I love the way that Ali Hazelwood incorporates STEM into all of her books. This was a really quick read and I think that it could have been fleshed out a bit more when it came to the character development, but overall I really enjoyed it.

Yes, I loved it just as much as the first one. Happiness is an Ali Hazelwood book.

Characters: ★★★★★
Humor: ★★★★★
Romance/Steam: ★★★★★

Love on the Brain comes out on August 23!

There is no better way to start this review than by using what the book's description starts with:

Like an avenging, purple-haired Jedi bringing balance to the mansplained universe, Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do?

And with that, that's almost all you need to know about Love on the Brain, with the added information that this is an exquisite enemies-to-lovers romance with a dose of lighthearted angst—and absolutely jam-packed with bonkers humor.

Bee and Levi are ENEMIES. This is known. In grad school, Levi made it extremely clear that he couldn't stand the sight of Bee and made it his mission to avoid her at all possible costs. Bee never really understood how she came to acquire an arch nemesis, but she rolled with it and life moved on. They both graduated and Bee thought she'd never see Levi again.

But of course, life has a funny way of dealing with your expectations.

When the opportunity of the lifetime lands in Bee's lap—working for NASA as their lead neuroscientist for a cool project—Bee is over the moon! This is it! Her dream, coming true! What could go wrong!

Well, Levi is listed as the engineering co-lead to the project. That is definitely a wrinkle.

Can these two scientists become more than nemesis?

Y'ALL. I thought The Love Hypothesis was in danger of being a one-hit wonder. It was too funny, too lovable, and too tailored to that perfect blend of steamy romance and plot. It was perfect—and how often do we get multiple perfects in a row with an author? It was the perfect storm of all of my favorite things and I thought to myself "there's now way that Ali Hazelwood can match herself with the next book."

Well, I'm eating my hat today. Hazelwood matched her energy with this one and then some—Love on the Brain was everything I wanted it to be and yet also, somehow, still fresh. How she managed to take a similar STEM-based setup and bring new feelings, scenarios, and characters to the table baffles my mind, but I digress. This was 10/10, my sweet cinnamon roll, the peanut butter to The Love Hypothesis' jelly, the answer to our Science! hetero romance dreams.

Read it, love it, and then come back here and rant to me about it because I would love that.

Bring on the next one, Ali!!

Thank you to Berkley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you loved The Love Hypothesis (which I did), then you will love Love on the Brain, perhaps even more (which I also did). I gobbled down this book like it was chocolate ice cream. Hazelwood's writing is so charming, so funny, and so easy going down. Bee is a damn delight, and her interactions with everyone around her were just so much fun. Levi was also adorable and wonderful in his own way, and the steamy scenes were far more plentiful. This was an absolutely perfect sophomore book, and I can't wait for the next!

Thank you NetGalley for the free eArc in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars-
I am OBSESSED with this book. I loved it even more than the first one! From the very first page I was hooked and I felt a connection to the story a bit more than Love Hypothesis. The banter is always on point and the romance is adorable. My only complaint is that a few parts of the plot did feel like it was repeated from LH. Aside from that it was amazing and I can’t wait to reread it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!!!

“Since the first moment I saw you. Since the first moment I talked to you and made an ass of myself, there hasn’t been anyone else.” 🥺

Okay when I tell you I am obsessed with Olive and Adam in the Love Hypothesis, that’s an understatement. SO when I say that I love Levi & Bee even more??? You should know it’s a good book.

GUYS this book hooked me from the first paragraph. The Main character was hilarious and had me laughing throughout the whole book. I loved all of her quirks. This has…

📖Women in STEM
📖Nemeses have to co-lead together
📖He falls first 🥺 AND he’s shy
📖A fun twist at the end

I couldn’t put this book down, and I did cry to yet another love confession because it was beyond perfect. ALSO the secret Twitter she has...and the man that confesses his love for a certain female on there and it just gave me SO many butterflies. Ugh swoon. I thought this book had so many perfect little moments between the grumpy/shy love interest and it just made the love confession at the end even more perfect. I absolutely devoured this book and cannot wait to get the physical copy. Also thought the writing was very well done and the delivery of this book was 5/5! Ali Hazelwood's writing is quite addicting and I loved all of the commentary.

Overall, a pretty solid book. Not what I usually read but enjoyed myself. I liked that the main character was allowed to be nerdy. I also love the encouragement that men need therapy. However, I found the main character a little dense and irritating at times. The whole enemies thing could be cleared up with a little communication.

This book was just so, so good. Everyone knows I hold the love hypothesis at high rank but dare I say I liked love on the brain better? 😭🤍

Levi was everything I wanted in a love interest and more! I loved the tropes, the romance build up and most of all I loved Bee.

