PRINCIPLES OF EMOTION – Sara Read
Graydon House
ISBN: 978-1-525-83665-7
January 9, 2024
Contemporary Fiction

Virginia & North Carolina – Present Day

Mathematical genius Dr. Meg Brightwood has spent most of her life working on a mathematical problem that is so hard to figure out that it’s called the Impossible Theorem. She has finally solved it and now needs to work up the courage to present it to the local university. You see, Meg experiences panic attacks so severe that she lost her university teaching job over it and people whisper about her behind her back about it. Her beloved grandmother died months ago, and Meg has been staying in the old mansion while the estate is settled. One day, she is informed by her family that she must leave. Meg just can’t. It is her sanctuary. So, she resists agreeing to move out, even though it would mean that she gets some cash from the estate. But how long can she hold out?

There has been construction going on across the street and Meg has observed from afar the lone male construction worker who is there every day. One day, she hears a noise and looks out the window. The man is in a fight with another man. She rushes out and manages to scare off the interloper. To Meg’s surprise, the carpenter is her childhood friend, Isaac Wells. They had a connection as teens, but he got a better offer and soon left her life. Isaac is glad to see Meg, but he has a problem, which is why he doesn’t want her to call the police about the attack. Isaac is wanted for murder.

The author sets up the plot nicely in PRINCIPLES OF EMOTION. Meg is smarter than most of us, but her panic attacks have been fierce enough to nearly cripple her. At one point, she ended up in the hospital ER. Hence, Meg rarely goes outside and instead, remains inside the mansion to work on the Impossible Theorem. She has finally solved it, but the harder part will be presenting it to the people she needs to talk to. How can she face people when she hates speaking to strangers? The arrival of Isacc into her life is different. He makes her feel comfortable, and she enjoys talking to him. Meg could have called the police on Isaac, but she instead offers him a safe sanctuary when the police do show up. Meg is now hiding a wanted criminal.

It is at this point that PRINCIPLES OF EMOTION starts a change in the relationship between Meg and Isaac. They talk about how they have done the past few years and get to know one another all over again. Soon, that friendship turns to kisses and she realizes that she wants him to make love to her. He encourages her to grow, and they soon end up taking a trip to a remote cabin belonging to Isaac’s family in North Carolina. But hanging over his head are the criminal charges. I won’t go into much more about what happens, but there are a few surprises along the way. Meg wants Isaac’s name cleared. Is it for him or because she envisions a possible future for them? Will she be able to present her findings about the Impossible Theorem? It is a tangled route for her before we find out the answers.

An intriguing tale about a nerd finding love and happiness, though it may all end badly for her. Don’t miss PRINCIPLES OF EMOTION.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

Dr. Meg Brightwood is a mathematical genius who has struggled to be recognized and respected in her field. More than a decade ago she left her life in academia when her anxiety reached levels she could not handle. She went to live with her grandmother who took her in, and she spent the next 15 years working on a proof for an impossible theorem. On the day of her grandmother's funeral, she finally finishes the proof.

This is where the real trouble begins, her narcissistic father begins to circle her, to piggyback onto her success. She has a panic attack trying to present her work, which leads her to lock it away until she is ready to try again, but it is stolen in the meantime. She finds an ally in Isaac, a boy she knew when she was 15, she has loved him since, and now he is back in her life but he has demons and baggage of his own. Together they will overcome everything they have been trying to outrun, finally feel the love they have both craved.

To call and market this as a romance does it a disservice. Although it has all the elements of a romance, the focus is not on the relationship between the characters, but on growing and accepting oneself. There is a lot of trauma, baggage, and bleak moments. The characters did not grow and nurture a relationship, they just picked up their feelings from when they knew each other when they were young. The writing was not the most accessible in my opinion, it felt like it was trying hard to be flowery but did not succeed. Also there truly were not enough lighter moments to balance of the heaviness. I felt compelled to DNF this book multiple times but I pushed through, and it had enough to keep me in the story, but they payoff at the end was not exactly worth it.

Sara did it again! I couldn’t put down “Johanna Porter Is Not Sorry” and I loved “Principles of (E)motion.” Meg is a brilliant mathematician who struggles with anxiety. Isaac, her first love, unexpectedly becomes part of her life again. But Isaac has his own problems with the law. When Meg solves the “Impossible Theorem” and her proof soon gets stolen, the reader gets taken in a journey of self discovery. Sara writes beautifully and thoughtfully about anxiety and panic attacks, the struggles women face in STEM, family and romantic relationships. But most importantly, she created a complex and strong woman with Meg. Principles of (E)motion touched me on an emotional level I did not expect.

