Member Reviews

THANK YOU Netgalley and Gallery books for this digital ARC copy in exchange for my honest review!!!

Wow. Christina Lauren does it again. I cannot decide if this is better than The Soulmate Equation, but it just might be. I WILL be ordering a copy when it's published. I was laughing out loud and swooning. This was an excellent warm fuzzy book!

Fizzy gets her own book, a reality TV show, and the gorgeous and soft-hearted Connor in this sequel to The Soulmate Equation! She is chosen to star in a reality TV show and only agrees to help find her "spark" again. Turns out, Connor IS that spark! Problem: he's the producer and this show cannot fail.

Read if you love: friends-to-lovers, "forbidden love" (kinda), sweet kids, funny banter, and The Bachelor! My ONLY complaint is how long the 3rd act break-up lasted. I was so upset when it happened at 80%!!! But I think it helped their character development a lot. So I appreciated that.

RUN don't walk to pre-order this book!!!

Was this review helpful?

Such a good romance! The characters were likable and believable. The story was great and the steam was perfect!

Was this review helpful?

This is a solid 4.5 stars and was a beautiful way to start and end Valentine’s Day!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Any time I see the name Christina Lauren, I very quickly drop whatever I am doing because this takes precedence!

I love Fizzy and I loved her relationship with Connor, as well as her relationship with Jess. I love that CL found ways to incorporate their love of BTS/K-pop into this story.

I am a sucker for any kind of “behind the scenes” reality tv tropes, but this admittedly reminded me a bit of The Charm Offensive, as it tended to follow a few similar beats. (And I devoured every second of if, OBVIOUSLY!)

All in all, such a cute story. I’m so appreciative for the opportunity to read it before it hits shelves.

Was this review helpful?

I was ecstatic when I received approval for THE TRUE LOVE EXPERIMENT, which features Fizzy, the best friend in THE SOULMATE EQUATION.

THE SOULMATE EQUATION was a unique and character driven love story. Add in a little fake dating, a smidge of grumpiness, and extremely lovable side characters (Fizzy), and it had all my favorite elements of a romance novel. I loved it!

However.

THE TRUE LOVE EXPERIMENT is now one of my very favorite romances of all time. It’s swoony, sexy, emotional, fun, and one-of-kind. Fizzy and Conner are so very different and so very delightful. The lead up to their first meeting is perfect, and I had no idea how they were going to get to the ending I was desperately hoping for them. And what an ending it was! Christina Lauren delivered right to the very final page. I absolutely love this book, and I can’t wait for romance lovers everywhere to read it!

Thank so much to NetGalley and the publisher for my eARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

I’m so glad Fizzy got her story! She deserves love just as much as anyone else! Watching her overcome obstacles and find Connor made my heart happy. Love this book!

Was this review helpful?

The True Love Experiment (out 5/16) by Christina Lauren was an unapologetic love letter to romance novels, heroines who know their worth, & the joy of fandom. Steamy, bold, & perfectly paced, I devoured this book. I adore everything CL writes, but this was chef's kiss perfection!

Was this review helpful?

The True Love Experiment, by Christina Lauren...What a fun read! It took a bit to get into (I think I read somewhere that it is a sequel, so that may be why), but once I did, it was hard to put down. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Such a delightful read! I read this on a flight and it was the perfect read - kept me entertained and swoony. I enjoyed it even more than The Soulmate Equation, mostly because of the banter and chemistry between Fizzy and Connor, which I think really pushed this story forward for me. I'm not big on Reality Show tropes, but this worked okay for me - never felt too forced or silly. Would definitely recommend for any contemporary romcom lovers and especially for Christina Lauren fans.

Was this review helpful?

I loved The Soulmate Equation, and I was excited to see that this book was from Fizzy's point of view. You don't need to have read that book to read this one, but if you like one of them you'll like the other as well.

