Love on the Brain is Ali Hazelwood's second full length romcom starring women in STEM and I devoured it. It's an utter winner!


The heroine, Bee, is a neuroscientist who just got offered her dream job to work on a project at NASA. There’s just one little problem. She’ll be co-leading the project with Levi Ward, an engineer and her nemesis from her grad school days.


Bee is a petite vegan with purple hair, septum piercing, and brilliant in her field. She's not interested in love--she sees it as just something to cause pain. Her parents died young and she and her twin were bounced around between different extended family members. Added to that, two years ago, her best friend had an affair with Bee's ex-fiancé right when she was graduating. She's so relationship averse that though she loves cats, she's afraid to get one of her own because she doesn’t want to risk losing a creature she'd love. She limits herself to loving other people's cats while living a loveless and thus risk free life on her own. Plus she loves her work. She says she's like Marie Curie after the death of her husband, Pierre.


“What never ever abandoned Dr. Curie in all her years? Her curiosity. Her discoveries. Her accomplishments.
Science. Science is where it’s at.”


When Bee and her assistant, Rocío, arrive at NASA it's a disaster. None of her equipment was ordered, she doesn’t have access to the lab or emails and the staff ignores her. She decides to ask Levi to work with her to discover what is going on.  They are working on a project called BLINK, designing a new helmet for astronauts. I loved this part and couldn’t wait to find out how their work would turn out. Their banter is funny and flirty and their attraction is smokin' hot.


Levi grew up with a cold family that wanted him to go into the military. He used to struggle with his communication skills but it has improved with therapy. He has a knack for solving problems and is popular with his team and his boss. He just struggles around Bee, giving the impression he dislikes her. But everything is not as it seems. He is a big guy--in body and heart--who finds he enjoys rescuing Bee when she faints when she sees spiders or roadkill and--this was funny--when he knocks her out of the of toppling boxes in the lab. He also helps her with her couch to 5k training program but, really, the wonderful thing Levi does is support Bee professionally.


Bee is the best. She uses her talents and voice to advocate for other women in STEM by creating a community through an anonymous Academic Twitter account, @WhatWouldMarieDo. It becomes a place where women could go to discuss concerns and share advice. She also develops an online friendship with a popular account on Academic Twitter, @Schmacademics, who is a guy that’s supportive of women in STEM. Everything about Bee worked for me--she's smart, funny, and determined.


I really enjoyed the humor in this read, especially that about the cats! Levi has to manually express his cat, Schrödinger's anal glands (Levi’s pretty sweet) and then there’s a mysterious cat that visits Bee in her office. I love science and I liked how she intertwined telling Madame Curie’s story with her own.  I was also intrigued by the mystery of who was sabotaging the BLINK project. The tension in the story is perfect and, wonderfully, I was surprised by the villain.


I had a few quibbles. Bee’s hesitance to commit to a relationship with Levi dragged on too long. There's also a love scene where they don't use a condom, wait, what, really? Bee's fainting at roadkill and spiders seemed over the top after a while.


But these are niggles. Overall, the story is super creative with funny dialogue and fabulous quirky side characters.  I loved that it was a STEM romcom and showcases how scientists like Bee are able to find solutions and make a difference. This was my first book by the author but it will not be my last. I look forward to picking up The Love Hypothesis next!

I love the strong, intelligent, independent women that live within the pages of Hazelwood’s novels. I love the fact that Bee is all that while being a bit of an odd ball, with her purple hair, piercings and tattoos. I’ve been really loving books featuring women in STEM because I think that representation holds such a strong message for female readers, especially young ones. I think there is a lot to learn from Bee’s experiences when it comes to mistreatment and a lack of recognition in the workplace, as well as missed opportunities due to the actions of others. In hindsight, things work out for her but I feel like that storyline is too prevalent in society.

