Somewhere in the 4-4.25 star range

Following in the footsteps of The Love Hypothesis, Love on The Brain shares the same addictive writing style and witty humour. This solidified Ali Hazelwood as a must-read author for me. I wasn’t a huge fan of Levi, the love interest, tho (which took me by suprise because i loved Adam!!). Levi just struck a nerve for me and I just found him generally a bit off putting (and a little creepy?? i don’t want to spoil anything but there were definitely times where I thought ‘hmm that seems like behaviour I would personally be scared of’). I guess the word I’m looking for is he gave me the “Ick” on numerous occasions.

Love on the Brain had more of a focus on the STEM plot line than the Love Hypothesis in my opinion, so that may be a good or a bad thing depending on ur interests! The plot was also a bit weirdly paced, especially the end? Won’t spoil anything but I didn’t really like the climax/conclusion of this book. All in all, however, the writing style, humour, and cast of characters still made this an enjoyable read and I would still recommend it !!

I debated between a 3 and 4 star with this - in actuality I think it's a 3.75. This was a quick, addictive and very funny read. Loved the characters and the romance, and found I could relate to Bee.

Yes, it's similar to the Love Hypothesis with: MC thinks main guy hates her but he secretly loves her, STEM storyline, good-guy-turns-out-evil twist (which I didn't really like in this book). Oh and also both books have a really obvious "mystery twist" (with the mysterious guy in the bathroom obiviously being Adam in the Love Hypthoesis, and the real identity of Schmac on Twitter being painfully obvious). However, I found this book funnier than Love Hypothesis.

I don't typically read romance, but I do like Ali Hazelwood's books, and I'll recommend this book to customers as well as continue reading any future books of hers.

Overall, a good read.

"Love on the Brain" is one of those kind of books that satisfies a couple different categories of enjoyable for me. I love the inclusion of women in STEM fields, the spicy and still utterly romantic relationship between the main characters, and I absolutely loved the secondary characters' personalities. The humor flowed wonderfully and I found the misunderstands just on the right side of "not too cliché".

My one complaint might be the almost cartoonish villain. While STEM isn't exactly my field of expertise, I felt that while the eventual antagonist's would be considered justified, their reaction and decisions seemed very radical and sudden in contrast to the rest of the narrative. On one hand, it seemed almost unrealistic, but on the other I could see how the character could have been led down the path they did. Perhaps I wasn't expecting such a sudden dark twist, but then we never do in real life either. That being said, I didn't dislike this turn, it just felt a little thematically out-of-place.

All in all, I would say I thoroughly enjoyed "Love on the Brain" and would definitely recommend it. While it has some cliché tropes, I think they're handled well in the narrative and by the characters. Moreover, it's all made up for with excellent scientific groundwork!

I am really enjoying these women in STEM romances. Although a little predictable with the plot, there is good character chemistry and banter.

I loved this so much. It’s quite a deviation from what I normally read (fantasy and horror, mostly), but Hazelwood’s previous book, The Love Hypothesis, was all over bookstagram, so I snagged this one up when I could.

The blending of STEM and romance? Chefs kiss. Bee is an awesome MC, and not just because she has purple hair and compares herself to a Jedi!

The chemistry (haha, science pun) between her and Levi is palpable from the beginning of the book, and I must say that enemies-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes.

What’s not to love about this one? It may have helped me broaden my reading horizons. Excellent job!

Thank you to NewGalley for providing an Advanced Reader Copy for an honest review of Ali Hazelwood’s Love on the Brain!

Reader, have you read Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis? Were you like me as I read that book… laughing at the embarrassment of situations the characters found themselves in, finding endearment in the behind-the-scenes actions of love that went initially unrecognized, and falling in love with the quirky nature of the main character? If any of this resonates with you then you must read Love on the Brain!

Back in her masterfully unique writing style of quirky, brainy, and unapologetically sarcastic; Dr. Bee Konigswasser (neuroscientist) finds herself as a co-leader for a NASA microengineering project with her archnemesis from Grad School, Levi Ward (engineer). And just like she expected, Bee is determined to work past the setbacks of missing equipment, “forgotten” emails of upcoming meetings and ID badges that don’t let her get into her own empty office. Who cares that Levi is tall, dark, muscular and flashes the most brilliant green eyes for women to swoon… sabotage will not be stood for! With the help of her just as quirky emo assistant and her secret identity Twitter friend, Bee starts putting two and two together with an ending most readers would agree was worth it in the end.

If you can’t tell, I loved this second installment of Hazelwood’s writing and will definitely read anything by her in the future. That said, Love on the Brain, more so than The Love Hypothesis was predictable. I found myself quickly glancing over sections of writing toward the end without missing any of the substance to the story line. But where the predictability is made up for is in the whit, hilarious trademarked nicknames (which I will be working into my vocabulary), banter, and all out science nerd self-love from Bee and her assistant. When this book is released, I will be buying a copy so I can read it over and over!

