The Soulmate Equation was an amazing, fun read! I've read a few books by Christina Lauren and I think this is my favorite. River and Jess's story will draw you right in and the side characters don't hurt either! I found myself grinning several times while I was reading this on one of my lazy days at home. The storyline is unique and I found myself rooting for River and Jess along with Fizzy and Juno.

If you haven't read anything by Christina Lauren yet, now is the time!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

4.5 STARS


Nearing thirty, hardworking single mom, Jess Davis, has had a tough life so far: mostly abandoned by her addicted mother with no father in picture, raised by grandparents, ditched by her college boyfriend after she got pregnant and working hard to scape by while providing for her seven-year-old daughter, Juno. Jess is one smart cookie being a statistics magician who is very well thought of in her field. She supports herself freelancing, but the jobs are very demanding and the work is never guaranteed. The last thing Jess wants to do is go back into the dating game, but when an offer she cannot refuse comes along, Jess decides to give it a go despite a lot of reservations.

This brand-new addition to online dating catches Jess’s attention because it is based on genetics and statistical probability. GeneticAlly sequences a person’s DNA matching clients with those who share a high number of genetic markers in common. The company’s promise is that clients can find their perfect soulmate based on a sliding scale of how compatible each match’s DNA is offering a better chance of finding a soulmate and staying together for the long run.

Jess knows the founder, Dr. River Pena, as a stuffy, stick in the mud who is always in his own head barely acknowledging her even though they frequent the same coffee shop daily for years. When on a whim, Jess sends in her DNA kit she and River Pena are stunned to find themselves as the highest match ever seen at 98%. River is the last person Jess wants to be in a relationship with; however, she cannot afford to turn down the company’s lucrative offer to spend three months with River as GeneticAlly’s poster children for success which includes being blasted on social media, print, and television. As they spend time together, Jess and River’s relationship gradually becomes more genuine until Jess finds out something that threatens the whole house of cards.

This story was really quite enjoyable with a very clever concept adding a new twist to the world of dating apps and online hookups. At times some of statistical math went over this reader’s head as someone who does not see numbers as my friends the way Jess and River do. The writing team of Christina Lauren once again have crafted a fine tale which I would categorize as humorous Women’s Fiction with a slow burn romance.

Christina👏🏽Lauren👏🏽Did👏🏽It👏🏽Again

This was my #1 most anticipated book this year and it did not disappoint. I loved the relationships the MC, Jess, had with her daughter, best friend, and most importantly grandparents. We all definitely need a Fizzy in our lives! The fake dating trope between River and Jess teased me enough that I fell right in love. I felt the chemistry from the beginning and enjoyed the roller coaster ride. I mean... River is my new book bf.

I didn’t care about the science talk and couldn’t follow majority of the time, but it affect the big picture. Definitely pre-ordering a copy as we speak 👌🏽

Thank you Christina Lauren, Net Galley, and Gallery Books for sharing this with me in exchange for my honest review!

Christina Lauren books keep getting better and better. We need more stories like this-- competent diverse women, single moms, scientists with a feminist bent. Brava to Christina Lauren to writing a story that kept me intrigued, made me tear up a bit, and gave a proper romantic ending.

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
This one was just ok for me. I thought the science itself was very cool and it seemed like a plausible DNA service to predict biologically compatible matches to link biological and emotional compatibilities with another person. There is still the element of choice after matches are made.

I just didn't love the romance/relationship or character building. This seemed like it was supposed to be enemies to lovers trope but the few things that occurred to spurn the enemies, weren't adequately addressed for me later on. The relationship was also very slow (which can be fine), but this turned out to not keep my interest.

Standouts in this story were Jess' grandparents and daughter and I loved to see her family dynamics. I also loved her best friend Fizzy, a romance writer who was very light hearted and full of humor. Would love to see Fizzy's own spin off story!

Thank you @gallerybooks for my advanced copy!

OMG. @christinalauren has done it again!!! 🥰 I was so absolutely thrilled to recieve an ARC of The Soulmate Equation and am equally thrilled to say it far exceeded all of my expectations! This charming and unique story is laugh out loud funny and the perfect heartwarming romance. I loved all of the characters and was completely invested from page one. The writing is so clever with sassy and addictive dialogue and one-liners! And, as a thriller lover, I totally appreciated the small little unexpected hut perfectly executed twists throughout the story. This hits shelves May 18 and rom-com fans need to add it to their TBR now! Thanks to netgalley, gallerybooks, and the authors for an ARC!

I have loved Christina Lauren's books since the first one I read. The Soulmate Equation exceeded my expectations. When I read the premise of this I was pumped because not only did I meet my partner through a dating app, I am currently getting my PhD in a lab where I program and work with gene regulation.

