Sorry for the delay on this one! Been MIA awhile due to having knee surgery. The good news is, it allowed me to catch up on reading!
I LOVED the Unbalanced Equation By H.L Mcfarlane it is sweet and spicy and definitely 4⭐️
After suffering four years of scrutiny from her PhD assessor, Elizabeth Maclean believes she’s finally free of Dr Thomas Henderson’s tyranny when she begins her postdoc. But when a fire goes off in Tom’s lab (stupid undergrads) he ends up working in the same lab as Liz.

On the same bench, no less.

For three whole months.

Tom’s mum and Liz’s dad announce their impending marriage after a whirlwind romance. After suffering four years of scrutiny from her PhD assessor, Elizabeth Maclean believes she’s finally free of Dr Thomas Henderson’s tyranny when she begins her postdoc. But when a fire goes off in Tom’s lab (stupid undergrads) he ends up working in the same lab as Liz.

On the same bench, no less.

For three whole months.

To make matters worse – and much to their mutual surprise – Tom’s mum and Liz’s dad announce their impending marriage after a whirlwind romance. So when Liz’s landlord tells her to move out, pronto, it tips her over the edge. Desperate for a place to stay and in need of a saviour, the last person Liz expects to offer her a temporary home is Tom himself.

Now stuck working together, living together and planning their parents’ Christmas wedding together, will Liz discover that Tom’s attitude over the last four years was all a ruse to hide his true feelings? Or are the two doomed to fail in their co-existence experiment

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC

#theunbalancedequation #hlmcfarlane #netgalleyreviewer #netgalleyreview #romance #enemiestolovers #forcedproximity

This was basically a novel of everything that can go wrong will go wrong. And at the same time. You wouldn't think that that would be a be a believable story but it was.

Thanks to #Netgalley for providing a copy of this book.

I loved this book. #TheUnbalancedEquation is a sweet romance, with a mild hint of spice.
The banter between the characters Liz and Tom was great at building the sexual tension.
The enemies to lovers trope is one of my favorites parts that helped build the tension.
Like any romance all issues could be resolved if the characters just communicated with each other.

The story has a similar storyline to “the Love Hypothesis”, which was exactly what I was looking for. I read this pretty quick on a holiday..
I would absolutely recommend this if you like contemporary romance with a lot of banter, and pretty mild sexual content.

I love a good “women in STEM” book but I was impatient with the back and forth between the two MCs, Liz and Tom. The plot is cute, enemies to lovers and forced proximity, as his mom and her dad are engaged.
I never felt that Liz and Tom had natural chemistry either. 3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

///////ARC RECEIVED FROM NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW/////

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher ,and H.L. Macfarlane for this ARC.

I thought this was a really cute rom com book. It reminded me a little of the Love Hypothesis and I found myself comparing them sometimes. Ultimately, I like this book more. I think the Enemies to lovers aspect could have been fleshed out a little more. We missed most of the enemies part because we didn't really see a lot of their time together when he was her assessor. I thought the banter between the two characters was really cute and I found myself smiling at every interaction. Overall the book is a quick and easy read. I recommend to anyone who is a fan of cute rom com books.

Thankyou to NetGalley, the publisher and H.L Macfarlane for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Liz and Tom meet 4 years prior to the story at the beginning of Liz’s PhD. There’s some chemistry that gets squashed by Tom becoming Liz’s PhD assessor. 4 years on, Liz’s PhD finished, their lives are forced together again when their respective, previously widowed, parents announce their engagement.

Liz and Tom are petty, childish and selfish. They sabotaging each other, making the other’s life difficult and bring out the worst of each other but somehow they fall for each other. I really do not like the step-sibling trope despite them knowing each other before becoming step-siblings (this however is my own fault for not reading the blurb first). The miscommunication really grated on me and whilst the step-sibling trope was easy enough to ignore for the majority of the book, any reference to “our parents” really gave me the ick..

I didn’t DNF the book and I did keep reading but I now know these tropes are not for me.

2.5⭐️

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher and H.L. Macfarlane for this copy.

WE LOVE RIVALS TO LOVERS IN STEM!!

The Unbalanced Equation follows Liz, a postdoc, and Tom, her PhD professor. They met at a party and almost got together, when then Tom is assigned to be her professor and decides that nothing can happen between them. He then begins to act really rudely towards her and she starts to hate him.

Fast forward a few years later and Liz meets her worst nightmare: their parents are going to marry XD. And Tom's lab burns down and is forced to work at the same lab as Liz. And she loses her apartment and is forced to live at Tom's house. Then a lot happens

Enemies to lovers!! Forced proximity!! Romance in STEM!! Banter and pranks!!

I didn't really mind the age gap between them because they have sooo much chemistry, but it didn't feel realistic that an almost 40-year-old man acted so childlishly and immature. And also, the fact that he tried to sabotage all of Liz's dates and apartment hunt didn't really sit well with me even if he was in love with her, that's why I'm giving it 4 stars.

This is my first Macfarlane book and I will be hoping to read another. For fans of The Love Hypothesis, this gave similar vibes. The beginning of this book had me hooked but I was losing interest by the last 25% or so. I can't put my finger on why because I really wanted to love it. The writing was very good, but the heroine was maybe more dramatic than necessary? Thank you for the arc and I would love to read more by this author.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was one of my favorite reads this year! I'll be honest, it's been a long since I've read a REALLY GOOD enemies-to-lovers book. It was so much fun, the characters were hilarious, they had personality, they were unique. It is one of those books you will always remember details and with a smile on your face!
I'm glad the "drama" in the end wasn't too long, it was quicky resolved, and we got our HEA. Looking forward to read more romance from the author!

