I thought this book was refreshing and sweet. I was reading another student type book at the same time as this and it definitely topped. The author was really respectful of the age dynamic between the two characters. If you shy away student/teacher and are on the edge for this book, I would say to give it a read. There’s no direct power imbalance here as our main character is not his student! There’s some miscommunication between our characters, it’s done well and not to repetitive, however as always there’s some overreacting. I would definitely recommend giving this one a read though if you like STEM romances.

The Unbalanced Equation
by H. L. Macfarlane
Pub Date: 15 Sep 2022

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

There were many parts I enjoyed in the book "The Unbalanced Equation" particularly the beginning meet-cute of Liz and Tom at a work mixer. I could even get on board for the storyline of the turn of events that throws a damper into what could be an epic romance between the two: Tom the day after assigned as Liz's academic supervisor which would be a conflict of interest. However, how Tom goes about squashing his romantic interest by making those years unbearable for Liz with no explanation was hard to swallow. Mind you, Tom is supposedly a grown, professional man! I was almost more invested in their parents' relationship (who were well deserving of a happily ever after) than our main couple. The Tom and Liz story was hit or miss for me...sometimes it worked and sometimes it just didn't, if I am being honest. I think the maturity level of Tom and Liz, the lack of communication, and more of a lust-filled (not convinced it was true love) relationship made a lack luster coupling for me

There was a lot of potential and the story was okay...I would still check out what else this author had to offer!

I really enjoyed this book. Liz and Tom were really likeable characters who I grew to like more and more as the story unfolded. Whilst I found Liz quite infuriating at times, I associated with the guard she had as a character to protect her emotions.

The story line itself was not necessary novel it was a really well written chick lit book that I would happily recommend to a friend.

The Unbalanced Equation was a super fun read with all of my favorite things! Enemies to lovers - yes! Age gap - yes! Forced proximity - yes! Liz, a postdoc is forced to share a lab when Tom, her former PhD assessor, loses his lab to a fire. To top things off Liz’s dad and Tom’s mom announce their engagement after their own whirlwind romance. Liz and Tom keep finding themselves forced together and so many fun hijinx ensue.

I really wanted to like this book as I love supporting Scottish writers (as I am Scottish) but unfortunately I dnf’d this book 12% in.

I was really put off by the FMC being a nerdy anime geek not for being one but because of how much of a big deal they make out of it in chapter one. I have plenty of friends who are female working in STEM roles and they are nerdy anime geeks so I just don’t find it realistic because in reality there are a number of them.

I feel like this was meant to be an enemies to lovers but in reality this is a miscommunications trope which I don’t mind but not in this instance.

I didn’t feel any chemistry between Tom and Liz as it was all purely lust based and it was very quick and fast. Also I felt uncomfortable with the fact that Liz wanted Tom to ask her out as he is a member of staff and it would be a power imbalance and on top of that she is 23 and he is 33/34… I’m sorry but a man in power should not be thinking of a 23 year old in the way he mentions in this book. There is nothing wrong with age gaps but this felt inappropriate because of the power imbalance especially when Tom turns out to be her assessor. I will give him points as when he discovers he is her assessor he tries to curb the feelings but they are still there and still wrong to have. It was annoying too when Liz complains that Tom was harsh on her work but made it better like sweetheart that is ALL assessors.

Also as we talk about unrealistic events occurring, on what planet does a university student forget to turn off a Bunsen burner? They teach you in first year of high school in Scottish schools to always turn off and remove the Bunsen burner because it can make things go on fire and would you look at that it happens and there is no repercussions for the student that caused the fire.

Ultimately I dnf’d because turns out Tom’s mum and Liz’s dad are dating and I did not sign up for that. I thought I was getting a love hypothesis style book but the writing in this book was abysmal and the characters where bland and one dimensional.

i’ll go for any women-in-stem related book so i was very excited to read liz’s story! i really like the enemies-to-lovers trip combined with a workplace romance but i couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that liz and tom’s widowed parents are dating each other. combined with all four of them living under one roof, i felt like the most chapters had too much tension and didn’t flow to my liking.

to me, the chemistry between liz and tom was on and off. most of the time they were cold towards each other and the moments they were flirting, one of them was always drunk at a party. i didn’t like the fact that tom continuously lied and manipulated liz’s personal life. sabotaging her house-hunt is one thing, but going into their phone and logging onto her dating app is too far. most of the time, i’d forget that he’s actually almost forty! i was really hopeful for the side characters - i especially loved how all the phd students gathered together outside of the lab. but the mini love triangle between liz and her best friend felt out of place to me. he seemed to pop up in the middle of the novel and then disappeared until the ending

Fun entertaining book, like the work setting and science background . Adore grumpy sunshine trope so this was definitely made for me . If you loved the Love Hypothesis this book is for you, it has all the perfect ingredients for a good STEAM rom com.

