two more times! Honestly, without the personality whiplash, this may have been a 5 star read for me. In the end, thankfully, readers do get their happy ending. Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this sweet, sexy and fun digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Definitely will be reading more from Christina Lauren.

I have enjoyed every book I've read by author duo Christina Lauren, and this one is no exception. What a unique twist on a love story - a scientist who figures out a way to create high probability love matches using our DNA. This is like 23andMe meets Tinder with the participants having the ability to choose what level of match they'd like, from likely won't go past one date to Diamond - will definitely last FOREVER! But, what happens when the seemingly rude scientist behind the science matches with the single mom who he sees at the coffee shop every morning at a rate never before seen in the time span of the company? Just how likely are these two completely different people to end up falling in lifelong love? And just how different are they? And can you pretend something into fruition? Fake it 'til you make it at it's best!