Nesse livro vamos acompanhar Bee Königswasser, uma cientista convidada para comandar um projeto de neuroengenharia da Nasa. Empolgada com essa conquista, ela só não esperava que teria como parceiro Levi Ward, o cara que ela odeia. Com uma sacada divertida, referências a Marie Curie, ambientações reais e confusões, a autora nos traz mais um romance maravilhoso e que se tornou minha nova obsessão.

Eu já amei a Bee logo de cara. Com seu jeito descontraído, cabelos coloridos e seus piercings, me ganhou. A medida que conhecemos sua história, percebemos ainda mais a sua força, mesmo em meio as inseguranças da vida. Todas as nuances apresentadas pela autora foram reais e plausíveis e trouxe mais humanidade a personagem. Era impossível não rir com ela. Bee tem como ídolo uma cientista famosa chamada Marie Cure e usa ela como referência em sua vida. Ainda que eu não conhecesse essa pessoa, achei hilário tudo que aprendi durante o livro e terminei pesquisando para saber mais sobre essa mulher.

Quanto a Levi Ward, eu não imaginava a dimensão do amor que eu sentiria por esse personagem. No início, confesso que até quis dar uma sacudida nele, mas quando as coisas se encaixaram, foi maravilhoso. Ouso talvez dizer que ele me conquistou até mais do que o protagonista de Hipótese do amor (apesar de eu ter um apego sentimental tremendo nessa história).

Aproveitando que citei o primeiro livro da autora, assim como ele, aqui temos uma profunda ambientação científica, até mais do que em hipótese do amor. Como eu sou da área, fiquei fascinada. Além de todo embasamento fidedigno, ela volta a trabalhar ainda mais intensamente a questão do machismo, mas sempre com uma pegada leve que nos faz refletir e ainda curtir a vibe gostosa do romance.

Quem leu os dois livros vai perceber alguns pontos em comum entre os dois, mas nada que eu ache que estrague a leitura, pois os personagens tomaram seus próprios rumos, assim como a trama. Temos trabalho em equipe, personagens secundários que roubam a cena, sabotagem, rede sociais fakes, etc.

A razão do amor, apesar de ser slow burn, tem mais cenas do casais e abertura de sentimentos. Eu me derreti diante de todas as declarações que o Levi fez para a Bee e acredito que isso foi uma das coisas que mais me fez apegar a esse casal.

Para mim não teve surpresa alguma em relações aos plots, achei bem óbvio desde o início, mas nem isso tirou a graça do livro. Posso estar sendo emocionada, mas amei a leitura, então é justo minha nota condizer com ela. Só peço que a Ali Hazelwood continue me proporcionando ainda mais livros assim.

There are just some authors that aren't for everyone, and sadly, I think Hazelwood isn't the one for me. I wanted to love this book. I really did.

I liked The Love Hypothesis. It was okay. It didn't blow my socks off. So I wanted to LOVE the story of Bee and Levi. Sigh. Unfortunately, their love story was a bit lacking.

I do not care for the miscommunication trope. I can deal with a grumpy/sunshine character storyline, but when it's nothing but miscommunication, I want to pull my hair out.

I hope the micommunication trope/quirky girl/grumpy dude formula changes with Hazelwood in the future.

honest review;
I gave The Love Hypothesis a 3/5 as well.. and this one tbh i mean.. i’m torn between a 2/5 and a 3/5.. did i love it more? not really did i hate it more? not really.
I just realized that Ali Hazelwood books are just not for me and that’s okey. for me Love On The Brain is sooooooo similar to TLH, so science-y so.. idk boring?
i mean i loved the plot of this one a lil more & also loved that it was her POV and not written in 3rd person. yet still idk something was just missing.
i loved the chemistry between them two more than in TLH
honestly idk.
I think I won’t read any Ali books anymore and that’s okey, still love her as an author and have nothing but love for her 🤍

I really enjoy Ali Hazelwood's writing and characters. The two leads in this one were fantastic, although I do wish I hadn't needed to hate Levi so much. I knew I'd end up loving him, and I did, but I'm just not a fan of one character keeping the other in the dark or trying to protect them in this way. So overall, I didn't enjoy the miscommunication route taken in this one. But otherwise, it was really cute. The plot moved along quickly the characters were fun, and the cats were cute. If you loved The Love Hypothesis or the novellas, you'll love this one. There isn't a lot that's new from the other's but it's still cute and fun.

