This wasn’t my favorite, but still enjoyable. It was a quick and easy read, just what I was looking for in the moment.

Ahhhhhh! Finally! After the joy of "The Love Hypothesis," I've been highly anticipating Ali Hazelwood's next novel. And while her trio of STEMinist novellas helped tide me over, they were too short, and therefore didn't build enough.

We get another woman in STEM here, and as one would expect from a book titled "Love on the Brain," this deals with neuroscience. Quirky, septum-pierced and purple-haired Dr. Bee Königswasser is celebrating landing a huge neuroengineering project at NASA, but then realizes she's a co-lead with her grad school nemesis Levi Ward. When she arrives in Houston, it seems that someone is out to sabotage her. Access is denied, equipment isn't arriving on time, she's missing important meetings and emails ...

Bee is delightful – and not just because all of her quirks are so colorful and specific like loving cats and fainting often – but she also is incredibly principled and will fight for gender parity (the terms she's coined for various ways the gender imbalance plays into STEM academics and workplaces are hilarious and spot-on).

Levi is very much Hazelwood's archetypical hero - ridiculously fit, good looking, absolutely gaga over her (surprise, he never hated her in grad school, something all readers will spot immediately but Bee takes a depressingly long time to realize), and great in the sack. But he is of course INTENSELY awkward when it comes to Bee, hence the confusion. Of course, the super-nerdy guy who's an uninhibited sex god is a fantastic romance staple, and Hazelwood delivers. My biggest gripe, however, is that all of these nerdy hunks are still more thinly sketched compared to the female main character, and thus they always feel sort of remote -- like a faceless mannequin.

There's a subplot involving Marie Curie, cats and a mystery that's very Scooby-Doo in tone (we even get a "if not for you meddling kids"-type speech) that makes this a brisk story on top of the rom-com of it all. Oh, and Bee's assistant Rocio is a goth-hearted, amazing character that needs to be read to be believed. I fully expect fandoms and shippers for Rocio. Hazelwood is able to create some very daffy and lovable characters, and Rocio and Bee's twin sister Reike are two whom I wouldn't mind seeing again.

All that, and it's set in my hometown of Houston, so I was especially interested even though there wasn't enough about the local food and art, just the mosquitos and well, guns. That this is an ultra-feminist read while reality in Texas and other states is anything but, made this an even more escapist fantasy.

Overall, "Love on the Brain" was often funny and exasperating, hot and sweet, if not terribly deep, which works for Hazelwood's whimsical writing.

(Review based on an ARC from Netgalley and Berkley)

Another hit for Ali Hazelwood, following her The Love Hypothesis. While you don't have to read them in order I do recommend it because there are several references that you will enjoy more if you have read the first book. Follows rom com format- I did enjoy the first one more but this is still good. Nothing over the top, but a middle of the road rom com that is quick to read.

LOVE ON THE BRAIN
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Publisher: Berkeley Romance
Pub Date: 23 August 2022

Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️

Read if you Like:
- Women in STEM and strong women characters
- Rivals to lovers
- first person POV

Review:
Love on the Brain exceeded my expectations and more. The characters were well developed, the romance was top tier, and the banter was incredible. Levi is an incredibly well developed MMC and is extremely swoon-worthy. Ali writes in a way that makes you feel like you're listening to Bee's inner thoughts. I felt that I was actually in Bee's brain throughout this book.

The plot was very similar to The Love Hypothesis with similar tropes. While I wasn't the biggest fan of the miscommunication, the ending made it all worth it. Highly recommend to anyone who loved The Love Hypothesis!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkeley for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ali Hazelwood's nerdy spicy books are like catnip to me. I just gobble them up.

You'll love this enemies-to-lovers book in all of its nerdy goodness. Women in STEM who also get the hot guy to worship the ground they walk on? Yes, please.

Just as charming, sexy and funny as The Love Hypothesis, Love on the Brain is an amazing follow-up. NIH and NASA team up (with an appropriate amount of institutional jealousy) to work on neuroscience for astronauts. Bee and Levi met as PhD candidates at Pitt…and they didn’t get along at all. Now, Bee and Levi both have PhD’s and careers…Bee at NIH and Levi at NASA. They are thrown together on a project as co-leaders and find out that their perceptions of each other MAY have been incorrect. Plus, have they been DMing each other for years? Has somebody sabotaged their project, Bee’s twitter account, NASA email? Love and science…Ali Hazelwood proves once again…can be very sexy.

