After reading the "Soulmate Equation" I was so excited to read Fizzy's story! We meet Fizzy at a time where she is experiencing some serious writers block and is in need of some romantic inspiration. Enter Connor. A divorced dad and filmmaker whose career in documentaries suddenly hinges on his ability to produce a hit reality dating show. With Fizzy's natural charisma and fame as a romance author, she's a shoo-in for a new hit dating show. And for her, it's the perfect opportunity to beat her writers block and find some inspiration with several eligible bachelors.

I loved the slow build-up between Fizzy and Connor and how despite their polar personalities there is an undeniable chemistry. Producing and starring in a dating show they must figure out how to navigate their growing feelings for each other and find out if they're the true love experiment or not.

A great read for fans of "opposites attract", "forced proximity" and "slow-burns"!

This was a fun new novel from our fav romcom author bestie duo and I think fans will enjoy the chaotic adventures of fizzy & connor. With the sharp wit we all know and love, this book really leans into what we all love best about romcoms and is a little shoutout to romance lovers everywhere.

With that said, I found their dynamic & the premise a little weird, though I can still appreciate the homage to the romance genre. I mostly didn’t like how fizzy had to go through the whole dating show, with Connor being Off Limits as Mr Producer, while the reader obviously knows they’re the endgame couple (because that’s how romance novels work, duh). I was anxious to see how they’d end up together & make it work, and that ending was super sweet. But the anxiety was Not because the stakes felt weirdly high.

I also DID NOT ENJOY the infidelity. Even though it was in the past and did not occur presently with our characters, I just flat out hate this trope. Especially since it was triggering for fizzy!! I just feel like literally any other issue could have been used and this one felt so Wrong and also fizzy’s immediate, emotional reaction was made to seem dramatic? Not cool.

But overall, this was a quick & fun read with an original premise. Ultimately I didn’t feel super connected with these characters though & so it fell a little flat for me.

3.5⭐️ rounding down

**big thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this eARC**

Ok — I hope I can make this review cohesive.

I really wanted to love this one. Fizzy was one of my favorite parts of The Soulmate Equation, so I was excited to get to see more of her. But for some reason, what I loved most about her in TSE did not quite translate over to this book. Perhaps it was because she was questioning herself a bit. But I wanted more of the banter she had. We see some of it, but we also see a lot of her being, to me, a bit melodramatic.

Instalove is not one of my favorite tropes, and for Fizzy and Connor, they seem to fall j to it in a month. And perhaps that can happen, but I just don’t buy it. I did enjoy seeing their relationship develop. And I liked that the drama and what kept them apart wasn’t a miscommunication.

I think perhaps this book was a bit too long. If it had been edited down I would have enjoyed it more.

All of this to say, I didn’t not like this book. There were just things that made me not race to pick up every day. It took me almost 7 days to finish which for me is a while. Who knows, maybe it was also just me and my brain at the time of reading.

I will still recommend it to those looking for a contemporary romance. (3.5/3.75)

This book was so fun! At first, I wasn’t sold on the concept that s formula could find your perfect match. It felt too unattached. As I went on though, I loved the main characters and the relationships and the dynamic, so my initial distrust was completely won over. This book is steamy and fun and funny and absolutely amazing. 12 out of 10 I will read again.

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5 stars

Christina Lauren is back and better than ever with the sequel to The Soulmate Equation. This story follows the beloved Fizzy as she finally gets her real-life happy ending. When Fizzy, currently suffering from writer’s block, is approached by Connor to star in a Bachelorette-type reality show, she agrees in hopes of it getting her out of her funk. However, Fizzy may find a lot more than just inspiration for her next novel.

I was OBSESSED with this book. It went straight into my top 3 CLo books of all time. I loved Fizzy in the previous book, but somehow loved her even more in The True Love Experiment. As for Connor - book boyfriend excellence. Ugh he was so swoony and flawed and perfect. Christina Lauren have truly outdone themselves with this romance. Bow down. All the stars.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have heard about Christina Lauren book for a long time. I had never read one before. I thought this was an excellent book and I enjoyed reading this story from a new to me author. It was a quick afternoon read that did not disappoint. I would recommend to others.