This book was special and the epilogue secured a five star rating from me 🤝

Preorder this book and support this lovely author. <3

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the eARC

This was a cute romance set in a STEM setting. Overall I give this book 4 stars

Pros:
Funny banter
Enemies to lovers meets "You Got Mail" aka not knowing the person you're talking to online is the same person you're talking to in-person
Cute cats
Swoon-worthy Levi Ward
Hard-working & heartbroken Bee
A twist I never saw coming
The sex scenes are steamy

Cons:
There were a few things I found kinda annoying. How often Bee reminded the reader that she was a vegan. How much she told the reader about her love for Marie Curie. (Though learning Marie Curie & her notes are untouchable for over 1,000 years is a pretty crazy fact to learn!) Lastly, Bee kept repeating & reminding herself (and the reader) that Levi hated her when at a certain point in the book, I could tell his feelings were changing, but she was painfully oblivious to him being different around her for a while.

Looking forward to reading future books by Ali Hazelwood.

When Dr. Bee Königswasser, a neuroscientist, gets chosen to be the lead investigator on a project by NASA, she’s ecstatic. She stays ecstatic until she finds out the name of the person who will be co-leading on the project with her, and it’s none other than Levi Ward, her nemesis from grad school.

Love On The Brain has:
🧠Woman in STEM 👩🏼‍🔬
🥼Nemesis to lovers
🧠Forced Proximity
🥼Great Banter
🧠 Rom-com

Okay I don’t know what Ali Hazelwood puts in these books, but they are addicting! I loved her debut with The Love Hypothesis & was so grateful to get an E-ARC of Love On The Brain. I absolutely love the way Ali writes strong, powerful, and extremely great female main characters. The heroes, I swear are brought to their knees for the heroines and I live for it! I loved the personality of both Levi & Bee and them together was like fireworks going off in my brain. The banter! The romance! The spice! I couldn’t stop smiling. I ate this book UP! Such a good read! I can’t wait to see what’s next for Ali!

✨ Thank you so much to Netgalley & Berkley for the E-ARC!

Can i say that I love this book from begging to ending? Yes I can!

Special Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this amazing eARC! Thanks you so much!

Love on the Brain is one of my favorite Romance book of the year, Ali have quickly become my ride of die author… this books was additive and so cute! The nerdy person who live in me fall in love with Bee and Levi since the first moment.

Bee is a Neuroscientist who has a project on NASA, y Levi is co leader, and they hate each other to death… or I least that’s what she thinks, that he hates her, so the slow burn and the banter is top notch! The dynamic that both have is incredible and I absolutely love them, and I love Rocio Bee’s RA she’s just hilarious.

The steam is amazing! The mystery part of the book and all the Marie Curie references are incredible, even if I’m not a big fan of the miscommunication trope, Ali makes a excellent job in then plot and how this evolved.

This is a cat lover, nerdy, spacey, adorable book that everyone has to read! 5 stars!

Like many, I fell in love with Ali Hazelwood’s world ever since reading The Love Hypothesis, so I was eager to jump back in.

In this newest novel, our lovable, STEM leading lady is named Bee. She is individualistic, brilliant in her field, and lives by the principles of her hero, Marie Curie. Her parents passed when she was a child, leaving Bee to lean on her twin sister. As adults, the sisters live on different continents, which causes Bee to devote all of her energy into her work as a neuroscientist.

Bee receives the offer of a lifetime: to work with NASA for three months in Texas. Bee is over the moon (no pun intended), until she discovers she will be working with her nemesis from grad school: Levi Ward.

We follow Bee and Levi navigate the challenges of being both co-leads on this high profile assignment and sworn enemies. As time goes on, Bee comes to find that Levi may not be the evil person she assumed after all of these years.

What I love the most about Hazelwood’s books are the innovative settings and science based focus. Personally, I had a hard time understanding science in school and did not gravitate towards it–which is why I love this book. I would never be introduced into the worlds of neuroscience, engineering, or astronauts otherwise. Even more so, I continually admire the protagonist’s passion and intelligence in her field.

Now onto the romance, that brings me to Levi, and he’s perfect. He is a champion for Bee’s success in the professional environment, unwavering in his feelings/belief in her and absolutely smitten with her. Bee and Levi are very complex and have a rocky history, but are both yearning for companionship and a special person to call “home”. Get ready to add another name to your book boyfriend list.

I also enjoyed the side characters, including a charming romance with another couple in the book.

Hazelwood introduces us to the inner world at NASA, where Bee struggles with the challenges of being a woman in a male dominated industry. I think that was extremely important to include, as it says a lot about her perseverance and tenacity in the workplace.

This heartwarming book made me have more appreciation for our current badass female scientists, the men who give them the credit they deserve and the brilliant women who paved the way so many years ago.