I have a lot of feeling about this book. I’ll start with the whole book felt very surface throughout the entire thing the character interaction outside of the first chapter were very superficial.

It took forever for the characters to get so get together at the beginning which had me constantly putting the book down and not wanting to pick it back up.

The middle was pretty steamy and paced well. And the last 10ish chapters made me want to burn the entire thing.

I am not typically a fan of miscommunication story arcs cause I spend the whole book yelling at the characters to TALK! But this drive me crazy because they claimed to love each other but never want to talk about anything and actively decide to lie to their loved one???

Then after a very anticlimactic reunion they profess their love for each other and then spend 5ish chapters attending a wedding and not talking!? FFS the last few chapters should never have happened. I was on the fence of giving this a better rating but the last 10ish chapters sealed its fate.

Thank you NetGalley, Macfarlane Lantern Publishing, and H. L. Macfarlane for this arc in exchange of my honest review.

I think I’ve just been having bad luck lately because this book is another let down for me. Tom and Liz had little to no chemistry outside of the bedroom. Don’t get me wrong I love spice just as much at the next person but without the romantic chemistry, it tends to fall flat. There did not seem to be a lot of depth in the characters or their story and as I’ve seen others say, it read a lot like a fan fiction. The parents planning to get married added a weird twist that I was also not here for. I’m sorry but I would not recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of The Unbalanced Equation.

I have mixed emotions about this romance. On one side, the two main characters clearly care for each other as demonstrated through the ways they serve each other with so much thoughtfulness and care. On the other side, holy crap they were ridiculously immature and awful to each other while they got there. Honestly, I struggled because of all of the manipulation involved.

In the end, I was pleased they got their HEA, but for two adults, they sure didn’t act like them.

Overall this book was ok but not great. Enemies to lovers trope with some secrets that cause problems when they do finally get together. I just thought some of the character's decisions didn't make sense. It could have been funnier and more heartfelt. I just didn't feel very invested in the characters.

Overall, just ok.

I really liked the STEM aspect of this book, but struggled to like Tom’s character. The book kept me engaged throughout, and I would definitely look at reading more from this author.

oh boy this is gonna be an ugly review so if you are really into this book you might want to keep scrolling.

tw // toxic relationship, sexual harassment, gaslighting

when i first heard about this book i was SO excited about it, women in STEM???? enemies to lovers?? sounds like a W to me. well while skimming through the synopsis i failed to realize that uhhh they are soon to be step siblings? which was weird enough to me but, sure, i was already reading it, might as well continue cause maybe something will happen about this until the end of the story cause its not possible they are gonna make fun of them for being siblings and tell them to get together in the same sentence right? RIGHT? Silly little me didn't know that it was about to get much weirder. To be completely honest i only finished reading cause i had hope that this would all be solved and i actually wanted to give it a shot, damn was i wrong.

With terrible chemistry (no pun intended) Liz and Tom have to live together — after she gets kicked out of her apartment — and work together — after his lab caught fire. — Oh yeah and their parents are getting married 3 years after they met, very deus ex machina but sure, here is the real issue of this book: Tom is an asshole. Not only did he treat her like shit and humiliated her for 4 years he did it because he likes her! Isn't this romantic? Yeah he is also almost 40 too, acting like a child, just a quick fun fact to ya! They both do act like they are in kindergarten to be fair, the problem is that Tom is actually abusive and here we enter my ted talk!
Considering i quoted a lot of his lines with "ew" you can imagine that Tom has the personality of every average looking white cishet man. He screws up, he even acts all elitist and judges her for working on a bar cause obviously he forgets that not everyone has the same privileges that he does to be born in a rich family and be able to go drink in a bar with your misogynistic friends without worrying about tuition, he gets another chance (cause he can get away with anything) and he screws up again. Wanna know why Liz continues to live with someone she hates for 3 months? Cause he sabotages her flat-hunt. Wanna know why she doesn't go on dates anymore? Cause he goes through her phone and blocks the guys interested on her, which isn't surprising considering he hates any guy who even remotely thinks about breathing the same air as her. Did i mention they are basically step siblings?

Here are some quotes that made me wish that the undergrad set me on fire instead of Tom's lab.

When Liz tells Tom about her experience with getting harassed at conventions, he makes a joke, when she calls him out he says "Sorry, but you walked into that one"

"Because I'm jealous of all the men who touched without permission" I'm sorry you what?

