2.5 rounded up to 3 stars.

Overall, I liked this story, but I truly never felt invested in it, and was bored at times while reading. Lyric and Kian were cute, but even as friends I did not feel their chemistry. It didn't feel like a best friends to lovers story while I was reading.

The science piece of the book was pretty interesting, but I wanted more. I think the book felt a bit surface level for me, which is fine sometimes, but I was just left feeling unsatisfied. I also felt like the characters were talking to me, which just felt weird to me and I didn't love it.

All in all, I liked it, but I didn't love it.

An adorable story of best friends turned lovers, I adored this story of Lyric and Kian. Although I was frustrated by their lack of communication at times even though they were best friends and could read each other by only their body languages, the romance between made my heart sing. Loved this book and would highly recommend this friends to lovers story.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

I love Sandhya/Lily Menon and her writing. This book was a tad predictable yet had interesting discussions of what a person may want in their life. The adventure to find parts of yourself and what you want in life was done nicely for both characters even if a little predictable. I did enjoy the fake dating aspects, Kian is confident within the dating sphere whereas Lyric is awkward. I liked the friends to lovers trope once they figured out their issues.

I felt the miscommunication between Lyric and Kian a little bit annoying considering they live together and have been best friends for a while. I am not sure how they misinterpreted one another so wrongly but that can also signify that just because you think you know someone well, there is always a different side to them. This book felt a little slow in the middle and I wish that was not the case because the beginning of the book had me hooked. Overall I enjoyed that the book had dual POV allowing for a switch in perspectives with Lyric and Kian and I appreciated the sweet moments between the two of them.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC.

This story follows a classic case of two friends who are - perfect - for each other but won’t admit it to themselves or each other. A total Gordie and Lizzie situation (yes I referenced Lizzie McGuire…I mean it was really the best friends to lovers story). Throw in a fake dating scenario, some miscommunication and you’ve got yourself a page turner!

The inner dialogue for Lyric was so well written and very relatable. She is awkward and dorky while also being confident and brave. I found her character very relatable and enjoyed reading from her point of view. She is also a woman in STEM which was SO refreshing to read about. Her intelligence was noted clearly throughout the book and her doctorate thesis is actually a main point of the plot.

Highly recommend if you like:
➖ fake dating
➖ women in STEM
➖ friends to lovers
➖hilarious and relatable inner dialogue

I would like to thank Lily Menon, Net Galley and St Martins Press for the digital ARC. Publication date is June 28th - mark your calendars!

This book is about two best friends who have been roommates forever but there is a spark between them that makes everything complicated. Menon just started writing in the adult section and so far she is killing it. I'm loving her romance books because there is so much meaning behind the relationship and the chemistry is amazing. The writing in this book is amazing when it came to the plot, setting, conflicts and pacing. I was instantly hooked from the first page and couldn't get over how amazing the characters were in this book with their relationship. I was also really surprised how much humor was in this book because I laughed so many times along with their being so many memorable scenes that I will never forget about.

This book is written in Lyric and Kian's pov. Lyric studies sexual chemistry and needs Kian's help to find the guy. Kian is her best friend who's hot and can get any girl so he helps Lyric with her project. I loved both of these characters and they were so easy to relate to especially Lyric. I do have to say that I was a tad disappointed with the lack of diversity with the MCs. In Menon's YA books, the MC's are full on Indians but I noticed that in the Adult series they are half Indian or kind of washed off. The side characters are okay but there wasn't a main SC in this book that I remember. The romance was the best part especially with this book having the best friends/roommate trope which has some spice to it.

The ending was well done and was happy with the book. I just wish it was more diverse then it was because that is what Menon's writing is usually known more and I love to see more Indian rep in books. I'm still happy with the love story I have read and totally recommend it. This book is perfect for fans of The Kiss Quotient and The Cheat Sheet.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this!

It was absolutely delightful - I love friends to lovers and fake dating, and the added academic approach to love with a perfect bonus. I really liked the pacing, and felt like the misunderstandings made sense given what the characters had been telling each other. Definitely recommend if you’re feeling a rom-com!

Thank you to St Martin Press for the review copy.

I was ecstatic when I was gifted a copy of the Sizzle Paradox as I am a long time fan of this author. The pros of this book are STEM representation, dual POV, comedy, and steamy scenes. Unfortunately, the friends-to-lovers trope is one I struggle with (I find it sorta squicky?) and the “everyone thinks me and my bff would be the perfect couple but they’re wrong aren’t they?” narrative fell a bit flat for me. I also didn’t love one half of the protagonist and found her chapters rather tiresome. It’s a cute story that would do very well as a rom-com on the screen and I hope we keep seeing more from this author! I would still recommend it for anyone looking for a fluffy summer read.