Fizzy, the romance-writing best friend of "The Soulmate Equation" is back in her own book, and she had plenty to say about how romance books are treated in society. I have been on a RomCom kick lately, and it's great to see conversations about how fun, predictable, guaranteed-happy-ending books and their readers deserve just as much recognition as more serious genres.

I'm always interested when books have peeks behind the scenes of a job I know little about, and this did not disappoint! Fizzy and Connor are both loveable and real. The little moments captured between the characters were the best part (with the steamy scenes coming second).

This is only my second book from Christina Lauren, but I am excited to read more!

I. Love. Christina and Lauren!

Okay, I loved this book more than the Soulmate Equation. I mean don't get me wrong, I loved Jess and River. Absolutely adored them! But wowza, Fizzy and Connor made me want to read an entire series just about them. So let's get into it!

Fizzy as our female lead character was amazing. I thought she was the PERFECT balance of self-confidence and vulnerability. I loved her chapters, getting to read her unfiltered thoughts. I love how sex-positive she was and the growth she made in her heart as the book went out. She was still sex-positive by the end of the book, but recognized now she wanted just one person to be with. I felt strongly that there was nothing wrong with her at the beginning, where she had gone years with many partners, and the end where she wanted just one. That is just a strong message to sent to all readers. Getting to see her development almost felt like therapy, and I've been married for ten years and have two kids! I also just loved the side issue of her not feeling like she was enough for her family, especially her mom. The ownership of that conflict made her stronger as a lead.

Connor was just beautiful. Seriously no complaints. I love my husband; absolutely love him. But like.. I want a Connor. I mean what's not to like?? Obviously very hot? Love. Dedicated dad? Love. Respectful co-parent? Love. Go with the flow? Love. Adventurous? Love. Good friend, great lover, honest, evolved, etc. etc. etc.???? LOVE!

Now, the love story was just beautiful. Getting to experience them falling in love, admitting it to each other, trying to fight it, give in, experience conflict, grow apart and then come back together WAS AMAZING! I could have kept reading their story for years. No complains, seriously.

The only issue I had, believability wise, is from the very beginning. I would have liked to have seen Connor and Fizzy have a stronger foundation, have experience more time together BEFORE they went on the joy excursions. Like, even having finished the entire book, it still felt unnatural that Fizzy suggested that to a guy she essentially didn't like (thanks to misjudging) right after they meet. Like I would have loved to have seen them have a few meetings together to plan the show, get to know each other, identify the issue of lack-of-joy, then come up with the plan to fix that. I understand that those excursions aren't the main premise of the book, and therefore can't take up too much time, but for nit-pickings sake, I would have liked that initial building of their love to have started out more natural.

Anyways. Freakin' love this. You MUST read!

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren was not the right book for me. I have read one other book by this author, and enjoyed it with a few misgivings. This book was just awful from the beginning. It's hard to enjoy a book where you don't like any of the main characters. I was left disinterested in where the story was going. Disappointed.

This book is absolutely amazing. I’m so glad CLo decided to help Fizzy find love. This is one those books that you read and you don’t want it to end because you love the characters and their love story so much. ❤️ I’m still thinking about this book and missing it three days later.

absolute PERFECTION. Fizzy and Connor are EVERYTHING. the romance!!! a book about books!!!! the banter. and maturity. TWO A+ CHARACTERS. I WOULD CHANGE NOTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK. and as a Chinese reader I also LOVED and appreciated the acknowledgements as well!!!

Author Fizzy Chen’s books are full of spice, lust, and romance - which sadly could not be farther from the truth of her own love life. Fizzy realizes that while her entire career is based around love, she isn’t sure she’s ever really felt the kind of spark she writes about. When producer Connor Prince hears of Fizzy’s fiery career and her single status, a spark of his own ignites; he knows Fizzy would make a perfect, unexpected star of the new dating show he’s been forced to create. After much convincing on Connor’s part and creative terms on Fizzy’s, the two agree to team up so she can find love and he can keep his job. Once filming starts though, it’s hard for either to see a potential match in one of contestants, as Fizzy and Connor only seem to have eyes for each other.