I’ve also really been loving books where the male lead is interested first, which this story has no shortage of 😍 the only frustrating part in this particular story is the fact that Levi essentially let Bee leave his life with no intention or attempt to keep in contact or express his feelings. I can understand and appreciate his communication issues in grad school which hindered their relationship, but the man should have looked her up before she so conveniently fell into his life again!

The tidbits of family drama, from both Bee and Levi, really strengthened their characters. I also really enjoyed the mini mystery that was explained at the end of the book. There was some foresight as to who was behind it but I did not predict the extent to which it would go.

Thank you to @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley for allowing me access to this story prior to its publication. This book is available now!

Loved loved loved. I love Ali Hazelwood’s books, they’re cute, funny, quirky and hot. I love the slow burn and the oblivious heroine. Levi was super swoony and Bee was a hoot. Definitely recommend!

Thank you so much PRH International for giving me the opportunity to read the book!!🥰

You don't know how long it took me to write this review, I couldn't find the words to explain everything this book has made me feel!!😩

I have loved it completely, from beginning to end, I have enjoyed it very much, it was a very entertaining read and AHHHHH, the characters are the bestttt😍😍

I don't know what Ali puts into her books but they are too addictive and perfect!! 💖💖
And if you still haven't decided to read it, do it, you won't regret it, you'll laugh, you'll die of love, and obviously you'll read the spicy scenes!!🫣
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No saben cuanto me he demorado en escribir esta reseña, no encontraba las palabras para explicarles todo lo que este libro me ha hecho sentir!!😩

Lo he amado completamente, desde principio a fin, lo he disfrutado muchísimo, fue una lectura muy entretenida y AHHHHH, los personajes son lo mejorrrr😍😍

No se que le pone Ali a sus libros pero son demasiado adictivos y perfectos!!💖💖
Y si aún no se deciden a leerlo, háganloooo, no se arrepentirán, se van a reír, a morir de amor, y obvio van a leer las escenas spicy!!🫣

I love Ali Hazelwood's books. They're lively, fun, and full of great characters and relationships - both friendships and romances.

I think it’s safe to say that Ali Hazelwood is an auto buy author for me and at this point I’ll read anything she writes.

Love On The Brain made me laugh , it’s swoon worthy and oh so enjoyable. It was unputdownable even with the predictable parts.
If you’re looking for a quick, enjoyable yet emotional romance with some miscommunication and a plot twist, pick this book! I really enjoyed it and the audio is so good!

Bee Königswasser, just got her dream job at NASA. Working on her dream project. Only catch? Her nemesis is her co-lead.
You know when you used to hide under the blankets and stay up way too late reading AO3 college AU's of the same ship until the wee hours of the night? Because that's exactly what this is. I'll go ahead and admit that I was the dummy that didn't realize The Love Hypothesis was Kylo fanfic until after I finished and loved the book. But this was the same Kylo ship, less disguised, and shifted slightly to the left.

As someone who loved the Love Hypothesis, I was nervous about having the same feeling reading Love on the Brain. Thankfully this totally lived up to the standard book 1 set! I'm on a romance wave reading wise and this was exactly what I was in the mood for. Sweet, fun story! Would absolutely read it again!

I went into reading Love on the Brain with a little trepidation. I loved The Love Hypothesis and was pretty lukewarm on Hazelwood's novellas. I really didn't know what to expect. In the end I actually really liked the story. I think a big part of it was that I really went in open minded and letting be what it would be.

What I liked. First, I really liked the premise and the characters. They are all pretty interesting. Bee is intelligent but damaged. I was really cheering for her, especially when she finally stopped hiding and stood up for what she believed. The romance was pretty predictable. No surprises there. I mean, you know from the beginning what you are getting into. I adored the STEM side of it all as well. I love the new STEM centric feminist leaning romantic stories. The writing is solid as well. It reads well, kept me engaged, and I looked forward to seeing the romance unfold. Love on the Brain is a bit spicier than The Love Hypothesis, so those who were wanting a little more on that side will be pleasantly surprised.

