Love on the Brain is currently my new fave. It's one of those novels that haunts you when you put it down because you just have to know what's going on with these characters and what will happen next. In the case of Bee and Levi, these enemies turn into the best lovers.



It all starts with a series of unfortunate misunderstandings, misreadings, and frankly, some lies thrown in and all of those things fester for years until the best/worst thing happens: Bee and Levi working on a huge, important project. As work has now thrown them together, truths are revealed, feelings are explored, and denial is not just a river in Egypt. I enjoyed watching how all of this played out--how Bee had to basically twist herself into a pretzel in order to force herself to believe the ideas she had about Levi and how patient and accepting Levi was of her process. I also enjoyed the idea of the project they were working on and all of the intelligent little bits and pieces that were woven into their dialogue and plot. Additional, the twitter subplot and the funny things Bee would say or do (along with her hilarious assistant) created a nice balance between the smart, more serious scenes.



Love on the Brain hits so many of my sweet spots: smart characters, funny characters, interesting, well paced plot, and a happily ever after that is completely satisfying.

I will say that I felt like the end of this book took a big of an abrupt turn, but I really loved Bee and Levi together. I also loved all of the little looks into the world of women in STEM. The things that I didn't love about The Love Hypothesis were better here, mainly the power dynamic isn't an issue. Really though, this was compulsively readable and I think people are going to gobble it up.

Gosh I loved this book!!! I could NOT put it down.

And let me tell you guys something, Ali Hazelwood LISTENED Y'ALL. She definitely brought more spice to the table and I love her for it (still not smut though).

Any who, I AM SO HONORED I GOT THE CHANCE TO READ THIS NOVEL. It hooked me immediately and I love how much we focus on smart, brilliant women. GO WOMEN EMPOWERMENT. The characters were wonderful and Bee. Omg Bee was the absolute cutest.

I really enjoyed the storyline and ugh my heart melted so many times. It’s safe to say Levi is my new book boyfriend. We love a tall, yummy protective man. AHHHH!!!

Ali makes me laugh so much in her books and they truly make me extremely happy while reading. Y’all have got to add this to your TBR!

Spice: 🌶🌶

Thanks netgalley & Berkley for this amazing arc!!!

(thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC I recieved!)

Bee (a neuroscientist) has never forgotten the treatment she received from foe Levi while studying in grad school together. And as the years went by and her profession took flight, she continued to fester over those feelings. When they finally meet up again to work on a project together, Bee mistakes all of Levi's dismissiveness towards her as his secret passion of hate and believes that even after 6 years, he still harbors some sort of resentment toward her. As such, the enemies to lovers story unfolds.

I fully enjoyed this book from start to finish. It was such a fun, quick read with likable characters. Cute and nerdy. Keeping in line with women in STEM, there was a lot of science related jargon that was explained in a way that was comprehensible and interesting for the average, non-science person. I loved all the quips with Marie Curie and the fun facts throughout the story so much that I did, indeed, Google plenty more about her after the fact. The small details in this story made the overall read that much more enjoyable: from cats, to quirky RAs to the CD that Bee and Levi listened to in the car (a band I personally enjoy!) It all blended so well and really helped set the scene!

Personally, I do feel that a 6 year grudge is a biiiiit of a stretch for any person and instead of having a conversation with him about it when work brings them back together, Bee continues to dwell on her idea of the situation. But, while it’s nothing new and seems a little overdramatic, I understand the need for a rift between the two characters and I’m guilty of not even caring how much I love reading this trope! Either way, the pair make an adorable couple.

The relationship didn’t take forever to bloom and it steadily grew early on once they were working together again. I love that Levi wasn't overly broody like many other characters with this archetype seem to be. It's obvious early on that he's a soft teddy bear (just get past the first few chapters) and that there's some clear miscommunication between him and Bee. (Swoon) The spice isn’t overly heavy since the book doesn’t center around physical intimacy, but I appreciated when the spiciness came into focus with some on page, some off page bedroom business.

And for some extra flare, the hint of mystery, while somewhat predictable, was a nice touch and I was ‘happy’ when my predictions were accurate!

I know there are some unanswered plot holes in the book or some information we could have done without, but I think if this book would have explored more detail, it would have been totally unnecessary and bogged down the story. Some info might be plot filler, but it flowed well and just added some flare and personality. I'm not mad about it.

All in all, I would suggest reading! There’s really no reason not to!