I adored “The Soulmate Equation” and loved that this was a spin-off from the OG story. Fizzy is wild and entertaining, Connor is your typical buttoned-up secret softy, and River and Jess from book one are back after their own happily ever after. The concept behind both books is so cute: a DNA dating service that finds true love in even the most unexpected matches. I didn’t love this as much as book one, but it was still a cute, light-hearted read.

📖 BOOK REVIEW 📖

💜💖 The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren 💖💜

PERFECTION. This entire book was just PERFECTION. A love letter to romance readers, romance tropes, fangirling, I could not have picked this happy joyful book up at a better time.

Here’s what to expect:
💖 fun sassy FMC who is a romance author
💜 broody hot MMC who is a producer and is also BRITISH 😮‍💨
💖 The Bachelorette vibes (but how it should be in real life let’s be honest) where the men are all romance hero types (Cinnamon roll, hot nerd, tattooed bad boy, etc)
💜 enemies to coworkers/friends to lovers
💖 forbidden love
💜 swoony romance + steamy scenes
💖 funny laugh out loud humor
💜 all the things you love about romance novels is in here

I absolutely ADORED this book and I must now go read The Soulmate Equation (I didn’t realize this was sort of a sequel in the same world??) I am completely hooked on Christina Lauren!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

Fizzy is a popular romance novelist who has become cynical about all things love in her own life. Connor is a documentary filmmaker who is tasked by his company to create a reality dating tv show and believes Fizzy (and all of her crazy demands) is the perfect romantic lead. When they meet sparks fly even when they shouldn’t. I really enjoyed this romance (a sequel to THE SOULMATE EQUATION) and found the characters, particularly Fizzy, to be Gina be charming. It redeemed Christina Lauren for me, because honestly I thought they jumped the shark after SOMETHING WILDER. But they’re back to their roots here - plenty of steam and banter. A good time 😊

I always enjoy Christina Lauren books. The writing style is always an easy, enjoyable read for me. I finished it very quickly and would recommend to readers!

This is the follow up to the Soulmate Equation that I didn't even know I needed. I loved Fizzy as a supporting character in that book, but when it was over I moved on. I am so glad the authors went back and gave her her own story! I loved the banter with her and Connor. This book had me laughing out loud and I tore through it.

After my disappointment with Something Wilder, I was hesitant to pick up another Christina Lauren but I am so glad I did. Very few books give me the butterflies, but this one did. I loved Fizzy and Connor’s dynamic and the chemistry was definitely there. I read this in two days because I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend!

Christina Lauren does it again! Master of the romance genre featuring strong female characters with spunk. Fizzy is a romance writer who has no luck with men herself. Enter Connor, a documentary producer charged with the challenge of creating a new dating reality show. Put the two of them together and sparks begin to fly. This was a fun, forget about your own troubles kind of story!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

I absolutely adored this book! Fizzy is a breath of fresh air. She speaks her mind and goes after what she wants. She is the type of person that sings badly but does it with gusto anyway. Connor is tall and handsome yet doesn’t realize it. He is extremely loyal and an awesome father. Yet, both of these characters have insecurities that they keep hidden.

I couldn’t get enough of the humor and sexual tension between Connor and Fizzy. I felt like I was immersed in their lives and didn’t want to put the book down for fear that I might miss something. This was another great book from Christina Lauren.

I don’t give 5 stars often, but this one is well deserving! I was hooked from the very beginning; Fizzy and her love journey. It is hard to come up with new dating show concepts and I thought this one was a unique idea in its own. Being able to be “behind the scenes” with Fizzy and Cameron made me smile and I just knew others in set were watching them fall in love. Fizzy, the main character, was a dynamic woman who I want to be friends with. She speaks her mind and does what she wants, no looking back and takes no prisoners. A romance novelist who lost her belief in romance until…..enter Connor. Big and sexy but your best friend too….I would take him home! 😀 Sweet but with some sass, he dishes it out with Fizzy and a romance that is off limits becomes a fun playground to frequent. Their fun and flirty ways was a joy to read and I was rooting for them to be a match the entire time.