This book was a love letter to romance books and I adored every second of it. There was a modern twist on forbidden romance with amazing characters and it was a great companion to The Soulmate Equation which I read in early February. This is definitely a book worth picking up if you’re interested in a romantic comedy meets reality tv dating show and two people in a bind. A great read to make you fall in love with life (and reading) all over again.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review

Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for this ARC of The True Love Experiment. Thank you Christina and Lauren for once again writing a wonderful book that brings readers JOY!
This book gets all the stars! It is a follow up to The Soulmate Equation (another 5 star book).
I Loved Fizzy and Connor so much.
She is a romance writer and he is a producer of environmental documentaries. Fizzy has writer's block and really just a life block! Connor's company is diversifying and he needs to now produce a reality dating show! He wants Fizzy as his leading lady. She make him pick men based on MC tropes! IT IS HYSTERICAL and can we have this in real life?
Connor and Fizzy's friendship and attraction is palpable. It leaps from the pages and makes the reader feel deeply for these characters. It is utterly ridiculous how quickly I devoured this book (less than 12 hours...I did nothing today but read this book and make dinner)!

I highly recommend this book when it comes out May 16!

This book was great! I loved the characters, the story was so fun, and the couple was perfect.

I really loved getting to know Felicity. I thought she was a very fun likeable character who had very real and relatable struggles. The development she goes through is well written. I really liked her attitude and outlook. I also loved that she was a romance author and the commentary on the prejudices in her industry was interesrting to read.

Connor was a really great male chaarcter, especially because he wa sin touch with his emotions. I find that a lot of romance books have the male protagonist start off aloof and in denial about his feelings which I dont really enjoy, so I really loved that he wasn’t like that. I enjoyed how he was able to open his eyes to the value in what's usually considered “female entertainment” without it feeling preachy and forced.

The plot about the reality show was so entertinaing and fun to read, I wasn’t expecting it and it made the book so memorable.

As a couple I thought Fizzy and Connor were exciting and they were compatible, they kinda balanced each other out.

Overall I think this was a well-written, light-hearted, and enjoyable read and I highly recommend it!

A spin-off from The soulmate equation, this latest book from writing duo Christina Lauren blew me away! I absolutely LOVED Asian American romance writer Fizzy as a main character! She's relatable and unapologetic and struggling with both a writing and romance block.

Enter hot British, single dad Connor, a documentary filmmaker who gets tasked to produce a reality dating show. When he stumbles across one of Fizzy's books at his ex-wife's house he decides she would make a perfect showrunner.

The sparks between Fizzy and Connor were off the charts. I couldn't get enough of their scenes together and really enjoyed the twist they took on making a reality dating show based on the DNDDuo matches and romance character tropes.

Clever, funny and steamy, this was a huge win for me and very possibly my new favorite CLo book with strong Weather girl vibes. Many, MANY thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster Canada for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Easy 5/5 star. Christina Lauren is a auto-buy for me and the library I work at. This book was even better than Soulmate. Fizzy was my absolute favourite character in that book and I am so excited for her to get her own story. She's hilarious and I laughed the entire time I read this book. A feel good romance with incredible original plot, and the banter was just *chef's kiss*. I could not put it down, smiling and giggling the whole time.

My ONLY issue was with Fizzy and Connor's parents. It felt like there was a build up to confronting Connor's dad and Fizzy's mom, but they are just mentioned as having an issue with their careers then never mentioned again. As well as Connor's mom- what happened to her? Is she ok? Is she alive? I felt like there was a few unanswered questions with their families but they were such minor story plot points it wasn't a huge deal! still 5/5 stars for me!!!!!!

The idea of mixing the bachelorette and The DuoDNA tech from The Soulmate Equation was such a good idea and I loved it.

It took me forever to finish this cause I've been in a stressful slump era completely unrelated to the book or reading. Hopefullyyy reread this before May and give a better proper review

I’m not exaggerating when I tell you I dropped everything the moment I saw this on my NetGalley shelf. It’s no secret that I adore Christina Lauren, and I think it’s possible that The True Love Experiment is my new favourite of their books.