I work in STEM and I'm very happy about these rom-coms that feature women in STEM and how they're able to balance romance and scientific achievements.
This one was very good as there's a sweet and complex romance but also all the difficulties a woman face even if she's a high achiever.
I also appreciated how the author dealt with anxiety and mental health. Meg is a genius but she suffers and panic attacks can be a heavy burden.
There's a lot of math because Meg is a mathematician and I never read anyone complaining if there's recipes when the FMC is a cook.
Well done, love it
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Graydon House for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I feel like this book was a little too detailed on the math and got a little too technical for a regular reader to really need. There were far more detailed math scenes than sex scenes, that’s for sure. It was a little disappointing and a lot of it kind of went over my head. The first third of the book, especially, was a little too in-depth math for me. I also had issues with the pacing of the love story. The love story was a little too easy for me, even with the obstacles in their way. There was very little build-up and mostly closed-door sex scenes. Overall, this just focused too heavily on the math that it kind of lost me.

I appreciated the anxiety representation and felt that it was pretty accurate. I just had some issues with the balance between technical math and the love story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After reading (and loving) Sara Read’s debut Johanna Porter Is Not Sorry, I couldn’t imagine having a character I could connect with as much as Johanna both as a mother and as a fellow creative. Yet somehow Read taps into a completely different voice in Dr. Meg Brightwood (main character) which resonated with me on such a deep level. I felt a surging sense of empowerment as Meg’s emotional journey builds both her confidence and self-love. This book made me want to kick a door down alongside Meg for everyone who has ever felt that they weren’t able to do something. To bust down those barriers made of fear and doubt after experiencing emotional trauma due to loss or mental health. This was a very gratifying reading journey.

The book started slow but I hung in there. About 25% of the way through it became a good book and I ended up enjoying it. I now realize that the slow start was mainly setting the scene for an overly anxious, brilliant mathematician. She won big awards at a young age, had horrible family and could no longer function well. I appreciate the complimentary digital ARC provided by NetGalley and Grayson House. This is my own opinion.

This was an absolute joy to read. I think that so many readers will resonate with the FMC’s experience with anxiety and panic attacks. To have that represented so accurately and carefully is amazing for those who feel like they’re alone in their experience with anxiety. I loved the character development in this as well.

Sara Read does it again! This story follows Dr. Meg Brightwood, a reclusive mathematician who embarks on a journey of self-love and self-discovery as she navigates academic politics, family drama, and the uncertainty of new relationships. This novel is a great examination of women in STEM and the accompanying anxieties of young achievers.

If you like Ali Hazelwood and STEM you will enjoy this book! —Fifteen years earlier, Meg escaped academia —She took refuge in her grandmother's home and eventually became her grandmother’s caregiver— after her grandmother’s death. Her grief sparks her mind back into Mathematical action and she solves the unsolvable Frieholdt’s conjecture which thrusts her back into the world she fled. The story has a love interest come into play and her important proof goes missing. Meg now has to fight for both her deserved acclaim for her work and her heart with the man she loves.

I was interested in this book as STEM fiction is becoming more popular and I wanted to see what it was all about— the writing is really good and you can feel Meg`s passion and love for math. This book deals with many controversial issues — emotional abuse,
women working in STEM and the prejudices, plagiarism/stealing others’ hard work and mental health issues.

In my opinion, this was about Meg and her growth it wasn`t a romance— though there was a time in the book where the romantic element was strong— and others many enjoy that part of the story.

My favourite parts of this book were when Meg was in her zone with the math — and fighting to get recognized for her work. The love interest Isacc — in my opinion, was more of a side story and it didn`t hold my interest as much as Meg`s growth with her mental health and her career. Watching her progress from the beginning of the story to the end was rewarding. I was so invested in seeing Meg succeed, that I felt her anger and became emotionally involved in her fight and cheered for her towards winning in her goals.

Thank-you to Netgalley and Harlequin trade publishing/ Graydon House for this ARC. This is my honest review.

A surprising one. Dr. Meg Brightwood stepped off the go track 15 years ago; she'd spent her entire life on math with only one month of one summer as a child at play. Now, her beloved grandmother has died after many years of failing health and Meg has tough decision to make because her hateful family wants to sell her home. But then she has a burst of inspiration and finally finally solves the impossible math problem-and equally importantly, Isaac is back in her life. But Isaac has secrets that will complicate their romance. Can Meg get her solution to the problem out in the world? It's not that easy but it turns out there are those that do understand what she's managed to do. No spoilers from me because there are twists here both in her relationship with Isaac and with her work. Read does a good job of incorporating Meg's mental health into the story. These are terrific characters (I'm a fan of cousin Lizzie). More than anything else, I liked seeing Meg evolve and stand up for herself. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Excellent read.