Final Review 4.5 Stars

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood is another of her female stem novels. Love on the Brain features Bee who is offered a position at NASA to work on a neuro-engineering project. She can't wait until she gets there and realizes her nemesis Levi will be working with her. Bee is ready put aside the past but when equipment never appears and emails go missing, she knows Levi is behind it. Bee is determined to make it work despite the difficulties that keep appearing.
I loved The Love Hypothesis and I was worried that Love on the Brain wouldn't hold up. I was wrong because this one is just as delightful as the last one. Ali Hazelwood does a fantastic job of creating amazing characters.

Um. What can I say... WHAT CAN I SAY. I loved this book so much, and I love that Ali Hazelwood writes about smart girls. Girls who are way smarter than I will ever be. But there is something so pure and just warm about them and it makes the characters so likeable. Who doesn't love a smart girl, with pink hair, tattoos, and septum piercing? Do you know that person? I don't. Because I am in love with smart girl characters. While this book definitely follows a similar formula or sequence as her previously, exceptionally successful book "Love Hypothesis", I can't argue with what works.

So if you love... science, smart quirky girls (who aren't annoying), tall, caring, super smart guys (who are also not annoying), and a good "I've always loved you" romance, well look no further. Read this book.

The 52 Book Club 2022 Challenge Prompt: 31. Technology themed

Other Possible Prompts: 5. Chapters have titles, 6. Household object on the cover, 11. A book with less than 2022 Goodreads ratings (for now, anyways!), 23. Author with an x, y, or z in their name, 41. Involves a second chance, 45. A book with illustrated people on the cover, 52. Published in 2022

Ali Hazelwood does it again! And by it, I definitely mean writing a book so good I’m willing to lose my valuable sleep schedule just to finish it. I’ve quickly become an adoring fan of Hazelwood’s and I’m feeling BLESSED that I was given this advance readers copy. BLESSED.

Bee, a neuroscientist, is absolutely floored to be accepted as the lead on a NASA project designed to help astronauts absorb more information when in space. For Bee, this is the ticket out of her crappy, post-grad life under a misogynistic boss… but she soon discovers her co-lead is her arch nemesis, engineer Levi Ward, and things become a whole lot more complicated.

In the years since she met him in grad school, it doesn’t appear Levi has gotten any better or grown to hate her any less. But under the circumstances, they create a shaky truce for all that extra time they’re spending together, and Bee soon discovers she may like Levi a little more than she originally thought.

This book has so, so many of my favorite romance tropes: workplace romance. Enemies to lovers. The mean one falls for the sunshine one. UGH. I’m so obsessed with this whole book and also now Ali Hazelwood, not me most definitely following her every career move…

This book is The Hating Game but STEM and on speed. I cannot convey my love for it enough. You know when you read The Hating Game and then you started reading contemporary romance in droves, forever chasing the high of reading Sally Thorne’s stunning debut in a single night? No?? Well if not, please know this has been my life for like, five years (I honestly thought it was three years, but didn’t want to misquote, so I checked my Goodreads history and yeah…five years. Five years chasing the high of Lucy and Josh. Also have you seen the movie?? LOVED it). I finally found its equal in Love on the Brain, and I am a forever fan of Hazelwood’s now.

I LOVED Bee. Much like my Lucy, Bee was just an introverted, intelligent, but wonderfully quirky gal who absolutely made the story for me. I connected with Bee and her struggles, even not being a science person myself. You don’t have to understand neuroscience to connect with Bee’s passion for her work. Also, her research assistant, Rocío, reminds me completely of my best friend. Their friendship felt so similar to my own that I found myself dying laughing at their bits. Every character in this story is so well fleshed out and felt like someone I know in my own life, which made it so much more fun.

I didn’t immediately love Levi, but you grow to understand him and it puts him in a new light. Honestly, from the start, he does come off like kind of an ass. But he’s supposed to, and Hazelwood’s way of shifting his character into a new space in the story totally works, and I come to love him, too.

There’s also this added element and depth from these two Twitter accounts in the story. Bee runs an account called @WhatWouldMarieDo, referring to Marie Curie, where she commiserates with other women in STEM fields on the sucky parts of being a woman in STEM. Together with an another account named @shmacademics, the two use their thousands of followers to start a movement in the academic world. I loved this part of the storyline, and once you read it, I think you’ll quickly get a feel as to why.

The drama and climax of this story kind of took me by surprise by I TOTALLY loved it! You will not expect the outcome, and maybe you won’t even suspect the problem…but it’s just so juicy.

So, yeah, I’m kind of recommending this all around. Like pick this up immediately. Pre-order this puppy. Cannot tell you enough; currently screaming my love for it from the roof. Like I said, I was *blessed* with this advance readers copy from the publisher through NetGalley, and Love on the Brain will release August 23, 2022…but if you have any chance of getting your hands on it before then, highly recommend doing so. 😉

Have an AWESOME week friends!

I just want to first address that the title of this book is so perfect and adorable... anyways

This is, basically, the perfect romance. Amazing plot, compelling characters, no unintentionally misogyny from the author, realistic characters, unproblematic love interest 😌.