Longtime best friends and roommates, Kian and Lyric are nearing the end of their doctoral studies. He will be graduating soon, and Lyric has just one more year to go. She seems to be stuck with her dissertation. She has the research, but she lacks the personal experience that connects her to the theory behind her Sizzle Paradox. Kian, wanting to help out his best friend, offers to tutor her on how to date, so she can become better at making connections.

This one has some tropes that I adore in romance books–STEM representation, roommates, fake dating (sort of), and he falls first. It has alternating, dual points-of-view, so we see both Lyric’s and Kian’s perspectives. It has LGBTQ representation.

This one is definitely a slow-burn, with some bursts of passion. It is a friends-to-lovers romance, where neither of them realizes that they are in love until much later in the storyline.

I was excited about this book, and the first half was a page-turner for me. It kept me laughing out loud in the beginning. Somewhere along the way, though, it fell flat for me.

3.5 stars

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an eARC of the book. All opinions are my own.

The book was fair but fell a little flat for me. In general I like the friends to lovers trope but just couldn’t get into this book. Nice cover 🙂

I usually love friends to lovers trope and its a bonus if there is fake dating involved. Lyric Bishop and her roommate Kian Montgomery are both working on their PHDs. (Yay STEM!) Lyric is studying sexual chemistry in dating and dutifully rates her dates and kissing and more encounters. She is a little lost and confused as to what her data is telling her and she needs to start working on her dissertation. Kian is more of a casual player never in relationships that last. But he doesn’t want to become like his philandering father. Kian offers to tutor Lyric on some of his dating moves so she can move forward in her research. This sets up the fake dating. But of course as the title suggests together they sizzle.

This is a cute basic story. Family’s and friends add some depth. But the story falls a little short as the characters fall into miscommunication drama. These two have been roomies and best friends for years but suddenly after they kiss it is like their brains shut off and they don’t know each other. Of course everything is going to work out. The story is good and readable but it had the potential to be more. I would absolutely read the author again but I wont remember these characters very long. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. (3.5 stars)

Lyric and Kian are BFFs and even tho some people say that they would be great together, they both believe it would be a disaster. When Lyric has trouble working on her thesis, she turns to Kian for help who happens to be great at dating.

This was your classic friends to lovers trope which I love but I unfortunately did not connect to the characters. The beginning for me was really hard to get into. It took me 3 days to get to a third of the book, but once they start their lessons, it started picking up a bit.

It was cute and I think I wouldve liked it a lot more if I simply connected with some of the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC.

I really wanted to love this book. I mean the cover is adorable and the synopsis made it sound like so much fun! Yay academia romance! Unfortunately, no matter how hard I try, friends-to-lovers is just never going to be the trope for me. That, combined with the immature heroine, lack of communication, and the slow progression of the storyline, caused this one to fall flat. It was cute and lighthearted, but I just couldn't into it and didn't really care how things turned out.

I was a bit wary of this one when I realized it was the same author of Make Up Break Up. I DNF that book. But I liked the tropes in this one. Friends to lovers, fake relationship, women in STEM. So I gave it a try.

I loved the dual narration. You could see the mutual pining. I did think this sort of read like a young adult. Aside from the steamy scenes. Both characters were immature and dealt with their evolving feelings in a bad way.

I thought Lyric's research was funny/cute/interesting. Sort of reminds me of the TV show Masters of Sex. You don't hear a lot about sexual research. I think Lyric got too obsessed with her "Sizzle Paradox."

I think friends to lovers can be tricky because it seems like one day they wake up and are in love. For this story both seemed to deny their feelings pretty intensely from the beginning and then all of the sudden they are kissing and having sex. Like what exactly happened? Did they suddenly just decide not to fight their feelings. I think maybe there should have been more development through the story.

The spice was on point. If you like a tasteful open door scene then this is one you want to look for.

This is out in June! Check it out!

2.5 rounded to 3.

Read this if you like: Dual POV, fake dating, best friends to lovers, STEM representation, LGBTQ representation

The plot of this read like it would be similar to The Kiss Quotient but it fell short of that book for me. I'm going to let you know right now this one was not for me. I liked it okay.