"If you're touching without permission then I'm gonna do the same." What's up with these two and these gross consent jokes?

"Tom said, clearly enjoying how uncomfortable he was making me." This was in a workspace btw.

In a work conference he sees a guy walking to Liz WHILE SHE IS WORKING and he "turned her in the opposite direction from her desperate suitor" SHE. WAS. WORKING. BITCH.


"Clearly Liz was one of those special people who was allowed to indulge in her childhood interests without anyone telling her to grow up" Not only is this ridiculous cause bestie just wanted to watch high school musical without hurting anyone, but it is also ableist, i'm not saying Liz is ND, however, a lot of "special people" — read neurodivergents — cling onto their childhood hyperfixations because it makes them feel safe, so yeah fuck you tom counter: 264638902

"I almost felt bad for making Liz so self-conscious but in all honesty, it was too entertaining watching her squirm because of me"



Overall, the technical aspects of the book were all mid, the pacing was mid, the characters were all mid, the tropes were mid, the storyline was disastrous though so hey! That's something? The romance/banter part was also mid cause I kept thinking about how they are about to become half siblings and also because it is SO insta love. They meet > fall in love > Tom is an asshole oh no > but he is hot! > he fucked up > but he is hot > he fucked up > but he is hot > he fucked up > but he is hot > he fucked up > but he is hot > he fucked up > but he is hot. You see where im getting at? It's a never ending cycle and it was extremely Boring because the actual romance was very undeveloped, most of if was actually just sexual tension.
We should never romanticize abuse even in fiction cause whether we like it or not, art always reflects in real life.

So yeah, uhhh, awkward review to match the awkwardness of dating the son of your step mom! wooo ok bye.

ps: also fuck you tom for everything but also for not liking high school musical

thank u netgalley for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the concept of this book but unfortunately there were a few things I just couldn’t get behind. First the age difference. Tom acts like a brat but is almost 40. And a professor. 2. The parents. No way the parents would be getting married before meting the children. Sorry. Don’t buy it. 3. Lots of coincidences. 4. The manipulations.

I loved reading a book set in Glasgow, I could imagine the settings and ambience well. Unfortunately I couldn’t get past the items noted above.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Unbalanced Equation,H. L. Macfarlane
BooksGoSocial, September 15, 2022

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

For fans of @alihazelwood and books about women in STEM, The Unbalanced Equation hits the spot.

Elizabeth thinks she's finally free from her diabolical PhD assessor Tom, until not only does his lab have a fire -- but his mother and her father announce they are soon to be married.

A true enemies to lovers romance, where circumstances force them together both romantically and professionally.

If you dig books about chicks with brains, who doesn't, this is the perfect fix.

##TheUnbalancedEquation #NetGalley #booksgosocial @booksgosocialgroup #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #stemromance #enemiestolovers

I loved this book! Has some of my favorite tropes of "enemies" working and living together". Two leads who are so oblivious to each other's attraction, STEM fields, university settings, lots of steam, and great secondary characters.

Elizabeth Maclean is glad to be free of her hellish PhD assessor once she graduates and can finally begin her postdoc. However, a freak fire in Dr. Thomas Henderson’s lab leaves him working right next to her in her new lab, and to make things worse, Liz’s dad and Tom’s mom have just announced they are getting married, when neither knew their parents were dating. To top it all off, Liz’s landlord tells her that she has to move out, and the only place she is able to stay is with Tom and their parents. Can the two finally learn to get along, and will either mention the sparks they felt the first night they met?

I enjoyed the STEM and nerd aspects to the book/characters; however, I was not a fan of so many of the things Tom did that it was hard to root for her to end up with him, not that she wasn’t without her own problems. He was a decade older than Liz, and yet he did some really childish things to manipulate her. As someone who is childfree, I did like the fact that neither Liz nor Tom wanted children. So many romance stories end with a wedding/engagement and/or pregnancy in the epilogue, and that wasn’t what these characters wanted for their HEA. It was an entertaining story, so if characters making terrible choices doesn’t put you off a book, check this one out.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

Steps siblings? Sorry but no that’s not for me. The characters were annoying too. Tom is an absolute immature ass like he fucking sucks.

I AM SO HONORED I GOT THE CHANCE TO READ THIS NOVEL. It hooked me immediately and I love how much we focused on all the side characters as well.. I really enjoyed the storyline and wow my heart melted so many times.

Tightly written, earnest, laugh-out-loud funny at several parts—one of the best romance books I've read in ages

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

This was a cute romance novel and it was a fun read.