Can you find your soul mate through DNA?

What an intriguing little question!

Christina Lauren wrote this lovely little rom that sets out to try and find the answer to that question. It look me a little bit to get into the storyline, but once I did the characters were fun.

Thankfully I never had to date during the age of "dating apps"- it's exhausting just thinking about it, actually. And add on top of that swabbing your dna to find someone. That brings on a lot of anxieties, haha!

So like I said, I liked the characters individually, and I just missed a bit of the spark between River and Jess that I had hoped would be there- this also could have been me personally and the STEM theme. I could totally relate to Jess trying to get Juno ready for school- I feel you on that one!

Last, Fizzy needs her own book. :)

I enjoyed reading it, and if you are a CLo fan, then I am sure you will like reading this newest one!

What do you get when you combine a genetic test like 23and Me with a dating website?

You get GeneticAlly and the main idea behind the story of The Soulmate Equation. The idea that your genes can point to who you would be most comparable with. What if you met your match this way? Would you want to know your comparability score?

This is exactly what happens to Jessica Davis, a single mom and statistician, who took a chance, spit in a collection tube, then had the surprise of a lifetime when we was told she was a Diamond match with someone. But not just anyone, Dr. River Pena, the researcher, DNADuo inventor, and member of GeneticAlly.

Both having ulterior motives, and feeling forced to see where their relationship could lead, both Jessica and River decide to give it a shot. But the press, interviews, then a surprise neither saw coming they have to decide if it was fate, the genetics or nothing at all.

Whenever I read a CLo book, I am always comparing it to my favorites. This one didn’t top that list as my favorite but I still really liked it. There is def a little less steam than some of their others, but I loved the story and I adored the characters. I wouldn’t be mad if there was a spin off novel about Fizzy, I loved her character and would love to see her get her happily ever after.

Name something better than a new Christina Lauren book?! Plot twist you can’t 📚⁣
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I was so excited for The Soulmate Equation because as someone who believes a lot in science the idea of finding a soulmate through genetic testing sounds amazing. Don’t get me wrong dating can be fun but it’s also exhausting and always leaves me wondering if that’s the person I’m supposed to be with. Anyway enough about me, Jess and River were so fun to follow. I listened to most of this on audio and it was fabulous! ❤️

What if science could determine your soulmate?
What if there was a dating app that actually worked?
(She asks as she debates downloading hinge ✨ again ✨).
What are the ethics of genetically matching two people together?
What if your soulmate was someone who at first glance, you never would have chosen?
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These are all questions Christina Lauren probably had running through their mind when they dreamed up this beautiful romance.
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River is a brilliant geneticist & hopeless romantic (deep down, beneath a gruff exterior) who crated an app to genetically match those looking for love to their soulmates.
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Jess is a brilliant statistician (STEM QUEEN) and single mom to a brilliant little girl. She only knows River as Americano Guy (coffee shop crushes, am I right?). Like many readers likely will be, she is initially skeptical of River’s app, and the ethics of it.
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Yet we see her slowly fall for River — his heart, his mind — and he for her. This book is nerdy in all the best ways and so completely unique. River and Jess are awkward and quirky math nerds with hearts of absolute gold. I love that this story focuses on the emotional and relational dynamic more than the physical — it fits the characters and seems true to them.

3.5 stars

This book reminded me a lot like that T.V show that was on AMC called Soulmates. In this series…. People would test themselves to see if they were truly with their soulmate or if their soulmate was still out there. Even if people were married or in a relationship… they wanted to know. In this book, People would spit in a tube and GeneticAlly, the name of the company would map out certain genetic characteristics and put a number on them. Hoping to find someone out there with the same number or close to it, making them a match.

It was a lot of information to take in.

I enjoyed certain parts of this book. But I have to admit… at times this book got too technical with all the medical & Statistic data talk. I hate to say this… but I skimmed most of it. It just kept going and going.

I also felt it took awhile to get to River and Jess’s relationship. I’m 46% in and I haven’t felt little butterflies in my stomach about them getting together. It kinda feels forced. I was hoping by now… something more would have happened between them.
I also felt their first kiss should’ve been a little more private. More about them and less about the pressure of putting on a show for other people.

