DNF at 41%. While I have really enjoyed many Christina Lauren books, lately they seem to be pretty hit or miss for me and this one was definitely a miss. I didn't love Fizzy as the horndog best friend in The Soulmate Equation and I really didn't care for her as a main character here. This book is supposed to be the authors' big "love letter" to the Romance genre, but it included some of my least favorite tropes:

*The main character is super Extra and only a very special man can understand her and keep up with her.
*As I mentioned earlier, she was the horndog best friend in the first book, and having that whole attitude as the main POV was pretty trying for me. If a male character was saying all the same stuff, it would have come off as super creepy, yet we're supposed to find her saying it as refreshing?
*There's an eyeroll-worthy subplot on "finding joy."
*While I didn't read far enough to get to it, I saw in other reviews that there is also a cheating plotline.

I really tried with this one, but there were just too many things that didn't work for me and I couldn't make myself finish it. That said, I know there will be many people who don't have problems with the things I did and will probably really enjoy this.

Gotta love Christina Lauren! I love all of her books and this is no different. Perfect jump from The Soulmate Equation, there were refreshers along the way. The relationship between Fizzy and Connor is swoon worthy, the flirting and suspense was just right. One of my favorites from CL thus far!

I have been a huge fan of just about everything I’ve ever read by Christina Lauren, and I particularly enjoyed The Soulmate Equation, so it’s safe to say I had high expectations for The True Love Experiment. I did not, however, expect it to be a high five star joyride that I couldn’t put down, one that made me cry on multiple occasions. There was just something about this book that absolutely worked for me. The characters, the challenges they faced, I loved all of it. It wasn’t perfect (there’s some inconsistency in character decisions, and a little flimsy plotting at times) but to me, it sort of was. I loved my time with this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who is a sucker for reality romance shows, this book was so entertaining to me! I've read a number of Christina Lauren books before but this was my favorite so far. I like Fizzy as a character (except her name) and appreciated her style of humor and bluntness. I like that she was generally positive throughout the story. Connor was adorable and so easily likeable with the single father and British accent trope! What's not to like?! He seemed genuine and honest and I love that he was just trying to be a good person. It was so fun reading how their friendship/relationship builds and unfolds while still also being invested in the dating show storyline and outcome. The ending/grand gesture/romantic spiel, while predictable, was exactly what it needed to be, both for the characters and the tv show setting.
My one critique is that I felt like the book felt a little long.

This is Christina Lauren at their absolute best. I’m not ashamed to admit that I cried a little at the end. This book is pure joy. Wish it was a movie so that Brett Goldstein could play Connor and Stephanie Hsu could play Fizzy.

This is a wonderful follow up to one of my favorite books by Christina Lauren. The story line was fun, tugged at my heart strings and felt a bit like a book within a book since our main character is a romance author. I always enjoy the dual POV when we can get feel a bit of what each character is thinking. I would highly recommend this to someone for a great beach read or if you are a fan of The Bachelorette!

I enjoyed this book but didn't love it. Fizzy was just too much for me. I liked how she was strong and independent and fun, but she could also be mean and insulting. She's supposed to be 37 and some of her antics were too over the top for my taste. That doesn't mean this wasn't a great book. Its just one that rubbed me the wrong way, and I'm sure others will love it way more.

I loved Connor. He was fun but also a responsible adult. He recognized his flaws and made corrections. When he realized (with some help) that he judged romance readers wrongly he adjusted his behavior. The banter between Connor and Fizzy was fun and well timed. I don't even watch TV and I enjoyed the idea of the show and liked the concept brought to completion through the story. The ending was a bit predictable but still fun.

I really loved this book. I’m still catching up on all the Christina Lauren books, but this is my fourth one and now my favorite. I loved the characters, I found the premise incredibly compelling, and I was especially taken with the way the book talked about the form.
Because it is a about a romance novelist (Fizzy) taking part as the “Heroine” of a dating show, the book talks about tropes of romance novels in an extremely loving way. Fizzy’s romance with Connor begins due to her inability to categorize him – the novel points out the importance of these tropes, but also acknowledges their limitations. It also talks about reality TV with warmth, although it is willing to critique reality TV to make it more like a romance novel. The focus on fandom and fangirling as a positive in this book made it a joy to read. This book was just so FUN.
In my experience of reading romance novels the 3rd act conflict between the two leads is often a major let down in a book. However, The True Love Experiment offers the best of these conflicts that I’ve ever read. The reasoning and logic behind why Fizzy and Connor’s relationship break down made so much sense but was also something that felt entirely fixable. Sometimes in romance novels the conflict feels so out of the blue that it is hard to imagine the couple coming back together, or it feels so forced that it’s silly. Not so in this excellently plotted and paced book.

First, thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC and for always giving me ARCs of Christina Lauren books. I don't know how I keep getting approved, but oh man I'm thankful.

This was so charming, fun, and horny as hell. It was lovely to see Fizzy again after she was so fun in The Soulmate Equation, and Connor was the swoony DILF we never knew we needed. The concept and execution of the reality show was compelling, if not so predictable in parts, but that didn't stop me from devouring it.

This will absolutely be a instabuy and re-read for me in May when it comes out.

The True Love Experiment is a novel full of heart and comedy.

