I liked Fizzy, I liked Connor, I liked the dating show, I liked Stevie. Cute story for lovers of reality tv!

Romance: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Steam: Too much for me, probably mild for some 😂
Tropes: Enemies to lovers, forbidden romance kind of, miscommunication trope does make an appearance which is what I didn’t like
TW: not much I can remember? Slight infidelity mentioned

I am totally biased because I fiend for Christina Lauren content but I LOVED this book! The Soulmate Equation was one of my favourite books in 2021 and Fizzy definitely contributed to all the hype around it!

I absolutely adored the premise for this tv show and loved how it came together so perfectly matched to Fizzy’s vision. The inclusion of different Hero archetypes was hilarious and went along so well with her career as a romance writer.

While this book had enough conflict to keep things interesting, I loved that it was still joyful throughout. Fizzy’s humour got me through the third act breakup before I was sick of it. The chemistry between the two MCs was off the charts, I am completely obsessed with their love story!

This book can definitely be read as a standalone, but there are a lot of references to The Soulmate Equation so I would totally recommend picking that up first!

Read this if you:
- Are a reality TV fiend
- Wish real men could compare to book boyfriends
- Have ever felt like people don’t take you seriously

Thank you, Simon and Schuster, Canada, for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Christina Lauren’s The True Love Experiment is a dual-pov standalone sister novel to ‘The Soulmate Equation.’ This time though, we are following Fizzy Chen, a renowned romance novelist who feels a little lost in the real-life romance department. That is until Connor Prince, a hot single dad and documentary filmmaker (with a British accent) propositions a new reality dating show where Fizzy Chen is set to find the romance she writes about. But as production starts, Fizzy finds herself falling for the filmmaker.

As always, Christina Lauren’s books are funny and endearing. I found Fizzy to be one of my favourite FMC’s. She was funny, obnoxious (good way) and lovable in all the ways an FMC should be. Connor was an incredible MMC, and I enjoyed his chapters just as much.

This book falls at three stars for me, however. I rate romance by the level of enjoyment and their staying-power (likelihood of me actively recommending this book), and at the end of the day, as much as I enjoyed the creative plot and fun couple, it just didn’t stick for me, I didn’t find myself drawn back to the story.

That being said, if you’re a fan of Christina Lauren's books and want a cute romcom, it definitely delivers.

CLo delivers yet another fun, sexy romcom! Absolutely loved fuzzy in the soulmate equation and seeing her as a main character was immensely satisfying!

I love Christina Lauren. So I was very excited to read this new 2023 book.

The True Love Experiment is book two in the Soulmate Equation series. This is Fizzy's story.

This can be read as a standalone (different narrators). However, IMO it is meant to be read as a series. Fizzy is introduced in The Soulmate Equation. And Jess, Juno and River are in this book a lot. And his DNA-based matchmaking company is featured in this book. So I would definitely read the books in order.

I am happy that Fizzy got her own book. I love that she is a romance writer. And I love the idea of a romance writer being the lead on a dating reality show.

The beginning of this book was so good. I did enjoy the entire book. However I didn't love the idea of her not doing the dating show in good faith. Also the end of a book is everything to me. However I figured out pretty much exactly how things were going to play out. I definitely wish that it could have been more unpredictable as I think I would have enjoyed it more.

One of my absolute favorite things about this book were the kids. Juno and Stevie were everything. I also absolutely loved getting to see so much of Jess again. And I liked how many aspects from The Soulmate Equation were weaved into this story.

The romance and banter were very strong. And I did really like Connor a lot. There was just something about the dating show that didn't totally work for me.

Like they wrote in their acknowledgments this book was truly a delightful love letter to the romance genre and fangirls.
Fizzy is an amazing character with depth. She was written with humour and heart. Her love of the BTS-esque boy band Wonderland was amazing as well as the multiple references to Harry Styles.
Connor is the best book boyfriend, kind, supportive, emotional, descriptively hot plus British he checks all the romance hero boxes. I kept picturing Henry Cavill.
The premise of this book was great, a romance writer as the lead on a realty dating show where the contestants are archetypical romance hero’s.
I loved this book. I recommend to anyone looking for a romance that is humorous, has heart, an amazing heroine and hero. A true love letter to romance.