Lyric Bishop feels like a fraud. She’s studying sexual chemistry in romantic partners and what makes for a successful long-term relationship, only she can’t seem to figure it out in her own dating life. In order to complete her doctoral thesis, she must crack the Sizzle Paradox.

Kian Montgomery, her best friend, roommate, and fellow grad student, has no trouble bringing both romance and sizzle to his own relationships. He offers to tutor Lyric on dating tactics to find a good match, she’s certain it will solve her problems. This leads to a fake dating situation. Their "tutoring sessions" start to feel less like the academic exercise they were supposed to be as real feelings develop.

Starting with what I liked, I liked the representation in this book. The sex scenes were good. This book had a lot of tropes I usually love. Onto the not so good, there was a lot in this book that was not properly researched as far as their schooling goes. The 2 main characters despite being best friends did not feel like they had any chemistry to me. They definitely didn't seem to know each other well enough. The miscommunication trope shouldn't be in a friends to lovers in my opinion because they should be able to talk. Lyric was VERY immature for her age. I really struggled with her. This book had the potential to be great but it needed work. There's a good chance you won't agree with me and will love it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lily Menon, and St. Martin's Press for the gifted copy. ❤️

Cute, fairly standard, run-of-the-mill contemporary romance. The writing is a little cheesy and so is the basic premise but it’s also charming and the love story is sweet. I liked the academic setting and I loved Lyric & Kian’s friendship. I was definitely rooting for them! I thought how the story came to a head in the final parts of the third act was well done and compelling. The grand gesture was sweet and the epilogue was so great.

Very cute and enjoyable!

3.5 stars out of 5

I was provided an ARC by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and words are my own. I have mixed feelings about this book, while I love a good dual POV, I was sad when I figured out that the book really wasn't as long as I was expecting. I think it could have benefited from being longer as it would have given the opportunity to show more character growth and let the reader learn to love the couple more. I will admit I had high high expectations because I wanted this to hit like The Love Hypothesis did but in this case it just didn't. I didn't get the sexual tension between Lyric and Kian that I wanted, which again is why I am so frustrated with the length because there was a ton of opportunity to add more. It was a general vanilla romcom that's another one to read but not stand out.

This was surprisingly very sizzley. Honestly I loved the awkward dating, the fake dating your best friend/roommate. Though for people who claim to know each other so well, I am not so sure they did. I loved the dual POV and really getting to know them both so well. I do think this was a huge miscommunication/not fully communicating trope and that's not usually my favorite. I loved that they really learned what they wanted, and the third act break up seemed rather extreme to me, but they did finally get it together in the end. This was a quick, fun read, with STEM representation and I really enjoyed reading it!

Lyric is trying to finish her doctorate, studying how couples can have both romantic and sexual compatibility. There’s only one problem, she has never had both at once. So her best friend and roommate, Kian, offers to give her dating lessons so she can find a boyfriend who ticks all her boxes.

I enjoyed this one a lot, a lot. I should’ve be surprised, as I adore her YA books. It wasn’t ground breaking, but it was fun, and swoony, and gave me feels.

Highlights:
I don’t usually love best friends to lovers, but I really liked how this one didn’t start with one of them being in love with the other the whole time. They were genuinely best friends and it was never romantic. Until it was. A dream kickstarts Lyric’s attraction to Kian, and it’s all downhill from there for her peace of mind.

I adore romance lessons, and this one was wrapped up in several other tropes, like let’s bang it out of our system. It was sufficiently angsty when the facade inevitably fell apart. And there is some classic romance miscommunication, but it feels realistic. It’s hard to be vulnerable when everything you want is slipping through your fingers.

Both our protagonists are doctoral students, and I just love a nerd. I love how smart, interested, and passionate they are. They are in different programs, so we get some social psychology and environmental biology, and I want to see Kian’s greenhouse design so bad I’m salivating.

Overall, I enjoyed every second of this journey.

I was so excited for this book! Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations. I had trouble connecting with the characters and rooting for them.

Ever since reading The Love Hypothesis, I’ve been wanting to read more about higher education/women in STEM. This book had some of those elements, but ultimately fell short for me. I do think many will enjoy it though!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

i really struggled with this, I wanted to like it but unfortunately this one wasn’t for me. I couldn’t connect with the characters at all mainly because the main character, lyric, doesn’t act the same age she is. I also didn’t really like this book as it’s super slow, by page like 150 there was still nothing of significance happening yet. I really struggled not to dnf this book.

On the other hand I did think the romance was cute. But overall very disappointed in this book.