I had to take a few days to really ponder this one before writing my review because there were elements that I adored, but also a few that didn't sit right with me. Here we go...

The humor! Bee is hilarious. Her actions are often cringe-worthy in the best possible way, and her fantasy revenge is the best. She's so wonderfully insecure and awkward and smart. It's the perfect combination to create snort-laughter from the reader. I giggled and face-palmed through the entire book!

This book is smart. I appreciate a story that grows my vocabulary, and Love on the Brain is certainly one of these stories. Look up words that you don't understand. The book becomes all the more enjoyable for it. Bonus: a lot of the humor is smart too. Love it!

There's a definite formula here... I both liked and disliked that this story seems to follow the same sort of pattern as The Love Hypothesis. In no way is it identical. The relationship just faces the same misconceptions as TLH. What's happening is obvious from the start, and the similarities diverted some of my attention from enjoying LOTB to comparing the two books. I suppose you could say that the similarities were a distraction. Did that make sense?

What didn't sit right with me, you ask? Well, there's a very sudden and serious encounter near the end that is oddly glossed-over. It's not the kind of thing that you would easily dismiss, and it came across as too excessive. I don't want to spoil it, but I will say that there was probably a less dramatic alternative. In my opinion, the encounter ruined the flow of the story. Because it was so close to the finale, it sort of brought down my mood for the end of the book. I couldn't quite recover because I was reeling over how easily the matter was dropped. The entire last few chapters ended up feeling slapped together.

At the end of the day, though, my love of the characters and romance were enough to overcome the awkwardness. The MCs are flawed and sweet, and I do have a fondness for a good struggle. Who doesn't love it when a girl gets what she deserves?

Was this book a little predictable? Absolutely. Did I love every second of it? Also Absolutely. Another solid romcom from an author who writes academic characters so well.

This book was definitely spicier than her first one, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The book was a bit formulaic and I wasn't surprised by any of the plot points that were supposed to keep the reader guessing, but I really did enjoy it. Hazelwood knows how to write chemistry between her couples and this one hit the spot.

I really don’t know where to begin. First of all, Ali hazelwood is the type of author that attracts many from everywhere. It’s amazing that I’ve been able to see the slow progression from the very first book she published aka the love hypothesis and I can safely say love on the brain was nothing short of wonderful. The characters were exactly what I know would attract everyone and the writing / plot were phenomenal. I enjoyed everything about this and cannot wait for Ali’s next books! 5/5!

The only reason I didn't devour this book in one sitting is because I wanted to savor it—so I read it in two sittings! There is something so absolutely magical about Ali's writing. I was there with Bee and Levi, they felt like my best friends, and I'm feeling the same kind of adoration and depression I felt when I finished The Love Hypothesis. This is a magnificent, electric read!

Fantastic! Ali Hazelwood does it again with a witty, feminist romance featuring Bee, a neuroscientist obsessed with Marie Curie, and Levi Ward, an engineer who hated Bee in grad school.

Bee get chosen to be the neuroscientist specialist on a NASA project in Huston, TX, but finds out her co-lead is Levi. From the beginning she thinks it could potentially be a disaster, but she hopes that he'll be able to put aside their differences to collaborate on this career changing project. From the beginning he does not ever talk to her or even email her back, and her equipment is somehow mysteriously not appearing even though she requested it weeks ago.

With both themes of You've Got Mail and Pride and Prejudice, Love on the Brain hits all the marks. Bee is a delightfully sarcastic character and the way hers and Levi's relationship unfolds is so good. Also the side characters are stellar! There are a few things you see coming, but I really enjoyed this story so much. I couldn't put it down!

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

Now, where should I begin? The fact that both of Hazelwood’s books kept me up well past midnight when I should definitely be asleep or how much I adore the leads?

I’ll start with the latter, as a woman pursuing academia herself, I have related heavily to both her lead characters. They feel so extremely real, and I’m unsure if I want them to be my best friends or to just be them. They have a fleshed out and unique personalities that make them extremely lovable, yet not flawless. Levi was also great and I ended up enjoying him a lot more than Adam. But I do feel like we got more time with Adam and Olive, we saw their relationship grow in a very different way, and I did feel that Levi and Bee lacked a well established friendship. I’m unsure if this book is shorter than the other one, it felt like it, because I read this one on my iPad and the other one physically- but I did feel that they just needed… a bit more. More time, more talking, more together.

Let me start off by saying Hazelwood’s writing style, characters, relationships, and settings are all phenomenal, I adore both her books. But, I felt this one’s plot was a bit more rushed. I felt like a different conflict between the leads should have developed, or at least something preventing them from being together, to develop their friendship a bit more before moving forward. I wanted more time for Bee to catch up, more time for her to accept and understand her own feelings and emotions, which ultimately would have made their relationship stronger and more emotionally rewarding for the reader in my opinion.