4/5 ⭐️

Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me an arc of this book.

I had a bit of a hard time getting into this but once it picked up, I definitely enjoyed it more. There’s single dad, reality dating show, and dual pov. It definitely felt like instant attraction, though it wasn’t acted on for quite some time. They obviously had chemistry and fell for each other early on. I loved both characters and their interactions were always so funny and swoon worthy. Connor is incredible and I loved his pov of how things went. As mentioned, they had an instant connection yet they wouldn’t act on it due to a variety of reasons aka the reality show. It was fun to see concepts of DnaDuo in The Soulmate Equation be represented and used in this book as well. Although this is a standalone, I highly encourage reading The Soulmate Equation because I don’t think it would be as easy to understand all the connections without knowing what happens in book 1. Although this was a super cute read, it was pretty predictable and I knew how it would turn out early on. Even if it was predictable, the way they wrote those final scenes were super cute. I wish we got more of a detailed ending where we get to see the characters afterwards because it felt a tad bit rushed. Overall I recommend this.

This book was absolutely everything and more. I loved Christina Lauren before, but this one had me so happy at the end that I was almost in tears.

I loved both Fizzy and Connor. She was so funny, took no nonsense from anyone, and unapologetically herself. He was so kind and calm, and I absolutely adored how he was open with his feelings and spoke to Fizzy like she was the centre of his universe. Add on that he’s a divorced dad with the most mature co-parenting relationship with his ex-wife? Connor is a top-tier book boyfriend.

The forbidden romance had me from the beginning, and I was rooting for them the whole time. The miscommunication/misunderstanding did confuse me, but WOW did he make a grand gesture that pulled on every single one of your heartstrings.

This book is now on my reread list. Definitely one of Christina Lauren’s best!

I really loved The Soulmate Equation so I was super excited about Fizzy's story but it wasn't as epic as I'd expected it to be. It had a lot of things I did love about it - I liked seeing Jess and River and how Juno was adapting to River. I enjoyed the kids a lot - they were pistols!
However, I had mixed feelings about Fizzy and Connor. There were moments when I liked them a lot and other times when I wanted to shake them. Though I liked the grand finale a lot.

The True Love Experiment follows Fizzy (Jess’s best friend from The Soulmate Equation), a romance author who has so many bestselling novels but has never really been in love herself, and Connor, a single dad and documentary filmmaker whose job is on the line when his boss orders him to create a reality tv show. The solution to their problems: The True Love Experiment, a bachelorette-like dating show where people can watch their favourite romance author fall in love.

Christina Lauren has done it again! Love and Other Words and The Soulmate Equation are my favourite Christina Lauren books, and The True Love Experiment is definitely now joining them in my top 3!

The premise of this book instantly had me hooked, especially with all of the new reality dating shows that have popped up over the last few years. It was genuinely so entertaining and I didn’t want this book to end! The characters in this book were such a big part of what made it so great. I think Fizzy is my favourite FMC written by Christina Lauren ever. She was funny, strong, caring, and just overall such an easy character to root for!

My favourite part of this book though was the conversations about the romance genre and the biases against romance books. I loved seeing Connor overcome his biases towards the genre and become a genuine fan of romance books through Fizzy and her books. The True Love Experiment overall felt like a love letter to the genre!

Although this book can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading The Soulmate Equation first to have a better understanding of Fizzy, the side characters, and DNADuo’s technology, which is a big part of the dating show Fizzy is on!

If you like the single dad trope, reality tv, some banter, and forbidden love, you need to read this book!

Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada for the ARC!

Rating: 4.5/5 stars!