67% in and I’m finally feeling a little something for them. But it’s a long time to wait to feel them as a couple. Jess's holding back… I get it… but I felt it was a little too much. Then the ending with River. It was all forgive and forget. I felt Jess should’ve been a little more upset about how River treated her.

Overall, I liked this book. It was ok. I could totally see this book as a movie. But I just wasn’t over the moon in love with it.

I really enjoyed this story. The premise was super unique and interesting, and the writing shined with Christina Lauren's usual humor and heart. And as is often the case with their stories, I really liked all of the characters, and the chemistry between River and Jess was very well done and electric at times.

A sweet contemporary romance with a dash of genetic science!

I usually LOVE Christina Lauren's writing and I truly tried to give this book a chance. But the premise felt too much like eugenics and made me extremely uncomfortable.

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The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
****ARC provided by Netgalley for free review*** Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book. I love anything Christina Lauren!! This one did not disappoint. Jess is a single mom and a numbers wizard but numbers don’t keep you warm at night. She was raised by her loving grandparents who live across the courtyard and help look after her daughter, Juno. Jess learns about a new dating company that relies on genes and numbers for compatibility, not just swiping left or right. She submits her sample and comes back with an unheard of result of 98% compatibility with owner, Dr. River Peña. She is acquainted with River since they both frequent the same coffee shop each day. His grumpy disposition does not leave Jess wanting to get to know him until she hears that the company will pay her a healthy sum of money to date him! This book is full of lovely characters and I connected with them all quickly. I will admit on some parts when they talked about numbers, I glazed over because I am not a numbers girl! However, it was an interesting concept and I’m sure it involved a bunch of research. I loved the plot and the characters!

UGH SO CUTE! Love story, hot male MC, single mom, amazing best friend, CLo really said #takemymoney with this one.

Jess and her bestie Fizzy sign up for a DNA-based dating service that matches you based on a molecular level. Jess soon breaks the record of 93 and matches with a score of 98. Who does she match with you might ask? None other than the founder himself, Dr. River Peña.

River and Jess were the cutest EVER and one of the most important parts to me was River constantly asking for consent *clap* (and one of the hottest things a man/woman could ever say to me on a personal level *smirk*) Juno, Jess’s daughter was such an awesome addition to an already amazing story. Juno and River’s relationship was so PURE i loved it.

SUCH a fun premise!! I love what the authors did with the science - it gives you just enough information and seems plausible to non-experts. I had fun with this.

I had such high hopes for The Soulmate Equation - fresh from falling head over heels in love with In a Holidaze, I was confident that I was going to love this just as much, if not more. I'm sad to say that this isn't what happened.

Let me start with what I loved. As with any Christina Lauren book, the writing is very engaging. I never felt bored while reading, and I read the entire book in one sitting. The plot is also paced perfectly - there were no boring moments - and I rooted for Jess and River to get their happy ending. The supporting characters also had their moments to shine, and they contributed many fun moments. Unfortunately, while there were many things I loved in this book, all of them were outweighed by what I didn't enjoy.

Any book dealing with scientific research has to have a long research process, and I don't think the authors did any of that. There were multiple ethical violations present in the book, and they were all brushed away and ignored. The first one happens in the first few chapters - Jess and River get a high DNA compatibility rate through GeneticAlly's kit, and GeneticAlly proposes that they pay Jess to get to know River to see if there's something there. And if there is something there, Jess and River will be used in promoting their DNA matchmaking product. I just... Number one, confidentiality was just thrown away. It's supposed to be Jess or River who decides if they want to reach out to the other. Two, it doesn't matter if Jess consciously tries to not let the money she'll receive influence her relationship with River, it most likely will. Three, River owns GeneticAlly. There's just so many threads of ethical dilemmas here, and none of them were addressed.

I tried to ignore all of this, but it was difficult. And to make matters worse, yet another ethical dilemma presented itself near the end of the book, and it was a big one. It was glossed over to us readers, and even Jess didn't get any answers about it. I couldn't even focus on Jess and River getting their HEA because I was too confused with everything that happened.

All in all, The Soulmate Equation was not for me. I'll still read Christina Lauren's next book, and I'm hopeful that I will enjoy that one more.

If you're a big fan of The One on Netflix, you'll love the Soulmate Equation, which is a (less dark, more cute) spin on the DNA matching story!

The Soulmate Equation was everything I love in a book. It had some romance, some really interesting sci-fi elements, strong female characters, and great pacing.

