Thank you Gallery Books and Netgalley for the ARC! I'm a huge Christina Lauren fan so I get super excited when a new CLo book is coming out. I will admit that I didn't love this one as much as most CLo books I've read - BUT I still enjoyed it! What I wish there were more of: the emotional development in the romantic relationship and discussion of the impact Jess's relationship with her mom has on her relationship with herself and her own daughter. Jess's mom struggles with addiction to alcohol and drugs, and this is such an important topic, but I feel that there isn't enough nuanced discussion about addiction. The physical chemistry was definitely there between Jess and River, but I would have loved more of them getting to know each other and falling for each other emotionally. What I loved: JUNO. FIZZY. JESS'S GRANDPARENTS. The supporting characters in this one were so lovable. I want more Juno and Fizzy!! And the science was actually really interesting! Overall, while I wish some things were more fleshed out, this was an enjoyable and cute rom com. I have seen lots of 5 star reviews so take my opinion with a grain of salt!

Really 3.5. This was my third Christina Lauren book & the first one I read in print instead of listening to the audiobook. I think I’ll go back to audio for them. Overall it was cute, but the writing was heavily flawed. The pacing felt off & the narrative just didn’t seem smooth. For the first time it really felt like it was written by two separate writers. There seemed to be a lot more tell than show. I also think an audio narrator may have infused some much-needed energy. One thing I did love about this book is that the main character is in a STEM field. Usually the women in contemporary romances are event planners or in the arts or work for charities. It was nice that Jess was a statistician.

This is only the third book by author duo “Christina Lauren” that I have read, and they’re three-for-three for me so far!

This book had its heartbreaking moments. Being a single mom with a challenging childhood, feeling as though everyone you care about leaves you? Definitely not easy. But this book also SCREAMS #StrongFemaleProtagonist by the end and I swear, Jess Davis is not one I’d want to get in the way of. (I seriously love how she doesn’t just let a guy make mistakes and get away with it!)

This book warmed my heart. The enemies-to-lovers trope was so well done, and I loved the banter between the two main characters. This will not be my last @christinalauren book, that’s for sure.

🆂🆈🅽🅾🅿🆂🅸🆂
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙀𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 follows Jessica Davis, a single mom and statistics wizard, as she moves through her daily life with her grandparents, her awesome kid (Juno), and her best friend. Her mom is out of the picture, but pops back in at her convenience, often leaving Jess reeling. Meantime, Jess is incredibly busy managing her day-to-day life, attempting to make ends meet.

But she can’t help but notice Americano (nick-named for his coffee order at the shop he comes into every morning). On a whim, she finds out that he’s a geneticist starting up a compatibility company where the system would determine whether or not you’re compatible with a match depending on biology and genetics.

At first skeptical, even Jess has to admit they’re thorough when she learns the details. But what she doesn’t expect is to find a match. A diamond match at that – one where she matches at 98% with another person. Better yet…with someone she can’t stand to be around.

Can it work? Can data determine compatibility? Can she give him a chance? Even if everything she comes to trust falls apart?

Such a cute book and I love that it was so STEM oriented. I thought it was really fun. Christina Lauren doesn't let us down.

This book was really good. The science part was sometimes a bit descriptive for me and over my head, but it was easy to get past and not get lost trying to figure anything out. Without any spoilers I will say there was one thing at the end of the book that really truly bothered me. I knew it was coming (I really hoped it wouldn’t happen) but it did and I didn’t like it. But all around this was a good book that I would recommend to others.

Really enjoyed this book! It made me reminisce about when Match.com was the new and best way to find a relationships it seemed so crazy and of the wall at the time. Never in my wildest dream didmI imagine fast forwarding 20 years and match becoming passé and hearing about dating apps like Tinder,Bumble etc. I have never used these apps or match but find the algorithms and methods fascinating. I loved this fresh take on this and found this book to be really cute and entertaining. While much of it was predictable- it was a fun and sweet book to start hailing in the summer. I enjoy books by this duo author team. I was not as into their last book but really found this one to be fun. Imprecise t it to be a big summer hit.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest opionion.

