I wanted to love this book as I love a nerdy STEM Romance and the MC Tom, is a fellow Red Dwarf fan. However, the first couple of chapters threw me off with the characters meet cute then fast forward to their abject hatred for each other. Too many expository info dumps tell the reader what’s going on and Tom’s mother infantilizing her grown up son turned me off. The characters hate each other so much but it’s not explained why until an info dump about 14% into the book. Unfortunately this book is not for me. Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy.

The Unbalanced Equation by H L Macfarlane

Elizabeth Maclean is a post doc student in her mid twenties. Thomas Henderson is a professor who ends up meeting Elizabeth at a early school function. Their is chemistry between them but that has to come to a full halt after Thomas becomes Lizzie's assessor. Tom ends up being a total jerk to Lizzie after they shared an intimate moment when they first met.

What I loved about this book is that love is complicated and beautiful its never easy. I liked the romance between Tom and Lizzie. Their was angst, sexual energy, lust, and love. This rolled all together into a steamy lust filled romance. Before you get into the good parts their is so much more to the story Tom's juvenile behavior to set up Lizzie with obstacles that work in his favor.

I found myself rooting for this couple for them to move past all the issues that lay bear before them both. Before all this can happen the reader will go on a roller coaster ride of some silly quirky behavior. I felt as a reader you can really feel the energy between Tom and Lizzie it melt through the pages. The way they looked at it each other you can imagine the lust between them.

Then when the steamy bits flow through the pages you know everything is meant to be the way they are. I also enjoyed the nerdy behavior between the two being into anime. I am not an anime fan but loved how they shared in this together.

This book brought out the hopeless romantic in me and it just lit my heart to keep the pages turning. I found myself smiling and laughing. Regardless what everyone else says but H.L. Macfarlane knocked this one out of the park. When you feel emotion from a book which the writer aspired to engage the reader this is a win. I also enjoyed the science background of these two characters.

If you are a fan of enemies to friends angst filled steamy hot romance then this book is for you. The pages will flip fast for you and you should not be disappointed. This was the second best romance novel I read this year. This was a five star read for me!

Thank you to Netgalley, and Books Go Social for a free copy of this book for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was an enjoyable read. I liked the characters and the plot was believable.

Apparently, these days every self-respecting romance has to take place at least for the most part in a lab, which might even suit me just fine because women in STEM must be getting more and more. Ma problem was that I don't like Liz, the heroine, at all, but I don't even know where to begin to explain that everything Tom does is not only wrong, but not even remotely justifiable. Having said that there are some little comic sketches that some people might even like and certainly this is my personal opinion and so it is normal that there are quite a few favorable reviews, but mine will not be among them.

A quanto pare, in questo periodo ogni romance che si rispetti deve svolgersi almeno per la maggior parte in un laboratorio, il che potrebbe andarmi anche benissimo perché le donne in STEM devono diventare sempre di piú. Se non fosse che la donna di questo romanzo, Liz, non mi piace affatto, ma non so nemmeno da dove cominciare per spiegare che tutto quello che fa Tom non solo é sbagliato, ma nemmeno lontanamente giustificabile. Fatta questa premessa ci sono dei piccoli sketch comici che potrebbero anche piacere e sicuramente questo é il mio parere personale e quindi é normale che ci siano parecchie recensioni favorevoli, ma la mia non sará tra quelle.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoy going in blind to new authors and I think the unbalanced equation was the perfect introduction to H.L Macfarlane. I really enjoy the “he falls first” trope and this one was executed beautifully. I also really enjoyed the fact that both main characters didn’t want to get married or have children because in most romance novels, the epilogue is all about weddings and babies. Instead, they got animals - which I think is so perfect. My only qualm with this book was the fact that her mom married his dad - I don’t really enjoy many books with the basically adult step siblings vibe but I also understand how it fit into the story. All in all, it was a wonderful novel and I would definitely recommend it to my friends.

I'm sorry to say this was just not a book for me. I gave it my all but as much as I tied I could not get in to it AT ALL. I will say, I love the cover of the book. It's very well done and it definitely grabbed my attention when I was requesting.

⊹ ࣪˖⁩ ✐ Writing:

The romance was fun- so cute, just the most fun portrayal of a second chance, forced proximity angst of two squabbling STEM grad students. (if that’s what they are, sorry, i don’t know this works bye) Initially, It felt like the banter was forceful for the sake of being snarky but it picks up and gets way more interesting as things go by. They’re both into anime and that’s how they hit off, i thought that was a fun little touch.

