Whilst the premise of this book with two scientists who are anime nerds intrigued me, I was absolutely hating the fact that their parents were getting married and they were getting together with such a big misunderstanding. Despite that I did manage to enjoy a lot of the book, the friendships felt organic and the chemistry between the main characters was absolutely great - I just couldn’t see them ending up together however. I think the premise of Tom being an asshole cause he’s attracted to her and then stopping her moving out process as well as dates is rightfully called out in the book but due to how late it was I don’t believe the resolution was good enough and I don’t feel like it reflects how creepy those actions were. I did like that Daichi was at least calling Tom out so it’s not like it was being condoned but I just didn’t like how much of the book is Liz falling for Tom and whilst knowing so little of the truth like there’s just so much manipulation.

Very much enjoyed this book. The back and forth between the two characters was easy and fun to read. I loved the two point of views.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me! I couldn’t get into it and did not connect with the characters. I thought they seemed a little childish immature for their ages, but I did enjoy some of the banter and it was an easy, quick-ish read for me.

“I never knew how much I was waiting for you until I met you.”

|The Unbalanced Equation|

🔬Four years ago Tom met a woman of his wildest dreams, Elizabeth Maclean. He thought they would be a perfect balance to each other. Unfortunately; those scales tipped and he became her PhD advisor the next day. Cue a$$hole tendencies to throw her, and everyone, off his feelings towards her. Now, their parents are getting married, he still has feelings for her, and she can’t stand to be within 5 feet of his presence.

🔬Liz can’t believe she’s stuck working beside Thomas Henderson in her postdoc lab. The audacity of this man in trying to pretend like he wasn’t the largest d!ck towards her the past 4 years. But she’s decided that she can use his professed feelings against him. Revenge in the form of temptation. Should be easy enough, right?

🔬Placing these two in close quarters is bound to end in a combustion, either good or bad. Can they behave till their parents wedding in a few months? Or can the chemistry between them mean something more than banter and sneaky games?

So, 'The Unbalanced Equation' – it's this rom-com that hooked me from the start. What I loved? The banter between Elizabeth and Tom is off-the-charts funny. Their dynamic, this whole enemies-to-lovers thing, keeps you on your toes, wondering if their chemistry's real or just good acting.

But hey, what I liked most? The setting! The STEM backdrop in Glasgow, that academic vibe mixed with romantic tension, it's a unique twist. And the slow-burn romance? Chef's kiss! You're so invested in Elizabeth and Tom, waiting for that 'will-they-won't-they' moment.

Now, here's the thing I wasn't crazy about – sometimes the back-and-forth between them felt a tad stretched out. I mean, it's all part of the tension, but at times, I was like, "Just kiss already!"

Overall, it's this charming, laugh-out-loud read with a quirky setting and characters you can't help but root for. If you dig enemies-to-lovers and slow-burn romances, it's a definite winner!

I tried not to dnf this one, I really tried. I went to read the reviews, saw that people liked it, and decided that I needed to give it a better chance. However, the FMC is just too juvenile. Same with the MMC. He is 38 years old but acts like he is in High School and very immature. I found he is too manipulative. Thank you to the NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced release copy. All opinions are my own.

This was a fun enemies to lovers with fantastic tropes and a whole lot of chemistry. I really enjoyed this one.

A fun enemies to lovers storywith spice and STEM, although a definitely YA feel to the story. Tom ends up being Liz's PhD Assessor which complicates what could have been a budding romance, but as life changes so do they.

I really really loved this book!
First it has everything you need: Really great characters, ennemies to lovers and force proximity.

She is a badass, he has a HUGE crush on her, what more can I say.
AND ... they don't want to get married or have kids !! I didn't even know I needed a representation but it felt so good. This book will stay close to my heart thanks to that! (and this point didn't even change my rating on the book, that's how great I think this book is).


"Miss M-"
"Doctor"
"Of course. Doctor Maclean. I didn't mean to offend you."
"I'm sure, Doctor Henderson".
"It's Professor now."
"I know. I meant to offend you."