Lastly, and possibly my biggest critique of the book, is the end. I was sold on absolutely everything until the climax, and then it all seemed to be rushed forward. I wanted more, I needed more for it to be a fulfilling ending. The plot twist was hard to take seriously with how rushed and dramatic it was (but it would not be seen as dramatic if it wasn’t as rushed). I have a lot more to say that includes spoilers that I’ll refrain from, but I am so disappointed that I was disappointed with the ending. I wonder if there was a page cap? If the ending was too long before and Hazelwood had to cut it? Nonetheless, the rest of the book was so great, but it lost me at around 90%, which was so disheartening. It’s also hard because a rough beginning is easy to forget, but a disappointing end leaves a deeper lasting impression.

Let me leave this on a positive, if you read and adored the first book like I did, this one will not disappoint. Super witty, romantic, and gushing with love, this is a must read for any com rom fans- or anyone just wanting a fun read.

Absolutely love love this book. Characters. Plot. Details. Everything about it. I don’t want to spoil too much. But if you loved Ali’s other book, you will absolutely adore this one.

What a great sophomore novel by Ali Hazelwood! This book focuses on another super smart completely capable woman and the man who pines after her silently. Bee and Levi were grad school nemesis. Bee goes through some trauma involving a broken engagement/friendship and taking lesser lab position because of it. She get's the opportunity of a lifetime to work for NASA but the catch is she has to work with Levi who she believes despises her. Brooding Levi and spunky Bee get off to a rocky start and have plenty of miscommunication but of course we fall in love with these characters and they fall in love with each other. I love Ali's feminist male leads who are full of great qualities but also have their trauma/flaws. I loved this book and will continue to read Ali Hazelwood's work! I can't wait for the novellas! Thank you for the ARC!

I love this book. Ali Hazelwood has quickly become one of my must read authors. If she decides to write a cookbook one day, I would read it word for word, and I don't even like cooking.

The book started out much like any slow-burn romance. For years, Bee believed Levi had hated her, but in reality, Levi was the biggest cinnamon roll of a book boyfriend. The story is addictive and I absolutely adored the relationship Bee and Levi. He was the perfect love interest, and the way he felt about Bee made my heart swell. Another major highlight of the book was Rocio, Bee's research assistant, who was 50 shades of weird and quirky, but I wouldn't change a thing about her, and neither would Bee.

Love on the Brain is another 5 star read for me from Ms. Hazelwood, and I am so excited for her future projects!

Love on the Brain certified for me that any Ali Hazlewood book is an automatic purchase!

Ali has the ability to write these characters that each have such unique personalities and quirks that I feel so connected to them, even if our interests don't always match up (cough cough I'm a dog person). Bee is this strong, smart protagonist, who is so fearful of grief and pain that she closes herself off to any new deep connections. She loves cats, Star Wars, and Alanis Morissette's music. But, she struggles to find stability and make a name for herself in her field. Bee's complexity and experience makes this book such an easy and interesting read.

I also loved the You've Got Mail trope. Any book with Meg Ryan rom-com movie references automatically has my heart, and this was no exception. I really enjoyed seeing this trope play out in a modern way that makes sense for the characters and I loved getting to see Levi's perspective without having a dual pov!

This slow-burn, nemesis-to-lovers story was so good! And I'm so excited to buy a physical copy in August!!

Harlequin Junkie Top Pick!

Utter perfection. Love on the Brain stole my heart, expanded my mind, made me laugh out loud, and had me falling in love with not only Ali Hazelwood's writing all over again, but with a whole new set of amazing characters.

I truly am so in love with Ali Hazelwood's writing. Fairly obsessed with it, actually, after reading this standalone sophomore release in the Love Hypothesis series. Love on the Brain was a delightful mix of academia humor by people I'd so want to hang out with, had scorching hot love scenes, perfectly placed pop culture references, and a romance that was sexy–as well as being years in the making. It was also a charming novel that kept me reading *well* past my bedtime and forgoing exercise, social media checks, and possibly even forgetting to brush my hair. (Oops! I should apologize to my husband for that scary sight! lol) Was it worth the hit to my rest and hygiene? Absolutely.

While this was told from our awesome heroine Bee's POV, I think readers will love both main characters, even if we didn't get first-hand insights into Levi's thoughts. Because, seriously, Bee and Levi were the best. They were brainiacs with a terrific sense of humor who were flawed in relatable, likable ways, and just soul-deep *good* people. The enemies-to-lovers aspect still worked in their case where Levi and Bee were former colleagues with some bad blood between them who were now (sort of) competing while working on the NASA project. And the supposed animosity made their conversations as memorable as they were hilarious.

