Love on the Brain is undoubtedly an Ali Hazelwood novel. We’ve got:

✨A female MC who works in STEM (this time it’s NASA which is incredibly fun!)

✨A majorly repressed male MC who makes pining look like an art form.

✨Lots of laugh-out-loud banter.

✨Cats!

✨An adorable, swoon-worthy love story full of humor and heart.

In short, this is an Ali Hazelwood book, and we love Ali Hazelwood books! Thank you so much to @berkleypub for an early copy.

Oh my gosh I'm so late with all my reviews!

Ok.. but THIS BOOK YALL!!!!
ALI is the boss of romance novels. I absolutely loved this one just as much as her first one. Love on the Brain is an exquisite lovers to romance novel with a. dose of lightheartedness and humor.

Bee and Levi are ENEMIES hahha my goodness. But DAMN I am floored that Hazelwood matched her perfection on the STEM set up and it's PURE and fresh.,

I thought we'd never get something as good as The love Hypothesis but it was science of our hearts and was SOOO good.

Perfect balance of fire, banter, chemistry, and humor.

If I haven't convinced you yet to read this, get this masterpeice on your list!

Thank you to Berkley and net galley for my arc in exchange for my copy.

5/5 stars

I am a sucker for neuroscience, so this book was very interesting for me. The drama/conflict between the main characters felt a little overdone and drawn out unnecessarily. It felt like the more typical adult thing to do would be fully explain and move on, but both characters keep lying and avoiding saying what they feel for much longer than what would be normal. It got a bit annoying to constantly be reading about how everything that was clear (to the reader) must be a lie of some sort. I also didn’t particularly love the “twist” at the end and the mini-mystery worked into the story. I did love the neuroscience aspect and the way the couple eventually came together, but it just felt like all the obstacles they faced were unrealistic and just existed to draw out the story.

It was nice but I can't say I was blown away because it was a lot like the other two books by Hazelwood I've read (The Love Hypothesis, Under One Roof). Basically, I don't expect the writer to have a totally different style in every book she writes but here the plot is way too similar to The Love the Hypothesis and while I had fun reading it, it felt like I was re-reading the same book. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it a lot, because it was a pleasant break from the "heavy" books I've read recently, I am just saying that it could be better if it was a bit different from the previous one (or if I hadn't read any other book of hers)!

I want to start this out by saying I was a huge, huge fan of the love hypothesis and I could not wait for her sophomore novel. I really do believe you can tell how an author is by her sophomore novel and I am sad to say that this was a huge and utter disappointment.

I’m going to review this on TT (maybe idk booktok is scary rn) but let me get into why this didn’t work for me:
-the writing is incredibly jumbled. It’s all over the place. I actually felt rather sick trying to keep up.
- it’s too descriptive, quite literally it felt as if I was reading another language because it was that hard to understand and that descriptive.
-Characters were introduced and almost immediately they just seemed to be an after thought and you are expected to keep up when it's impossible.
-This was an almost slap in the face with a direct copy of The Love Hypothesis. The characters are almost the exact same. the premise is weirdly similar, they find themselves in the same situations-- the only missing thing is the fake dating trope.

It’s almost felt like a complete insult that this was an almost direct copy and paste of the love hypothesis- granted a very bad one. And I mean bad to the point it took me 2 months to get past 10%.

I genuinely consider myself a smart person, a critical reader but this was just too hard to get into. I also felt like the characters lacked depth, Levi and Bee had so much potential but they were sadly over shadowed by the poor choices in wording, descriptions and dialogue. I want to emphasize how all over the place this was. When I tell you this was TOO descriptive, I mean at one point I thought I would have to enroll myself into a freaking STEM program to understand what this book was and I also had to put down multiple times because the tricky part with first person POV is not making a character TOO in her head, and sadly the author failed at this, because the first person POV of this made me feel like I was in the head of someone who forgot to take her ADHD medication (please do not take this as an insult, I quite literally mean this was just too much and thoughts were racing EVERYWHERE and at ONCE and you are expected to just keep up.) The few times I did like this book were when we did get dialogue but it felt like a repetition of her debut novel- they find themselves in the same situation. Levi is a carbon copy of Adam: Broody, tall, silent etc. I understand this is another Reylo fanfiction but sadly it's almost insulting that the author would copy herself.

Authors are allowed to have a formula: Mariana Zapata has it with her slow burn, Devney perry has it with her small town, Colleen Hoover has it with her contemporary romances but their formals work for them. This formula for Ali Hazelwood, in which she’s trying to cement herself in did not work for her. I think that she tried TOO hard, and that's understandable after the success of TLH and I am not comparing the two, but it's hard not to as the are INCREDIBLY similar. Ali had the opportunity to make a refreshing contemporary romance but what I got out of this was a true waste of time.

