I've been wanting to read a Christina Lauren book for a long time since I know so many that are absolute fans of this writing duo. I wasn't quite sure what to think of this premise, but I was interested to see how it would play out.

With Jess being a single parent, dating was the last thing on her mind until a random chance of testing out this "DNA matchmaking" app. In comes the bit of a grump (at first) hero, River, and we have a start of a rather interesting relationship.

I struggled with the beginning of this book because it felt really slow to me, but as you keep reading, it starts to pick up. Once we learn about Jess's ideal match, I found it hard to really get into their romance. This is probably a me thing, but I was just questioning everything especially when it came to this app, possible motives for this potential relationship. I don't know, it couldn't get into it.

And then there's a bit of a twist at the end that wasn't handled very well by River, but the moments after that, I wish we saw more of throughout the book.

The premise of this story seemed to have taken over the romance part of this book. I love their writing, but this book didn't quite work for me like I hoped it would.

I loved this book. The first few chapters were a bit slow but it took off and I stayed up half the night to finish. This is one of the top CL books by far. I loved the steam and the characters

The Soulmate Equation was such a great contemporary romance! It definitely gave me some of The Rosie Project vibes, even though it’s a bit different and obv The Rosie Project is amazing and hard to beat. It held a lot of the same kind of humor and quest to find the perfect match in an analytical way with the main male character being analytical and a little daft at times, while the female character was a whole lot of personality and a bit messy in the eyes of the love interest.

Even though the company created matches using DNA, it wasn’t tech or “cautionary tale of too much tech” focused like Black Mirror or even the TV show The One; it was still a contemporary romance through and through with a little bit of science dashed in, which I loved.

The characters were awesome and so well fleshed out. I felt like I knew Jess, her daughter, her best friend, and her family. I felt her struggles, her concerns, and loved her. I really enjoyed River’s character as well and watching them go from hate to love. I was so there for the entire journey and it melted my icy heart.

Christina Lauren is an author duo to watch! So far, I’ve enjoyed all of their contemporary romance books and feel they’ve come a long way since I first discovered them with Beautiful Bastard. I definitely recommend this one, it’s both incredibly cute and compelling and I couldn’t put it down.

When I am not reading books for my classroom, you can find me reading Christina Lauren's books. This did not disappoint.

Today is National DNA Day so it’s the PERFECT day to tell you how much I loved The Soulmate Equation by the amazing @christinalauren
Thank you to @gallerybooks and @netgalley for this eARC!

Jess is a single mom who freelances from her local coffee shop. She and her BFF, Fizzy, (the crazy and hilarious BFF we all deserve) keep busy by watching a very cute but rude man arrive at the same time and order the same drink each morning. The barista tells them he has helped found a revolutionary new dating site that pairs up people based on their DNA! After a bad day, Jess decides to try it out. Soon she learns she is 98% compatible with the awful but awfully cute coffee shop founder- Dr River Pena. Both are convinced there is a mistake with the numbers. Their hilarious and adorable banter begins and soon they find that that 98% might actually be right.

One of my favorite scenes from the book is when a couple characters completely nerd out and tell science jokes back and forth. This t-shirt from my husband’s college Biology Club would have been the perfect one liner 🧬🤓

🧬🧬🧬🧬🧬/5
The Unhoneymooners was my fav CL book but this one might have just taken the number 1 spot! ! It was a blast!

We’ve all heard the comments or seen the memes about books being an escape, mood changers, and I have to say, yes, what a godsend books and authors have been in the past year. In the past few weeks when my mood has been fluctuating, I’d take a book by one of my favorite authors and become immersed in a rom-com or mystery and feel refreshed. Such a circumstance led me to reach for Christina Lauren’s The Soulmate Equation–and they didn’t let me down.

Jess is a single mom, freelance statistician who, with her best friend, romance writer Fizzy, claims a table at the local coffee house five days a week to work. Everyday at the same exact time for the past couple of years, the handsome hunk they’ve dubbed “Americano” because of his drink order, appears and then disappears. Until one morning when Jess grabs his arm and the world is disrupted.

