DNF at 20%. I pushed myself through Make Up Break Up, and it just wasn’t worth it. I refuse to do that with The Sizzle Paradox. I feel like this author just continues to write stereotypical characters that feel like shells rather than actual people.

The Sizzle Paradox: Lyric's method towards finding love: her main research project. She is picky as can be and has set standards.

Kieran: Lyric's roommate who has sworn off daring. BUT he also has promised Lyric to fake date her to get her research results. What could go wrong?

In Lily Menon's book, it turns out a lot could go wrong. The characters were dry and seemed very stuck up in their standards. Standards are not a bad thing but acting like you're better than everyone less than five percent in? I wish there would be more fake dating scenarios and more depth into who these characters. The audio voice for Lyric was suitable but the male lacked emotion. Overall, this book wasn't for me but hopefully it will be for others.

I felt like both characters were this weird over-simplified version of what people think late millennials are. Picking up people in Target, going home immediately every time, collecting tote bags. It was all so surface and I hated all 11% I listened to.
I can imagine this might be right up someone's alley. A good friends-to-lovers kind of person might really enjoy this one. But it really wasn't for me.

This was a fun second adult book from Lily Menon! It's got a lot of great tropes: friends to lovers, f-- to get it out of the system, slow burn. It was a quick listen and really fun to dive in to. Lyric was messy, in denial, and imperfect. It was great to see her character grow throughout the story.

I had such high hopes for this one when I read the blurb for it but it just couldn't get going for me. I did finish it and at least the ending saved it and brought the rating up to a 3.5 star (normally that would have led me to put 4 stars on here but because of the rest of the book only put 3). Lyric and Kian are best friends, graduate students finishing up their doctorates, at least Kian is. Lyric has been stumbling and cannot finish her thesis because she cannot "sizzle" with anyone and so doesn't think her study is worth the paper it is written on. In the meantime Kian offers to tutor her on dating but when their fake dates turn more real will they cross the line? Don't forget the meddling family. If nothing else, skip to the end, that last chapter is worth all the rest!

As a doctoral student and woman in STEM, I love a story that features both. Lyric's research and family were interesting and kept me reading. I struggled a bit with rooting for Lyric and Kian, as it didn't feel like they had much development. It was a slow burn that ultimately fell a little flat for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a quick and sweet romantic novel. I am loving that more and more books are featuring women as intellectual and highly intelligent. It is a promising trend and makes the romance in the book even sweeter. This was a fun book experience.

I loved The SoulMate Equation and this sounded like it had similar vibes, so I was very excited to be selected to listen to this audio ARC! I LOVE a woman in academics/STEM story. Lyric and Kian are friends-to-lovers, slow burn. Even though it took awhile to get there with the fake dating and blindness to each others feelings, I did end up rooting for them when they finally got together. The epilogue was perfection. Solid 4 stars, fun summer romcom!

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and Netgalley!

This story was a fun rom-com. I did find the number of times I read the main characters' full names was a tad aggressive. It felt like 1/4 of all the writing was the characters calling the other by their whole name, it was done so much that while I listened I started counting the number of times I heard it instead of listening to the story. In general, the story was cute, I rooted for the main characters to stop having a disconnect and to work it all out. I would recommend this book be read and not listened.

I dnf’d at 20%
The writing style is just not for me; I was excited because it sounded like the soulmate equation mixed with the roommate but this fell flat for me. I personally found the characters annoying and I couldn’t get into the writting, it felt a bit... choppy….I don’t know?! I feel like I may have liked it when I first started reading but there are so many books out there that I can think of that are close enough and I would prefer to read over this

From a storyline standpoint I liked the story. It was the typical best friends to lovers, fake dating. It had a diverse cast of characters with good character and story development. It has a good flow and I almost go through the whole book in a day.

I enjoyed the female narrator and found her to be a good fit for the character. I didn't enjoy the male voice. His voice didn't change throughout the story. He didn't show emotion.

I would still recommend the book based off the storyline, but not as an audiobook.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillion Audio for the opportunity to listen to this story.

Lyric is a Ph.D student studying what she calls the Sizzle Paradox - using emotional connection and sexual connection to see how they amount to a successful long-term relationship. Although she has the science to back up her theory, Lyric herself has never had a successful relationship that has both. When her best friend/roommate Kian offers to tutor her in dating, she takes him up on his offer. However as their “lessons” progress their feelings do too.

I love a good woman in academics/Science plot line and I thought Lyric’s research sounded super intriguing. This one was a slowww burn and although I loved Lyric and Kian as individuals, it took me a bit to really invest in their romantic relationship because it was such a slow burn. Ultimately I did end up rooting for them, it just took a while to get there for me.

I adored the audiobook and preferred it to the digital copy I had thanks to the phenomenal narration.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the advance copy.

Is best friends to lovers your jam? How about when the two MCs are roommates? Fake dating?? Oh, yes this book has it all!