This book was right up my alley as a science nerd and rom-com lover. The Soulmate Equation gives us a fresh take on modern dating. I loved that we saw a glimpse of what it might be like if you could find your soul mate from a DNA test. This book was filled with so much love for STEM and brilliant minds.

Jess was relatable. She got knocked down, she doubted herself, and she worked hard to provide for her daughter no matter the cost to herself. I didn't like River at first but neither did Jess. As Jess started to get to know River, I grew to love the shy scientist that he was. I can only imagine how he had to grow up fast and how out of place he might have felt being as brilliant as he was.

As always, Christina Lauren gave us a well-developed set of secondary characters. From Jess's grandparents, to her daughter Juno, to Fizzy. Fizzy was my favorite and I loved her relationship with Jess. Their interactions left me smiling and made me grateful to have my own Fizzy in my life.

You do not want to miss The Soulmate Equation if you love romance and science!

Honest to god- one of the best contemporary books I have ever read before.

Single mom Jess Davis knows her numbers, especially in regards to statistics. So when a new dating app emerges, that promises you a statistically perfect Soulmate, through a little bit of your DNA- she hesitantly submits her application.
But when her results come back with a 98% match to a Dr. River Peña, none other than the sexy and brooding CEO of the company, she’s a little hesitant to actually rely on this set of numbers. Come on, she had met this guy before- this stuck-up, unemotional package of a man was definitely not her soulmate.
However, after a meeting with the company, she makes a deal. Get to know one another in the public’s eye, and she will get paid, and for a broke mama- that sounds like a great plan. And after starting to get to know the real Dr. Peña, she starts to realize just how much trust she should put in genetic statistics.

Like I said, I LOVED this book. Jess is incredible. She’s thoughtful, ferocious, a true genius, and knows her worth. She’s everything you could ask for in a empowering character.
River is a great love interest: moody, mysterious, and compassionate. The two share a love of numbers and so much more, and the bonds formed are realistic and steady.
The side characters are also all interesting, I want to be best friends with Jess’ best friend. I want to talk with her daughter and read the paper with her grandpa.
All in all- every character has a purpose, and were so wonderfully written that they feel like real people whom you may know.

The plot- oh WOAH. As someone that is horrible at all things STEM, I was nervous on reading something that was so heavily reliant on that very subject. But the whole story came out interesting and intriguing. It’s opened my eyes to what numbers and genetics truly are, and I can’t help but wonder at the possibilities of this ever actually becoming a thing.
There is literally nothing I would change about this story, I loved every single part of it.

All-in-all: if you like fake-dating-enemies-to-lovers tropes, with a heroine that stands up for what she believes in and a love interest that makes you swoon, then I HIGHLY recommend you check out this book.
It’s absolutely amazing and I will never stop gushing about it.

((Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the ARC in return of an honest review

I think this is my favorite Christina Lauren book that I've read so far - the perfect blend of romance, nerdiness, drama, and laugh-out-loud moments. Jess and River were great characters with amazing chemistry from start to finish. All of the side characters making up Jessica's world offer so much to the story - from her grandparents, to Fizzy and Juno. Felicity (Fizzy) adds so much humor throughout - the perfect best friend character. And Jess's daughter Juno is adorable to the tenth degree. I literally want to go back immediately and read it again from the beginning. Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This might be my favorite Christina Lauren book yet. I loved Jess as a main character, her grandparents were an adorable support system, and Juno seemed super cool. I liked how River seemed like the brooding type until you got to know his character more as the book progressed. Jess and River as a couple were the best and I loved their scenes together. I wish we got a little more of the happy ever after towards the end of the book. I will be recommending this to anyone looking for a good romance.

I loved this romance! Jess lives in San Diego with her adorable daughter Juno, in a duplex owned by her grandparents, who raised her. She has a great best friend, Fizzy. Jess is a freelance statistician and Fizzy is a romance writer. They meet every day at a cafe to work. Every morning, a tall, dark, handsome, and snotty man appears at 8:24, buys a coffee, and leaves. When it turns out he is the founder of a new, pre-IPO dating technology based on DNA compatibility, Fizzy talks Jess into donating their spit and seeing if it works. Amazingly, Jess and the crabby guy are a once-in-a-bazillion match. His company pays her to date him (!?!) to test the science. Of course, their attraction is off the charts, and this aspect of the writing was stellar. So believable. And funny. When they kiss for the first time in front of a room of potential investors (they've never even touched much, and are unprepared for this, but somebody insists and they go along with it), the kiss is so hot, the chemistry so compelling that all you get is the scraping of chairs as people run out of the room, assumedly to call their brokers.

I laughed so much through this book.