This book was great on so many levels. The characters are amazing. The plot is great. The pacing is perfect. The concept is interesting. I really enjoyed that it managed to bring the soulmate technology from TSE into it in a new way. Reality television isn't my bag, but that didn't detract from the story in any way.

There wasn't any part of this novel that I didn't enjoy.

Was this review helpful?

This was a perfect follow up to The Soulmate Equation world! :) The good news is that The True Love Experiment is a connected standalone, so reading it before The Soulmate Equation is no problem at all :)

First of all, Christina Lauren gives us a really fun premise- we have a grumpy documentary producer (Connor) and the romance author plagued with writer's block, Felicity "Fizzy". Connor is pressured to produce a reality dating show and snags Fizzy as the "bachelorette" lead on a quest to find her match.

While I really enjoyed their latest book, Wilder, this book pulled me back to the typical Christina Lauren formula that we have come to know, love, and automatically buy. The swoony rom com moments are many, the crazy will they/won't they tension is on every page, and the book character stereotypes for each of her bachelor "heroes" was the perfect nod for every romance book lover out there.

The book was fast paced, fun and I liked it even better than the first in this series. Although fair warning for those that get frustrated with the miscommunication trope...this book is not immune to it. However, I will say Christina Lauren did a great job not dragging it out and wrapping up with a perfect rom com worthy grand gesture of an ending.

Was this review helpful?

There's a reason there are fireworks on this cover, folks! It's so so so good! I was intrigued to hear that readers would be getting Fizzy's story, as she was a much loved side character in The Soulmate Equation. Reading Fizzy's story and seeing her get her chance to shine was so wonderful. She is such a unique gal and it's really neat to see her grow during the course of this book, especially the way she finds out that its okay to let herself be loved and be happy for who she is, and not for who others want her to be. The should we or shouldn't we romance between Fizzy and her producer, Connor, who also happens to be super hot and super into her, if electric. We have some major opposites attract and forbidden, secret romance vibes and I'm here for it. The romance is spicy, and very well done, as per norm with this author. I raced through this book and couldn't put it down. I loved every bit of it and didn't want it to end! Cue the fireworks - they are so fitting for this dynamic, explosive love story.

Was this review helpful?

I love this book so much that there aren't enough stars. It's hard to write this because I just finished reading, and I feel like I blacked out. From happiness? Maybe I hit my head on the way down from my swoon? Heart palpitations? All of the above.

First of all, I love this heroine Fizzy Chen. She is wickedly funny and smart, and more importantly, she knows it. There's not shyness there or self-deprecation. Why can't women be gorgeous in all the ways and confident? Thank you, CL for writing this gem of a character. I want to be her best friend, and that is what I am always looking for in a main character.

Her love interest, Connor Prince, is delectable. He's British, a wonderful father, and tall and handsome. I also just love the way he is a quiet match for Fizzy. Of all the heroes in this book, I actually find him to be the most down to earth and believable. AND he's the sexiest. How's that for poetic justice?

I could go on and on. I love that River and Jess (from the Soulmate Equation) are important characters and friends in this book. Fizzy's family is lovely. The children are funny! I love the Asian representation. And the way Romance stands out and up as something joyful and powerful is a thing to behold. These pleasures are not guilty. They make us dream, they make us laugh and fling books across rooms, they make us fangirl, they make us buy every CL book there ever was.

And lastly, this it, the best one. The best CL book, the best Romance. I know, them's fightin' words. I just want to put it on the line. like the characters right before an HEA. I want to declare my love for this book.






Thank you SO MUCH NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.

Was this review helpful?

They did it again!! Seriously, I read this book in one sitting and could not get enough. The will they or won’t they angst left me hanging in all the best ways. The characters were relatable, funny, smart, and had a wonderful romance. The incorporation of modern tv made this even more fun. They can do no wrong.

Was this review helpful?

I'll read anything Christina Lauren writes, but this book was more of a miss for me. I found it excruciatingly slow, and the love I had for Fizzy in The Soulmate Equation, I unfortunately didn't have in this one. And I was one of the readers who was so excited when it was announced she was getting her own book. Fizzy shines in this one like she should, but at times I felt she just got too stuck in her own head.