It was cute as all get-out with some adorably awkward moments mixed in as Bee, in all her glorious feminist feistiness, navigated the Boy's Club she was thrown into. It wasn't overdone. But she got her point across and proved she deserved to be there on her own merit. Levi's role in everything, well… Let's just say that looks could be deceiving and there was a whole lot more going on in his brilliant, lovely mind than the project. To me, he became a swoon-worthy hero who made a huge impact on Bee's life in many ways. Same goes for Bee–she stood up for Levi and became his person amongst the chaos in his world.

I have no idea how Hazelwood will be able to top this duo but I absolutely can't wait to read whatever comes next!

Thanks NetGalley for the eARC! Ali Hazelwood undoubtedly has another smash hit on her hands! I enjoyed The Love Hypothesis and enjoyed this one even more. Similar set up of two scientists, one presuming the other hated them, but the closeness of working on a project together builds so much more tension. With Love on the Brain I can say there were no slow moments to skim through. All of the subplots are engaging, Rocio (and other minor characters) are a delight. If I have one criticism it’s that the ending felt higher drama than the story set me up for, but I went with it and it was enjoyable.

Ali Hazelwood is officially one of my favorite authors. I loved The Love Hypothesis, and I love Love on the Brain even more. This book is funny, smart, entertaining, and hot af. Bee is a wonderful MC to get to know, and Levi was the perfect love interest. I devoured this book in less than a day! Ali does a wonderful job writing books that are super easy and fun to read. 5/5 stars!!!

If I had to point out a criticism of this book, it would probably be that Levi is almost an exact replica of Adam from TLH. Not that I think it's a bad thing, because I love Adam, but there's definitely a lot of similarities between the two characters, and I can potentially see where readers might complain about that. I will not though, because large, muscular, genius hot love interests who are obsessed (in a non-creepy way) with the MC are exactly my jam. Levi was *chef's kiss*

Ali Hazelwood is a mastermind of pining! The sheer tension is beautiful! Perfect for fans of romance with a chunk of science talk!

I loved this even more than The Love Hypothesis. Bee’s voice is captivating—witty and relatable and incredibly hard to tear yourself away from. And Levi was such a swoony love interest. Equal parts hilarious and sexy, I highly recommend!

Ali Hazelwood has achieved repeatability with Love on the Brain! If you enjoyed The Love Hypotheses, you will adore this story of scientists working at NASA. Absolutely a delight with enemies-to-lovers, desperate pining, and the best homage to Shop Around the Corner I’ve read. A fantastic STEMinist result and a winning solution.

5/5 stars (50 stars if I can get away with it)

Ali's sophomore novel sticks the landing, continuing her trend of smart writing, loving romance, and undeniable heat. These characters, unlike TLH, were new to me and I fell in love with them instantly. It's the perfect feel-good romance novel and I'll forever pick up any book written by Ali.

If you thought Adam Carlson was a dreamboat, just wait until you meet Levi Ward! Anyone that enjoyed “The Love Hypothesis”is going to absolutely LOVE “Love on the Brain”!

Bee is a neuroscientist who has an amazing opportunity to work at NASA, but she will be working with her college rival, Levi. She is so sure that Levi hates her that she doesn’t think it’s going to work out, but sometimes science isn’t exact and there are miscalculations…

If I could I give this book more than 5 stars I would. Ali Hazelwood is a very talented author. She really knows how to make you feel and takes you on a fun journey. I loved Bee and Levi. Seeing their journey was an absolute blast and I smiled throughout the whole book. There were many funny moments, but there were also many moments that make you contemplate your own life. I might be biased a little because Marie Curie is one of my favorite people and the references made to her throughout the book were so amazing!

I found everything about this book to be excellent: the premise, the tension, the falling out, the climax, the epilogue!! Oh the epilogue. Hazelwood makes me want to live inside her books. I really can’t get enough!

Sidenote: if I didn’t run a high school library I would *totally* buy this book for a public or university library.

While I had mixed feelings about The Love Hypothesis and thus was slightly cautious about, though still interested in, reading Hazelwood’s second book, Love on the Brain completely blew all my expectations out of the water. This book has singlehandedly reignited my faith in the heterosexual romance genre. It was such a fun and enjoyable read.

Bee and Levi were both fantastic protagonists and their romance was very sweet (plus, as a bonus that surprised me, there were no awkwardly written sex scenes that I usually have to take time to recover from in these types of romance novels). I loved the side sapphic relationship as well. Rocío reminded me of April from Parks and Rec which was very entertaining. I definitely would not mind a standalone novel about her and Kaylee. I want to read more about them.

My main critique would be that some things were predictable, but in the end, none of that predictability hurt the story. To be honest, I mainly read this for the romance so if I wasn’t on the edge of my seat in surprise at any point, I am okay with that.

Overall, Love on the Brain was an unexpected gem. I had a blast reading it and finished the book in less than 24 hours. I’ll definitely have to purchase a physical copy once it is released.