This can’t be missed!!! What a lovely Pride and Prejudice(ish) story!!! Did anyone else picture Mr. Darcy’s hand flex every time Levi froze up in the earlier parts of the book? I want everyone to read this so that we can collectively swoon.

Love on the Brain is such a delight to read! All of the fun of The Love Hypothesis, multiplied! I could not put this book down-- it was so funny, and sweet, and smart. I love how much the book actually goes into the science of the BLINK project. Though I admit I didn't understand all of it, I think the author did a great job of giving us just enough info to have important context, without actually needing a PhD to understand. And while the love story between Bee and Levi is obviously the star of the show, some of the side characters (Rocio? Kaylee? Phantom cat Felicitie?) certainly threaten to steal the show! All around, so fun to read.

I am absolutely going to recommend this to patrons and romance-book lovers! Thank you for the opportunity to read the ARC.

If you liked The Love Hypothesis and it *wasn’t* because you are a ReyLo Stan, you’ll love this book.

If you refused to read The Love Hypothesis on principle because you don’t like fanfiction or ReyLo, and/or don’t find Adam Driver attractive (I’m looking at you, Kara), give this one a try.

If your reasons for not reading TLH were because of conflicts of interest due to academic coworkers boinking? Yeah, give this one a pass.

I do not have any of the aforementioned issues, so I found this book delightful. And surprisingly hot? Like not the spiciest thing I’ve ever read, but there was some delicious tension. And there is a Lisa Kleypas worthy bonkers twist that just sealed the deal for me, so yeah, loved this one from Ali Hazelwood.

Be still my STEMinist heart. I love love love what Ali is doing with these STEM setting romance novels - this is my formal petition for an electrical engineer leading lady next. I thought The Love Hypothesis was excellent, but Love on the Brain surpassed it for me. It was most likely because I related more to Bee than Olive since the setting was a working environment rather than the grad school environment of Olive & Adam. Maybe it was because by the third chapter, I had at least 6 new terms to describe my typical work situation - my favorite being Cockcluster (TM) which Ali deemed a meeting where you're the only woman aka almost every meeting I've ever sat in (and I'm definitely conscripting this term for my every day life). Or perhaps it was literally everything about Rocio, Bee's research assistant who's brand is described as "chaotic goth misanthrope and creepy deadpan sarcasm" and was love at first off the wall fact and sarcastic response for me. Actually, it for sure was because there were *multiple* cats (we meet 3 different cats!!!!!), and nothing elevates a book quite like a leading man that is also a cat lover in my expert, completely non-biased opinion.

Bee and Levi have a rocky start because of ~miscommunication~, but spoiler alert, Levi doesn't actually hate Bee or else this probably wouldn't be a romance novel. To Ali's writing credit, Bee's belief that Levi hates her is completely valid since everyone around them believe it too. They at least get on friendly terms before its fully resolved, and once it is, Ali came through with again with a particular hot af moment that I had to reread multiple times *insert sweating emoji here*. I have 0 complaints about how this plot played out, and the side plots and characters are surprisingly well rounded for such a quick read (see Rocio above, a fun secret twitter plot, and then there's some ~drama~).

This book was definitely 5 stars, 10/10, perfect score. If you love romcoms or loved The Love Hypothesis, put this on your TBR.

Thank you Berkley Romance and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this early!

Disclaimer: I work for a bookstore, all thoughts and opinions are my own and not affiliated with the store or company.
Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with a digital version of this book.

I want to preface this review by saying that my opinion keeps changing. I am unsure if I want to give it a 3 star or if I enjoyed it enough for a 4. If It was possible I would give this book a 3.5/5.

For the most part, I adored this novel! I have not read The Love Hypothesis but I had high expectations due to the rave surrounding book one. The aspect I loved the most was indeed the science element and how the plot revolved around STEM. I am not a science major but nonetheless, I loved this setting and how it affected the plot. I also enjoyed Levi as a character and enjoyed his relationships outside of work. Although the plot was, for the most part, predictable (except for the end), I didn’t mind! I think that it allowed for the plot to focus more on the characters and their growth. The social media plotline is one I saw coming from the start but is quite possibly one of my favorite aspects as I enjoyed how it tied it all together.