Dr. River Peña aka Americano is a geneticist who along with his mentor has created GeneticAlly, a dating app of sorts based entirely on matching genetic makeup. He is the type of scientist who totally buries himself in his work, sometimes to the detriment of all else.

At their first couple of interactions, Jess and River have an instant dislike, but then his app links them as a 98% match, a match that had never happened before. Deciding to give this thing a try, River because he believes in his program and Jess because of an added incentive, they enter uncharted territory for both of them.

Christina Lauren has given us the best of both worlds, a seemingly plot-driven novel with characters that have depth and who the reader cares about. While I loved the cute, nerdy couple of Jess and River, I also loved Jess’ best friend, Fizzy, who is like every woman’s dream best friend. The one who is there when you need her, has no hidden agenda, and writes every embarrassing thing that happens in your life so that she can use it later in a novel. Jess’ daughter Juno adds the cute factor without launching into saccharine. And Jess’ grandparents are about as lovable as you can get. Christina Lauren always hits the family factor right on the nose, and here it is no different.

As usual, I laughed-out-loud, which was one reason why I reached for the novel. Sometimes you just need a laugh and heart. And this novels scores on both. Not to mention the chemistry between Jess and River that is off the charts.

While I’m not a huge fan of the enemies to more trope, I do like it in the hands of Christina Lauren, where it’s all rational and no one has a out-of-left-field temper tantrum. And, because like all good romances, we need a division near the end to test the couple, the one The Soulmate Equation provides makes sense and rises organically from the characters’ personalities.

If you’re looking for a lol book with all the feels, you might be looking for The Soulmate Equation.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Do I even need to write anything about this? I feel like giving it five stars should suffice because it's a Christina Lauren book, and they're ALWAYS the best. I will, however, say that this one did not disappoint. I loved the story's concept, and the twist was perfect. The characters were so lovable, and the banter was on point. I'm not sure anything will ever top Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating, but this one was a serious contender. Five massive stars!

Christina Lauren has done it again! I really enjoyed this book from beginning to end. From the characters to the content to the plot, I was so engaged with the story and it was such a fun and touching read!
The Soulmate Equation follows Jess, a math whiz and statistician with a 7 year old daughter named Juno, who has closed her heart off to love. On a whim during a lonely spell, Jess sends in a sample to GeneticAlly, a new and upcoming company that uses your DNA not only to find you a date, but to match you with your soulmate. After a not-so-friendly first interaction, Jess finds out that she’s a 98% match with one of the company’s founders, River Peña. The two make a deal that benefits both Jess and the company despite their initial feelings, but they soon realize they can’t resist the truth in the numbers.
The whole concept was actually really interesting with the science and math components behind it -some stuff definitely went over my head but it was still cool! It wasn’t too flooded with technical terminology and I think the concept as a whole was really well-explained.
What I really loved about this book were the characters. They made for such a fun and entertaining group, from Jess’ adorable grandparents, to her cheeky romance author BFF Fizzy, to her curious and creative daughter. Reading about River’s interactions with Juno was easily one of my favorite things, my heart just melted.
This was a cute story with a lot of originality and I can’t wait to keep reading more Christina Lauren books after this one!
Thank you so much to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Cute, funny, engaging.

Jess is a single mom who is very statistics driven. Although she is hesitant to date or let anyone in after the trauma of past relationships, when she hears about a dating site that uses DNA analysis to find your partner, she understands the numbers and she gives it a try. She has 98% compatibility with the founder of the company but they can't stand each other. I love the enemies to lovers trope and this one was great!!

MY. HEART.

I love Christina Lauren so much - they are not only amazing people but their books are just so good. But, I admit that nothing has really hit me in the feels the way Love and Other Words did. It is by far my favorite of theirs and everything else has come up short (not in a bad way - LAOW is just that good). The Soulmate Equation is so close to being my favorite and might be one of my favorite romances of this year.