Age gap
Enemies to lovers
Workplace romance


Age gap is one trope that I either love or hate! This one was good, and I am really glad that I liked it. I tend to DNF book where the age gap is creepy. I love that the characters are individual academics in their own right.

The Unbalanced Equation was an enemies to lovers and usually I LOVE that in a book. However this book they seemed to have little reason to dislike each other. I am all about petty reasons to not be together, but this one was just shy of the mark for me.

Workplace romances are prime for tension and I love that. Building the tension is the perfect part of the plot and that is why I liked it so much.

I was really excited to read this book when I first saw the description. As a science PhD candidate, I’ve been loving the rise of academic romance!

But this one really felt exactly like the author said in the description; like a mixture of the Love Hypothesis and the Hating Game. There wasn’t much unique here, I felt like I was just reading snippets from other books I’ve read in the past that were collaged together into a new narrative.

Solid rom-com read
I loved the characters and loved the concept of how they start off not getting on to falling in love. The story is fast paced, funny and great!
Highly recommend

Definitely on the fanfiction side of Netgalley… not sure how I ended up here but we’re here! This one was definitely one of fanfiction for a devilishly handsome man, but it wasn’t it for this book. It was so.. flat. The plot was written well to start, and then it exploded and got worse. The STEM mentions were lovely, but definitely just an added feature and not a focus. The carrying out of the enemies to lovers plot was very much… not it. It just felt rushed, fake, and all around not good for a reader. I wanted to love it simply because of the female in STEM situation, but it just didn’t work out. Thank you for the opportunity!

Interesting plot and a lot of funny scenes. Both FMC and MMC have interesting and pretty similar characters. Although the MMC does some seriously messed up stuff.

It was fun, quick read with decent science jokes mixed in. Some of the drama felt unnecessary though. Overall, a great beach read.

This is a steamy STEM romcom. Elizabeth and Tom hate each other, but have to tolerate one another when an accident causes them to have to share a lab. Not to mention their parents are getting married. That’s a lot of coincidences! But, if you can suspend your belief, this one’s fun and quick and light hearted, and the main characters have lots of chemistry (ha, no pun intended).

I enjoyed it and am looking forward to checking out the second book in this series.

Thanks to Netgalley, Booksgosocial and HL Macfarlane for the ARC.

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

This book put a fun twist on the grumpy/sunshine trope craze by instead being grumpy/grumpy. The cover is a bit misleading as it leaves you expecting a cutesy romcom but I guess you can’t judge this book by its cover. I didn’t connect with the characters but I think this book will be very appealing to the masses.

Sexy women in STEM, a brooding Love Interest and forced proximity? Sign me up!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book but it did feel a bit too much like The Love Hypothesis for me personally. I preferred H.L. Macfarlane's writing, but the similarity in plot threw me off quite a bit.

My review of The Unbalanced Equation by H.L. Macfarlane ♡︎

The Unbalanced Equation is a STEM romantic comedy that will have you turning every page to see what happens next.

Dr. Elizabeth Maclean is excited to finally be away from her rude PhD assessor, Dr. Thomas Henderson. Or so she thinks. When a fire goes off in Tom’s lab, they end up working in the same place, even on the same bench for three months. To make things even worse, Tom’s mom and Liz’s dad tell them they are engaged and having a Christmas wedding. Then, Liz’s landlord tells her she has days to move out. Now, they are forced to be around each other by both working together and living together while helping their parents plan the wedding. Will they be able to get to the same level they had when they first met?

I am not the biggest fan of the miscommunication trope, but I do think it was well done.

Some things I loved:

🤍 forced proximity

🤍 age gap

🤍 slow sizzling burn

🤍 I thought you hated me?

🤍 the tension! And the spice!

This book is perfect for those that enjoy Ali Hazelwood’s books!

Ratings:

★︎★︎★︎★︎. ➄︎ / ➎︎

🌶️🌶️/ ➎︎

I had the opportunity to read an advanced reader’s e-proof of The Unbalanced Equation by H.L. Macfarlane courtesy of Macfarlane Lantern Publishing via NetGalley. All opinions above are my own

A very fun read! The characters were so indescribable and unique. Pacing was a little slow at first but I really enjoyed the book once I got into it and the chemistry was undeniable.