Thank you Gallery books for an eARC via Netgalley so I could give my honest feedback on this title!

I think this is the 5th or 6th Christina Lauren title I've read, and this one falls somewhere in the middle - not the best, not the worst. It took me a while to get into it (and that may partly have been because I was reading it on my Kindle and I'm 99% sure my body is now programmed to fall asleep while I'm reading it) but once I hit the 30% mark or so, I was pretty invested.

Here is what I liked about this story:
1) The faux reality TV show within. I can't help it, I love a good knockoff of The Bachelor or something of the like in a book, and this one had a fun spin to it!
2) The San Diego setting. I'll never not love when a story is set in my favorite city in the world, and this one was no different with its references to the Gaslamp Quarter, Coronado, Balboa Park, and more. Made me want to book a flight directly there.
3) The male lead, Connor, was super sweet. While he didn't stand out to me as one I won't ever forget, I did really enjoy his kindness, his relationship with his daughter, and his maturity in his friendship with his ex wife.
4) The MC, Fizzy's family - they were all so sweet and fun and reading about the tea ceremony the day of the wedding was one of my favorite parts of the whole book!

What I didn't love:
1) Unfortunately, the female MC, Fizzy really irritated me. I didn't like her attitude and smart mouth (though many may find her funny). Because roughly half the book was from her perspective, this was a major drawback for me.
2) The pacing of the book was a little off for me. The beginning was slow, the middle had some parts where it picked up speed, then it hit the brakes, and the last 10% went super quickly. It felt a bit like whiplash.

Overall, this was a mostly enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more from Christina Lauren in the future!

The True Love Experiment
by Christina Lauren
Pub Date: 16 May 2023
Gallery Books
Romance
Rating: 5/5

The True Love Experiment is a feel-good story full of laughter. I was immediately captivated by the book and the emotions of the delightful characters. Written under the pseudonym Christina Lauren, The True Love Experiment is the sequel to The Soulmate Equation by Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings.

Synopsis:
Conner Prince III is a documentary producer and single dad whose next project is a reality dating TV show starring Felicity "Fizzy" Chen. Fizzy Chen is a successful romance writer who feels discouraged by dating, but agrees to do the show to boost her career. As the show begins filming, things get out of hand, resulting in a steamy attraction you won't want to miss.

Thank you NetGalley, and Gallery Books, for sharing this cozy romance with me. The True Love Experiment is another successful collaboration between Lauren Billings and Christina Hobbs. In my opinion, they are the best romance authors of 2023!

#TheTrueLoveExperiment
#NetGalley
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this novel. The True Love Experiment is fun, fresh, and a romantic read that will appeal to wide range of readers. I will definitely be recommending this title!

WOW WOW WOW! Christina Lauren is quickly becoming the queen of Rom Com( Watch out Emily Henry!) " The Unhoneymooners" and " love and Other Words" have always been my favorite CL books, and this one has definitely surpassed! The story follows a romance writer who is in a writing slump, and isn't finding herself enjoying casual romances like she used to in the past. However, when she gets approached by gorgeous Connor Prince to participate in a reality tv dating show, she ends up falling in love. This book was definitely steamier than Lauren's more recent novels, but I loved every second of it. Also, can someone please make this show?!

The True Love Experiment is an absolute joy—I stayed up til 1 in the morning to finish and left with with such happiness in my heart. Fizzy, a romance author, has lost her spark after being burned by love. Connor Prince wants nothing more than to make documentaries, but his profit-minded boss has a different idea: a reality dating show. And when Connor meets Fizzy, he knows he found his star—if only the two could keep away from each other. Oh this book—it was funny, it was witty, it had so much heart. I would absolutely watch the reality show these two put together and be dying for a new episode every week, especially with how Fizzy made it her own (romance readers are going to love it). And Fizzy just sparkles. She’s flawed and unapologetically honest and herself, she’s loud and fun and I just adored her. Plus Jess (from The Soulmate Equation) and Fizzy are friendship goals with their wordless talks and endless love and support. It’s beautiful! And Connor! These two have the most amazing, electric chemistry, and I love how they start as enemies to lovers and build such an honest friendship. It’s steamy and sexy and there’s so much love! This book is also such a beautiful ode to the genre of romance, highlighting all the best parts of romance reading. Honestly I could just keep gushing about it, this is definitely a new favorite book of mine!

