STEM babe here to scream at you about this book, you're welcome. Here we get a beautiful enemies to lovers book with some GLORIOUS Act 1 miscommunications that reassure you that people with PhDs can be dumb as heck too. As with her first book, you don't have to know much of anything about engineering or neuroscience to fully enjoy - but there are some added bonuses if you do! This is a story about misogyny, institutional classism, and (of course) LOVE.

As a former NASA intern, the workplace atmosphere rung true. We really do go mad for donuts and it's a total wurstfest in every meeting. And there are SO many people that are stuck in their ways, be it in terms of research or misogyny. But, as Levi so handsomely demonstrated, there are people willing to rethink their ideas for the sake of scientific progress. And on the topic of Levi, the SWOOOOOOONS. A sexy 6'4" engineer who listens to females? Be still my heart.

There's so much going on in this book in the best way, from the You've Got Mail subplot to the lab antics, there's really something for everyone. And for me, I loved all of it.

Some questions I'm left with at the end...
- What was the raccoon incident? I'm SO invested in this!
- Are we not going to talk about Levi's phone passcode? 338338... turn it upside down, PEOPLE.
- Felicette, just... how?

*Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Ali Hazelwood has one of the freshest voices in the romance genre. I’ll happily and confidently say so. It’s hard to follow up an incredible success like The Love Hypothesis, but Hazelwood manages it. And then some.

Love on the Brain is fun, funny, and absolutely heartwarming all at once. Seriously, I want to write ballads about Levi and his unwavering adoration.

Favorite quotes, go:

“The real villain is love: an unstable isotope, constantly undergoing spontaneous nuclear decay.”
- KILLER quote. Right out of the gate. Incredible set up for the story and our heroine.

“I want to try them all. All the kisses Levi Ward is capable of, I want to sample them like fine wine.”
- This is where I thrash.

“‘You could rip me to shreds, Bee.’”
- Do you see? Do you see me losing my mind??

“He stares down at me as though I own him. As though his future hangs from my hands. As though everything he’s ever wanted, I hold it within me.”
- No because I WILL cry and YOU CANNOT STOP ME!

“Lonely people’s brains are shaped differently. And I just want mine to . . . not be. I want a healthy, plump, symmetrical cerebrum. I want it to work diligently, impeccably, like the extraordinary machine it’s supposed to be. I want it to do as it’s told.”
- Also, wow. Just wow. Somewhere between the chemistry of the leads and the laughs, I sometimes forget that this author has a distinct way of knocking the air out my lungs. What a heartfelt moment. What a moment to RELATE to. I love Bee. I love Bee so much.

Overall, what a wonderfully enjoyable experience. I cannot WAIT to have others read this gem of a story, and I wish Ali Hazelwood all the success in future.

This book was such a joy! This author truly has a gift for writing phenomenal banter and narration. I was surprised with how much more steam there was in this book than, Love Hypothesis. The sex scenes were yummy and tender and the connection definitely moved the plot forward. The way Bee and Levi’s relationship developed from nemesis to the most tender love melted my insides. Levi was so swoony and the perfect amount of protective but sweet. Bee was that light in the world we all need. I loved to get a peak into women in stem. This is another hit!

There’s a scene 82% in that had me feeling all types of ways!

if ali hazelwood wrote a million books, i would buy and read all of them 😭
This was so fun and cute and exactly what i needed after this hell of a week. I think i audibly laughed out like 20 times while reading this. There are just so many moments where you just want to squeeee <3
Bee is everything you want in a main characters, she's so smart and i think i learned more about Marie Curie reading this than I have ever learned at school.

and LEVI ?? he is such a cinnamon roll and i love it

also loved the whole you've got mail vibes. wwmcd and schmac are just <i> chefs kiss </i> <3

<s> when will i have a Cute Sexy Handsome Guy ™ </s>

This book scratched so many of my itches & cemented Ali Hazelwood as My Kind of Writer (TM). Let's get my criticisms out of the way up top: 1) I think it was a rocky start and didn't fully kick into gear until ~20% in and 2) the conclusion, while fun & emotionally satisfying, was pretty over the top.
OK, that being said, this was just so fun and exactly what I come to romance for! It had moments that made squee, Bee was plucky & smart, and Levi was a gigantic cinnamon roll underneath his inability to properly function around a woman he likes. I also liked that every misogynistic moment he had where I seriously questioned if he was an irredeemable got addressed to my satisfaction.
This book also made me realize how much I LOVE a "You've Got Mail" type trope! I wasn't expecting that element to the book, but that was probably my favorite element as I waited for WWMCD and Schmac to put the pieces together.
And finally the smut... it was the same fan fiction-y type sexy scene that I love. I know it's not everyone's style for that kind of scene but it is totally my jam. It was also nice seeing them have a period where they were actually together a little bit - so we still got the slow burn element that I adore but it had a little bit more payoff time with them being together (which also meant more sexy time moments than in TLH).
Basically... I read this after a very long and painful work day, and this was the exact book I needed. I am so glad there is more Ali Hazelwood coming this year and she is officially an autoread for me. Her writing, her trope combos, the fact that so many of her stories seem to be centered in STEM type settings - it all just works for me.