I loved Fizzy in The Soulmate Equation so I was stoked when I found out she was getting her own book. She’s charming and charismatic, and quite honestly the perfect choice as a lead on a dating show.
Connor was sweet and solid, a great dad to Stevie.
The chemistry and mutual pining was top tier. Connor having to watch Fizzy go on dates with other men while trying to fight his feelings - the tension was so good.
Jess, River & Juno Merriam were seamlessly written in, and I loved seeing where they are now!
This was fun, swoony and spicy - just a perfect romance read.

The True Love Experiment, by Christina Lauren, is an entertaining romp about a popular side character, Felicity "Fizzy" Chen from the novel "The Soulmate Equation." Years have passed and Fizzy, a romance novelist, is not only disillusioned by love but also suffering from writer's block.

Then she meets a handsome, pensive, single-father, Connor Prince. He convinces Felicity to be on a reality show, he is producing, designed to find her a perfect match. Through the preparation and filming, though, they find that they actually have developing feelings for eachother.

I was torn, at first, reading the book. I found Fizzy's character to be over-the-top and unbelievable - who calls a man they are working with a "hot-lumberjack' and" a "DILF"? However, as the story progressed, I appreciated the vulnerable side of her and found her more likeable.

Overall, I am a huge fan of Christina Lauren's books. This one was enjoyable, but I certainly like other ones more, This would not be a book of theirs I would initially recommend.

That you so much Net Galley and Simon and Schuster for the Arc.

This is a stellar companion novel from Christina Lauren! I loved that our main character is a romance author and the inclusion of romance tropes in a reality show is a genius idea. The banter and romantic chemistry between Fizzy and Connor was SO good. I also really loved that Fizzy was scared to be vulnerable in relationships, which I relate to. Christina Lauren threw in some plot twist curve balls that were handled really well, in my opinion.

If you like books about reality shows, romance novels, and great romantic chemistry/banter, I'd highly recommend this book. You don't need to read the previous book (the Soulmate Equation) to enjoy this one but both books are really good on their own.

4.5/5 Stars!!

I really, really enjoyed reading this book! It had me laughing out loud, swooning, fanning myself, and almost made me cry! I haven't had the chance to read many Christina Lauren books, but this one is at the top of the list! I kept seeing how much everyone liked this book and it deserves all the hype!

Fizzy was such a fun and hilarious character! I loved how blunt and honest she was. It was a delight to read about a character like her! I was rooting so hard for her throughout this story. Connor was very much the definition of DILF. He was such a sweet, loving dad and what I wouldn't give to hear his deep British voice!! It hurt my heart so much to watch him be so supportive of Fizzy's journey even with his feelings for her. It made my heart ache so badly!

The banter and chemistry between these two characters were delightful and had me giggling so hard! This book made me feel so happy. These characters truly felt like they had gone through so much growth and maturity through their own journeys in therapy and felt so refreshing! If you have read any of CLo's books in the past and enjoyed them you will for sure love reading this book!

*Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada, and Christina Lauren for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review

I was quite excited to read this as it was my first ( and not last) Christina Lauren book. I have heard so many good things about their books and they have been on my tbr for awhile. The only thing is.. I don’t like romance. I don’t care about the spice or the HEA or the lust. I just don’t.

Honestly, if you don’t mind romance or even like it, this would be an easy 5⭐️. Even I am shocked I gave a romance book a 4.5, but the writing and storyline were so captivating that I felt like this was such an enjoyable read after a few lacklustre books.

Just read this.

Also, turns out you don’t need to have read The Soulmate Equation first. This works fine as a standalone but I will go back and read Soulmate Equation. I already ordered it.

Absolutely adored this cute love story the tv dating show scene was set spectacularly and the banter and chemistry between the host and mc was amazing the stream was on point as well.