I truly loved The Soulmate Equation, so when I found out that 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚃𝚛𝚞𝚎 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝙴𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 was going to feature Fizzy’s story, Jess’s best friend, I was super excited!

Of course it lived up to the hype! This romcom was fun, spicy, and sincere.

Christina Lauren can do no wrong! I loved The Soulmate Equation so I was very excited to get approved for this arc. It was so so good! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review!

As a fan of Christina Lauren, I am not surprised that “The True Love Experiment” is just as good as their other entries in the romance genre. It’s hot, sexy, witty, and charming. One of my favorites I’ve read this year so far. The characters felt real and well fleshed out. I anticipated the twist, however its execution was sweet and great!!! Love love loved this one!

Fizzy is a hoot! What a great main character! The chemistry with Connor was perfect! And I mean who doesn't love a hot single dad?! I love reality TV so I was hooked and devoured this book. This book didn't disappoint!

I love Christina Lauren, and was so excited to get this ARC from netgalley. I loved The Soulmate Equation and I was so excited for Fizzy’s story. They did not disappoint. It was so fun to dive into her world and the chemistry between her and Connor was 😍🥵. This book was absolute perfection.

Thank you @netgalley for this ARC!

I really liked having Fizzy as a main character in this one! She is cheeky and improper and such a fun personality.
Connor was also a great male lead. He was quiet and stoic and their banter was top notch!
I also loved getting just the smallest glimpse back at River and Jess.
I think this one also was a little faster to get the plot going than The Soulmate Equation did. The conflict that arises made sense and I thought it fit the characters well.
I do think that I prefer The Soulmate Equation maybe a little more, but I loved them both!
CW/TW: sexual content, cursing, infidelity

I received an ARC via NetGalley and Gallery Books in exchange for an honest review.

Fizzy and Conner are instantly drawn to each other, but they know that they are supposed to be keeping their relationship professional. However, they can't help but fall for each other, and they soon find themselves in a passionate romance. However, their relationship is not without its challenges. Fizzy is still struggling with her trust issues, and Conner is dealing with his own personal demons. But despite the obstacles, they are determined to make their relationship work.
There are a few CL books I just love. This one was not one of them. That's not to say it was bad, it just wasn't for me.

Christina Lauren can be hit or miss for me, but I was pleasantly surprised by the storyline/romance of this one. Fizzy and Connor are good matches, and also omg I'm a sucker for a single dad in fiction.

It's no secret that I love this writing duo and all their books and I might have even said this before a time of two but....this has to be my new favorite by these authors. This was just so much fun. From laughing out loud to crying into tissues I freaking loved every single page of this story. So memorable and so much more emotional than I think I was prepared for it to be. This was just...amazing. It's going to be hard to top this one but if anyone can do it, I know these two talented woman can!

While The True Love Experiment can certainly stand on its own, I recommend reading The Soulmate Equation first. It will fill you in on the characters and the dating app that figure prominently in this novel. Plus, it’s an amazing read. That said, The True love Experiment delivers on all we’ve come to expect from Christina Lauren: humor, great friendships, sharp and witty dialog, relatable characters and an engaging plot. What’s not to like about the coming together of a successful but blocked romance writer, a DNA-based dating app and reality TV?

Christina Lauren does it again! I loved this sweet lighthearted book. I enjoyed seeing “behind the scenes” of both a romance writer and a reality dating show. I would definitely recommend to everybody!

If you like books featuring…
Meta-romance tropes
Reality tv dating
Strong sense of place

Great for fans of…
One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London
The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun
If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy (Cinderella retelling)

This was another great book by Christina Warren! Did I love it as much as the soulmate equation? No, but that is only because Fizzy was a bit hard to relate to. This was still a great romcom that I will recommend to other fans of the genre.

This was one of the weaker Christina Lauren books I've read in a while, I think devoted fans will still find some things to enjoy but overall the book feel flat for me.

The True Love Experiment features Fizzy (first seen in The Soulmate Equation) as an author who is stuck in a rut, and the dating show she stars in to find true love and get out of her dating, life, writing rut. Will her true love be a contestant on the show or someone else?

This is one of the best Christina Lauren books I’ve read since Love & Other Words.
I thought Fizzy was hilarious, Connor was swoon worthy, and I loved the insights of Juno and Stevie.

While I’ve never watched a dating show, I liked the premise behind this one and wish something like this existed.

Thank you so much, Netgalley, for this ARC!

4.5/5 stars