First, the premise is so unique and smart. A new type of dating app where you match with someone based on genes. It's full of stats and nerding out in a way that is super rare in romance. Some times I was like "what are they talking about?" and it was just so unique. Second, Jess and River. I love a good "enemies" to lovers which is really lust disguised as frustration and anger. River was such a shy little baby and I loved how he opened up into full sweetness with Jess. And Jess really just has the weight of the world on her shoulders. She takes care of everyone but doesn't have anyone to take care of her. Their romance was beautiful and honestly so believable. And the TENSION. I needed them to kiss so badly I stayed up till 3am until it happened. And then you've got a bevy of secondary characters who are perfect: Juno, Jess' daughter who is so curious and precocious; Fizzy who might be the best friend out there (and is hilarious) and Nana Jo and Pops who's love of Jess and Juno just floated off the pages.

I adored this book - I read it in 2 days and it blew me away. Well done CLo! This is a must read.

Once I started this story, I read it within a couple of days. I had to know what happened.

Jess David is an independent single mom who, as a statistician, believes in the power of numbers. She doesn't have time for dating, but after another school event where she's surrounded by couples decides to try out a new dating app that will match people based on their DNA. She finds out that she's been very highly matched with someone. It's someone she already knows and Jess isn't too sure about the match, but numbers don't lie, do they?

Jess is a strong, smart, mom and thinks very logically. She's focused on growing her business and providing for her daughter, but she might be convinced to see if this match could work. It's a cute story. I really enjoyed the characters, especially her daughter Juno and best friend, Fizzy.

Starting a new Christina Lauren book is like waking up on a Friday morning- you just know the future has wonderful things in store for you. I saved this one until I had time to truly savor it even though the premise was not something that would ave called to me with any other author's name on the cover. Despite the set up of being about using genetics to find your soulmate (which never made sense to me although to be fair I skimmed most of the sciency explanations in the book) this is still basically a book about exploring the attraction you feel for a person you do not think you even like. The majority of this book was just perfection. I loved Jess's daughter and the the comic relief provided by her best friend. I loved the sexual tension between Jess and River. Suddenly though there was a blur of drama of the most predictably boring nature that is then resolved so quickly and nonsensically that I was doubly annoyed. It felt like conflict for conflict's sake. and just soured the last part of the book for me. I will still take a Christina Lauren book that I don't completely love over my favorites by most other authors any day.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I hated statistics in undergrad, it didn’t make sense in my brain so I had assumed I was going to have a hard time with this one but this book was just so freaking cute and so well done! I thought I was going to be overwhelmed with the scientific component but Christina Lauren does a great job of getting us to understand the material in a way that doesn’t come off as talking down. I absolutely LOVED all of the characters. Jess with her tight knit family and River with his sisters. I seriously just ate this book up. Like once you get invested in it, there’s no way you’ll be able to put it down!

If you're a fan of enemies to lovers romances, then this newest book from Christina Lauren won't disappoint. I quite enjoy the fact that the protagonist is a single mom. I feel that kind of representation is vital and inclusive. The banter and the chemistry is very much present, and the secondary characters definitely provide comic relief. Enjoyable read! 3.5 stars.

3.5 Stars

This book was gifted to me by NetGalley and Gallery books, thank you so much!

This book has all the fun that you expect from Christina Lauren. Great array of characters, swoony moments, and lots of heart.

The actual romance of it felt a bit flat for me. When River and Jess kissed the heat behind it didn’t make much sense to me... I get they were attracted, but there didn’t seem to be enough emotional groundwork laid there.

For me, I have very high expectations for Christina Lauren books because I love them so much, and I wouldn’t say that this one wasn’t good...but I’ll say it didn’t meet the level of my expectation. It’s still good!!! But maybe just a smidge below the bar these two ladies have set. But it’s still good!!

I think the rating from 4 to 3.5 happened because of a fade to black love scene. How are they gonna tease it for a whole chapter and then shut the door in my face? So sad.

I have read every single Christina Lauren book and they just keep getting better as this writing duo continues to put out hit after hit. This one is no exception. The premise is interesting: GeneticAlly, a brand new DNA-based matchmaking company that’s claiming it will change dating as we know it. But when single mom scientists (Jess Davis) matches with the founder of the company (Dr River Peña), it puts that claim to the test. Jess agrees to get to know River, even though she dislikes him right off the bat, (cue my favorite - enemies to lovers trope). The Soulmate Equation is a fast, fun read with some laugh-out-loud moments, sizzling chemistry, great characters and side characters, and fantastic banter. If you're a Christina Lauren fan, you definitely don't want to miss this one..