It was nice to get to catch up with Jess and River again and it had many of the things I love in a Christina Lauren book, it just won't go in my favorite pile of their books.

Was this review helpful?

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren asks readers to look at the flaws in relationships with the characters of Fizzy and Connor and also the bravery in trying again despite your fears. Christina Lauren is a nom de plume of two friends who write together, Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, who are New York Times bestselling authors.
The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren is one of the most honest romance novels I have ever read for portraying the anxiety of romance. I truly loved both the main characters of The True Love Experiment because they were so vulnerable and flawed. Fizzy is a romance writer and her love interest,Connor, is the British t.v. producer who is tasked with creating a romance reality show to improve his company’s ratings. I think the beauty of Christina Lauren’s writing is that they give their heroes and heroines troubles that anyone can find relatable. These characters were relatable to me because I met my spouse on an online dating app. However, I didn’t meet him until much later in life compared to my friends. This was after probably a decade of on and off relationships and online dating experiences, the good, the bad and the ugly. Thus, I can relate to Fizzy’s laments as the oldest single person at her sibling’s wedding and her insecurities about trusting another person in a series of relationships. I liked the way Christina Lauren’s characters fall on their faces and make mistakes and then have to summon the courage to reveal their feelings and show persistence. As Fizzy says, “How are the heroines in my books so sure of themselves and the person they fall in love with? How does anyone really know what and who they want? It’s all such a risk. Who chooses to fling their heart out into the blackness of uncertainty, blindly hoping someone catches it?” I think persistence in love is not what you see in Hollywood movies, but this stalwart feeling is the key to a good relationship in my experience.

Was this review helpful?

Oh my goodness. Another Christina Lauren novel that is AMAZING! I am obsessed with the writing style and the main character is someone you feel as if you know! Love the humor and romance. Must read!

Was this review helpful?

- Reality TV dating
- Single dad MMC
- Friends to lovers
- Forbidden romance
- Romance novelist FMC

This book was exactly what I wanted! Slow burn, spice with chemistry/banter.

Fizzy is a romance novelist in a rut, when she meets Connor who is a documentarian forced to produce a dating show. Connor believes Fizzy is the best and only possible lead for his show. Their slow friendship into potentially more seems perfect… except for the fact that Connor’s role as producer is to set her up with another man who is her perfect dating match.

Fizzy is so lovable. She is strong, independent, smart and vulnerable!
Connor is the perfect swoony lead. Who can resist an accent :)

Would definitely recommend!

Was this review helpful?

I loved this book so much!!!!! I love the spin off aspect from their last book- it’s perfectly woven together. The story line is so creative and unlike a lot in this genre, it felt fresh and original. It’s spicy and fun, definitely a slow burn but at the perfect pace. I could not put this down!!!

Was this review helpful?

WOW! All I Have to say is that Christina Lauren have done it again!!! From start to finish this book was pure unadulterated joy. As the spinoff book for the Soulmate Equation, The True Love Experiment follows Jess' outspoken romance author bestie Fizzy as she is a standstill in both her professional and personal life. Enter Connor someone who Fizzy can't seem to figure out. A brooding documentary producer Connor and Fizzy team up for the reality show of a lifetime. I could not stop rooting for Connor and Fizzy! Their blooming friendship and their banter had me smiling from beginning to end. This is a true love letter to all romance readers. Christina Lauren perfectly captivate their audience and make us love their characters and their stories. The True Love Experiment felt like a warm hug; familiar, and cozy. This is my new favorite Christina Lauren Book!!!

*I received an ARC from netgalley*

Was this review helpful?

this book was EVERYTHING!!! christina lauren never miss and this was just so unique. i loved every second of it. i can’t wait to share my love for this to everyone in may 🫶🏻

Was this review helpful?