I absolutely loved this ARC that i received! There is a ew app that takes your spit and genetically matches you with the love of your life.. Or does it??? When Jess decides to give it a go, she meets Dr Pena who’s less than welcoming, turns out they’re matched at a high rating. They both let their guards down and let the love in all while handling real life accidents and drama.
I just kept turning the pages! I wanted to know more but didn’t want it to end.

#TheSoulmateEquation by #ChristinaLauren #142of250 #35of25 #26chapters #368pages #covidreading #Kindle #ARC #Netgalley #NetGAlleyARC #ReadItQuick #whatsnext #ClearingOffReadingShelves

Hmmm. I’m struggling with rating this book because I wanted to like it more than I actually did. The idea behind it in this technology run world is kinda cool, but I found myself at times skimming because it was quite factual and boring.
That being said, there were definitely some good parts and I Loved Fizzy and Juno. And Jess’ grandparents were so amazing and supportive, it made me remember all the good times I had with my own grandparents.
Jess is a single mom who turns 30 and her BFF gives her a DNA dating match test for her birthday. She reluctantly sends in her results and ends up matched with one of the founders of the company. She doesn’t believe the results and neither does he, but they have to pretend they like each other while promoting the company and of course, end up falling for each other. In the process of figuring things out between them, something happens that could change everything or nothing, depending on what they decide to do about it. I hope there’s a sequel with Fizz and her dating future in it.
I have a feeling this will be a big hit, I’m just starting to realize that mainstream books are not really my thing.
Thanks to Gallery Books and Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for my review.

First, I want to address those “eugenics” criticisms. I’ve seen reviews that say using DNA to match people together automatically falls under eugenics, but I don’t really agree with that. I think there needs to be actual intent to (or results that) only match certain demographics of people with other certain demographics of people for it to be considered eugenics – which is obviously repulsive. It’s not what’s going on in this book at all, though. I do feel like the authors could have gone a little bit more out of their way to make this distinction more clear, though. And while we’re on the topic of science, I thought it could have been handled a little more thoughtfully than it was. There is a lot scientific terminology thrown out in short bursts and I found it all pretty confusing.

I also struggled a bit with the main character, Jess. She made so many assumptions on River before ever even talking to him, that it colored all of her interactions with him once they officially meet and she was so rude. She went on and on about how he was the worst when she was the one that was acting so horribly. It drove me a little crazy. As she eventually gets to know him and realizes she was wrong about him, I started to like her a little more, just to get frustrated again by how she reacted to the Big Conflict. The unevenness of her character really brought down my overall enjoyment of the book.

While Jess wasn’t my favorite, I did really like River. He made a couple missteps – including how he handled the Big Conflict, as well – but other than those he was pretty perfect. He was sweet and romantic and probably one of my favorite male characters Christina Lauren has written. I also enjoyed Jess’ grandparents and daughter. I thought they were all kind and supportive and I wouldn’t have minded seeing a bit more of them.

Overall, I enjoyed The Soulmate Equation, but I didn’t love it. While there was some good banter occasionally and I shipped the romance, my struggle with the main character brought everything down a bit for me. While this one may not be my favorite Christina Lauren book, I look forward to checking out whatever they write next.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 3 Stars

I love this duo so much! They always make the best rom-coms (in my opinion). I was invested with all the characters with their great banter and fun character development. I thought this was their best storyline yet! Strongly recommend to any Christina Lauren fan.

This was a fantastic story. I don't know what changed but the writing felt more reminiscent of older books by Christina Lauren that I adored.

I loved that there was a twist to the story, and a lot of very real and valid mom guilt Jess experienced. All the moms in books tend to be super moms even when they're "frazzled" Here we had a women who messed up and definitely didn't have it all together and it was refreshing.

I loved the flip script in who you expect to panic and destroy it all.