So, overall, I really liked the book. I had fun reading it and I really enjoyed the overall plot. Where it was a miss for me? Well, not really a miss so much as an observation that made me not totally fall in love? The story is constructed very much like The Love Hypothesis. While not the same, you will see a lot of the same elements in the way the story unfolds. I think that killed some of the surprising moments for me. I knew what was coming because the plot line was reminiscent of Hazelwood's first book. Honestly, I think had I read this book first, the rolls would have been reversed: I would have loved Love on the Brain and had the same reservations about The Love Hypothesis.

Putting that all aside, I did like the book. Hazelwood seems to have established a pattern and style with her two full sized novels. Will I read more of her books? Definitely. I had fun reading Love on the Brain. I mean, I read it in a couple of hours and didn't once get distracted. That is a huge win in my book. Love, spice, STEM, and something worth fighting for, in my opinion it makes for a good read. This is the case despite the echoes of her first book resounding between the pages.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the ARC and the opportunity to read and review Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood.

If you enjoyed The Love Hypothesis, then you'll likely be happy with this one, though for me it fell a little flat.

Bee is cute and quirky, but it feels a bit disingenuous and formulaic, as does the grump/sunshine and enemies-to-lovers tropes. I felt they were better done in TLH, but to be fair, I remember reading that before it was published and was still a Reylo fanfic. Without the sort of mental images of Ben Solo and Rey that I had upon re-reading the published version, I think this one highlights the fact that Hazelwood relies a bit too much on tropes and cliches, without making them truly her own. I'd like to see more creativity in those areas.

That being said, this is enjoyable enough fluff if you just need a light, fun read, and I love that the author is trying to highlight women in STEM and give them some love stories. Her humor is also wonderful, and I hope she grows and develops as an author. I'll be happy to read her next one and see how she has grown. There's potential here, I just don't think it is fully developed yet.

This book is the perfect sequel for everyone who loved The Love Hypothesis

This story follows Bee, who has been given the opportunity to work for NASA. But unfortunately for Bee she's being paired up with her grad school nemesis, Levi as a co-lead on a project.

But maybe Levi isn't as horrible as Been remembers. And maybe her opportunity at NASA isn't exactly what she bargained for.

This was a cute read. It's got some nice enemies-to-lovers/Grumpy-sunshine vibes. I enjoyed it a litter more than TLH, but I think that's just because I really fell in love with Levi.

3.5 STARS

Quirky, adorable, sweet and hot. Those are the first words that I thought of after I finished this smart and funny rom-com. Ali Hazelwood is an original voice in romance and if you loved The Love Hypothesis, I think you'll enjoy Love on the Brain.

This is not a sequel or in any way connected to The Love Hypothesis other that they are both set in the world of science. This book is filled with chemistry and humor and dare I say, zaniness? Once again, I have to hand it to Ali Hazelwood for setting a novel in the STEM world and for giving me lots of trivia about Marie Curie!

Our heroine Bee and hero Levi Ward are working together on an exciting project at NASA. The problem is, Bee thinks Levi absolutely hates her. But of course, this being a romantic comedy, nothing could be further from the truth.

"Bee. You want to belong. You want someone who won't let go. I'm it. I didn't let go of you for years, and I didn't even have you. But you need to let me."

Ali Hazelwood really shines when she points out the difficulties still faced by women in STEM, but she does it all with a dose of hilarity. That is one of the most unusual aspects of this book and I loved it!

"I marvel that I was given credit for my idea. Goes to show how low the bar is for cis dudes in STEM, doesn’t it? Thank you, Oh Penised Overlords, for the recognition I deserve."

All in all, Love on the Brain is an entertaining, light read with very steamy chemistry and a cinnamon roll hero who is hard to resist. I even enjoyed the subplot involving a secret Twitter account that highlights the systemic unfairness in graduate school admissions. Overall, I really enjoyed Love on the Brain, its nerdy heroine, and the adorable Epilogue.