I originally checked it out because it reminded me (cover and title wise) of the Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood and the blurb sounded like it as well. And what can I say, it is very similiar. But in a good way! I enjoyed The Love Hypothesis (women in STEM, yey!) and with the enemies to lovers.. what can i wish more for?
I liked both characters and their relationship. The way they acted and came together. The plot isn't new but it doesn't have to!
It's a casual read and for me, it was the perfect beach read :) I can recommend it to all Ali Hazelwood fans or rom-com STEM fans

Normally I am turned away from all fictional books that are science-based because being in the science field myself, most of the science is fictional in the stories and it drives me mad. This story however was a great romance read with just enough science in there to keep it well-rounded and enjoyable!

Thanks to netgalley for the arc.

This book was cute. It took me less than two days to finish and I thoroughly enjoyed the way the two mc's fell in love and interacted with each other. I'll definitely be on the lookout for more books by the author!

I loved being introduced to Tom and Liz, a completely smart, intelligent, fun couple of scientists who tey to fight the obvious! The love of science is what caught my eye with the cover and title of this book, and the love story thrown in made it such a cute and heartwarming story. No matter how hard Liz fights the attraction and love towards Tom, things are inevitable. The fact that they both have similar losses in their past and families makes the story even more meaningful and how the two come together is extremely sweet and lovable. I love the author's acknowledgment section at the end as well and how she has so much personal connection to writing this book! I look forward to reading more by her!

STEM Romance- is that even a genre? After reading and enjoying “The Love Hypothesis” earlier this year I was excited to see “The Unbalanced Equation”- a similar type of Romance but this time set in Scotland.
Liz is a postdoctoral researcher and Professor Tom Henderson is her former PhD supervisor. When they end up working in the same lab and even on the same bench both are rather taken aback as they have a certain amount of at times embarrassing history.
Having met at a party 4 years earlier there was a definite attraction which could have lead to more but when Tom is suddenly assigned to assess her Dissertation and being rather nasty about it Liz grows to dislike him. Working in the same lab will not be fun for either of them.
Tom still has a crush on Liz but restrained himself whilst supervising her work- in fact he decided to go all out mean in order to throw her off the scent. She actually liked him when they first met but the Phd years have definitely soured her opinion of him.
When they are thrown together at work and then in their personal lives all hell breaks loose which leads to a humorous novel with some rather explicit descriptions in places! This is one of those will they won’t they novels and of course the reader is hoping for a happy outcome.
This was certainly a light and entertaining read and I really liked the characters too. Tom could be obtuse and in places although I thought Liz occasionally overreacted it lead to some very amusing situations.
Moreover reading the novel as a 60 something it certainly took me back to my youth and the uncertainty and excitement of romantic attractions. Despite their confidence in work situations both Tom and Liz were unsure in their own personal lives.
This was an enjoyable read and would appeal to readers of contemporary romance. If you enjoyed “The Love Hypothesis” you will no doubt love this. I’m not sure if I was the target audience being of more advanced years but it was such a fun read it didn’t matter!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

Each character played an important role, especially Tom's best friend who by the way was always Team Tiz (that's what Im gonna call it). I loved the moments when there is a scene of vulnerability from both characters showing that even the strongest can let their shields down. There are some sentences in this book that really made me go full emotional mode which is something that doesn't happen often. Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Colby Mills once felt destined for a musical career, but tragedy grounded his dreams. Now the dust has settled, he spontaneously takes a gig playing at a bar in Florida, seeking a rare break from his duties at home.

I loved this book! The banter was great, the chemistry was great, the tension was great, everything was great! This is a must read for fans of The Love Hypothesis and The Soulmate Equation!

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

This was a cute rom-com involving elements of STEM and being an anime nerd. Tom used to be Liz's PhD advisor, and now after an unfortunate lab fire are working on the same bench during Liz's post-doc. These two have always had a thing for one another, and now they have a chance to spend more time together. I liked that both of these characters were grumpy, and Liz was a boss-ass babe who worked in STEM. I was a little uncomfortable with some of the manipulation Tom pulled throughout the book, but alas they were happy in the end. It was also cool to see a couple whose end goal wasn't marriage or kids. Overall, this was fun and cute and if you are in STEM, you will enjoy all of the references to lab work!
3 likes

this was better than The Love Hypothesis! I really enjoyed the banter between our couple and how steamy this was! I mean that bar kiss scene, then that shower scene and our post-wedding scene was HOT. Let’s not forget how sweet Tom was especially during her shark week.. talk about swoon. Definitely recommend this STEM read!

First of all, I love The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood, and if you're also in love with that book, I would definitely recommend you to try The Unbalanced Equation. It is kinda fanfiction with age gap, forced proximity, he falls first, steamy scenes (add a little bit of <i>spice</i>) and obviously STEM.

As I already mentioned (maybe I'm wrong, but), this book feels like a fanfiction about Tom Hiddleston. Like Tom Henderson? And those characters are pretty similar. It's not a really bad thing tho. The Unbalanced Equation is an easy, quick read with a lot of chemistry between main characters.

However, I gave this book 3 stars, because I got bored till the end of the story. Tom and Liz were acting weird, like they were teens, not adults, and it was frustrating to me. Also, I wish the author gave us more STEM scenes, because there clearly weren't enough of them.

Anyway, though this book is full of clichés, and I hate miscommunication trope and manipulation, it was still nice reading The Unbalanced Equation.