Title: Principles of Emotion
Author: Sara Read
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Mathematical genius Dr. Meg Brightwood has just completed her life’s work—a proof of a problem so impenetrable it’s nicknamed the Impossible Theorem.

Reclusive and burdened by anxiety, Meg has long since been dismissed by academia. Now everyone wants to get their hands on what she alone possesses—especially her own mathematician father.

Having grown up a prodigy in a field plagued by sexism and plagiarism, Meg opts for a public presentation so there will be no doubt of her authorship. But a panic attack obliterates her plans. In defeat, she goes home and locks away the one and only manuscript of her proof.

Then chance sends her the unlikeliest of allies: Isaac Wells—carpenter, high school dropout, in trouble with the law. And the one love of Meg’s life. Fifteen years ago, they did little more than hold hands. Now, they find a tenuous space where they can love and be loved for who they are—not who the world expects them to be.

But when Meg goes to retrieve the Impossible Theorem, she finds it missing. Her fight for the achievement of the century will test the limits of her brilliance and the endurance of two vulnerable hearts.

I enjoyed this read quite a bit! I couldn’t relate to Meg’s brilliant math mind—I don’t like math much, although I’m decent at it—but the way her anxiety worked felt faintly familiar. I really enjoyed the juxtaposition between her and Isaac—and how they accepted their differences so easily. Meg’s dad was a total jerk, and I really wanted to see how the fallout played out with him. This was an engrossing read that made me smile and root for the characters along the way.

Sara Read lives in Virginia. Principles of Emotion is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/Graydon House in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 1/9).

Sara Read has done it again! I loved her debut, so I leapt at the chance to receive an ARC of her sophomore novel and I'm so glad for the opportunity to read it. While both her books handle themes of rediscovery and the kind of unique exclusivity that is endemic to being any type of prodigy, this quieter novel pulls you into the tangle of Meg's mind as she navigates not only her own genius, but the trauma that genius has cost her. As someone who has a history with anxiety, I will say that the visceral descriptions may be mildly triggering, but they are also authentic portrayals of what it feels like to live daily with this condition and the work it takes to manage it. The internal conflict is the highest stakes, but the external conflict supports it and brings depth and nuance to Meg's journey. Sara writes absolutely fantastically in the upmarket genre with beautifully lyrical prose that remains firmly grounded in the understandable and accessible.

One of the best books ever. It had everything: flawed, complex characters a person would want to root for, unexpected deception, love, the battle for independence. The author must be brilliant; this is like Lessons in Chemistry (Garmus) on steroids. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Dr. Meg Brightwood is a brilliant mathematician who also suffers from crippling anxiety, which has caused her to live like a recluse while taking care of her grandmother Lila. After Lila’s death, Meg copes the only way she knows how - by working on an impossible proof that she finally manages to crack. A panic attack prevents Meg from sharing her discovery with the math community, and she instead decides to lock her work away in a safe while she explores a relationship with Isaac, a handyman from her past who now finds himself in a sticky situation.

Author Sara Read does a great job crafting Meg as a protagonist and creating a series of obstacles for her to overcome - her anxiety, the challenges associated with being an attractive woman in a STEM field (a la Lessons in Chemistry,) her overbearing father, the family members who want to sell her grandmother’s home, a love interest who thinks he’s being noble by pushing her away, and the impossible proof itself.

I wouldn’t call this book a romance - there’s a romantic plot but the relationship between Meg and Isaac is only one of the threads interwoven throughout the novel, and the critical question of the book is less about whether Meg and Isaac will end up together but rather whether Meg will overcome her anxiety and stop her father from falsely claiming credit for her hard work.

Thank you to Grayson House and NetGalley for allowing me to read it.

This novel is a good mix of romance and women's fiction. Romantic women's fiction. I'm glad it exists and I hope people like it. But for me the novel dragged big-time. It was incredibly slow and seemed to have no plot, or the plot took too much of a back seat to introspection. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, though, but it just was a bit (a lot) much. I wanted more math, more academia, and far, FAR less whatever the rest it was that filled the pages, largely lengthy descriptions of things. But the main character's voice wasn't grating, so, not bad overall.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC.

Finishing this book was such a bittersweet feeling. It left me feeling so complete, brimming with so many emotions, and honestly, I could just sob. That’s how full I felt after flipping that last page. Absolutely loved reading every single second of this.