The romance is classic, following all the expected beats, but the characters are well-drawn and so enjoyable. Jess and River are both amazingly smart, but Jess has abandonment issues and River, who is actually shy and nerdy rather than snotty, is obsessed with his work. They grow closer, it's satisfying, and then there's the inevitable heartbreak at the 85% mark before the HEA. I enjoyed this story so much. Recommended. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for sharing it with me.

I just found my new favorite romance book. I loved everything about this book and was sad that I finished it. This is one of those books that I’ll wish I could go back and read it for the first time again.

Yep. Yep. Yep. Another absolute winner from Christina Lauren! This one has me reading until the wee hours of the morning and I do not regret the bags under my eyes today. I loved the characters. I loved the story, and I just loved everything about this one! I highly recommend this book to fans of CL and romance in general. Thank you Netgalley and Gallery for my review copy!

The Soulmate Equation was a fun and quick read. It made me laugh out loud and feel for the characters when things were tough. They made the tension between Jess and River feel real. The supporting characters led to a fully emersive story that I didn't want to stop reading. My only critique would be that I would have liked to see more of a resolution after the main conflict. Overall, a great read. 4.5 stars

Being a huge Christina Lauren fan I was so excited to read her newest book. Jess is a single mom who has an amazing support system in her grandparents and her quirky, but lovable best friend but hasn't found "the one". When Jess and her best friend are introduced to a new dating app that looks at compatibility by analyzing two people's gene's Jess is every bit the skeptic. When she's matched with the founder of the company she gets pulled into a relationship that will end up changing everything.

As in all of Christina Lauren books the characters are all so likable you feel like you are reading about your best friends. I not only loved the love story between River and Jess but also the other relationships in the book of River with Juno and the best friend relationship of Fizzy and Jess.

Overall anyone who is looking for a wonderful love story needs to check out this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy for exchange for my honest review.

Pub Date: May 18,2021

Writing: Easy and Fluid

POV: 1st Person

Genre: Romance

Steam Factor: 1 steamy scene. More of a slow-burn romance.

CW: Drug Addiction, Abandonment, Alcoholism

Brief Synopsis: Soulmate Equation follows our lead protagonist t Jess, who is a statistician and a single mother who meets Dr.River Pena. Dr.River Pena is head of a company called Genetically, which is a genetic match-making company. Soon what follows is a hate to lover's romance between Jess and River Pena.

I wanted soo badly to love this book, I love Christina Lauren they are my favorite romance duo authors. But...unfortunately, this book was a complete miss for me.

Pro's

- Diverse characters
- Realistic story of a single mom and I can see her story being relatable to other single mothers out there.
- Depth to the characters and their backstories
- I loved the friendship between Fizzy and Jess. They are friendship #goals!!

Cons:

- The biggest con was the main romance in the story between Dr.River Pena and Jess. I just couldn't buy it. I was not invested in the story at all. I couldnt for the life of me understand why Jess hated Dr.River Pena so much and their banter was weak...That hate to lovers troupe was not established in my opionion and overall their romance felt very insta-love ( which is something I dont enjoy in romances)

- Also...this book is not as light-heartened as I anticipated there are some serious topics in this book and some serious scenes. I don't mind when romances do this ( cough: Beach Read) but...I don't think it was done well in this book.

- The storyline with the mom...could have been omitted ( I really was not a fan of her storyline at all)

I'm just so bummed I didn't fall in love with this love story. I will continue to read everything else Christina Lauren writes. They are still my favorite romance authors and I still encourage you to check it out. It was not my cup of tea but, it could be yours

Thank you to netgalley, Gallery Books and Christina Lauren for an ARC of this book in exchange for my review.

Christina Lauren’s “The Soulmate Equation” is a fun, sweet light-hearted read. Jess Davis is a freelancing single mom who isn’t looking for love... but a chance encounter with “Americano” River results in finding her perfect, DNA match... or does it? This book is a fluffier version of “The One,” which I greatly enjoyed a few years ago! Thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the ARC! This book is great for romance fans... and really just anyone who needs a mental break!

The premise of this fun romantic romp is whether your soulmate can be found through a dating service which looks at genetics to determine compatibility. At the heart of the story is the main character Jess, a self-employed statistician, who is also the mom of a precocious daughter named Juno. On a whim Jess sends in her DNA sample to the dating service which is getting ready to launch. Of course, her she has a "diamond" match with the owner of the company, River, whom she had taken a distinct dislike to upon earlier meetings. Her and River enter an arrangement where they date and get to know each other while also doing media interviews before his company's launch. This quick reading book has endearing characters, a fun plot and will make you laugh.

Christina Lauren paints a funny, loveable portrait of a working single mother. As usual, their cast of secondary characters shine nearly as bright as the primary.

Read it in about 1 sitting.
I enjoyed it.

But

[ did i read too fast?!?!?!? did I miss what the actual fucking # is? Is it just me that was left fucking hanging? i know it was high but I actually want to actual freaking #