Bee throws herself into her work after a ending her engagement, but her new project is co-headed by Levi, who she is sure hates him. So when her work is stifled and on the verge of being thrown out, it has to be him sabotaging her, right?

I will buy anything Hazelwood writes. I loved this STEM heavy romance, even though I had to skim a lot of it because I don't understand neuroscience and this book is HEAVY with the STEM. Heavier than <i>The Love Hypothesis</i>. It does get to be a bit of a drag, but the rest of the plot more than make up for it. A bit of a mystery is thrown in as Bee tries to find out who is sabotaging her and why. It adds another layer to the romance story and I love that the romance is fleshed out a bit more than in <i>The Love Hypothesis</i>. The characters are great, though Rocio got on my nerves a bit, and there were a few pointless scenes that could have easily been cut (dinner with the parents????). Overall, another strong addition to the STEM romances.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
I have to say that after reading this that I know for sure that I really just love Ali Hazelwood! I fell in love with Bee and Levi. These characters were so well-rounded and their relationship was so great. This story had a lot more going on than just a typical romance and I loved it! The viral Twitter account (beginnings of a revolution in grad schools and the conversations between Marie and Schmac), the mysterious technological glitches in emails and files, Levi's close relationships and family, and a subplot romance (similar to the subplot romance in The Love Hypothesis with Malcolm/Holden--- which, I still wish we could get a novella at least of their love story). Also, I really didn't see the plot twist coming in this one which is really saying a lot because I'm usually able to guess things pretty quickly.

(I was lucky enough to be sent an eARC of this book, but all opinions are my own!)

NON SPOILER

10000000000 stars!!

This book was fucking AMAZING.

I loved it even more than The Love Hypothesis and I didn’t think that was possible. 💕
—
This book focused on Bee Königswasser, a neuroscientist (how freaking COOL!) and her journey on a new project with NASA.
She moves to Houston to embark on this collaboration, to create a helmet that controls the brain activity of astronauts (again, HOW COOL!). Her co-lead is a NASA engineer, Levi Ward, with whom she went to grad school with, but made it known to everyone, including her, that he couldn’t stand her.

When she arrives at NASA she quickly realizes the staff ignoring her, her equipment missing and Levi not being super pleasant to her… shocker.
But what happens once Levi and Bee work in such close quarters that they have no choice but to be friendly with one another?
—
I feel like as the book went on I was learning so many cool facts and learning more about the life of Marie Curie, which I had zero knowledge on before I read this.
Ali Hazelwood does an amazing job at incorporating interesting facts, humor, a spicy enemies to lovers romance, and so much more.

I also loved the fact that the main character, Bee, had a Nonna. This was the first book that I have ever read where someone has a Nonna, like I do, and it just made me connect with the main character a lot more.

I am loving these women in STEM books. It is so neat to read about such a different aspect you aren’t used to.

LEVI WARD. That’s all I have to say. LEVI. FUCKING. WARD.
This fictional man had me smiling at the book SO MANY TIMES. I loved him.
In my top 3 favourite fictional men. I love.

I so wish this book was out right now so everyone could love and enjoy this book. But! You’ll have to wait till August 😈😅

Ya'll!!! If you loved The Love Hypothesis then you will–definitely, surely, very much, agreed, 100%!!–love Love On The Brain!! I think Ali Hazelwood's writing improved with this book and every scene is just so good and not a boring part read!

I love Bee's character, I know women in general get degraded for being a woman and Bee's character was such an epitome of a strong woman in STEM. I commend her for her strong personality and everything in between. No matter what life throws at us, we come back stronger and never give up. No matter what the people say, as long as we love what we're doing, their opinions don't matter at all. I love how Bee's character is somewhat different from the books I've read, she's the first character I've encountered to being described as having body piercings, and the cool hair colors. AND she doesn't give a f–

Levi–oh, Levi– this dude I thought I would end up hating. But turns out, he's better. HAHA. I really love it when the guy falls in love first. And Levi loved Bee first. He was always the one watching out for her and taking care of her and making sure people do not end up hurting the person he loves. Levi might seem like a cold person on the outside, but really, he's just having a hard time explaining himself that people–Bee–misinterpret. And it might have been obvious that SHMAC was Levi. *screech* I love all the words coming out from Levi's mouth. He's a beautiful human being and I will protect him with my life. I love him!!

Overall, I absolutely adored this book 101%! Although it's still similar to The Love Hypothesis in terms of Science setting, it's still an overall refreshing story of a neuroscientist and an engineer. Who knew these two would be so compatible with each other? LOVED IT! Thank you, Ali!!

I was beyond excited to read this book! Omg I love when a romance is just that...a romance! I love that I can trust Ali Hazelwood with a romcitic story and the smut!!! I'm here for it!!! Yesss!! Now I do feel like some of the convict was unnecessary and pulled me away a bit but either way I feel like this was a great read! I can't wait for more from this author.