Now to get onto the elements that I was not a fan of and drove me away from enjoying this book. There were many quotes that made me feel uncomfortable while reading. Many of them I brushed off to just a difference in my style of dialogue or humor (I am trying to be ambiguous since the book is not yet published). What I personally wish was done differently was the Harry Potter reference, and a line that was used to describe sex between queer characters that didn't sit right with me. I felt that both of these lines could have been left out. Secondly, the ending was interesting and I am undecided on how I feel. I wish there were slightly more hints towards the antagonist and their motives, but maybe they’re a really good actor? As you can see, I am very unsure of my thoughts on this book and my review might change with time.

Overall this was still a pretty good book even if I had some disagreements with other elements. I will still be reading The Love Hypothesis as so many people loved this book and I really liked Ali Hazelwood’s writing style. I do recommend for others to read it as well as I am sure it is the perfect book for some. Also major props to the cover illustrator- it’s beautiful.

I think I went into this book too hyped from the love hypothesis. It was a solid romcom, but i didn't love the characters like I did the first book.
For one, the Mc came off really superior a lot of the time. While she was quirky, she also came off kind of better than everyone.
And while I loved the main man, I can't get behind the whole I'm in love with a married woman thing. I know she wasn't married... but he didn't know that, and that really bothered me.

Such a good follow up to the love hypothesis!! I ADORED this couple and their relationship, I couldn't' get enough.

After the upsetting disaster that was The Love Hypothesis, I was pleasantly surprised by Love on The Brain. I admit that I skimmed over much of the science-y jargon, but I found Bee and Levi's hate-to love relationship refreshing and realistic. Unrequited love? I swooooon. My stomach literarlly dropped when Levi and Bee finally stopped pretending to hate each other. SO GOOD

While I enjoyed the Scmac/ Marie interactions, I found that they weren't super connected to the main storyline.

5 star read. Loved this even more than the author’s first novel, The Love Hypothesis. I was glued to this book right from the start. Quick witty banter, steamy romance scenes, intelligent and unique characters, women in academia, and a fascinating backdrop (NASA + neuroscience)… what more could you want? Hazelwood is an auto-buy author for me!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ali Hazelwood has quickly become an autobuy author for me. Her writing is SO entertaining and easy to read. I binged this in one sitting. Her wit and banter is spot on and she writes pretty relatable and hilarious inner monologues. But this book fell a little flat for me, only because it read so similar to The Love Hypothesis. I felt that certain plot points or characteristics were copy and past from her first novel. I still completely enjoyed this read, and there were some swoon worthy moments, but overall it was too similar. The miscommunication trope was also a little bit to unbelievable for me. Again I love her works, will buy this book, and can't wait to see what she comes out with next, but this one was just okay!

Ali Hazelwood’s sophomore novel is definitely an ode to the Love Hypothesis — it features the same academic setting, the same quirky and lovable characters, and LOTS of miscommunication that makes for a classic tale of will they/won’t they.

It’s hard not to compare Love on the Brain to The Love Hypothesis because the two are really SO similar. Almost too similar, maybe, though if you enjoyed The Love Hypothesis, I think this book will feel like coming home.

One the one hand, Ali Hazelwood definitely corrected some of the not-great things about her first book. There were no cringe-y jokes about Title IX and workplace harassment, and the steamy scenes were more balanced in the sense that it didn’t involve one character with a lot of sexual experience and another with virtually none. The steamy scenes were a lot steamier and a lot more frequent, and overall the progression of the relationship between Bee and Levi was enjoyable and fun to explore. Like I said, there was a lot of miscommunication, and one subplot in particular where I was like…..there is no WAY they haven’t figured this out yet. (If you’ve read it, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.) But all of that was done in that frustratingly adorable way of a well-done romance book.

However, this book wasn’t perfect for me, either. I was 10000% rooting for a romantic relationship between two side characters and was happy to see how this progressed, but in general, I thought the two characters were total get Z caricature, and I wanted more from them. Particularly, I wanted to know more about what happened in between their relationship going from zero to one hundred.

I also didn’t love some things about Levi, the love interest. I’m all for a “I’ve been pining for you for years” storyline, but there were things about Levi that felt territorial and almost…creepy. I don’t want to spoil much, but the way he talks about his feelings for Bee and his interactions with her ex just left a bad taste in my mouth.

Lastly, there were some subplots I wished were explored further, and some I think could’ve been left out altogether. And the last 10% of the book just…..did NOT fit with the overall flow of the book.

Overall, I enjoyed my reading experience with this book; Ali Hazelwood is great at writing fun, fast-paced love stories intertwined with accessible science and academia talk. It wasn’t my favorite, but it was fun, and I’m excited to see what the author comes out with next.