If there was a Soulmate equation for reading this book would be a high match for me!

Christina Lauren writes stories that never leave me disappointed and The Soulmate Equation is no exception.

Thank you Gallery Books and #NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was just not for me. I didn’t finish. It was t horrible, but I just didn’t care about the relationship.

Single mom Jess Davis is a data and statistics wizard, but no amount of number crunching can convince her to step back into the dating world. Jess has been left behind too often to feel comfortable letting anyone in. But then Jess hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company that's predicted to change dating forever. When her test results show an unheard-of 98% compatibility with the one person she never would have guessed. But GeneticAlly has a proposition: Get to know him and we'll pay you. Jess is in no position to turn it down, despite her skepticism about the project and her dislike for her match. As the pair are dragged from one event to the next as the "Diamond" pairing that could make GeneticAlly a mint in stock prices, Jess begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist--and the science behind a soulmate--than she thought. review: The past few books by Christina Lauren have been very hit or miss for me. Some I find myself devouring, while others I feel like they've lost their touch. Luckily, The Soulmate Equation was a hit for me. I found the storyline to be really engaging - it was the perfect mix of romance and science. I enjoyed learning a bit more about DNA and the science of matching while reading this book. As for the characters, they were so endearing and I found myself rooting for them the whole time! I love a good enemies to lovers trope and this perfectly fits the bill. I also loved Jess' BFF Fizzy - she's the kind of friend everyone needs in their life! If you're looking for a good romance with a bit of substance, add this one to your list. rating: 4 out of 5 ⭐️

Obviously as a high school teacher, this book is outside the scope of what I would have students read, however, I would definitely recommend it to the more mature readers because it is just great. It was so fast paced and so cute and I absolutely loved the more complex secondary storyline about the alcoholic mother and the family conflict. Basically, this book was everything you want out of a romance: sweet, sincere, steamy, but also rich and vivid with well-developed characters.

The Soulmate Equation. I was granted an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Initially, I was interested in this book because I kept seeing it promoted on social media. It took me longer than I anticipated to finish. It started really interesting but somewhere in the beginning it slowed down heavily. I will say around the 60% mark is when I could not stop reading. I loved the concept of finding your soulmate based on genetics. I also loved that the main heroine was a single mother trying to make ends meet. There were plenty moments that were totally swoon worthy. The two characters, Jessica and River were totally destined. They went from not liking each other to being totally in love. Jess had a pretty strong alpha personality and I was worried that it would turn River off. River surprised me- he too was very dominant but he let his guard down and went out of his way to cater to Jess and her family.

This was not my favorite Christina Lauren book but it was still a decent read. The DNA premise is very interesting and the love story was OK. The chemistry between the two characters wasn't written well enough that I could not wait until they got together. Decent read but Christina Lauren has better books.

I really enjoy Christina Lauren's stories and generally really like their characters, unfortunately, this one fell a little flat for me.

The concept of the story was really interesting and I was really looking forward to reading it, but I couldn't fall into the romance the way I would have liked.

As always, I liked the plot and the writing but I wanted a little more from Jess and River. I wanted the passion, the angst, the build-up, and the drama of it all. I am not sure it gave me what I was looking for at the time.

That being said, I still did read the entire story in one day so what the heck do I know.

What goes into the process of attraction? What is the best way to find one’s person? Is it chance? Tindr? Or… could there be another way? These questions are delightfully explored in The Soulmate Equation.

The Equation of the title is created through DNA matches. Who knows? Maybe as good as any other way to find a partner with its sense of scientific process and method? The creators certainly espouse that it is the best way.

In any event, protagonist Jess is the single mom of adorable seven-year-old Juno. Jess works with numbers and facts and is too busy (and hesitant) to date. When her friend Fizzy, a romance author, encourages her to look at a company called GeneticAlly, Jess reluctantly goes along.

Meanwhile, the man that Jess and Fizzy call Americano always appears at the same cafe as they do. Watch what happens as it turns out that he works at GeneticAlly. Will there be a romance? Sure. Will it work out? Are there surprises ahead? Read to find out.

At times this title was funny enough for a laugh aloud or a smile. The characters are engaging and this novel is a nice take on a romcom. Old and new fans of the author should enjoy this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.