If you’re looking for something similar to the Love Hypothesis - without the annoying bits, pick this up!

⊹ ࣪˖⁩ ✐ Plot/ Characters:

I had to overlook the setting of their relationship throughout the book, it was just too unrealistic to feel right lol. Thomas develops a horrible crush, finds out he’s supposed to be Lizzie’s assessor and needs to keep things professional. BUT then years ago by, they’re forced to work together AND they find out their parents are getting married AND due to unfortunately suspicious circumstances she has to move into his place? 🤨 All that aside- it was really fun and cute. Have i mentioned the fact that Thomas is literally the perfect MC? he’s so obsessed with her and doesn’t even try to hide it. The pining? the angst, the shameless flirting! We love a man that knows and does everything in his power to get what he wants <33333

Overall I quite enjoyed this book. However I found the main male character Tom very annoying and quite immature considering his age, he was frustrating and not a great match for the female character. But it was quite a good read and I would recommend it. Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced read

Thank you netgalley and publisher for opportunity to read and review this arc honestly.

Overall I enjoyed the book, story, characters, and dialogue. I felt invested enough I wanted to smack some sense into one a few times. There were funny parts in the book, some steamy as well, and I was interested enough to continue down the journey. Overall I would (and will) recommend to friends that enjoy this genre and trope. Interested to read more by this author.

3.5 ✨

I ended up enjoying this much more than I expected to! Initially, it reminded me a lot of The Love Hypothesis, and not in a good way, but I am pleasantly surprised at how the story progressed. It’s a really fun enemies-to-lovers story that kept me entertained the whole time.

This story has a lot of tropes that I enjoy, including enemies to lovers, forced proximity (housing situation & workplace), and Tom falls hard first. I thought that both of the characters were really well fleshed out and seemed more realistic, despite both of their childish antics throughout the story.

Tom was extremely difficult to like at times. Not only is he 11 (?) years Liz’s senior, he is incredibly childish. If someone had pulled the same manipulative stunts that he had on me, I wouldn’t give them a second/third/whatever chance. I did appreciate how the guilt weighed on him and it caused him to do some serious reflection and apologizing later on.

I did have one main complaint with this story that colored my enjoyment and perception moving on - and what caused me to round down my rating. There is a consent issue in the middle of the book. There is a scene where both Tom and Liz travel for a work conference and somehow (the details here are a bit fuzzy), Tom ends up with Liz’s room key. He accidentally walks in on her masturbating and instead of leaving, he stays and inserts himself into this scene. Despite her saying “no” and “please leave.” It eventually becomes “consensual”, but how consensual can it be when you’re obligated to a situation you didn’t ask for? This scene is addressed later on in the next chapter, but not to the degree that I would have hoped for.

In all, I enjoyed this book. I thought it was well written and, despite needing a different editor to cut down some of the prose, would read more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

I’ve come to the decision to DNF this book at 40%. Y’all. Let me tell you about this book.

It started off really strong on the anime references (this is not hate to anime I just don’t know anything about it so off the bat, this book wasn’t in my wheelhouse). Then, we got further in and those slowed down and the story progressed and I thought this could end up being pretty cute. But then I decided that no adult man should behave the way Tom does. If Adam Carlsen, the hero in the Love Hypothesis, was a total creep and absolute jerk, then you would have Tom. So basically, Tom is Tom from The Love Hypothesis. Except simultaneously better and worse.

Again, I wanted to stick it out because I saw some strong reviews for this one and I thought it could be a cute, fast read to pick up before bed every night. But tell me how I’ve been reading over a week and I’m only 40% through? I am a firm believer than no romance book should be more than approximately 350 pages (with a few rare exceptions (shout out Emily Henry)). This book has absolutely no business being 456 pages. I made it almost 200 pages in with absolutely nothing happening. If it’s going to be that long, the pacing should at least be quick.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an arc of this book for free! I’m so sorry to say I would not recommend.

