When what was supposed to be a one night stand with someone completely not your type turns into a life lesson!

It's been a while since I've read a single POV book so it took me a couple of chapters to get into the book but once I kept reading I ate it all up.

I felt there was multiple lessons to be learnt while reading this book. They weren't only romantic ones but also life ones. While reading this there were times where I would sit and think about what happened.

I enjoyed the chemistry of the 2 characters and would like to read more from the author.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me.

I just really struggled to get behind the style of writing and found the abundance of characters overwhelming from the get go. There was just no spark for me in what was happening and I loveeee a book that has female friendships rooted in the centre!

Interesting concept that unfortunately did not deliver for me.

Once Upon an Algorithm by Clara O’Connor blends the spicy elements of a love story with the backdrop of the tech world. Leonie, an American living in London, embarks on a romantic journey guided by a dating app. However, her list of preferences is challenged when she finds herself in Paris with Jack, a brooding stranger who doesn't fit her criteria but sparks undeniable chemistry.
The plot thickens as Leonie starts a new job at a tech startup, only to discover that Jack is working there too. The narrative skillfully weaves geeky tech speak into the romance, making it a compelling read for those who enjoy both chick lit and a touch of technology.
The story remains engaging, exploring themes of love, humor, and the complexities of modern dating.
Leonie and Jack, navigate through constant misunderstandings and confrontations stemming from their backgrounds. The step brother adds an extra layer of irritation, making readers root for Leonie to stand up for herself.
Once Upon an Algorithm offers a blend of romance and tech, creating a captivating reading experience with an intriguing plot.

She almost gave up on ever finding someone, but her friends are not letting it go. When they go on a trip they download a new dating app and insert the opposite of all the things she would like in a guy.

The dating app leads her to meet a mysterious stranger. He is younger, but the sparks between them are undeniable.

They ran into each other again, but this time at her new job.

I liked the storyline at first, but there were some things that I just couldn't get past and I didn't like the male MC.

Freaking PERFECTION. 10/10. This was just so so good. I couldn’t get enough of it and wanted a thousand more pages of this. I am so glad I read this. For any fans of Ali Hazelwood, this is for you.

This started off as a good idea. A woman looking for her perfect man ends up going on a date with someone a complete opposite from her “list”.

But that’s about the only thing I liked about the book. It was described as a rom com but there wasn’t any comedy to be found. The main character has rude friends, a step brother who belittles her, and then finds out she was lied to the whole time.

I was hoping for another Ali Hazelwood, but it definitely was not.

I'm a simple woman: the synopsis says for fans of Sally Thorne and Ali Hazelwood, I request the ARC! Once Upon An Algorithm is a contemporary romance book that has a complex rollercoaster of a relationship between the STEM FMC, Leonie, and a STEM MMC, Jack. Their rollercoaster could be summed up in tropes by strangers to lovers to enemies to lovers! That's a whole lot of movement! There are also some other tropes such as age gap, witty banter, and workplace romance, which all make for a really interesting read!
I really enjoyed the beginning and middle of this book because the chemistry was 🔥 BUT the ending was a little hard to read.... I can't say much because of spoilers but it was a really interesting turn of events that I was NOT expecting and didn't really love... BUT you definitely get the anxiety of wondering if this book would be an HEA or not! 👀
Thank you so much to One More Chapter and Harper Collins UK for a free e-ARC of this wild ride of a book!💖

The first thing I noticed in the beginning of the book was that I couldn't really picture what was going on because there wasn't enough description of the characters' surroundings. There was too much exposition about their lives that I felt could have been explained differently. Show don't tell. Or use dialogue to explain it. Next, I noticed that the dialogue was using the wrong kind of quotes. It used single quotes (') instead of the standard double quotes ("). Third, it's written in the present tense instead of the standard past tense.

I didn't like the plot of the story. Stella sets up Leonie for a date with someone the opposite of what she likes. Stella used Leonie's phone and set up the date even as Leonie protested and said no. Her date, Jack, is creepy and not nice. He does things like kissing her without her consent. Leonie doesn't like him, yet she still falls for him because of his looks.

There aren't enough dialogue tags. Sometimes I can't tell who's saying what.

I really like the premise of this story but I felt mislead about our main female character due to not knowing her age and that this is an age gap romance. I personally don’t like age gap so I would have loved to know that up front before reading. Because of that I just couldn’t connect to the MFC like I was hoping to. While her emotions in parts connected to me there were others I couldn’t relate to. I did think this had some funny moments with her friends and the banter she and Jack have. But unfortunately because this played on a trope I don’t like much at all it was a no from me. This though would be a perfect book for those that do love a stem romance with an age gap.

It started very well. In her late 30s woman, with high standards and confidence. She went to Paris with her friends and she met through dating app with Jack. They spent the night together and then there was a lot of miscommunication. Which irritated me all the time.