I love this so much!
This sequel to "The Soulmate Equation" was perfect and hit all the feels! I'm so happy that Fizzy got her own story and happily ever after! I loved her character in the first book! You could definitely read this as a stand-alone if you don't want the read the first (but I highly suggest you do!)
CONNOR PRINCE III WOW; fantastic character. The chemistry between them was so good! I loved their story so much!
4.5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley, Simon and Schuster for the ARC!

*This review was shared on Instagram by Christina Lauren!*

📚 ARC REVIEW📚

The True Love Experiment
Written By: Christina Lauren

Publication Date: May 16th, 2023.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎆 workplace romance
🎆 forced proximity
🎆 strangers to friends to lovers
🎆 cinnamon roll hero
🎆 positive depiction of co-parenting

OH. MY. LORDY. I LOVED THIS BOOK!
This is The Bachelorette meets Chandler and Monica sneaking around and falling in love. 🥰

Picture This: A dating show where each of the contestants are REAL LIFE romance novel archetypes (hot nerd, cinnamon roll, etc.)

EVERY BOOK LOVERS DREAM!! Hey reality show networks — can we make this a real show?! All of bookstagram would watch religiously!

Felicity “Fizzy” Chen is a romance writer in a creative slump. In comes Connor Prince, a documentary filmmaker who has been asked to produce a reality television dating show to help bring in profits for the company he works for. He asks Fizzy to star as the bachelorette, and she agrees, hoping to find the creative spark she needs to begin her next novel.

Without even realizing it at first, Connor is producing a dating show where he has to watch the woman he is falling in love with find her soul mate.

The TENSION between these two because they can’t technically act on their feelings in any public way in fear of risking the authenticity of the show is insane.

SO. DELICIOUSLY. GOOD.

I fell in love with Fizzy after the first chapter. She is intelligent, confident, quick-witted, chaotic, and unapologetically her authentic self. However, she is also vulnerable and sensitive beneath her bravado.

Connor is the sophisticated man of our dreams. He is a good listener, revels in Fizzy’s intelligence, is respectful to his ex-wife and is adored by his daughter. He is also funny, a British Adonis, and completely in awe of our girl Fizzy! 😍

This book was classic CLo in its finest form:

💜 laugh out loud one-liners
💜 witty banter
💜 tension build-up

I can’t recommend this book enough! Did you read this one or The Soulmate Equation?

Thank you to @netgalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book!

#arcreview #netgalley #thetrueloveexperiment #christinauren #CLo #realitytvbook #romancearchetypes #bookstagram #romance #romancenovels #romancereads #books #bookworm #bookaddict #romcoms #romcombooks #contemporaryromance #fiction #explore #explorepage #bookish #bookishlife #reading #read #romancebooks #bookreviews #romancereviews

If I could give this book six stars, I would. That is how much I loved it Fizzy was my favourite character in The Soulmate Equation. She's hilarious, smart, loyal, and loving. I want her to be my friend who talks me into things I’ll regret. I feel she is a very strong character. She’s not looking for a guy to complete her, she really just wants to feel like herself again. Connor might be my new book boyfriend. You could feel their mutual adoration coming right off the page. Their chemistry was hot! The premise of the book was very fun as well. I tried to read it slowly so it would last longer and I was always excited to pick it back up again. It was an absolute joy to read.

📝 B O O K R E V I E W 📝
The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Read 02/12-02/14
Pub date 05/16/23

🎆flirty banter
🎆forbidden romance
🎆single dad
🧬 revisiting Jess, River, and Juno

📺 Read if you like: The Bachelor/Bachelorette
 
This story was absolutely everything I could have wanted for Fizzy. The chemistry between Fizzy and Connor is INSANE. Christina Lauren has perfected the art of flirty banter.
 
This is a must-read if you enjoyed The Soulmate Equation. Jess & River’s love story was the first Christina Lauren book I ever read, so I especially enjoyed re-visiting them while reading this. I’m so glad Fizzy got her own book, she was one of those super memorable side characters with so much personality.
 