I felt like I wasted my time reading this, I felt like I was too dumb to comprehend, I genuinely have a headache trying to keep up. The first couple chapters felt like a poorly, very poorly written fanfiction without any editing and then I realized that this would be how the rest of the book is. I’m not someone who likes reviewing something that will be highly anticipated- and highly recommended negatively but I have to be honest: this was one of the worst books I read this year. I actually am so sad, and I know people are going to look at this review and say: no way. woah. ugh there she goes again. But I am serious, I had to tell my friend (hi jess ily) who absolutely loved this book that she should not read this review or look at my tiktok when I review this because she will not like what I have to say. But the beauty of books is the subjectivity. And subjectively: this was a major miss for me and just felt messy.

I would have dnf’d this if it wasn’t so highly anticipated. At one point, I was skimming just to get through this book and that's the worst feeling. This needed loads of editing and possibly beta readers who will be honest with the author because truly, I cannot comprehend this.

I would say the author tried too hard, too hard to emulate her debut book, its success, it's charm and severely missed-- the author also seems like a truly SWEET sweet person, and I have nothing against her if anything I'm sad this didn't work out for ME but alas.

Get an e-arc from Netgalley— would be surprised if I ever get another from this author again. Hopefully this isn’t too critical.

(If you see me review this / promote this with a smile on my face it’s because I am getting $$ and you should support your girl) (maybe I might reread and give it another chance who knows)

This book was written for trope lovers, and I do love tropes! I did think the book got a little bananas by the end, but it was an entertaining ride. Can we cool it on drooling over super small heroines with super large men? I know some readers love it but I got sick of the constant reminders of size.

I really enjoyed this book, although there is a lot that is very similar to her first book, The Love Hypothesis. There was a little too much stress on how massive, gigantic, enormous Levi is, and how teeny, tiny, super small Bee is. Two people of opposite sexes can actually be close in size to each other. Other than that I don't have really any other complaints, it was a sweet book with plenty of spice.

Yes, this book and The Love Hypothesis are… almost the same book. The major difference is that one could see the “Kylo and Ren” fanfic DNA very clearly in The Love Hypothesis, while these characters are completely original, as far as I can tell. Oh, and all the Marie Curie references—those will very obviously remind you of which book you’re reading. But yes, almost beat-for-beat, this book follows a very similar trajectory to The Love Hypothesis. I am the type of person who rewatches old Law and Order episodes any time they come on tv, so I don’t mind that at all myself. I enjoy knowing what I’m going to be getting and then getting almost exactly that. If that’s not right for you, then I suggest something else. The rest of us who need some cozy will be over here.

I liked this one. It's a little predictable though. all of Ali Hazelwood's books read the exact same, both novels and all three novellas are almost exactly the same. The secondary plot twist in this was so easily found out. The whole twitter thing? Like we knew right away who the guy was. Which I really didn't like. I don't know how interested I am in reading more from AH at this point as I'm not sure she can write anything besides these stories

“The real villain is love: an unstable isotope, constantly undergoing spontaneous nuclear decay. And it will forever go unpunished.”

First Thoughts
the perfect book doesn’t ex-

Review
I unabashedly loved this!!!! Levi and Bee's story is absolutely adorable. It is so nerdy and wonderful, if you are someone that is into science like myself you will love all of the puns! I also enjoyed the general discussions of studying science and working in the industry (I mean - its set at NASA!!! That's only the coolest thing ever). I like the Hazelwood also touches on sexism in STEM fields, and I felt Bee's frustration in those moments. I loved the way that Bee and Levi's romance unfolded - even though there was a fair amount of miscommunication, it made sense in the context of the book. We (mostly me) all love a leading man who is absolutely obsessed with the leading lady, and Levi delivered on that account. While it may have taken Bee a while to realize, I was squealing at all of the cute and fluffy moments between them. I am going to continue to eat up everything Ali Hazelwood publishes!

Just as good as The Love Hypothesis! Hazelwood has a GIFT for writing strong, smart, hilarious, and real female main characters. Absolutely adored this! Hazelwood is on my auto-buy list 😉

I wanted to love this one so much. But it was too sciency for me. I loved TLH and had high hopes but it just didn’t do it for me.

This book is like the perfect mashup of her first book, Love Hypothesis, and The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. So much of it is familiar with a lot of familiar characters and situations, but it's all the best parts. This book is totally swoon worthy!

After having sat in on a panel discussion last spring with author Hazelwood, I now understand why she and several more of our best contemporary romance authors (including Diana Gabaldon and Lauren Billings of the writing duo Christina Lauren) went from careers in STEM to writing romance. At the very least, they are finally getting the recognition (and, hopefully, financial rewards) they deserve.