It was also too tech for me. I skipped a lot, I understand some stuff, but not much.

I was promised a romance rom-com. But I got a sad story. And I was so angry. I wanted to punch Jack all the time. In the end, I would punch in the nuts and walk away. I would have been happier if this wasn't HEA. If it had a dramatic end.

But still, I wanted to read it, it was entertaining and kept me on hook. I was so angry all the time. At Eric, at Jack at Leonie. You were supposed to be strong and smart woman and you let some rich stepbrother walk over you, not okay.

The writing style was good and the story was fast-paced. I think I gave it 3 stars because I was angry with the characters. But anger is better than no emotion, right?

*An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollinsUK

Okay so the blurb and cover of the book were looking promising but unfortunately I wasn't feeling this book. The language was pretty complicated and the writing was hard to get into. Then there were these long monologues of Leonie which went on and on and I really lost my interest at that. Also, the side characters were terrible especially her mom and stepbrother. I did not like them one bit. Her friends too were too eccentric and I couldn't imagine them as people in their forties because they were way too immature and their behaviour was very weird tbh. Then comes the issue with Jack, he was a cheater and I can't stand those. Hard to believe he was the MMC because there was nothing likeable in home, at least to me. And he did not even tell her that he was married, she had found out after her stepbrother told her. Seriously, not any single character was remotely likeable and this book has potential but it got completely ruined. I wish I had read all the reviews before getting into this book because it was nothing but a huge waste of my time. I quit reading after I found out that he was married and lied about it.

This was a simple, fun, easy and quick read. The perfect type of book for your holiday, beach, pool kind of read. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I will always stand by a romance! Nice fun little read, read it in one sitting. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book.

This is not going to be very constructive criticism, but after having received this book from NetGalley, I decided to read the reviews. “Cheating MMC” and “Warning: Do Not Read” scared me and honestly gave me a bad taste in my mouth even before starting the novel. Why do we praise such tropes?? So gross. I attempted to read this, but the knowledge of that trope made me DNF it after 10%. This isn’t a very valid review, but I want the author to consider these comments when writing their next novel. Which I hope does not include a cheating mmc!

Ps why can’t we give 0 stars boo

I was really enjoying this book, until about 69% through and then I had to force myself to finish it. Honestly, it broke my heart, and not in a good way. There was nothing romantic about the book, as hard as I wanted to find it, and the comedy went out the window as soon as (insert spoiler here) happened and I just, I wanted to love this book but I was left really wishing for a different *gestures to multiple parts but I don't want to spoil it for those that do read it and love it* than this one had.

E-arc provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars

Tried my best to give this an honest chance but it just ain’t it for me. The synopsis sounded so exciting but this failed to hit the mark. The writing was slow and I just couldn’t connect with the characters and the plot, especially Jack. Also the fact that he’s married? MARRIED?? And whatever happened did so while he was married? What a mess

I absolutely love these kinds of storylines, and was so excited to get started. Unfortunately it did take a little bit for me to get into it, but a few chapters in I was hooked, and couldn't put it down. It was an easy romance with some great laugh out loud moments, and was able to finish in a day.

Thank you #netgalley for the ARC of this book. I wanted to love this so much but it just really fell flat for me. I didn’t like the fact that the MMC was married. I didn’t like their dialog it felt awkward and unnatural. I didn’t really like either character all that much. I do think that the author has potential as the premise for the story is good.

I was very excited to read Once Upon An Algorithm based on its promotional copy. Given the comps (Ali Hazelwood and Sally Thorne) I was expecting lots of geekery, smart writing, plenty of steam, and even more emotion. When I stopped reading 20% in - a rarity for me - I had found none of that so far.

I've been trying to figure out why and, really - I just didn't connect with the narrator. Leonie is meant to be from California, but to my American sensibility she feels British, a minor but distracting issue. More importantly, we just don't know much about her beyond her age and a general idea of her profession. There are a few allusions to her past, but they're vague; most of this first part of the book is spent in a foreign city with a strange man, so we have no chance to see what her day-to-day life looks like. She's meant to be approaching 40, but she really does feel like the blank slate she and Jack are pretending to be - and that isn't a good thing.

And... Jack. Obviously he's the male lead, but we know literally nothing about him except that he's several years younger than Leonie, very good-looking, and sexually magnetic-yet-mysteriously-ambivalent (a la early Hugh Grant). I realize this is an opposites attract trope, but a modest age difference doesn't make two otherwise completely generic characters "opposite".

I realize I bailed out early, and perhaps the story eventually gets good. But there are too many books that start out good to take that chance.

I really enjoyed this book, but Jack should have groveled more at the end. It seemed to be too quick of a resolution. The man chose his wife he didn’t love over her and shows up a month later and expects Leonie to choose him? Heck no, Jack lost all trust and should have worked to earn it back