This copy was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this second book from Ali Hazelwood! Solid 4.75 in my book. I didn't love it as much as The Love Hypothesis but I still had a blast reading this book. I think it might have been that I didn't connect to Bee like to did to LH main heroine that swayed me, I loved Levi though, I want a Levi in my life. Where can I find one?

I am super excited for her next book!

DNF. I know part of the joy of reading modern romance is that you can Frankenstein all your favorite tropes into something that appeals to you. This kinda worked for me in The Love Hypothesis (three stars)but I found this to be... pretty much the same? I love grumpy/sunshine and enemies to lovers, but these characterizations came about by bad decisions that felt immature and out of place for the setting. I love a brooding giant as much as the next gal but i don't know how many big guy/tiny widdle smart girl books I can take. Congrats to everyone who enjoys this niche, though. Best thing about this book was how frequently thinking about it made me get that Rihanna song stuck in my head.
Thank you NetGalley & publisher for the free review eARC.

Ali Hazelwood does it again! Seriously such a big fan of her books, including this latest one. I can't wait for what she writes next!

Ali Hazelwood can do no wrong. I love how fresh and smart her writing is. I always fall so deep into her storytelling. Another excellent addition to get catalog.

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of this book. My review is completely my own thoughts and in no way biased.

Ali Hazelwood does it again with an enticing and tension filled romance novel. Love on the Brain truly captures the banter and tension between two people who used to know each other (definitely wouldn't consider them old friends) and are forced to work together in the same work assignment. The book focuses a lot on their work place and job tasks, but it never gets confusing to the point where you do not understand what they are talking about. It focuses on STEM the same way that Hazelwoods first book, The Love Hypothesis, did and it is just as entertaining. The characters are funny and the banter/relationship between them is very fun to read about. Many of the situations in the book are very creative and unique, so it is a refreshing and different romance book than others. Overall, I was very entertained and hooked into this book and these characters story lines. 5/5 stars.

I just found Ali Hazelwood last year and I find myself needed all her books. She fast became an auto buy for me.

This is my favorite Ally Hazelwood book so far! More spicy than some of her past books for sure. I really liked the development of the relationship between the characters.

I loved this one even more than The Love Hypothesis! Levi brought all the pining hero vibes and he's a favorite book boyfriend of 2022. This was funny, swoony and yes there's steam!

Dear Lord, WHYYYY did I wait so long to finally read this one?! It was unputdownable. I absolutely luuuurved every moment of it. From the misunderstood grump, to the colorful sunshine girl. It gave me all the feels. It even had great spicy moments, which can sometimes be a disappointment in sweet romances. It was thankfully NOT the case with this one. Ali Hazelwood has herself a fan here!

Ali Hazelwood is the queen of writing hate to love romances, and Love on the Brain is no exception. Following protagonist Bee who is distinguished scientist as she teams up with her grad school arch-nemesis fellow doctor Levi Ward, Love on the Brain combines two of my favorite things when reading: a delicious romance and teaching me something new!

Hazelwood’s books always focus on protagonists working in the STEM field, and this novel is no exception. Though I don’t work on the STEM field myself, I love that her works showcase not only females making strides in the STEM world but also acknowledges the lack of representation in the field and the challenges her characters face are representative of that. Bee, for instance, is a very capable doctor who is highly specialized in her field, yet her team at NASA seems to always defer to Levi because he’s a male (shocker). She often has to fight and advocate for herself in a way her male colleagues don’t have to, and I appreciate that her struggle with these things wasn’t downplayed. I also love that despite the obstacles she encounters being a female in the world of STEM, Bee doesn’t downplay her style or personality in order to “fit in” or be taken more seriously- she rocks pink hair, piercings, tattoos and cute outfits while still being a bad ass scientist. I also love that I always just learn so much about different STEM topics from reading Hazelwood’s novels, and even the chapter titles/headings of this one incorporate cute yet educational facts about the brain.