I fell in love with Fizzy while reading The Soulmate Equation and hoped that Christina Lauren would give her her own novel and they did. While both books feature cameos of characters from both you could read them separately.

When Fizzy, a best selling romance author, meets Connor Prince, a tv producer trying to get Fizzy to do a reality dating show, sparks fly and not necessarily in a good way. Thanks to a careless remark between Connor and his business associate Fizzy makes it as hard as possibly on Connor when choosing her bachelors. And what a riot it was to see the list Fizzy gave him and Connor rise to the challenge finding exactly if not better than what Fizzy thought would be impossible.

The banter and tension between Connor and Fizzy fly off the pages, the only problem is he’s the producer not a contestant.

Fake dating
Bachelorette tv show
Spice
Comedy
Opposites attract






This is the perfect summer read to sit by the pool and get easily lost in.

Christina Lauren has done it again, though is anyone really surprised because is there any story that can’t they can’t tell. I absolutely loved Fizzy and Connor’s story, and despite not reading The Soulmate Equation, I loved the other characters as well. The True Love Experiment has become one of my favorite Christina Lauren books, as well as one of my favorite books read this year.

I am obsessed with this. I predicted part of the twist at the end pretty early on, but the story was so sweet that its predictability didn't even spoil it for me. I absolutely adored the characters and the reality tv atmosphere. It felt so believable and still so swoon-worthy.

This is laugh-out-loud funny. Felicity aka Fizzy has a heart of gold and she also got them jokes! This makes it so I am definitely rooting for her to find love throughout the book. I find Fizzy to be way more memorable and affable than her counterpart, Jess. 3 quick annoyances: being over 6’ doesn’t automatically make you attractive/a good lead. If every romance author would quit that nonsense, that’d be coo. Where my short kings at?! The other is: I think writing a story set on a reality/dating show is getting overdone. Also, maybe I wanted some futile details trimmed, but those were minor.
Yet…Christina Lauren writes another hit for all of us RomCom lovers! You are whooping it up for the protagonists, smiling, and hopeful for love on their journey. What more could ya want? Thank you Christina Lauren, NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for my ARC.

Christina Lauren are always a must read for me, but The True Love Experiment might just be their best one yet! I couldn’t put it down and loved all the romance and humor throughout this story. I loved the main character Fizzy in The Soulmate Equation and was elated to get to know her more in this 5 star read. This is a must read that is super fun while it also pulls at your heart strings!

This is another solid A for me. I loved the main characters and how each chapter flipped back and forth. A true “can’t put it down” book. Thank you Netgallery for an ARC!

Christina Lauren is back! I didn't care for a title or two in the middle, but this one MORE than made up for it. I love Fizzy. I want to BE Fizzy!! The dialogue was fantastic. It kept me laughing out loud. In fact, I stopped about six chapters in to text a fellow librarian to get online and request the ARC - it was THAT good. The romance tropes were spot on. I'm not a reality TV fan, but I'd SO watch this one. And, Connor. Connor, Connor, Connor. Ugh. I can't say anything else without spoiling it! It's a perfect read I didn't want to end.

Thank you so much to Net Galley, the publisher, and authors for providing this book for my honest review. What a great sequel! This is maybe my favorite Christina Lauren book! Fizzy was wonderful as a side character in The Soulmate Equation and she is even better as the main character in The True Love Experiment. This book is the perfect mix of humor, flirting, romance, and heart warming love. I highly recommend it! Christina Lauren books are an auto buy for me and I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy. Thank you again to Net Galley, the publisher, and authors for providing one of my favorite reads of 2023!

I was lucky enough to get an eARC on NetGalley and so happy I did!
If you read the Soul Mate Equation, you’ve met the secondary character Fizzy. This is her love story! She’s hilarious and I’m so glad we got a whole book for her.

I loved this one so much. Connor and Fizzy have excellent chemistry and banter. I did predict the ending but it didn’t diminish my enjoyment. These characters are loveable and sweet.

If you’re a fan of shows like The Bachelor or Love is Blind or you have read The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun this one is for you !

This book manages to be incredibly sweet while also being devastatingly sexy. The concept itself isn’t anything groundbreaking, but serves as a fun backdrop upon which the story unfolds. Connor, an environmental documentary producer, has been tasked by his studio with creating a reality dating show, because they need something that’s going to reign in the profits. Reluctant to work on something so far removed from his normal passion, he gets the idea to cast Fizzy, a popular romance author, as the lead, knowing that the audience she’s already built and her natural charisma will help make this a success. Fizzy happens to be going through a dry spell after a tough breakup and is looking for something to reignite her romance brain, so she agrees.

The openness and honesty between her and Connor is quite refreshing. They lust for each other from the beginning (and tell each other so), but Christina Lauren still manages to create plenty of delicious tension between the two throughout the story. This has been described as a “love letter to romance,” and that is a very fitting description. There are plenty of romance tropes at play in fun ways, and the grand gesture at the end makes for a satisfying HEA. This book was super fun to read and a nice way to spend the weekend reading.

I loved this one. Christina Lauren brings back characters from the Soulmate Equation. )I really need to go back and read that one again.) in this book though, romance author meets tv producer to create a bachelor like reality show. The contestants all have dna matches to the girl but nobody knows how high of a match until the end. I really enjoyed the twist at the end. Thanks #netgalley #christinalauren #thetrueloveexperiment