I really, really loved this story and was so grateful to the publisher for an early copy (thank you @simonschusterca @gallerybooks). I found these characters soooo refreshing and the story itself was fun, easy to sink right into, emotionally charged at times, and funny/swoony/steamy in perfect measure. I remember loving Fizzy in The Soulmate Equation, but to be honest, I only vaguely remembered the main plot points of that book and it was a joy to reunite with the couple (and adorable tween!) from that book and meet a whole cast of new lovely characters in these pages.

The basic premise of this book is that a documentary producer single dad is "forced into" making a reality TV show about dating & he rises to the challenge when he is able to convince a girl who caught his attention once to star in the series. I'm not a huge reality TV fan IRL but this is not the first time this type of premise has worked SO WELL for me in a romance book (psst:The Charm Offensive). The way the tables turn in the book is predictable (yes, all romances have a happily ever after component and that is why we love them) BUT the way the story gets there was not predictable and so endearing. I was a huge fan of these characters and gave this book a big hug when I finished it, then I went back and reread several favourite passages which is always a sign of two thumbs up from me.

I've read all of these authors' standalone books but haven't read their two early series yet. Maybe someday!! It's hard for me to pick a favourite of theirs but this is definitely a contender!!!

Bring on all the summer romances <3

This rousing story of finding true love left me breathless and smiling.

Felicity Chen, aka Fizzy, successful romance author, is stuck. Her muse has left the building. When an offer comes her way via sexy hot Brit producer to star in a dating show based on DNA matching, she reluctantly agrees, with lots of conditions. Connor does not want to have anything to do with this show, but his career is on the line and he wants to stay close to his daughter. Sparks fly whenever Fizzy and Connor get together and they slowly start to fall in love off screen, as Fizzy goes through eight dates to find her true love on screen.

Fizzy’s personality lived up to her name, and yet her snarky way of talking hid a heart that was feeling a bit bruised and lonely. I liked Connor from the start. He was thrown into the deep end of a project that he didn’t want to be a part of, but he gave his all to make it a success.

We all knew Fizzy and Connor would end up together, but this book kept me guessing and on my toes because it could happen at any time and there was no predicting when. Every interaction between them were exciting and something to look forward to.

I had really hoped for that spectacular ending, but I wasn’t sure until it actually happened and then I was smiling so hard my face started to hurt. I’m giving this five stars for the ending alone, not that the rest don’t deserve it as well.

I can highly recommend this for any lover of a steamy, feel-good romance. This book follows The Soulmate Equation. It’s not necessary to read it first, but it does introduce the whole DNA matching concept and that’s where we meet Fizzy for the first time.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Fans of reality tv dating shows and just reality tv this one's for you! I fall into both of those categories, I can't seem to get enough so this book was everything I needed and more. 

Just when I thought Christina Laura wouldn't be able to top The Soulmate Equation which was one of my favourite romance books of 2022, they wrote The True Love Experiment and absolutely knocked it out of the park. 

Witty banter, playful flirting, incredible characters and such an entertaining and fun premise, this book is a must read. 

Fizzy was my favourite character so I was pretty stoked she got her own book; she's hilarious, dirty minded, feisty and overall just an awesome female main character. I can't count the amount of times I busted out and laughed so hard I snorted, it was a lot. Connor was a standup guy in all ways especially holding himself accountable which was admirable and he’s hot. The chemistry and sexual tension between them leaves little to the imagination thanks to Fizzy being a romance author herself. 

Enough rambling, I loved it. The end!

Book hits shelves today, don't forget to pick yourself up a copy! 

Thank you so much @simonschusterca @gallerybooks and @netgalley!

Christina Lauren have done it again. This book pulled me out of a 2 week long reading slump that I thought would never end. It was so good. I loved Fizzy and Connor’s chemistry. I loved the development of their relationship. It made me wish I could watch that show in real life (if anyone knows of any similar reality tv shows please let me know). This book is definitely my new favourite Christina Lauren book. Everyone should go read this book ASAP.

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster Canada, Gallery Books and Netgalley for an eArc of this book. Say hello to my first 5-star review of 2023! And probably my favourite Christina Lauren book ever.