If you like reading about bold women who find themselves and overcome obstacles by standing up to the patriarchy, then Read is your new favorite author. Principles of Emotion, like her debut Johanna Porter is Not Sorry, centers on an exceptional woman at a moment of crisis. In this case, the protagonist Meg is a PhD-level mathematician who, after working for 20 years on one unsolvable theorem, has finally figured out the proof. But she has to safeguard it from those who would use it to their advantage and discredit her.

There is also a romance subplot, but the primary focus is on Meg's lifelong anxiety and how she will stand up for herself, especially facing family and professional challenges. It's a very introspective novel about a character you'll root for from the opening page.

Thanks to Netgalley and Graydon House for the advance reader's copy.

Book: Principles of Emotion
Author: Sara Read
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Graydon House, for sending me ARC. I will say that if you enjoy Ali Hazelwood’s work, then you will probably love this one.

In this one, we follow Meg Brightwood. She is a brain at math and even holds a PHD in it. She has dedicated her life to solving this theorem that is supposed to be impossible to solve. She has been kind of blacklisted from the academic world. For the past couple of years, she has been taking care of her grandmother and not really interacting with anyone. When her grandmother passes, Meg finds out that she only two years to live in the house. She doesn’t know what do. Issac, an old crush, gets a job at the house next door. The two rekindle with one another and the sparks begin to fly. However, things are not what them seem. It turns out that Issac has a past, one that could very well end up changing the course of their relationship and maybe not for the better. Yet, she wants this and wants him. She has to decide is she going to stay in her comfort zone or she is going to take a chance.

Now, I know what you are thinking. This sounds like a romance book. Yes, it is. However, it also does a deep dive into anxiety and how it can affect people. It shows how people who have anxiety view the world and how difficult it can be for them to have to get out of their comfort zone. It shows how difficult it can be for people with anxiety to put themselves out there. We see Meg’s struggle. She wants to comfort her father, but she can’t make herself form the words. There are days that she finds herself unable to even get out of bed, let alone function. There are people in her life who don’t understand what she is going through and how she feels. They tell her just to snap out of it and to get over it. She can’t and few people seem to understand that. I do think that books like this one will hopefully help people understand what it is like to have anxiety. It’s not a matter of not being able to do something, but can’t and having to come over both people telling you it’s all in your head and dealing with your own feelings.

I enjoyed the slow burn between Meg and Issac. Both are a little unsure of each other, but they both need each other in their lives. They don’t really know this. As the book goes on, they slowly start to develop a relationship. They both have something that is holding them back from truly expressing their feelings. I can’t really say what that is without giving away too much. I will say that when the truth does come out, the fight and the desire to hold onto what they have is amazing. It’s more on one side than the other. The other side is more worried about getting the other one in some major trouble.


This book also shows the struggle that women face in STEM. Despite Meg being brilliant at what she does, she is not respected and valued the same as her male counterparts. She has to hide her appearance, because she will be judged on being pretty. She has to work twice as hard to prove herself. What she does is not seen as value, unless she has a man on the paper. People want to say that all of this is not true. Even if you are not in STEM, take a look around. Women do have to work twice as hard at the same job as a man in order to prove that they have the same value. Women always have to prove themselves in ways that men do not.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. I think if you like Ali Hazelwood, I think you will enjoy this one.

This book comes out on January 1, 2024.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/v97RapLvnjs

3 ⭐ || 2 🌶️
This story offers a unique blend of romance, self-reflection, and intellectual pursuit as Meg, a former child prodigy, unravels a two-decade-long quest to solve a challenging mathematical proof. The main storyline is peppered with the revelation of hard truths about her family and the obstacles she faces as a woman in STEM.

While the novel has its strengths, it falls short of a higher rating due to certain aspects. The portrayal of the challenges Meg faces at times feels overly dramatic, almost bordering on cliché. The obstacles she encounters as a woman in academia, while important to address, are presented in a way that occasionally detracts from the overall narrative. The reunion with Isaac, the man from Meg's past, adds a romantic layer to the story, but the development of their relationship lacks the depth and complexity one might expect in a narrative that explores self-discovery and empowerment. The dynamics between the characters, while touching on opposites attracting, could have been more finely nuanced to elevate the romantic aspect of the plot. At times it felt incredibly heavy and not like a romance novel at all.

Despite these drawbacks, the novel succeeds in creating a lovable and root-worthy protagonist. Meg is relatable, and the reader can easily empathize with her journey of overcoming obstacles and finding solace in unexpected places! The book is worth exploring for its unique premise, but other readers should be prepared for moments where the narrative veers into predictable territory.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!