This book was just perfect.

Thanks @netgalley for read number 24 of 2023. Oh my gosh … I loved this book! While I don’t usually read this fiction/romance genre, I love @christinalauren’s books, and I just had to read this one. It made me laugh and cry, and had the most wonderful characters. I could not put this book down. A ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read that you most certainly need in your life!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this ARC.

When I say that I audibly gasped when I saw that I was approved to read and review a Christina Lauren book.. I really did. Their book Love & Other Words is one of my all time favorite books, so receiving this arc had me feeling very thankful.

5 out of 5 stars.

This book is part of “The Soulmate Equation” universe. This is a dual POV with romance novelist Fizzy Chen and documentary filmmaker and single Dad Connor Prince.

I loved every single part of this book. I mean a romance writer being cast as the lead on a reality dating show?! It was *chefs kiss* Perfect!
I really loved Fizzy as the side character in The Soulmate Equation, so getting to know her more in this book was so fun. She's hilarious, sex positive, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Connor was everything. He’s British, handsome, loves his daughter and wears his heart on his sleeve. The sexual tension between Fizzy and Connor was HOT and the spicy scenes made all that sexual tension worth it.
The pop culture references were great, I also loved that we got many different types of romance characters in this book. The cinnamon roll was one of my faves.

Overall this book was such a good homage to all the romance lovers out there. It was funny, steamy, swoon worthy and really enjoyable!

I loved this book so much. I knew I would, I love Christina Lauren's writing, it sounded excellent, and I loved The Soulmate Equation, and I really enjoyed Fizzy. So that she got her own story, her own romance, that was just fantastic!

There's an author's note that talks about how this is about their love of romance novels, and their defense of romance novels. Which is valid, they're looked down upon, for being for women, for having a happy ending. None of these things means that the book is lesser than any other. Snottish, elitist views, go away!

I adored Fizzy in The Soulmate Equation. She's not afraid to speak her mind and she's so much fun. She's a romance author, but she's never experienced true, head over heels in love, and the writer's block is very real. So when she's offered the chance to be on this show, by someone who looks down on her genre, well, she jumps at the chance! What better method of educating somebody?

Getting to know Connor, as he was realizing his own assumptions, as he was spending this time with Fizzy, it was so fantastic! Their story, with their unique complications and troubles, well, I was worried for one thing happening, but it worked out, and I was so happy for the two of them!

Loved reading this book, and I can't wait to read more by Christina Lauren!

The True Love Experiment focuses on Fizzy Chen and the adventures of her love life. Fizzy is a romance author who has lost hope in finding her soulmate. Connor Prince is an eco-documentary producer, now forced to be the producer of a new reality dating show. Fizzy agrees to be the star of the show in attempt to find her soulmate.

I went into reading the book not realizing that it was a spin off of The Soulmate Equation. I just genuinely love the works of Christina Lauren and was excited to see that they had a new book. Although you could read this book as a standalone, reading The Soulmate Equation provides you background information about some content used in the story, as well as understanding certain characters personalities.

As a spin off of TSE, I loved the inclusion of Jess, River and Juno throughout the story, they surprisingly had a much larger role than I expected. Although I do wish we got a bit more from River, he had minimal dialogue, and half the time it was either Jess or Fizzy being like ‘oh you know how he is.’ With DNADuo being a part of this books storyline, you would think that River would have a few more lines and opinions.

The dual POVs that swapped between Fizzy and Connor were great, it allowed for the reader to further understand Connor as a new character, and allowed for us to also understand both sides of the story whether it was coming from Fizzy’s POV or Connors.

The book was great overall, although I felt the ending to be a bit rushed. I wished we got a little more information behind Connor’s final decision. A Connor POV of him doing all the work and explaining the whats and whys of the choice that he made, and his feelings/expectations surrounding the choice. Another great book from Christina Lauren that I truly enjoyed reading.

Thank you NetGalley, Simon and Shuster Canada for the eARC in exchange for an honest opinion.