In Love on the Brain, neuroscientist Dr. Bee Konigswasser has been fighting her entire career against the unfair treatment women in STEM (especially academia) face from a field full of predominantly white men. Using “trademarked” phrases like Cockcluster and Wurstfest, in describing this seemingly impenetrable brick wall, is the least she can do to release some of the tension and anger she feels when she and her fellow women in STEM are confronted with this misogynistic reality. As a way to fight back anonymously, Bee started a Twitter account as an homage to her hero, Marie Curie, called @WhatWouldMarieDo and has been evading potential career-destroying detection for 4 years. However, other than providing support and encouragement to other female scientists, she’s also developed an open online friendship with Shmac, one of the few male scientists who truly champion and support their female colleagues.

After a bad betrayal and break-up followed by a depressive slump two years before, she’s finally been tapped to lead a joint NASA-NIH project. Unfortunately, before even flying to Houston, she finds out the co-lead is her arch nemesis Levi Ward, a man whose utter disdain for her during grad school was the stuff of legend. Will having to work with him lead to another career dead-end, especially if he goes so far as to sabotage her work? Or will she find that her perception of him has been wrong all along?

Hazelwood’s follow-up to The Love Hypothesis is equally as charming and sexy, with subtly-coded neurodivergent characters who struggle to communicate their feelings but who connect on a cerebral and sometimes nerdy level. Whether it’s bonding over Star Wars, comparing Levi’s rescue cat to Bee’s “imaginary” one, competing over hummingbird sightings, or surprisingly supporting and defending each others’ work in the lab, their journey to love is a joy to behold. Highly recommended!

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Jove Berkley through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

As with all of Ali Hazelwood's books, I read this one so quickly. The plot was excellently paced and I loved how much softer Levi is compared to some of her other heroes. However, her plots and characters are beginning to feel a bit predictable - tiny, quirky woman is thrust into an environment in which she struggles to adjust in some way, is rescued and comforted by the tall, dark, and hot as heck man in power. I like it!! I just would love to see something different from her. Anyway, I enjoyed this, and will probably reread it at some point in the future!

Ali Hazelwood has another fun, quick read. It took me a bit to get into the book because it was similar to her others, but then I decided it was like a Hallmark channel movie. You know the formula and know it will be enjoyable. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced preview.

I truly enjoyed reading this book so much. It's really good that they released this after TLH because this is 2x of everything TLH is!!!!!! If you liked TLH, you would LOVE this. Their chemistry also feels more natural! I loved how each character shined and I enjoyed the element of surprise present in various chapters. The way some parts of the story were presented through the use of social media was so entertaining and cute!

I love bee <3 this book made me want to read books about marie curie and pursue a master's degree lol

The tropes in this book does feel repetitive in comparison to her other works and I think it's because I read somewhere that this book was supposed to be presented to the publishers just in case TLH did not sell (DID NOT HAPPEN!!). I can't wait to read more of Ali's works in the future <3

Thank you PRH international for the ARC <3

Just finished this book and it was so cute!

After a failed relationship, Bee gets the job of a lifetime..lead on a Neuroengineering project through NASA. Her only problem? She has to co-lead with Levi Ward…the guy who completely made it clear that he hated her when they were in grad school together

Things aren’t panning out how Bee thought and she starts feeling like Levi is intentionally avoiding her and keeping her off the project.

There were so many funny moments in this book and inner monologue going on with the FMC which I loved. The attraction is undeniable between Bee and Levi …Who knew Science could be so HOT🔥I loved this story and how strong Bee was even with everything thrown her way.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review!

I never knew science could be this interesting & fun. I enjoyed "The Love Hypothesis" and this book did not disappoint. Bee is a delight and her love of Marie Curie was such fun to read, I learned more about Marie than I was expecting. The misunderstandings between Bee and Levi were sometimes over the top, but putting that aside their interactions were entertaining and overall I'd give this book a thumbs up.

Bee finally gets her second chance to jump-start her career only to find she's been paired as co-chair with an old nemesis, Levi. It seems as though Levi is just as unhappy to be working with her as she is with him, as he continually takes steps to push the antagonistic attitude he has for her in her face. Bee does her best to keep moving forward, relying on her assistant and her ability to vent on her very popular Twitter account.

After enduring weeks of hostility and forced interaction, Bee finally has had enough and confronts Levi about his behavior. Only to find out that his attitude is all an emotional wall he has built in an effort to try to blunt his growing feelings for Bee. Can she see past the history between them to a possibility of a future with Levi?

A great enemies-to-lovers romance. While I wasn't a huge fan of the fainting violet part of Bee's character, it wasn't enough to draw away from the meat of the story. I enjoyed this one better than The Love Hypothesis as I felt there was better character growth between the two MCs.

Recommended for fans of TLH and Jen DeLuca's Well Met series.

I received a drc of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.com.