This book is my favourite type of rom-com. It is sweet and fun, but it also touches on some important topics like sexism in the workplace and grief.

At this point, I would be obsessing over a lullaby if Ali Hazelwood wrote it. 😌
I felt the same way about Love on the Brain as I did about The Love Hypothesis. (The mentioned feelings: screaming, crying and calling the characters "my babies" God knows how many times) But, but I LOVE LOTB A THOUSAND TIMES MORE. Ali has this impeccable quality of making her characters feel like home. With Bee and Levi, it honestly felt like I was getting multiple hugs everytime they had their heart-to-heart conversations.

The plot, the romance, the twists, the angst and the mutual longing/pining - everything about LOTB was just purrrfect! 💅 (this is me taking a page out of Bee's book and making a bad cat pun). I lost count of the number of times Bee made me laugh. The things that went through that girl's brain were so chaotic, my gosh. 😂 And don't even get me started on Levi!!! I didn't think it was possible for me to love a male lead more that Adam Carlsen - but then Levi Ward came into the picture and BAM! ✨ Sparks flew - not only betn Bee and Levi, but between me and them too. 👀

Love on the Brain made me fall in love with Women in STEM more than ever before. I got to know a lot about their struggles, which in turn made me appreciate the STEM Queens so, so much. The realistic portrayal of academia was really eye-opening. Speaking of science - the chapters of LOTB were titled with parts of the brain/nervous system, etc - and that just made me so happy? (I am a bit biased as I am a biomedicine undergrad) but wow; the layout was so, so clever!!

I didn't know how much I needed LOTB in my life until I read the first chapter. Bee and Levi's story was everything and then some. I love how Ali doesn't shy away from talking about the real stuff - be it mental health, commitment issues, or fear of attachment. Please, please buy a copy of Love on the Brain when it comes out. I promise you're gonna love it. 😭

Great book! I’m a sucker for a good STEM romance and Ali Hazelwood did an amazing job with this one. I’m not sure why I love STEM romance so much because I sucked at science/math in high school and college but these books get me every time! I laugh, cry and fall in love with these characters. Bee and Levi gave me all the feels💜. Five star read for me and a big thanks to Net Galley for the e-arc.

I truly believe Ali Hazelwood can do no wrong. I've read all of her released book so far and there has been so much to love and so little, if anything, to hate.

This book, true to Hazelwood fashion, was funny, smart, and unapologetically feminist. Bee, our leading lady, has a unique obsession with Marie Curie (rightfully so) and has so many quirks and things that happen to her that you can't help but laugh and root for her. The humor from Bee's assistant, Rocío, also had me laughing out loud. She reminded me so much of April from Parks and Rec and I was living for it.

And, of course, this is a STEM-based book so we get all of the nerdy bits of science that we've grown to love from Hazelwood's other novels. Bee is a neuroscientist and Levi is an engineer that are working are a NASA project together so we get lots of nerdy talk. Also, we learn a lot about Marie Curie which was an unexpected bonus to the nerd aspect.

Now, onto the romaaaaaance. It was absolutely top-notch. There was pining, so much pining, a small You've Got Mail trope, a miscommunication trope, and so many beautifully delivered lines that I wanted to cry and swoon all at once. Levi was everything. He was broody and stoic, he was romantic and sweet, and he was the only good seed out of a bad family plant. There was just so much to love about him and the You've Got Mail trope really solidified that for me. I had butterflies in my stomach anytime him and Bee were together. I just loved loved loved it!

There was also a bit of a mystery thing that played into the main conflict of the book. It was predictable, but I like the added component it gave the story.

Overall, run don't walk to get this book. Hazelwood is on a different level than the rest of us and I've just accepted it. Praise to the STEMinist!