(Many thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy. All opinions are my own.)

Bee gets hired on to a project at NASA for her knowledge of neuroscience. Unfortunately for her, that means working alongside her grad school nemesis, Levi. Levi was always mean to her in graduate school or outright ignored her, but now they are running the project together.

Bee has quite the backstory. She was engaged through grad school, but her fiancé cheated on her with her best friend and she’s given up on love since then. She also runs an anonymous Twitter accounts for women in STEAM, @WhatWouldMarieDo (as in Marie Curie). She has made friends with Schmac, another anonymous Twitter user, on the account. It doesn’t take a You’ve Got Mail fan to connect the dots – but I’ll spare you the spoiler as to who Schmac really is.

Through working together, Bee and Levi grow closer, especially when she realizes he’s not the culprit behind her missing equipment and waylaid emails. It’s the slowest of slow burns, but oh man, once these two finally hook up, the sparks really fly. The final arc is a little intense, and I saw some reviewers saying it felt far-fetched and random, but to me it was predictable (in a good way! – I saw the hints speckled throughout and anticipated finding out if I was right).

Ultimately, Hazelwood falls back on a lot of the tropes from The Love Hypothesis in this one. At first I was worried Levi was an Adam clone, but he’s very much his own person. And I loved Bee, a certified alt chick with tattoos, dyed hair, and piercings all over. But we still see a lot of the same themes from The Love Hypothesis. While it’s not anything truly unique, it’s still a fun, feminist, STEM-y read, and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for that or for those who enjoyed The Love Hypothesis as much as I did!

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Love on the Brain feels like a call back to a bygone era when contemporary romances were marketed as “Chick-Lit” and all featured a quirky female protagonist that was most definitely not-like-other-girls: she was ditsy, clumsy, neurotic, not conventionally attractive (according to her) and tragically single. Think Sophie Kinsella’s I Got Your Number or the Shopaholic series, the kind of old school rom-com where opposites attract, and our couple bicker their way from hate to love and eventually live happily ever after. Love on the Brain has all the trappings of such a cheesy, cliché romance and yet, for all of its tropes, it has none of its charms.

Love on the Brain begins well enough: with a cute anecdote about Marie Curie as one of the earlier, most well known women in STEM, and her struggles to gain recognition in her field while simultaneously falling in love with her husband, Pierre Curie. We then segue to our heroine. Fresh off of an engagement that ended in betrayal, Bee Königswasser has sworn off men and dedicated her life to science instead. She has just been offered her dream job at NASA. The catch: she has to work with Levi Ward, her attractive, broody college nemesis. Sparks fly, misunderstandings ensue, and somewhere between science talk, and road trips to conferences love blossoms.

But as much as this book sounds like a cute, fun enemies to lovers rom-com, a Love Hypothesis 2.0. it gets old pretty damn FAST.

Really, it's been a hot minute since any book character has annoyed me this much. Bee radiates classic not-like-other-girls energy: she’s quirky, clumsy, relatable, loves star wars, and constantly talks in puns and is so nerdy she’s a walking talking Marie Curie encyclopedia. Bee is basically what would happen if twitter and tumblr combined together to generate a person with the most p.c. quicks in one: she is vegan, listens to 80’s alternative rock and Alanis Morris (while advocating for the inclusion of more female musicians on the playlist) but also hates Nickelback. Her favorite movie is Empire Strikes Back. She’s a cat person, is tiny, doesn’t like to exercise (but somehow still very hot), dyes her hair funky (read purple/pink) colors, has tattoos (like 2), likes deserts, is a feminist but totally aware of her own white privileges, and generally doesn’t have a single damn opinion that hasn’t been approved by twitter critics.

There is nothing wrong with liking (or disliking) any of these things. There is definitely nothing wrong with being a person who likes polka dots and cries for cute, dead animals like Jessica Day from New Girl who is one of my all time favorite characters. But Bee isn’t Jessica; blended together, her character traits feel less organic or flawed, instead creating the single most annoying person I've read in recent times.