I absolutely adored this romcom and that is in large part due to our main character, Felicity “Fizzy” Chen. Fizzy is the kind of main character that you wish was real - she is so cool and amazing that I want to be her friend. She is charisma personified. I loved her. She is so earnest and FUNNY. I WHEEZED with laughter when she said the phrase “prime of their life dongs”. I loved that her humour was filled with innuendos and was dirty. I loved that she was sex-positive (so many times romance novels teach us the promiscuity is a bad thing - but if you’re safe and enjoy it then what’s the problem!). I loved that there was no slut-shaming about her past by ANYONE.

Now I will say that Fizzy CARRIED THIS NOVEL. On her back. Our main hero, Connor Prince III, was just okay to me on his own. But his chemistry with Fizzy written through the book and the overall behaviour of Fizzy, being romance author who has never been in love falling in love with him, was just so sweet and endearing that it made Connor a swoon worthy romantic hero.

I even enjoyed the setting of the book being a realty dating show where Fizzy, a famous romance author, is trying to meet her match with a cast of “heroes” that are archetypes from romance books. I don’t love reality dating shows and avoid books with them as the setting but here it worked! All the “heroes” were so great (although the Mr. Darcy archetype did my boy dirty) - and I loved the side male characters so much that I want separate novels for Dax and Evan. PLEASE GIVE ME A BOOK ABOUT DAX.

I did find the conflict between Fizzy and Connor about three quarters of the way through the book to be a bit annoying - I think Connor handled the conflict poorly and I dont know if I would have been as lovelorn and forgiving as Fizzy was (but thats why she’s the best). There will definitely be those who wont enjoy Connor because of the conflict (there is a trigger warning for discussion about cheating in the book). I think Christina Lauren did take a risk in how they portrayed Connor’s previous relationship - but I’m not sure the execution was done well enough to make Connor sympathetic.

I also 100% guessed the ending but I don’t even care because Fizzy is the best. If you loved Fizzy in The Soulmate Equation, pick this up ASAP.

Everything about this book was perfect to me… I absolutely adored this book and fell in love with Fizzy and Connor and the overall story.

To start off with, this book is a beautiful ode to romance readers. As Fizzy is a romance writer, she uses so many tropes and all the romance book lingo and I thought that was such a fun little thing to include for romance readers. To me, Fizzy was the highlight of the book and I loved her so much; I loved her positivity and her humour and also her vulnerability. Fizzy is the kind of FMC I would love to have as my friend… I also really liked our hero in this book, Connor… Grumpy single dads will and forever have my heart. I love how much he cared for his daughter, and just how overall character, I thought he worked really well with Fizzy.

I also really loved the whole concept of this book and the whole reality dating show bit as that’s one of my guilty pleasure. I also just loved the overall plot and how this book also really focused on joy and how to find yourself again after you lose hope. This book had everything I love in a Christina Lauren book, and it was FUNNY. I laughed out loud multiple times while reading this book, but it also had very real and emotional moments… It also had spice!! 🥵

This should definitely be on any romance readers lists. The littles nods to romance books made me so happy, and the overall story was really well done. This could be read as a stand alone, however I would highly recommend reading the Soulmate Equation first in order to better understand the premise of the dating show and to better know River and Jess 🥰

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada, and Christina Lauren for the ARC of this incredible book. Out today!

4.5⭐

This book was WOW! I loved the soulmate equation (which was my favorite Christina Lauren to date) but this one knocked it out of the park. It was funny and heartfelt, the characters were so likeable I fell in love with them right away. Fizzy is now my absolute rom-com favorite heroine. She is so funny and witty and quick on her feet. She gives the best advice and she's the aunty and friend everyone would love to have. And Connor. I loved how we can see the biggest change in him from the beginning to the end of this book. He has the best character development in my opinion. The side characters were also great and added to the story either my giving us more insight on why the MCs are the way they are or by having an actual supporting role. The pace of the story was perfect, fast enough but not too much that we did not get character growth or skipped on the chemistry building (which was hot hot hot). It really felt like I was watching a love story unfold and I could not put it down. This is hands down the best Christina Lauren book to date.

