Member Reviews
Easily one of my top two Christina Lauren books! I really loved the storyline and the characters. The ending really made the whole story.
Thank you to #NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC!
Another fabulous Christina Lauren book! Need I say more? This book did not disappoint at all! It was absolutely amazing! I would high recommend it!
Did NOT realize that this was a follow up book to The Soulmate Equation so that was fun!! I really love this premise. Fizzy is a romance author who has now sworn off love. She gets approached by Connor (😍❤️) who is being forced to make a new reality tv show and wants Fizzy to be the lead. She’s hoping that this show will bring her out of her funk and be able to go back to writing again!
I’m not going to lie - the first 30% or so was mildly annoying. I did not like this Fizzy here. At all. She was just so rude and inconsiderate and touchy. It was kind of a struggle to get this done for that first 30%. BUT something shifted and boy I loved it!! The dynamics between the characters, the witty banter, the kids!! So. Fun. I can almost completely forgive that I didn’t love the first part because the last 70% I couldn’t put down!! I’m writing this at 3:30am because I just HAD to stay up to finish. I just loved this. If CL wanted to write more books about Connor, sign me up!!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the authors for this ARC. Expected publication date is May 16, 2023.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 4.75 stars rounded up (.25 off because I can’t totally forget the beginning 😂🤷🏻♀️)
A interesting love story that isn't like all the rest. The author keeps the reader's attention and keeps them wanting more.
CLo can be hit and miss for me, but this is hands down the best book of theirs I've ever read. Fizzy was the best part of SOULMATE EQUATION, and this is a true homage to romance and romancelandia without being trite. The characters feel very well thought out, the stakes are real, and the conflicts not manufactured. Just so much fun to read and everything you want in a romance.
Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery for providing an eARC in exchange for this review.
I loved that Fizzy got her own book! She was so much fun in the :Soulmate Equation" that I was very excited to read this book. It was classic Christina Lauren in the best way. I loved it and it was the perfect vacation read.
Predictible but written so well and made me giddy reading it. I was physcially laughing out loud, smilling, and gushing while reading this book. Do not let the reality tv show aspect of this book turn you off, it is minimal time actually spent filming. Most of this is planning the show and the producer and main love interst of the show hanging out. If you are a romance reader you are going to love the defence of the genre in this book. It makes fun of its self in a goofy way that makes you love the genre even more and it defends that romance is a valuable genre and is not a guitly pleasure. The last 20% of this book is one of the best scenes I've ever read and I would 100% watch a reality tv show if I knew it would get this ending.
Tropes: falling for your matchmaker; author; single dad; reality tv show; secret relationship; friends to lovers; forbidden love; oposites attract;
Quotes: "I don't know what it feels like to be consistently significant."
"Last week I considered going jogging in flip-flops just to remind myself how sex sounds."
"'Yes, but why should I feel guilty for reading something that makes me happy?'"
"'Once the world sees you, Fizzy, they're going to fall in love.'"
"Truth is, you'll never meet abook lover who hates the quiet.'"
"Our relationship was professional for approximately one millisecond; the crumbled boundaries look like a pile rubble in the rearview mirror."
"'I think you are the masterpiece.'"
"Connor Prince III should be awarded a gold medal in the Active Listening event at the romance olympics."
"'You make it very hard to want to fall for someone else.'"
"'It's a terrible idea, but that's my brand.'"
"Whoever invented kissing is my favorite historical figure ever."
"Book people are just better."
"'You look in the mirror and see all of the ways you are letting me down. I look at you and see everything I've ever wanted you to be.'"
"She is the best mood."
This book sucked me in from the jump and was giving OG Christina Lauren. A very fun setting- reality television and online dating. Friends to lovers is not my favorite rom-com trope, but they managed to keep me invested in the character’s dynamic and build tension without me getting bored. A fun read and perfect for your next spring break/summer beach read.
Another fantastic read by Christina Lauren!
A slight tie in to The Soulmate Equation and while you can read this as a stand alone, I'd recommend reading The Soulmate Equation first. Fizzy was a surprisingly great lead... and sure met her match in Connor! The set up was just so so fun and the characters really came alive!
Solid one!
I fell in [true] love with this novel! I couldn't put it down... which is quite typical for me when reading Christina Lauren novels. (And I've read almost all of them!) This may be my new favorite. I enjoyed that they brought back previous characters and created a new, fun story line that intertwined with an old favorite.
I think that the characters were given the right amount of development that kept them entertaining and real.
I could absolutely see this becoming a movie-- it seemed to be written for the screen.
If you are part of #bachelornation,, then I think this would be a great pleasure read!
3.5/4⭐️
Fizzy, a romance writer, has had writer’s block for almost a year. Adding salt to the wound, she also hasn’t dated since her disastrous relationship with a married man. She is approached to be the lead on a dating show that Connor is producing. What starts as less than a friendship, quickly develops into something more between the lead of a dating show and it’s producer.
Fizzy was fun, energetic and hilarious. I loved how her personality flew off the pages and how her relationship with Connor seemed to develops organically. I loved the dating show premise and how it wasn’t too heavily part of the plot but just enough. Where I got lost was there seemed to be a lot of filler that could be taken out, conversations with extra characters that derailed the story a little. I still rooted for Fizzy and Connor and loved them as the MCs!
Thank you NetGalley for my eARC
This book! This book is pure joy. I had a smile on my face the whole time and felt like this was a love story written for and to romance readers as a whole. My people!!!