2 Stars The Unbalanced Equation started off cute (especially with that meet cute), but went downhill quickly for me. The beginning gave me The Love Hypothesis vibes, but the stepsiblings trope was a big nope for me. I’ve read other books where the main characters have romantic feelings that they haven’t acted on, then their parents announce they are dating/getting married and the main characters will be stepsiblings. Something about this and how they’ll be related by marriage just makes it icky for me and I couldn’t get past it to get into the romance. I’m definitely disappointed because the start was so cute, especially since Tom has clearly been hiding his feelings from Liz for a long time, while pining for her.

3.5 Stars
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Tropes you have to love for this book: age gap, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, guy falls first
After Tom and Liz met and had an interaction full of sexual tension, he finds out he is going to be her PhD Assessor. Instead of doing the normal thing and saying "we need to keep this professional", he essentially makes her working life hell. Jump ahead to Liz finishing her PhD and thinking she's free of him, they are thrown back together both in the lab when they have to share a workbench and in life when Liz's dad and Tom's mom announce they are getting married. I wanted to like this more than I did... but some of the actions of Liz and Tom were so immature it was hard to take them seriously. The manipulations by Tom (after justifying being mean to Liz fo years) and the way Liz tried to make Tom's life miserable while living in his house... both so questionable. 
Things I did like: the dual POV, the age gap, Liz knowing her worth and knowing that she doesn't need marriage and kids to be happy, their banter and relationship when they were actually being good to one another
It was close to four stars for me, but just missed the mark. I'll be interested in seeing who the next two books in the series are written about!

I was sure as hell this book deserved more than 3 stars, but I didn't feel 4 stars was the way to go. So... here we go, 3.5 stars for "The (Un)Balanced Equation".

Liz and Tom met at a "welcoming" party and there was immediate chemistry between them. When Liz has to run off from the party, Tom is determined to find her, ask for her number, and start something... Until that plan is crashed by the fact Tom has to be Liz's professor. He decides to stay away from her and act like an insensible dude during the four years Liz is her student, so their relationship is pretty much non-existent when, due to tragic circumstances, Liz and Tom have to work together. Now that years have passed, and Liz is no longer her student, maybe something could happen... Instead for the fact that Liz hates Tom after the hell he put her through during those years.

If you love any of these clichés, this book is for you: second chance romance, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, lots of tension, and steamy sex. If you've read "The Love Hypothesis" and want more books like it, this one is for you as well.

This book has a lot of things I love. It kept me intrigued and made me forget I was reading it because I was so into the story time didn't pass around me. The author has a way of narrating that is funny and easy, and it keeps you hooked on the story.

I found the romance cute despite some very questionable points (that I will discuss later on), and the hot scenes were good. There was a lot of well-constructed sexual tension during the entire book.

I absolutely adored the Halloween party, it was my undoubted favorite part of the book and I really enjoyed reading it.

Now, here is what I didn't like that much: the male main character. Yes, I know how that sounds, but I have my reasons.

Tom is pushing his forties, so you would expect the man to be mature for his age. Sorry to break it for you, but he is definitely not.

And Liz... Liz was equally childish. They're just a perfect match.

I'm a huge fan of enemies to lovers, but I was missing that "hatred turns into passion" in this book. I felt their relationship was entirely based on "instalove" (which I despise), sexual tension, and insulting each other here and there when they did not really mean a single word.

A lot of scenes gave me second-hand embarrassment, except when I was trying to punch Tom through my Kindle screen for being, and I quote my dear Liz, a bastard.

But, overall, it was a good book. It was fresh, steamy, and, in complete honesty, everything I expected it to be when I started reading it.

The Unbalanced Equation starts with a rewritten first line of 'Pride and Predjudice' and it's not the only time it tries to draw a parallel between itself and the classic romance novel.

The prologue shows the immediate connection between Liz and Tom that's proptly followed by the shocking news that Tom is going to be Liz's PhD assessor and he decides to be terrible to her, because they can't be together. The actual story starts when she already has her PhD and ends up both working (due to a fire) and living (because of their parents getting married) with Tom.

I liked the relationship aspect of the story a lot. Because of the two point of views we know what both of the main characters think about each other. Liz and Tom are coworkers which helps a lot with the weird power dynamic a lot of romance books have. All of the friendships depicted feel realistic and like actual friendships.

What I didn't like was the manipulation and how quickly it got resolved. I think it deserved a much longer conflict than it got in the book and it caused the ending to feel very rushed to me.