Eli Hazelwood did it again!
I know it a very stereotypical quote to start my review with but it definitely sums up what I thought about this book.
I really did love The Love Hypothesis and I was a little bit worried this wouldn't live up to it, but it didn't let me down.
I still think the Love H was a little bit better because it was my "first love" and also because I could find a lot of similar elements in this but not so many that I couldn't enjoy the book.

So what did I enjoy about Love on the Brain?
The premise was very good because it contains all the tropes I love: enemies that are obliged to work together and eventually become lovers (and they knew each other in the past)!!

The writing style was great! It makes the story easy to read and it flows effortlessly.
That is also because the latest is quirky and funny. I did laugh and squeak in so many scenes I can't count!

The characters are probably the best part, especially their interactions and their chemistry.
Bee is a badass female character and she brings a recurrent theme in Eli's novels which is women in science.
I think it's a very common feeling that a lot of times, not only in science, we are treated not in the same way as men and this a call to stand up to ourselves and this is NOT okay.

If I still didn't convince you, I don't know what else to say, just... Read it!

A total blast to read, Hazelwood combines the joy of trope-y rom-coms with sharp, witty prose and an all too relatable look at misogyny in the workplace. I love the barbed take on power structures and gaslighting in academia, and the way Hazelwood balances it with a passionate you're-my-everything escapist romance. The central pairing bears some similarities to the one in Hazelwood's debut, but this time we have a high stakes joint research project at the center of the story, and I loved how neuroscience and engineering informed the character dynamics. The subplots are also deftly woven in, with a social media project, a broken friendship, a mysterious cat, a secondary romance, and some tricky family dynamics to navigate. Come for the steam. Stay for the STEM. And for a swift, smart, joyful read full of dramatic tension that'll have you flipping pages right up to the very end.

Ali Hazelwood has done it again. I will never forget the first time I read and fell in love with the ARC of The Love Hypothesis last summer, especially with Ali's humorous voice and swoonworthy tropes. Love on the Brain was a lot of fun, and I loved following Bee and seeing her relationship with Levi go from being sworn nemeses to more.

That being said, I definitely feel like Love on the Brain had a hard time living up to the level of satisfaction I felt after readingThe Love Hypothesis, which I totally get is a hard act to follow. I truly felt like this was a slightly different version of The Love Hypothesis, which is understandable, considering the origin of both books as Reylo fanfiction. A lot of the tropes, dialogue, and scenes are exactly the same in both books, and that just made me compare both books more and more as I was reading ((view spoiler)). Levi and Bee's relationship also felt more rushed, especially when compared to Adam and Olive. THE MISCOMMUNICATION between the two made me want to bang my head against the wall. There was soooo much of it--definitely more than I've read in romance books lately.

I really liked the subplot between Rocio and Kaylee, as well as Levi's relationship between Lily and Penny, but I wish some aspects of the story had been explored further, such as Levi's relationship to Tim, and Levi finding out about Bee and WWMCD. I also agree with other readers that the ending scene became super dramatic and unrealistic for the plot. I almost started laughing at how ridiculous it got.

Overall, I definitely wouldn't say this was a bad read, I just think it was hard for this book to live up to my expectations after reading The Love Hypothesis. I'll 100% still be picking up Ali's other novellas and upcoming works!

So so cute! I am a sucker for a good enemies to lovers book, so I knew from the start this was going to be for me. Typical with Ali Hazelwood’s books, this one drew me in immediately and had me so hooked! I binged this book in two days which is atypical of me. I loved the writing in this one - Bee was so witty and hilarious even in moments of total despair and there were times when it was written as though she was speaking directly to the readers, which I absolutely loved. I did find it very predictable (with the exception of the twist at the end!) but that didn’t really take away from the experience, which is a feat unto itself. Also hello Levi! Definitely adding him to my list of book boyfriends. Loved! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

After loving the first book by Ali Hazelwood, I was excited to read her next offering. I liked that the main character was again smart and not being ashamed of it, and that the book addresses the inconsistency of female representation in STEM fields. The main male character, and love interest, is also interesting in that he is the one dealing with family disappointment with his career. (He was my favourite character in the book). The secondary characters are funny and smart and add authenticity to the story without being too much of a distraction. I won't go into the plot, but I loved the parallels between Curie and the protagonist. Easy recommendation for readers who want a modern, smart romance.