I may have squealed when I got this ARC :) Hazelwood's first book, The Love Hypothesis, was one of my favorite reads last year. I was eagerly awaiting her followup, and let me tell you - IT WAS SO GOOD! It felt pretty similar to The Love Hypothesis with the guy falls first trope, grumpy/sunshine and overall vibe. Hazelwood has such a fun style, and the STEM world is so different than anything I know, the book drew me in from page one. Highly HIGHLY recommend!

This is no sophomore slump for Ali Hazelwood in her second STEMinist rom-com novel after her first hit, The Love Hypothesis. And she does not disappoint with this new setting and cast of characters. You'll be frustrated by them (in a good way), laugh with them, and fall in love with them just as you did Olive and Adam in her first novel.

This story follows Bee, an NIH neuroscientist chosen to co-lead a groundbreaking project with NASA, as she heads to Texas to create a state-of-the-art helmet for astronauts that reduces distraction events in the brain while working in space. Her dream of snagging a meaningful project that will showcase to the STEM world her knowledge and expertise to help her escape her current underpaid, monotonous job has finally arrived. The only problem: she doesn't have the fondest memories (none to be exact) of her co-lead on the project, Levi Ward, an engineer with NASA, when they were in the same grad school years ago. But, of course, thanks to some of the classic tropes in the genre, there are two sides to every coin which means we may learn along with Bee and Levi that sometimes our perceptions can be deceiving. As Bee expresses her joy and wonder of the human brain throughout the story, you will indeed learn that the mind is a marvelous thing to behold.

Hazelwood's writing is like candy. It's lovely and sweet and so easy to just keep eating another piece (or read another page). When this author presents a story to the reader, she gives everything she promises. At this point, she's an auto-buy author for me. I already have her three novellas lined up on my TBR list to read. Grab this if you enjoyed her first novel, The Love Hypothesis, contemporary romance, or if you too have a massive love for Marie Curie.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this title.

I absolutely loved this book! I didn't think anything would top The Love Hypothesis, but this book proved me wrong. Bee is such and interesting and fun character to read about. Her hilarious commentary and excitement about neuroscience was engaging to read. I absolutely loved the chemistry between the leads and this is for sure one of my favorite romance book that I will now be recommending to everyone I come across.

“Can you stay? Please? I know you’d probably rather be—“
“Nowhere else,” he says, without skipping a beat. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

Levi Ward = impenetrable, cold, arrogant. Lord of a thousand glares and a million rude nods. “The Wardass” according to Bee Königswasser. These two are working together for NASA to create a special helmet for astronauts which is a dream for Bee but also a nightmare when she has to collaborate with her grad-school-arch-nemesis, Levi. She thinks he hates her, when in reality he’s secretly in love with her.

I knew that I would love this book especially since TLH is a fave of mine, but wow! It was so cute, so entertaining, so spicy! LOTB had Star Wars references, Marie Curie facts, and You’ve Got Mail vibes but via Twitter!

PS- I need a book with Rocío, and Rocío only.

🧠READ IF YOU LIKE🧠:
- enemies to lovers
- grumpy x sunshine
- Marie Curie
- workplace romance
- neuroscientist x engineer
- Star Wars references
- nerdy jokes and puns
- You’ve Got Mail via Twitter
- woman in STEM
- forced proximity
- cats & hummingbirds

cw: death of loved one, seizure disorder in children, sexism in workplace, mention of workplace sexual harassment, miscommunication, gaslighting, cheating

Thank you to @netgalley and @berkleyromance for the advanced copy! Love on the Brain is available on August 23, 2022!

Book review::: Love on the Brain by @alihazelwood 🧠🥼🔬🧪🧬

4/5 ⭐️!

I was so excited when I got approved for this arc! I absolutely loved The Love Hypothesis and am obsessed with @ali style of writing. Let’s just say after reading the first chapter of this book I was instantly HOOKED and it did not disappoint!

Bee Königswasser is a quirky, smart, and brilliant Neuroengineer Scientist who has a passion for standing up for woman’s rights especially in the science field. In a field that is prominently men, Bee has to constantly prove and advocate for herself. As you can imagine, that hasn’t always been easy especially when she is constantly met with confrontation from her former class-mate Levi Ward. After graduation, Levi and Bee went their separate ways. Later on in life, Bee recieved an amazing job opportunity to work for NASA. Her excitement quickly dwindled away when she finds out who her co-lead will be…. Levi Ward.