Christina Lauren are the types of authors where I'm never disappointed: quick easy reads that make me swoon, laugh and just be happy.

The Soulmate Equation is one of their best books. Hands down.

This story follows statistic obsessed single mom Jess who lives a very family oriented life of caring for her daughter and freelancing when possible to help out her grandparents who helped raise her. She gets bamboozled into participating in a new dating app start up that uses genetics to match you to your potential soulmate. The twist is that Jess matches almost perfectly with the company's found Dr. River Pena.

THIS BOOK! I swooned! I laughed! I almost cried!

Not only is the concept so ridiculously fantastic, but but this book was just a damn good and well written romance. The sexual tension was genius and what I've began to notice was a damn good romance includes a damn good first kiss. AND THIS HAD IT.

I loved this book! Such a perfect read with a totally new concept: think Bumble meets 23andMe. The idea of finding your soulmate based on genetic matchmaking is fascinating to me, and I loved that this book read light and fun for a summer romance but also was smart and well researched to back up the subject matter. I would 10/10 recommend adding this book to your summer reading list.

** I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley.

Jess Davis is a freelance statistician who has pretty much given up on the daving scene because of her daughter Juno. In her opinion, raising her daughter is a full time job and dating doesn't fit in. After hearing about a new dating company, GeneticAlly, Jess's best friend Fizzy takes a test that promises to match you to your genetic soulmate. After having a tough night, Jess also takes the test and is given a 98% compatibility rating with non other than the company's founder, Dr. River Pena. Jess is given an opportunity to get to know River and see if they really are soulmates.

The book was such an easy read! I was almost immediately drawn to it and sucked into the story. Jess is such an interesting character because of her love for numbers and having a "real" concrete formula. The real fun in this novel is Fizzy. She is so boisterous and fun to read. I loved every portion of the book that showcased their friendship as it felt so true. Fizzy writes romance novels and always puts Jess in them somehow. I just really loved that.

Juno and River's relationship was so sweet and it made the book really special. Juno is an inquisitive child who always has questions up her sleeves and reads vicariously for new information. River connects to her in that way and is almost captivated by her. I think it's such an important relationship that went so well.

The true connection in this book is Jess and River. I have no doubt in my mind that these characters needed each other and it was so wonderful to read their beginning. This is definitely my new favorite Christina Lauren novel.

Single-mother Jess Davis is a wiz with numbers and statistics. That's why she knows getting back out into the dating pool would be a set up for disaster. Instead, Jess places her focus on raising her daughter and making sure she can make ends meet with her freelancing job. Adding in a relationship will only add in more complications. Regardless, Jess does find herself wanting a partner. Someone to lean on and help. Someone who will love her.

When Jess hears about GeneticAlly, a company who matches people based on their DNA, she doesn't think she really has anything to lose and she submits a sample of her own DNA. When Jess ends up matching with a 98% score, she almost can't believe the numbers. When she finds out she's matched with GeneticAlly's co-founder, Dr. River Peña. This wouldn't be so bad, except Jess already kinda, technically knows Dr. Peña and they don't really see eye to eye.

When GeneticAlly offers to pay Jess to spend time with River so they can really see the numbers at work, she can't turn it down. But when Jess's feelings for River turn from animosity into something more, can she trust the numbers?

As a concept I think Soulmate Equation hits all the marks. I loved the idea of these two people who are supposed to be meant to be, that just don't really like each other. I loved the exploration of a kind of fate and destiny over chance and compatibility. The idea that both Jess and River are so into the facts (her being a statistician and him a scientist) is one point where they actually agree. They both want to find "the one" but when you look at the numbers for love and relationships, they don't really add up. So when River and Jess's score comes back astronomically high, you can't help but question. Then when they're together you can't help but wonder: are the numbers right? Are they really meant to be together? Or is it them getting to know each other and forming a connection that has ultimately brought them together? I loved seeing the building blocks of Jess and River's tentative start and how it forms itself throughout the story.