It is not just Bee that feels like a computer generated personality. Every single other character in this book is an archetype: Levi is the classic broody, misunderstood type; Bee’s ex is the typical cheating boyfriend; her best friend is the type that sleeps with your boyfriend behind your back; her sister Reike is the eat-pray-love free will wanderlust type; Rocío talks entirely in occult memes, Kaylee is Malibu Barbie, and together they make the goth girl x cheerleader token gays of this story. Do I need to go on??

Everyone talks in memes, puns, or quippy pop culture references. Except Levi: boy is still stuck in his decade long re-enactment of that one scene in Twilight where Edward looks constipated, disgusted at the mere sight of Bella; she thought he hated her but he was just trying hard not to breathe her intoxicating scent. It is not a spoiler to say this is basically Bee and Levi’s relationship dynamic because it is literally so obvious where the plot is going from the first chapter. Yet, since everyone in this book is somehow is too stupid to function (despite being neuroscientists, the dichotomy), we have to wade through chapters of misunderstanding with Bee constantly jumping to conclusions and not letting anyone (Levi) get a word of explanation in. By 40% I was tired.

And then I was jolted out of my numbing reverie by that mind bogglingly wtf showdown. The book suddenly turns its painfully obvious protagonist into some kind of mustache twirling bond villain that so completely threw me off I had to check I was reading the same book. When I say I was shook, but at least I got some laughs out of this. You know what actually wasn’t funny? The smut. The way this book did a whole abrupt shift into fanfic smut territory I had a crick on my neck from keeping up with the turns. Levi jumped from lab dude to call me daddy so fast I had instant flashbacks to 365; the cringe was so potent I had to go out and touch some grass just to feel alive again.

Like Love Hypothesis, this book also has some relevant themes like sexism in academia, workplace discrimination, how outdated standardized academic tests like GRE really are; about the aftermath of manipulative relationships; the importance of communication and unlearning toxic behavioral patterns instilled from childhood; also therapy. And yet these themes are merely mentioned before we skip right ahead onto the next juvenile conversation.

Also, this book features a very utopian version of Twitter with Bee shitposting on her
@WhatWouldMarieDo account about problems women face in STEM which comes off as laughably tame, entirely lacking the vitriol of actual twitter arguments. Trolls are spotted, and quickly vanquished; the discourse is civil and cohesive; there are no pornbots.

I've recently shifted away from the contemporary romance genre when it used to be a favorite in my late teens to early 20s. A change in taste might account for why I hated this book as much as I did. But I think it has more to do with the type of content: easily marketable, popcorn narratives with little to no substance, predictable or recycled plots no longer interest me even as casual reading. It's not fair to compare books between authors with vastly different writing styles, but after reading authors like Emily Henry, Mhairi McFarlane, or Chloe Liese whose stories are layered, with multifaceted characters, flawed female protagonists, and complex relationships, I’ve come to expect more from the genre. And this one, sadly, falls far, far short of the mark. 1 star.

Say hello to my first five star read of the year! Ali knocked it out the park with this one so get comfortable because you won't be able to put this one down.

What I loved:
1. Bee's individuality is one of my favorite things about this book. I love to read/see women comfortable enough in their own skin to be unapologetically them.

2. The banter is absolutely spectacular. I love witty banter and there was enough throughout the whole book to keep me fully satisfied. No banter shortage here!

3. I love sciencey bits and Marie Curie so obviously my inner geek was happy.

This was the STEM romance I didn't know my life was missing and I look forward to a reread in the near future.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think that this fell flat in a lot of the same ways the first book did, but they were more pronounced here. Too much girlboss, too little character work, and small-woman-is-the-best-woman stuff. It was delightful to read even though I didn't find myself enjoying the plot very much.

3 stars.

Um….