The Soulmate Equation introduced us to Fizzy Chen, fun loving, sex positive romance writer and best friend. She was such a well developed character she needed her own story and, wow, did CL deliver. Fizzy has lost her writing and sexy mojo after a disastrous relationship. Connor is a divorced father and documentary producer who has just been told to pivot to reality dating shows. He sets his sights on Fizzy as the star and honestly I would watch a reality daring show like the one they develop.
The men on the show have been selected to fit into romance hero types and I loved almost each of them so much. This really felt like a behind the scenes of an actual show and I loved every minute of it. I am not a reality tv watcher but love books about it.
Watching the friendship and relationship between Fizzy and Connor was just so fun. The flirting was perfection. And the surrounding cast and characters were excellent.
I have been a fan of CL and their books for years and, once again, they have knocked it out of the park. I have zero complaints. Fun and steamy and excellently written. Romance lovers are in for a treat this May with this perfect summer beach read.
Thank you for NetGalley for my gifted arc.
Christina Lauren’s new book is a sexy rom com filled with so much banter, chemistry but also lots of miscommunication.
3.5 ⭐️
I LOVED the first 60%. Fizzy and Connor had insane chemistry and I could feel like through the page. The banter was so good and the reality show setting surprisingly kept me engaged and interested. The cast of characters was also SO great. I adored every character. You couldn’t help but root for these two. I had a great time until….
The miscommunication and rejection.
Fizzy was rejected by Connor 3 TIMES and then continued to tell him she loved him (girl please read the room). Connor was a dick at times and when Fizzy got rightfully upset at things from his past, he acted so hurt and like she shouldn’t have been upset. He really downplayed her feelings throughout the whole book and it was very annoying. He needed to grovel a lot more. I found this whole plot about Connors past really hard to overlook and no one seemed bothered except for Fizzy?
My mixed feelings aside, this book was genuinely fun and I had a good time reading it. I think fans of CL will love this book!
Thanks NetGalley and Gallery books for the ARC I’m exchange for an honest review
Love this sequel to the Soulmate Equation. I absolutely loved Fizzy and her bold personality. The chemistry between Fizzy and Connor was amazing throughout the whole book. The ending was exactly what I was hoping for throughout the whole book 🤩!!
An absolutely wonderful follow-up to The Soulmate Equation from the dynamic Christina Lauren duo. I did not realize just how badly I wanted to read Fizzy's book until she got a story of her own and I could not put it down. Fizzy and Connor were delightful and I loved every single page of this book - full of banter and some spicy moments, what more could you ask for?
Christina Lauren's last few books have been hit or miss with me. However, I really enjoyed this one. The True Love Experiment is about Fizzy. Fizzy is a romance author who has been going through a dry spell (both personally and professionally). When a TV producer approaches her to do a dating show with her as the star, she is surprised but eventually agrees. However, she and the TV producer seem to have more chemistry than any of the contestants.
This was so fun and sweet. I love that we got to see the characters from the previous book settling into their new lives. I really liked Fizzy's vivacious personality.
This was a much better read from Christina Lauren compared to the last few books they wrote. I know this was a continuation of the Love Experiment, but I read that so long ago I barely remembered Fizzy Chen (the protagonist of this novel). I wish there was a little reminder before about what had happened. Fizzy was extremely relatable and a diverse character which is nice to see from CL. I did not think any parts dragged. I enjoyed this book a lot!
Sadly this one didn't work for me. There was nothing outright "wrong", but I just found it to lack the tension, angst and yearning that I look for in a good romance
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an advance reader copy in return for my honest review. I am generally a big fan of Christina Lauren. Some of their books are better than others, but I know the writing will always be top notch and I really enjoyed The Soulmate Equation so I was thrilled to get a chance to read The True Love Experiment! The cover is gorgeous and I had really high hopes for this one! Unfortunately, this story didn't do it for me. I found Fizzy to be a fun side character in the previous book, but she was really annoying and way too much in this book. I found myself really disliking her. Connor, the male MC, was great. He was fleshed out really well and I found myself rooting for him. I just couldn't figure out what was so amazing about Fizzy though that he'd be attracted to her. She was generally just obnoxious and really was a much better side character than main character and I think that is really evident throughout the whole book. I am admittedly not at all interested in the fake dating reality tv shows so maybe that also went into my dislike of this book in general. It just didn't work for me. I'll still look forward to future Christina Lauren books, but this one just wasn't for me.
This book made me laugh from the get go, it made me cry, this book is the ultimate Christina Lauren novel.
We turn the page right into Fizzy, questioning life, love, and what the hell she’s actually doing with hers. It was shocking to see this fun and quirky character who always has the perfect retort to every quib questioning herself.
One of the things I really love about Fizzy other than her great sense of humor is her sex positivity and openness to being upfront about what she wants.
She and Connor’s flirting or budding friendship were absolutely the sweetest and hottest scenes to read. Connor was such a caring and honest MMC without the alpha-ness it was a nice read and his daughter along with Juno was a hoot.
It was an added bonus to have River and Jess in the book a lot so we got to have a great check in and see how their story is going post HEA and the creative use of the DNAduo.
The tv show really just let Fizzy shine and she quickly and easily went from a supporting character in The Soulmate Equation to the FMC in this novel.
I think one of the things that was a really great connection were the pop culture references, which makes sense with the book centered around a reality tv show.
If you are in a book hangover and looking for something similar in my opinion pick up Josh and Hazels Guide to Not Dating.
Fizzy actually reminds me a lot of Hazel from Josh and Hazel’sGuide to Not Dating, and maybe that’s why I love Fizzy so much as well as the way Fizzy and Connor just fall into each other like Josh and Hazel.