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.

𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺, 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭!

This was a really entertaining read, I loved the banter, enemies to lovers trope, charming and likeable characters, fast-paced and full of laugh out loud moments. Another great read from this author.

Thank you Berkley Romance for this gifted copy.

𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 by Ali Hazelwood released August 23, 2022.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

Did I miss something? Is it normal now that all romance novels must have political statements attached to the main protagonist?

Love on the Brain is the second romance I read in a week where there were so many political comments thrown at the reader that I had whiplash. I understand having a stance but does it really have to come out as verborrhea from the female character?

I don't know about you, but it was a turn-off for this reader.

Love on the Brain had the potential to be quite a cute story. I liked the main characters as well as the secondary ones. There were cute cats, a smart precious little girl, miscommunications that caused the heroine to believe the hero didn't like her, details about Madame Curie that were quite interesting, and talks about NASA helmets with neurostimulation that were exciting to learn.

What was lacking? Admission of love by one of the characters. The thought was there but was never spoken out loud. I think that was a big miss.

One last thing, if you are an "open door" romance reader, this one qualifies as one.

Cliffhanger: No

2.5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Berkley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book gave me similar vibes to The Love Hypothesis, but I still enjoyed it. While I liked it, this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I was a little disappointed. I do hope to see something a little different from Ali in the future because between TLH and the novellas, I am getting a little burnt out on the same MC used over and over again and the same love interest being *unrealistically* tall and handsome. I love the STEM rep though!

Thank you #netgalley for an early read of #LoveOnTheBrain

This book follows Bee, who is given the chance to lead a project for NASA. The catch is, she'll be co-leading with her nemesis from grad school, Levi. Bee is certain Levi is set on getting her off the project, but after some time, she begins to think he's got a soft spot for her. She's making it up, right?

I loved Hazelwood's first novel, and I think I might like this one more. I feel as though her writing has improved with this one. One thing I'm not a huge fan of is her tendency to write the female MC in an aloof, air-headed kind of way, while the male MC always seem to be smooth and 'with it'.

Loved it!

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Bee is a neuroscientist which is really cool. But besides that, she runs a what would Marie curie do Twitter account. Also very cool.

Something else about Bee she has an archnemesis named Levi. Levi is an engineer and the head of a new project...that Bee is working on.

I totally called multiple parts of this book but I didn't mind it one bit. I need a some adult romance books in my life and this delivered.

okay, i didn’t love it. i’ve been holding off a review because. i am always left either mad or frustrated with everything. i wanted to enjoy it since i did enjoy The Love Hypothesis but this one seemed more annoying. The characters seemed absolutely so immature for their age and their careers, and there was SO MUCH MAN HATING! like i understand you have to fight in STEM but girl cut it out, give some men a chance for once in your life. the author wrote nearly every man as an awful person and i hated it. It was kinda the same in TLH except the men/guys that she didn’t hate were gay… except the love interest who was always broody and moody and hard to figure out blah blah blah. I can’t deal with the author tbh, this one just seemed to irk me even more!! for now 3 stars, i do like the nasa idea, just wish the author didn’t write the same characters over and over and the same tropes and side characters. it’s annoying

I’ve seen mixed reviews for this everywhere. I haven’t read The Love Hypothesis, so I can’t say how this compares, but word on the street is they are super similar.

I loved the women in STEM aspect and the conversations about the GRE, but the rest of it just kind of fell flat.

I felt like Levi & Bee did have good banter, but also how many times can they have a conversation about how he hates her, but never actually talk about it. 🫠 I also didn’t love the constant descriptions of Levi. He’s tall. He has broad shoulders. Be prepared to hear it at least 100 times.

Overall, I thought it was cute, but there were definitely parts that I didn’t love. I’m trying to decide if I want to give The Love Hypothesis a chance since it was so LOVED last year!

3 ⭐️