Bee is a neuroscientist who gets picked to co-lead a project at NASA with her enemy from her Doctoral program. She is worried that he’s going to make her life miserable and when things start disappearing or not showing up at all, she immediately blames him.

This is like a romance novel written by someone who has only ever heard about romance novels and has never actually experienced any romance or sex. I know that sounds harsh, but after sitting on this book for a while it’s how I feel. Initially, when I was reading it, it felt more like a 4 star read. Then some of the sex scenes got grossly graphic in addition to sounding like they were written by someone who had never actually had sex. The longer I sat on the book the more I realized I disliked it.

Bee is your stereotypical manic pixie dream girl. She’s not your “typical girl” in stem. She’s edgy and cool because she dyes her hair, has piercings, and wears dresses. She’s also super petite. So much so that she sleeps in a twin bed as an adult. But she’s insanely smart and good at her job. And also insanely obsessed with Marie Curie. I liked the interest in the female scientist at first, but then it became like every single chapter a mention of what Marie would do or how she would’ve handled the situation and it got a little irritating.

Her chemistry with Luke was good at first. I am personally a fan of enemies to lovers and I liked the slow burn of her not realizing he was into her. I also liked how Luke was a good person. Even though she interpreted things he had done as him hating her, he was never outright mean. When I found out the reason she thought he hated her though I was a bit let down.

What truly dropped this book from 4 to 3 stars for me were the sex scenes that I mentioned. They just were so bad. Like, cringe worthy. Then the last like quarter of the book completely shifts gears and even though I saw it coming it felt like it didn’t truly fit.

Well, admittedly I don’t have any desire to read Love Hypothesis now. I think there are significantly better romance novels out there and I’m curious to see what people who loved her first book think of this one. Everything about this book felt like a cliché and it just was not it for me. I’d pass on this one, maybe check out her first one instead in hopes that it’s better written than her second.

Ali Hazelwood does it again- hitting me in the feels and making me swoon! This one definitely had some good and bad moments though for me.

Love on the Brain follows Neuroscientist Dr. Bee Königswasser as she embarks to NASA to work on a career making project but also to spar with her nemesis Dr. Levi Ward as they must team up on a joint project.
Sparks fly and hilarity ensues as these two navigate their feelings and external forces threaten to tear them apart.

Tropes: enemies to lovers, tall guy/small woman

I think one of the thing that I liked and worked really well on this was the utilization of the Twitter story line. I think there was a delicious tension brought as the reader waits for the two main characters to figure out the connection. I am not sure that this is really a spoiler as it was frighteningly obvious when I started the book.

I also love that these are romances about women in STEM which is really exciting and cool. I think this content is a given though.

Things I did not love: I think that this is repetitive of the other 4 stories that the author has put out. They are starting to seem almost formulaic. Did I like it- yes but I think a third full novel with basically the same plot will be too much. I think the repetitive nature also ran through some of the jokes (ex:La Llorona and Schrodinger’s anal glands) and the Marie Curie content.

I also did not love the villain subplot and how it seemed to come about very late in the game. I think it would have come across better to me had it been a little bit more stretched through the book and didn’t seem like it was just in there because a conflict was needed.

I really liked Rocio, Kaylee, Reike and even Boris. So the side characters were on point!

I think this was overall enjoyable. I hope that in future stories the author is able to separate from the formula a bit and create more unique content.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the opportunity to read and review.

This is just The Love Hypothesis rebranded and for someone who only liked Hazelwood's debut slightly that just is not good enough. I know people will love this and it will probably go viral so I am sure it will be just fine without my rave review, but I do just have to say I think it is off-putting/somewhat problematic to see a man be so attracted to a girl who is described as still fitting into her middle school clothes...something to think about...I am sure it is unintentional just I think authors should be more careful with their choices.

New to me author. I enjoyed this story. It’s quirky smart heroine Bee was a great change of pace in a romantic heroine and Levi is a romance lead dream.

This book probably could have been shortened by a quarter and still have been excellent.

I’ll try the Love Hypothesis now.