If anything, I wish the book would have gone farther in exploring these ideas. I think Christina Lauren kind of kept things a bit centered. I understand because I feel like, with numbers, there are an almost infinite possibility of where things can go. So many branches could have been introduced and we would have had a book that was a thousand pages instead of the three-hundred plus that it comes out as, but I think introducing a couple more scenarios between Jess and River would have just upped the enjoyment factor of the entire book.

Such as, getting River's point of view on a few key moments would have helped not only enrich his character, but could have help enrich their burgeoning relationship as well.

One aspect of the book that I really thought Christina Lauren did a great job of representing was the exhaustion of parenthood. And in Jess's case, on top of that, single parenthood. I could feel Jess's love for her daughter bursting off the page, but I could also equally feel how rundown and tired she was. How the weight of all the responsibilities is just adding pressure and how essentially dealing with it on her own (even though she does have a great support group) makes her feel lonely. It's something I could at least partially identify with.

As I said, Jess isn't completely on her own. She has the help of her grandparents - also responsible for raising Jess herself as a child - and her best friend Fizzy (Felicity). Although growing up with an absent mother, Jess feels like asking for too much help from those she loves will make her like her own mother. This couldn't be further from the truth, but Jess doesn't want her daughter to think for one second that she's not first in Jess's life. Seeing Jess begin to understand that it's ok to ask for help. That in taking care of herself, it's like another level in helping to take care of her daughter. I loved seeing Jess get to that place.

Of course River and Jess's tentative start and build up of a relationship is near perfection. I loved how at odds they were with one another even though they are more on the same page than they at first realize.

This is another winner from Christina Lauren. I thoroughly enjoyed this one as I've enjoyed the others. Ultimately I like thinking about the "what if" aspect of love and relationships that The Soulmate Equation presents.

Jessica a single mom, who is raising her daughter with the help of her grandparents is just fine with the way things are, or so she thinks. A statistical analyst she finds comfort in numbers and data. So when a new kind of dating platform offers a chance at romance by the numbers she is reluctantly interested. Until she finds her match is a man she is all too familiar with and holds strong opinions against. She has observed and dismissed him as cranky, entitled and a bit arrogant. They go to the same coffee place mornings. Fate and life offer her an answer to a financial prayer so she submits to the company’s offer to pay her to date the man who always complains. I loved the character of the best friend and the author ramps up the tension expertly. A good beach read.

What if you could find your soulmate through a DNA sample? Dr. River Pena believes this is possible, and his company GeneticAlly sets to do just that. Single Mom, Jess submits a sample thanks to the encouragement of her best friend, not expecting much. She gets a call from the company a few days later saying she has an unheard of 98% match - with Dr.Pena himself. There’s no way it can be true though, because in their few interactions they have not gotten along AT ALL. When River and Jess begin to get to know each other, they realize the match may be more accurate than they thought.

This one quickly become one of my favorites of Christina Lauren! I loved the premise, I loved the characters, and I loved that the relationship felt more mature. I adored the secondary characters, Juno was such a sweet addition to the story, and Fizzy is best friend goals.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Any book by these authors is automatically on my "to be read" list. This book should definitely be on your list! I enjoyed this light=hearted dating story and loved the characters which made it a great read for me. A single mom, cute little girl, sarcastic best friend, and a gorgeous gentleman as the love interest. This story of finding a soul mate will be one of your favorites, too.

Wow, wow, wow, I loved this book. The characters had witty banter with one another but also undeniable chemistry and honest and emotional conversations. The conflict was a naturally driving force and the transition from fake to real dating was flawless. I can’t decide which side character I loved the most - they were all amazing. The overall theme of choice versus destiny resonated and the novel as a whole felt perfectly paced.

I'm always a huge fan of Christina & Lauren and this book didn't come to disappoint. I was a little weary of it towards the beginning, but as the book progressed I was hooked! Definitely another must read!