Thanks so much to Gallery Books for the ARC of The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren.

I am new to the Christina Lauren fan club. My first book of hers was In A Holidaze and boy was I sold! I was so excited to pick up her new book a little early.

The Soulmate Equation is a unique, realistic, and compassionate romance book. My favorite thing about Lauren's writing is that her love stories seem very real and not overly full of fluff. This story follows 30 year old single mother Jess in her quest for love and balance in her life. What I think is most special about this book is the relationships. We see her relationship with her child, her best friend, her grandparents, her mother, and her love interest. The relationships are very fleshed out and I liked that Jess has both very positive and negative relations. I I also love the integration of science and math in the book!

The biggest takeaway for me was the lesson that it's okay to take care of yourself put your needs first. Highly recommend!

3.5 stars

When I read the synopsis for The Soulmate Equation, I couldn't get my hands on this single parent nerdy love story fast enough. The addition of enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and fake dating tropes were the icing on the cake. Sadly, the story started off a bit slow for me and I sometimes felt too bogged down by all the technical details. Things did pick up though, and when River and Jess started to truly interact, the book really hooked me. The hate-love sexual tension was really well done and the build up between them was just right. I loved how things evolved into more and I appreciated the questions and discussions that arose because of the unconventional way they came into each others lives. The secondary characters were a lot of fun and Fizzy and Juno added some wonderful comic relief. The scenes with Juno and River though were my favorite. It was so sweet seeing them interact and get closer. The drama at the end was a great twist, but unfortunately it came so late in the book that the ending felt very rushed. The resolution actually reminded me of how I felt about the ending of Christina Lauren's other novel, The Unhoneymooners - unsatisfied and needing A LOT more grovel.

Overall, this was an entertaining romance, but unfortunately it wasn't a Diamond Match for me.

CW: depression (mention of antidepressants), parental abandonment, drug and alcohol addiction

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

It is no secret that I love the Christina Lauren Duo. However, this book blew me out of the water. The other book's that I have read by them have been enjoyable, but a little more heavy on the cliche tropes (this is not in anyway a bad thing). I really loved that this book evoked deeper questions into soulmates, and genetics. The way this book made me question my own relationships in terms of if they would change knowing we received a certain "score" was uncomfortable in the best way possible. I really appreciated that this book was lighthearted and funny, but that it had deeper meaning and purpose.

I really loved Jess. I think she is such a good mom. I loved that she had her life pretty much figured out, and that she was so independent. I love that her personal life as a child shaped her life as an adult, and that we got to see those more intimate moments in her life. The way Jess kept a level head on her shoulders when she was faced with frustrating and heartbreaking situations was really nice to see. She obviously showed emotions, and seeing her open up during the story was amazing. Jess is a superwoman plain and simple.

The romance aspect of this book was above par. Overall, this is a great romance. If you haven't read anything by Christina Lauren this is the book to start with.

This review was posted on my instagram (@maries_shelf), and Goodreads. Will post to Amazon and Barnes & Noble after publishing date.

Jess is a single mom, afraid to step back into the dating world. River, a stuck-up, stubborn geneticist who created a DNA-based matchmaking company that promises to change the dating game forever. This unlikely pair ends up showing a 98% compatibility - the highest score yet!

Holy cricket! How I loved this book! I read it from cover to cover in one sitting (I was dying of thirst for a solid hour, but I just couldn’t put the book down). The characters were well-written, complex, and oh so funny! I do appreciate a good banter! Even though this book could have ended up being a huge cliche, the authors really kept me on my toes.

Soulmate Equation comes out on May 18th, and I’m not kidding when I say that you need to preorder it. You can even get a signed copy from @vromansbookstore!

A huge thank you to @netgalley, @christinalauren and @simonschuster for letting me read this book before its publishing!