10/10 for the plot, I feel like often times romance books severely lack in plot & make the book drag on until the romance happens. or force unrealistic plot points to bring about tension/misunderstandings. NOT IN THIS BOOK! The plot is compelling, complex, but not complicated to where you cant follow it. The miscommunication trope was *chefs kiss* in this book! (I usually despise it). Ali Hazelwood knows how to write a realistic plot.

I think this book had a bit of a curve to it. The first 25% of this book took a while, but after that: I was immersed.

The love interest is kinda... the perfect man (ofc, because he was written by a woman). I cant talk much about why, it spoils some moments of the book. But one thing I can say, he mentions he hates Elon Musk and that is all it takes to make me fall in love with you.

Idk much about Marie Curie (outside of her achievements) but I feel like I've learned a lot through this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC which I received in exchange for an honest review!

After Love Hypothesis, Love on the Brain is one of my most anticipated releases of 2022. When I got the ARC, I was so excited and I started it right away! I love that Ali Hazelwood is writing about women in STEM and not as assistants but as the leaders and head scientist of the research group.

The main characters Bee and Levi were absolutely so cute together and their misunderstanding in the beginning was very well written. Usually I hate the miscommunication/misunderstanding trope but Ali Hazelwood did such a great job in this book with that trope. The twist in the end was fantastic and I just loved it! I can’t wait to read more books by this author!

Love on the Brain is a delightful read. Our main characters, Bee and Levi, are smart, largely self-actualized, have palpable chemistry, and are both feminists (yay!).

I appreciated the STEM-focused storyline and how dedicated the characters are to achieving their professional goals, all while they experience personal growth. At times, the amount of misunderstanding and lack of awareness was irritating, but not enough to detract from the charm of the overall story.

A must-read for fans of the Love Hypothesis and of romance novels with sweet characters you want to see succeed.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I absolutely adored "The Love Hypothesis" so expectations going in to this were high! I really appreciate the continuation of romance stories featuring women in STEM and the many challenges faced. Levi is a wonderful hero who I think will win many hearts.

"Love on the Brain" was fast paced and easy to read. The story was a little too obvious at times, though. The best part of reading romance is knowing the destination and getting to watch the journey unfold. I wish this story had read a little more like a vintage map instead of an interstate billboard.

Looking forward to more from Ali Hazelwood!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

As a fan of Hazelwood's other book - I went into this excited for it! And I was definitely not disappointed. Finished it in a day; even while working a full eight hour shift around it. Would recommend, plus has a lot of really excellent discourse around women in STEM while also being an adorable romance.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order this year and will recommend it to students.

This is a very fun, very charming read. Bee is a super relatable, caustically funny, somewhat grumpy protagonist (her only flaw being one that's seen all too often in romances, an impossible to believe level of obliviousness in recognizing her love interest's interest!). That and a drastic turn toward a thriller-esque ending are the only dings. Bee's love for Marie Curie and dedication to her own place in scientific work are informative and fascinating. And the hero's most endearing attribute is probably his belief in her mind and willingness to stand up for it, loudly, to detractors in their very boys-only field.

I loved this story. It was the perfect mix of light with heavy, which is what I love in a romance. Ali Hazelwood hasn't disappointed me yet and I'm pumped to read whatever she writes next.

This was a fun and delightful read with Ali Hazelwood’s witty writing style. Loved the pop culture references and mentions of STEM culture. And enjoyed the development of Levi and Bee’s relationship

3.5 stars
I found the main character, Bee, a bit annoying. Crying every time she sees roadkill seems overdramatic, even for a vegan. I was more invested in Levi than in Bee, and I was frustrated that it seemed like Ali Hazelwood didn't do a lot of research on Texas--or even Houston, or she might've made a comment on Houston traffic or how absurdly large it is. The ending conflict felt forced; I didn't think it was believable for a second that Guy would be the mastermind, and giving him a gun seemed to be another "I didn't do my research on Texas" situation (also, I know it was the middle of the night, but why was he able to bring a gun into NASA?). I thought it would've been more believable to have Boris be the villain, and for him to be engaging in some corporate espionage--secretly working for both NASA and MagTech (which mysteriously disappeared from the narrative after the convention). I'm also bothered by the fact that we never found out what Levi said to Tim at brunch, though I realize that may just be a me problem.

I'm not sure how I can even put into words how much I adore this book! In fact, The Love Hypothesis was one of my favorites last year, and somehow this managed to top it, I think.

First of all, Bee is the protagonist to root for. She's quirky, relatable, and down right hysterical, cue me trying to hide my fit of giggles at 3am as to not wake my husband while reading this book when I should have been long asleep. And of course I'm a sucker for hate to love, so naturally I was head over heels for the dynamic between Bee and Levi. It hit on all the right points: excellent banter, angry musings, delicious forced proximity, and oh-so-many feels. To my delight, I was even trash over the side characters, which is honestly rare for me. Everyone who stepped on the page felt very three dimensional and real in a way sometimes my own life doesn't live up to (sad? probably).

Basically, to all my rom com lovers and beyond, this is a book to snatch. Don't miss it!