Christina Lauren - these ladies have written so many books that I adore! I know a few haven’t been my favorites, but so very many have been my top reads … The Soulmate Equation was in 2021, and now The True Love Experiment is very likely my top 2023 read! It’s absolutely incredible and I sped through all 412 (ish?) pages at lightning speed because I had to know the ending.

I re-read Soulmate immediately before picking up True Love, because it was over two years ago that I read it. There were so many things I’d forgotten, and I’m really glad I did this. I forgot the characters, and quite honestly, the majority of the plot and storyline. If you haven’t read Soulmate, you’ll probably want to read it first (or give it a re-read), for character background (very, very important background).

Fizzy (Felicity) was such a beloved side character from Soulmate that all of us begged for her story - and they finally brought it out! She’s a romance author, beloved auntie to best friend Jess’s daughter Juno (book 1), and serial dater. She’s dated plenty of men from everywhere and DNADuo, the DNA testing dating company that Jess’s husband River founded, but hasn’t met her match. She has never been in love, though. Nothing like Jess and River!

When Fizzy is approached by Connor, the hottie she was checking out at the bar last night, to make a reality TV dating show (think Bachelorette style), but using DNADuo technology. He saw her at the bar that day, discovered she is his ex wife’s favorite romance author, and couldn’t pass up the chance, especially if it meant spending more time with her. She throws in as many crazy demands as she can, including requiring them to include all of the romance trope elements for the men - and somehow they all make it work … while things seem to entirely go off the rails at the same time, during filming.

Such a wild and crazy thrill ride and I loved every second - I completely recommend this book for everyone! I know there are a ton of Christina Lauren fans out there, so for anyone new to this awesome writing duo, start with The Soulmate Equation for the character background and you will be blown away by The True Love Experiment!

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada (Gallery Books), and this is my honest feedback.

4.5⭐️
I smiled, laughed, and teared up reading this. I thoroughly enjoyed The Soulmate Equation as well, and was so excited realizing that this book would be about Fizzy!

Fizzy is adorable and funny and I love her, I was rooting for her from the get go and knew she deserved the best. The best came in the form of Connor, who was very much the swoon-worthy hero!

There was one incident that had occurred with Connor which I think some people wouldn’t like at all, but I do believe in personal growth over time, and it did seem like he was head over heels for Fizzy <3

Jess, River and Juno made appearances which was so fun. The characters alone make these books worth reading!

The plot was a bit drawn out at times? But I loved how they created a new form of reality TV, and the added tension it created for Fizzy and Connor.

Although it may lead to biases like Fizzy mentions in the books, I kind of wish DNADuo existed in real life! Loved both books overall.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for the eARC in exchange of a review!

Christina Lauren fans have been anxiously awaiting Fizzy’s story and it does not disappoint.

I loved the chance to see Jess, River and Juno again and to see that everything had continued to work out for them. I love Jess and Fizzy’s friendship. It reminds me of my own friendship with my best friend. More like family than just friends. And the way Fizzy is an aunt to Juno is so heartwarming. Fizzy is the world’s best auntie.

In the acknowledgements, the authors talk about how Connor took a little bit to shape up. All I can say is that the wait and the work were worth it. Connor is wonderful. A terrific dad and an equally terrific human. I loved him for Fizzy. He is the yin to her yang. Their chemistry is palpable but more than just lust, the foundation of friendship is also there. I loved how supportive they are of each other. How they just allow the other person to be who they are.

Watching the mechanics of creating a reality TV show was a lot of fun and I loved how both Fizzy and Connor strode to create something a little more authentic than what you typically get from these shows. They didn’t let the situation force them to abandon their values.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the obvious commentary running through this book on the romance genre. We get to watch Fizzy navigate the ups and downs as a romance author, experiencing both the hurtful assumptions and the fandom highlights. As a whole, this book reads like a love letter to the genre and I’m here for it.

The True Love Experiment is everything I had hoped and dreamed for Fizzy’s story.

Thank you, Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.