As far as the romance goes, I enjoyed it the way I always enjoy the author’s romance novels. There’s a tall, dark, and brooding love interest who starts out aloof and at odds with the protagonist and eventually softens. I will say it’s a bit formulaic across the two novels and three novellas I’ve read by the author so far, but I do love the trope and I feel as though there’s enough distinction in personalities across the characters of each books that it still feels unique in each story. I also like how the love interests, such as Levi, end up being good guys when all is said and done, rather than the “bad boy” persona in many romance novels that can actually be super toxic and unhealthy when you really analyze the relationships. Levi is definitely one of my favorite love interests from this companion series and I also loved the little side plot of how him and Bee were unknowingly in contact for years (it was super cute, if a bit obvious). If I wasn’t happily married, a Levi would be at the top of my list lol.

One element that set Love on the Brain apart from Hazelwood’s other novels for me was the mystery element. While Bee and Levi work on a high profile NASA project, strange occurrences keep popping up- from access issues to malfunctions to a mysterious ghost cat prowling the labs at night. It added a fun bit of intrigue at the beginning of the novel but actually turned unexpectedly nefarious toward the end!

Overall: I truly adore these STEMinist novels and novellas from Ali Hazelwood and cannot get enough! Sure, some of the tropes might be a bit repetitive but they are so fun and well done that I sincerely don’t mind. Love on the Brain is a romance I can see myself returning too again for a comfort read in the future and I can’t wait to see what the author comes out with next!

BOOK REVIEW: LOVE ON THE BRAIN

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

After reading #TheLoveHypothesis and all of Ali Hazelwood’s novellas, I couldn’t wait to read LOVE ON THE BRAIN! I love how she portrays females in STEM fields and this novel centers around Bee, a scientist working on a NASA project with her nemesis - Levi, who is also a total hottie.

I’d pick this one up if you’re looking for:
🧬Scientific backdrop (with lots of Marie Curie references)
🙅🏻‍♀️Enemies to lovers
🔥A lil steam
💬Nerdy/witty banter

Hazelwood definitely does the sciency rom com niche well but I will say her books and novellas all do have a very similar feel to them. If you haven’t read anything by her, I’d pick up The Love Hypothesis first!

I absolutely loved this book! Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school--archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away. So why is Bee still gravitatating towards him when he unexpectantly becomes her boss at her dream job? Funny, smart, and consuming, this was one of my favorites of all time.

looooooved this book! ali hazelwood has never disappointed me in the slightest and i found myself loving the plot and characters in this book just as much as the love hypothesis

Oh boy, Ali Hazelwood has done it again!

Ali weaves interesting facts about Marie Curie to highlight all the issues Women in STEM are still facing today. When are women going to start getting the recognition they deserve? We are smart, we are capable, we have brains! It is very frustrating, but I have high hopes.

Bee and Levi’s enemies to lovers' story is a great combination of You’ve Got Mail and The Big Bang Theory. Witty banter and hilarious scenarios have you routing for this couple despite all the misunderstandings. All the supporting characters are likeable (except for one) and I would love to spend a day with them in their labs. Who knew there was so much mystery and sabotage in the day to day lives of scientists and engineers.
While the premise is basically the same as The Love Hypothesis, it is still a very enjoyable read. Ali seems to have found her niche, and if it's not broken, don't fix it.

Love on the Brain is a must read for all those who love Enemies to Lovers, Women in STEM, Star Wars and cats. If you happen to have a knack for passing out (ahem ME) then you need to pick this one up pronto!!

𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 - 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙱𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚋𝚢 𝙰𝚕𝚒 𝙷𝚊𝚣𝚎𝚕𝚠𝚘𝚘𝚍

Thank you so much to @prhaudio and @netgalley for my gifted copies.

𝗠𝘆 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

“𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 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.”

After reading a absolutely falling in love with The Love Hypothesis, I was so dang excited to read this book, and it did not let me down.

I cannot get enough of the women in STEM stories, then you throw in one of my favorite tropes (enemies to lovers) and I am sold! From start to finish I was sucked into Bee and Levi's story. I highly recommend for anyone looking for a swoon-worthy romance, with a strong female lead.

I absolutely loved The Love Hypothesis and had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately this one fell really flat for me and I didn't find myself enjoying it. It took me forever to finish, which is rare and found myself wanting more from the story and the characters. I will certainly read more from her though!