I have a love/hate relationship with the enemies to lovers trope but fancied something light after a busy week at work and this seemed to fit the bill. A STEM setting, set in Glasgow, what more could this British geek want? Macfarlane's writing is witty and well-paced, though a tad repetitive at times. I really liked Liz and Tom, though there were moments when I wanted to yell at Tom to grow up.

Altogether, an enjoyable, fun read for a rainy afternoon. 4 out of 5.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest review.

Normally I love the enemies to lovers trope - what is better than witty and snarky banter, mixed with sexual frustration.

However, I really struggled with loving The Unbalanced Equation. Their relationship felt more toxic hatred to toxic relationship than enemies to lovers. With the exception of Liz & Tom, Jenny & Jim, the characters were easy to forget and difficult to connect with.

I know that this book got a lot of love, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. I couldnt' get past the toxicity of the characters. If it wasn't for H. L. Macfarlane's writing style (that kept me captivated), I would have only given it two stars, but it deserved an extra star for the writing style!

Thank you to NetGalley & BooksGoSocial for this ARC for my 100% honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Unbalanced Equation starts off with the flashback to the first meeting between the FMC, Liz, and the MMC, Tom. There's a spark between them from the get-go due to their shared interests, but various circumstances keep them from developing their romantic relationship beyond initial interests. Pining ensues.

I feel bad because I wanted to enjoy this book, but it just wasn't for me. I found both main characters to be rather unlikable and immature, and the entire foundation for their relationship felt kind of gross. I'm not a fan of mismatched power dynamics, and there's no amount of convincing that can get me on board with it.

This might be a bit nit-picky, but the shared interests I mentioned above were a string of references to real life media, which to me is not the best way to start a book because it ruins the immersion and almost feels like the author just wanting to show off how well-versed they are in "nerd" subculture.

To be completely honest, I think this book could do with another pass with an editor. There were multiple times where punctuation, or a lack thereof, made me have to stop and re-read certain passages to understand what the author was trying to say.

Overall, I think this has the potential to be a good book with some more work. Or maybe I'm just not the target demographic as someone who also didn't love The Love Hypothesis.

The Unbalanced Equation is the first book in the Hot Mess Trilogy, an enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy, written by H. L. Macfarlane.

Fun, fast-paced and enjoyable read in an academic STEM setting!

Writing your PhD is no easy feat, especially not when your assigned assessor is doing his best to make your life a misery; challenging everything you do and forcing you to redo research to the Nth degree. Thomas F*cking Henderson is your man and he made Liz' life a complete hell for four years.

With her PhD behind her, she has successfully secured a research post, but to her horror she ends up having Professor Henderson as her a bench partner, thanks to ever so slightly meddling Professor Ito, the best friend of Professor Henderson's.

The next shock for Liz, is that her father and Professor Henderson's mother have decided to get married. Add in an eviction, a meddling ex, some partying and you have a fantastic hard-to-put-down story. Tom is frustratingly stupid at times, and so is Liz, but Macfarlane has managed to create a thoroughly entertaining story.

Elizabeth “Liz” Maclean and Thomas “Tom” Henderson met four years ago at a university party. There was chemistry, and a great conversation sprang between them. But the night died when Liz had to leave abruptly. The next day, Tom is informed that he will be Liz’s PhD assessor, which means they shouldn’t get involved. What does he do? He starts being as mean to her as possible so she won’t like him anymore, and it will be safe between them.

Now, Liz is starting a job, and Tom will be her bench partner. To her horror, not only is this happening, working with someone she hates, but they find that Liz’s dad and Tom’s mom are dating, engaged, and will get married soon.

The happy couple will live in Tom’s house until the wedding and invite Liz to do the same. When her landlord kicks her out with only a few days of notice, she sees that offer as her only option. That’s how Liz and Tom get to live together, one room in front of the other, to Tom’s delight and Liz’s hell.

I liked this book a lot but didn’t get to love it. Some parts didn’t sit well with me. It felt like the story could have evolved more sometimes. Also, both Liz and Tom did a lot they shouldn’t have done. But the point sometimes is to show us what not to do in real life. And this book is a good example of bad actions and judgments, all wrapped up in a lovely story of romance, family, and friendship.

The banter was great, and it’s steamy enough for this story. I loved how the characters got into a romantic routine, even trying not to love each other.

It was hard for me to rate this book. Maybe not a 4*, but also not a 4.5*. I decided to go with 4.25* so my head could rest.