This book follows best friends Lyric and Kian. They are both doctoral students and Lyric is working on a thesis she names "the sizzle paradox". To do well on her thesis she needs to conquer dating and gets help from Kian on how to date, seduce and keep a man. I thought it was a little weird that Lyric would need help dating when it seemed like so many guys were into her I mean she got a date from just walking around Target! I found Lyric to be annoying at times and came off immature for being such a smart, prestigious woman.

I listened to the audio version of this book and it had both a male and female narrator which I really enjoyed!

The middle of the book was really slow for me and the characters were only ok but I enjoyed parts of it especially towards the end and I think other people would enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with the audio version of this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

The premise sounded like something I would love, but I had to stop listening to the audiobook a couple chapters in because the male narrator’s voice was so monotone. There also wasn’t enough spark or charm in the story or characters to hook me and want to keep reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me an early copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!

I absolutely adored this book and the chemistry between Lyric and Kian! I think one of my favorite parts is that there was an academic/scientific setting, but there wasn't anything that was too difficult to read or understand. I loved that Lyric's research was really part of her story and her relationship with Kian. It made it even more special that all the parts of her life really came together in this way and all of it meant so much to her.

I am usually not a fan of friends to lovers, but I liked the way this incorporated fake dating and how they both really didn't understand what was happening at first. It made it so much more real for me and helped me connect to their romance. It was so easy to get into their relationship and want to yell at them to stop being stupid about what was happening. But that made their special moments even better in the end.

I really liked that there were some deeper parts to this book. It touched on family and identity, life expectations, and simply being happy with who you are. But it didn't do this in a way that really shoved it in your face and forced you to think about it. I liked that there was depth to it but that the surface level kept me smiling and rooting for the romance.

If you're a romcom fan, definitely don't miss out on this one!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the E-ARC of this!

You have to love a good rom-com. Friends to lovers/fake dating. Both characters are great lyric can sometimes be the best but also very thick and she's horrible at dating.

So many misunderstandings between both characters. The fact neither one of them ever told the truth tobeach orher and caused so much drama between them.

Recommend if you love a rom-com

Ditzy. Cute. Predictable. 3/5

The Sizzle Paradox is a light and fluffy read, perfect for lounging by a pool on a hot summer day next to a pina colada. It's your typical "friends-to-lovers" trope with two emotionally immature PhD students.

Lyric, the female lead, is a grad student researching sexual and emotional brain chemistry in committed partners, while Kian, the male lead, is studying environmental engineering. These two are best friends and have been for 7 years. They date around (other people) A LOT and struggle to find emotional connections with others. While they act like an old married couple from the start, it takes a little while for them to realize that they are meant for each other.

This book, while cute, did not have anything new or interesting in it. Like I mentioned, its a light read for when you are wanting a straight forward romance with a little spice. I thoughts the characters were overly focused on dating for being grad students. I am a grad student...ain't nobody got time for that! But alas, I will always appreciate books with female leads in higher education.

Audio:
The audio book performance was definitely lacking. While the female narrator was a lot better than the male narrator, they were both a bit monotone and awkward. They paused at weird times and they often struggled with smooth transitions from paragraph to paragraph. I had to set my listening speed to 1.5x because the pauses annoyed me.

Overall I recommend this book (or audiobook) to anyone who is a fan of the "friends to lovers" trope and doesn't mind the typical and predictable story lines.

Read/Listen if you Like:
❤️ Friends/Roommates to Lovers
❤️ Multiple POV
❤️ Fake Dating
❤️ Miscommunication/Lack of Communication Trope

Book Review:
This book centers around Lyric who is finishing her research project on love and attraction when she hits a wall because she herself hasn’t been able to find a relationship with both. Because of this and needing to write up her findings but lacking inspiration her best friend and roommate Kian suggests tutoring her on how to date. Insert fake dating! For some reason fake dating seems to always work for me as long as it isn’t too ridiculous.

What I didn’t like: the miscommunication/lack of communication once they both clearly have fallen in love with each other. They both took times to lie or say the opposite of what they were feeling and wanting and somehow were shocked when the other person wasn’t vulnerable and forthcoming in response to being essentially shut down.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this audiobook! I am so thankful to obtain a copy to listen to it in advance of its release!

This one was hard for me to get through. Honestly, I couldn't stand either of the main characters. LIke, I get it they are supposed to be endearing. I honestly can't imagine a woman getting a doctorate in psychology could be this immature. Not realistic at all, she literally acts like a middle schooler. I couldn't connect with the male best friend/love interest at all. He's the quintessential nice guy that is actually blah. So much cringe. I listened to it as an audiobook but if I had tried to phsyically read it I don't think I would have made it.

An adorable friends to lovers romance set against the backdrop of a PHD program in sexual chemistry. This book by was entertaining and tugged at the heart strings. Lyric and Kian are engaging characters and I was definitely cheering for them to get together. This is a great addition to the wave of STEM romance bing published right now, though not quite to the level of The Love Hypothesis or Love on the Brain.