Member Reviews
This is, hands down, one of my favorite Christina Lauren novels to date! There's quite a few delightful tropes that made this story for me - nerdy main characters, fake dating, and a slow burn romance. I thought that the characters were entirely believable, and I adored the side characters. Christina Lauren nailed it and stayed true to what they do best, strong character development and dynamics, steamy scenes, and belly-laugh humor. I really enjoyed this story and highly recommend it!
I don’t know why but I kept envisioning Fabio as Americano but with short hair. The way the authors described River aka Americano, I don’t know, he just seemed too good to be true. His relationship with Jess seemed a little too unrealistic but the book was a nice little escape. You can always count on Christina Lauren to provide a feel-good ride.
Sigh. Another highly anticipated book by another favorite author that left me wanting more…
The premise of The Soulmate Equation was fun and the perfect rom-com setup: struggling, hardworking single mom Jess, meets rich, nerdy scientist Dr. River Pena, who discovered a “code” for successful romantic matches based on DNA.
Add in a cute, precocious seven year old girl, a hilarious best friend, and a conflict that isn’t of the hero or heroine’s making (hooray!), and this was an enjoyable read (and listen - I love it when I can be more efficient in knocking out my to-be-read list by reading and listening to the same book!).
And things were going really well...all the way up until the end when the hero made his (inevitable) big mistake and the heroine forgave him without the (in my opinion) requisite amount of groveling and/or forgiveness earning. There was no grand gesture. Just an “I’m sorry.” And I felt like all the air was let out of my balloon.
Even the cute, heartwarming epilogue wasn’t enough to overcome my sense of deflation.
Granted, I may be in a cynical mood.
Also, the hallmark of any addict is when what you used to consume no longer satisfies you, and you need more/bigger/stronger of that which you’re addicted to reach the same sense of exhilaration. After eight years of non-stop reading, mostly in the romance genre, I frequently feel like I’ve read it all and there’s no more interesting characters or unique storylines left.
I’m sure that’s not true. But it sure feels like it.
I'm a huge fan of enemies-to-lovers so this one was right up my alley. As a mom, it was easy to connect to Jess and I adored her friendship with Fizzy. It was a fun, cute read that I'm happy I picked up!
Not Christina Laurens best work but I definitely enjoyed it. The characters were likeable but it took a while for me to get engaged in the story.
This book is what you'd expect of a sweet rom com. Personally I didn't connect with any of the characters and found the dna/data bits to be dull. The main character had a lot going on in her life which I felt stopped us from really diving deep with her problems and the other characters, we only got to scratch the surface of her 98 issues and dilemmas. The ending was a bit rushed but overall it was a fine rom com read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing the book. All opinions are my own.
Recommended for fans of The Rosie Project.
Dating apps are ubiquitous for anyone currently on the dating scene, and each has it's own unique gimmick scheme. Here, the author imagines a dating app that matches people by their DNA. While the pace was slow to start, the characters were engaging and the premise was fresh.
Expected it to be more science fiction, but loved where the journey took me. Will be an excellent addition to library book kits. Plenty to enjoy and discuss!
Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel. Unfortunately, I could not connect with the characters and did not finish the book so I won't be leaving a full review.
I felt that this was a very unique storyline of a dating app that matched you through dna.
Overall, the characters were likable and there was definitely some attraction and witty banter between Jess and River. It took a while for me to get invested in the story and remain engaged. All the dna and statistics talk at the beginning bored me and I just wanted to skip ahead. The supporting characters were all great and I could’ve used more of them in the story.
Is this as good as Christina Lauren’s earlier works? No. But is it better than what they’ve been releasing the past few years? Yes.
The Soulmate Equation is another sweet, hilarious, easy-to-read story from Christina Lauren, my go-to duo for books and characters that just make me smile. I don’t know how these two ladies keep coming up with interesting and new stories to tell, but I’m always here for them! This one was a little slow to start, but once it kicked into gear, it was on and I was totally invested.
What if your DNA could predict your soulmate? What if there was an app for that? Christina Lauren explores that in this new romance novel. It's fun & interesting & fans of Christina Lauren will not be disappointed!
I loved it. I loved Jess and River. I loved their family and friends. And I loved the kissing.
It was a bit predictable, but in a way that was comforting and didn't hurt the story.
Another cutie from the Christina Lauren duo. I'm not a huge fan of romance in particular, but always happy to pick up a new one from Christina Lauren. This was less sexy romance and more feel-good. I enjoyed it.
I adored this book. I couldn’t put it down! I have since recommended this book to everyone! I loved the characters and the premise!
I absolutely love anything written by Christina Lauren, and this was no exception. This duo has the power of words, for sure! This was a precious novel about true love overcoming everything else. If you believe in true love and believe there is someone out there for you, this is your book! I loved the strong characters that were portrayed in the book and while there were obstacles, love overcame and they powered through in the end! I love a sweet, romantic book like this!
With the 2020 revenue of the online dating industry topping $600 million, it’s clear that people are willing to put a little extra effort into finding The One. In The Soulmate Equation by writing duo Christina Lauren, a relationship cynic discovers a new method of matchmaking that appeals to her left-brained tendencies.
Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery
Christina Lauren's books are always a joy to read. As always this is one of my favorite books of the year. The premise was right up my alley with the statistics premise. I loved the characters and their journey. I cannot wait to read more from the authors.
Jess is a single mom who is giving up on the dating world, but is drawn to the grumpy guy who comes into the cafe she frequents every morning. River is a geneticist who is creating a site where your DNA will help you find a love match. After a rough day, Jess sends in her DNA sample and she and River are surprised to find they are almost a perfect match. With the site's launch coming up, they decide to give the relationship a try to see if the numbers are right.
This book was so good! The connection between the characters were awesome.
Is there ever a perfect match? The Soulmate Equation gave me romance and family, it was
blended so well. Christina Lauren rarely disappoint. Well done!