If these tropes sound like your cup of tea, you are going to LOVE this book:::::
* enemies to lovers
* friends to lovers
* cinnamon roll MC

I adored this book! I LOVED bee’s whit, humour, and just bad-ass energy she exhibited throughout the entire book. Seeing her over come passed insecurities and not let them define her future was so incredible. Levi was just *chefs kiss*!!! He allowed Bee to shine but never stopped looking out for her!

Love on the Brain will be released on August 22nd

Thank you @netgalley, @ali, and @berkleypublishinggroup for gifting me this ARC! 🫶🏻

This book was very similar to The Love Hypothesis but honestly that’s what I was hoping for. This was perfect if you’re looking for a lighter romance.

There are plot points that you expect from a romcom but while still brining light to some important subjects. There was also a twist you wouldn’t expect that kept the story interesting!

The romance is sweet but that's all I really enjoyed !! There were just so many pop culture references. The author tried to make our FMC soooo quirky (her galaxy tights,,, reminds me of Jude Duarte's outfits in the mortal realm. Very cringey).

A lot of the time I felt the spice was not needed and was often out of place. Yes, it was written fine but the author isn't that great at leading into the scene. it just happens. I love a slightly oblivious FMC to the love interest's actions and feelings but this took it so far, that I truly thought Bee was a moron.

TLH is much better. LOTB felt much like the TLH, especially the ending.

HOLY COW. I have yet to read something by Ali Hazelwood that I have yet to completely love. She is an author that I recommend to everyone. For example, my copy of Love Hypothesis I have lent to every single one of my sisters and they have gone absolutely FERAL for it. She is and will always be an auto-buy author for me and as I have told her she is a romance author that if I could I would pick to write my own love story.

Anyways random ramble over... now onto this book... I DEVOURED it. There is not a single part of this book I would change. I adore the writing style in this book. I don't know what this says about me but I am usually a pretty emotionless reader. But the humor in these books is *chef's kiss* and actually makes me laugh. Like her RA's sense of humor gave me April from Parks and Rec and it killed me (in the best way). Ali always has a way of seamlessly fitting in representation in a way that doesn't feel forced but instead just natural aspects of characters. I just really appreciate that she doesn't use a one-size fits all for sexuality, identification, personality, and so on. Her books are so refreshing in this sense and I always feel like I can recommend her books to anyone because there is that widespread relatability.

Now onto Levi and Bee. I mean Levi like Adam could hit me with a truck and I would say thank you. Like where are these men in real life? I live close to NASA I would make the drive... no but on a real note I love him. There is nothing hotter to me that a smart male being confident enough in his own skin to root for a female (whether she is aware or not) Also he and Bee together? Amazing. I am a sucker for guys who only have eyes for one girl and THIS just was amazing, Plus the whole academic account thing? Gave me Another Cinderella Story in the BEST WAY. I don't want to give away too much but don't let the cute cartoon covers deceive you... the smut is top tier.

I also want to take a moment to appreciate the serious conversations around how women are treated in general but also when it comes to working. I am not someone in STEM but I am someone in Law and let me tell you I wish I didn't relate to a lot of the inequalities but I do... and really appreciate the conversations throughout the book that acknowledges these subjects. Also random but whenever I read these books I make them my personality trait to the point where I am like I SHOULD HAVE GONE INTO STEM. But anyways as you can tell I could go on and on about this book so I will stop rambling... for now... if that sounds threatening it is because it is and you know I will not shut up about this book ever. I genuinely can't wait for it to come out and I can push it on all my friends and family. If I could rate it an infinite amount of stars I would.

Devoured this in one night. LOVED it. Another great book by Ali Hazelwood! Sexy, smart, and science-y - The big three S's! I really loved the main character Bee and the fun banter between her and Levi. I need more!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars

Yup, I loved this one. I enjoyed the characters, both main and sub and I liked spending time in Bee’s brain. She was smart and quirky and a little insecure but still charming and honest. I also really enjoyed the premise of the story and the high stakes project that was at the heart of the storyline. There was a reality to this that so many romance novels lack which was so refreshing!