Grad school nemeses Levi and Bee meet again years later, where they are to co-lead an NIH and NASA funded project involving neurostimulation in astronaut helmets. Convinced that Levi hates her guts, Bee somehow manages to see that Levi has many layers. Now seeing him in a different light, she has difficulty wrapping her brain not only on the project at hand, but the conundrum of that which is Dr. Levi Ward. With obstacles thrown in her way, from unfair treatment of female scientists to a Twitter explosion to their project imploding, what else is there for Bee to lose? Or perhaps, to fight for?

Hazelwood strikes again with a bingeworthy, STEaMy, laugh out loud funny, and whip smart standalone romance! I loved Bee, everything she stood by and for, the many quirks to her personality—her insane cat puns, her WWMD Twitter account, and her syncopal episodes. And the way Levi complimented her was just perfection. I was a huge fan of Adam, and with that, it was a no brainer (hah!) that I’d absolutely love Levi, too. Plus, my neuro-loving heart was all for the mechanics behind the science. The writing was literally like a stream of consciousness, it just flowed. The dialogue was hilarious without it being overdone or corny and that had to be one of my many favorite parts. Overall, a fab read and def recommend if you loved THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS.

This might be my favorite book of the year!
I can confirm that I did not sleep at all when reading this book! I devoured this story!

I absolutely adored the main characters! I loved the dynamic between Bee and Levi so much! The only thing I hate about Ali Hazelwood books is that I have to wait until like 60% of the book to get to the really good stuff, but once you get there, it’s a rollercoaster!

Ali is such a great writer and is able to pull out so many emotions in me when reading her novels! She might be my 2nd favourite romance author after Colleen Hoover!

And of course, it wouldn’t be an excellent romance novel without a little plot twist! If you love romance, emotions, plot twists, and an academic setting – this book is for you! Highly highly recommend!!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with an electronic ARC of this book via NetGalley. As usual, my reviews are my honest and unbiased opinions.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚: Contemporary romance
𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩: eARC

𝙁𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚:
“It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a community of women trying to mind their own business must be in want of a random man’s opinion.”

“I can be fearless. I can be as fearless and honest as you are. If you will teach me.”

“You could rip me to shreds, Bee.”

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙:
This book is laugh-out-loud FUNNY!
Strong feminist vibes (go women in STEM!)
Enemies to lovers romance
Loveable side characters
Could not put this book down!

𝙁𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬:
For all of you that loved The Love Hypothesis… you will be OBSESSED with this one too! There are so many sarcastic, witty moments that had me literally laughing out loud. I adore Bee, our FMC, and her feminist commentary and hilarious point of view. She is a relatable, intelligent, empowering MC who has no problem standing up for herself.

Enter Levi Ward: grumpy coworker with swoony green eyes, who just always happens to keep inconveniently popping up in Bee’s life. We learn that Levi has a deeper side than the stoic scientist he appears to be, and slowly Levi and Bee learn they may have more in common than they originally thought. There are definitely more steamy moments in Love on the Brain than The Love Hypothesis (zero complaints here). Schrodinger the cat also deserves all the love for being an amazing animal companion and helping his hoomans find love.

I enjoyed the more serious topics included in this book, including gender inequality and toxic relationships with partners/friends/family. It is wonderful to see so many strong female characters working in STEM and championing equality in the workplace. You guys, get excited for this to release on August 23 because it is INCREDIBLE!

If you were obsessed with THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS, get ready for a new one after you read LOVE ON THE BRAIN. Ali Hazelwood is an unstoppable force in romance and writing about women in STEM. She captures what it’s like to be a woman in academia and industry in a way that will have women feel empowered and seen.

There were so many relatable moments and quirks that I loved about Hazelwood’s new MC’s. Plus, I truly enjoyed how Hazelwood gave a nod to Nobel Prize winner and trailblazer Marie Curie and Bee’s obsession with her. There are so many notable moments throughout the book that made Bee feel as though she were a real person, from her relationship with her twin sister, having to wear a retainer at night, and her inner dialogue plus her twitter account, on being a woman in science, will have readers falling hard for these new characters.

And the love story!!!

There’s so much here and more:

Enemies to lovers
Online friends (who don’t know who they are, but maybe they’ll figure it out eventually 😂)
MC’s love interest goes to therapy
More Spice than in The Love Hypothesis
Adorable Cats

I’ll stop there and let you actually read the book and we can all scream about the romance tropes, twists, turns, and our emotional state we find ourselves after reading.

If you want a book that features women in science and academia, a new book boyfriend to daydream about, a couple of adorable cats, and belly laugh-falling-off-my-couch moments, make sure to pick up a copy of LOVE ON THE BRAIN.

Happy Reading ~ Cece