The first thing to catch my eye about this one was the cover, the colors and illustrations were so nice. I liked that it was a nice, quick, fluffy read. The forced proximity storyline was extremely unique and my favorite part of the book.

Along with the forced proximity, I felt the romance was a bit forced. It wasn’t the best I’ve read by this author but it worked in the end. The simulation really made up for a lot for me.

I will for sure be giving her future books a go, for the storylines alone, which are great.

If you loved Abbott Elementary and wanted more romance between teachers who are super invested in their school and their students, you need this book.

It’s a low stakes summer romance with a co-workers to lovers situation. She’s the assistant principal and the MMC is a teacher but his dad is the Principal. So for obvious reasons there is an element of “of course I can’t be with him”.

And when they end up in a NASA program over the summer together with an opportunity to win money, Brianna attends so that she can attempt to save the library at their school.

This book was lighthearted and fun and perfect for anyone who likes a workplace romance.

After some steamy forced-proximity scenes, two educators quickly learn that new love spans universes… but can launch in the midst of a Mars simulation.

So fun!!!

(Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

The Love Simulation by Etta Easton is a really cute, really corny, very rom-com-y read. I’m giving it 4 out of 5 stars.

The premise is fun and quirky: Brianna, a vice-principal trying to secure funding for her school’s library, signs up for a mock Mars mission simulation that takes place in a space capsule for several weeks over the summer. There’s some workplace tension as others from her school also compete for the opportunity, including dealing with a principal who clearly favors his son for her job.

Her love interest, Roman, is caught up in that same swirl—and the two of them have a will-they-won’t-they dynamic that adds a nice dose of angst. Some of their arguments were sharp and compelling, and while the romantic tension was cute, it didn’t always feel deeply developed.

What worked:
The setup is unique, and there’s some solid romantic tension between Brianna and Roman. The book has charm and heart, and I can see this being a fun palate cleanser if you’re in the mood for something light.

What didn’t:
The ending left me a little dissatisfied. It didn’t quite land in a way that made the whole journey feel complete, and while the book had its sweet moments, it’s not something that really stuck with me afterward.

A fun, breezy read for the vibes—but not one I’d rave about.

Thank you to the publisher for the e-ARC. This is my honest review.

If space books are something you just can't get enough of, The Love Simulation (published March 4) features a fun and, of course, romantic 🤣) 6 week Mars simulation plotline! I found this book to be so engaging, so fun, and unique in its premise. The characters were great and I loved the way it ended. The book itself also has really cool pages (I'll share in my stories!) and a fun pink and orange cover 💞🧡

I definitely feel the urge to go back and read this author's first book because she's got talent and her representation of these very STEM-oriented and intelligent Black characters was perfect.

I love discovering a new author to love!

I loved the "Mars" setting - reminded me of a fun reality show I watched recently. Roman and Brianna had a ton of chemistry, but lots of obstacles, although some were a little more realistic than others. This was a fun one!

I loved this even more than the first one! I’ve never read anything else like it and it made me snicker multiple times. I can’t wait for the next one!

The Love Simulation was a novel I was looking forward to as the synopsis sounded intriguing. However; I loat interest towards the middle half as I felt it lost momentum. I enjoyed the Abbott Elementary feeling at the get go and was laughing but once they got on the Simulation, the warmth was gone.

I enjoyed the premise of the first book better. But putting the characters in forced proximity in the form of a space simulation program was fun. I found the miscommunications predictable, but still fun and comforting to know what I suspected would happen did.

The Love Simulation by Etta Easton
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Brianna is determined to raise the money needed to remodel her schools library despite the principal trying to block her. So she joins a team of teachers who will spend the summer in a mars simulation. When she learns that the principal’s son, Roman, is a last minute addition she believes he is out to sabotage her chances.
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What I liked:
-I love that this was set in a Mars simulation! A romance book in a sci-fi adjacent setting? Yes please!
-Brianna really bonds with this small group of people and I love seeing that in a story.
-I really liked Brianna and Roman together! Their romance was such a sweet part of the story.
-There was a lot of fun humor in this book and I believe I listened to the audio in just one day. It was awesome.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Fun, sweet, and a unique setting! I really enjoyed Brianna’s story.

I loved the Kiss countdown and liked the easter eggs in this one referencing those characters. I think the Mars simulation contest was one of the most unique plot points I've ever read about in a rom com.

Unfortunately, I didn't really connect with the characters. I'm not sure if it was their chemistry or the characters themselves, but I found I wasn't cheering them on like I normally do in a romance.

But I do love the author's writing style and my ease of reading the book in addition to fresh ideas. I would definitely pick up her next book.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I wanted to like it - the concept was good. But unfortunately the writing just wasn’t engaging and I wasn’t enjoying the characters.

Special thanks to @berkleypub @berkleyromance for my gifted copy‼️

The Love Simulation is my first book by the author and while it was a cute story the book didn’t really hit like I wanted. Vice principal Brianna Rogers is determined to get funds approved for the school’s library renovations. But the principal seems to block her in every direction. When the perfect opportunity comes along she doesn’t hesitate spending her summer in a Mars simulation to win prize money for the school. But when the principal’s son/the science teacher Roman Major shows up at the simulation Brianna suspects nothing but trouble.

Most of the characters lacked development in this one Bri was really the only one with real depth. I also found her character to be really uptight, very concerned with how others perceive her especially at work, and her obsession with Rome being out to sabotage her was sending me. After a while it’s like okay sis relax let your hair down a bit. The interactions between both MC’s honestly seemed awkward and forced. The spice was black pepper which we could’ve done without. The last few chapters were also a little predictable to me. Overall, the book was meh could just be me but if you’ve read her first book The Kiss Countdown then you might enjoy this one too‼️

This book took me a minute to get into - because I was like huh where did this simulation come from and why? BUT once I got into it, I got REALLY into it. I loved the dynamics between Brianna and Roman in the simulation - which added pressure and unexpected problems to their relationship. How people say you don't really know someone until you've traveled with them - SAME for a Mars simulation lol. I loved that Brianna was a strong FMC looking out for the best interests of her students - I really think society does not appreciate the teachers and administration who are essentially raising the next generation. This is the second book in this series but can be read as a standalone.

Is it possible for a scenario to be too unique? I love this authors writing but the plot and scenario we are in just don’t feel realistic. It makes it kind of hard to feel in the place of the characters we are following. Don’t get me wrong. The details of the simulation made perfect sense and seemed realistic but what are the chances of this happening in real life?

Outside of that the story itself was very cute. The authors writing is well done and overall this was fun. If you are looking for something lighthearted and unique to read it will get the job done. I look forward to more of this authors writing.

Thank you NetGalley for the Arc

Sadly, I’m not really sure how I feel about this book. I thought the Mars simulation itself was refreshing and a really dope idea for the story! But it didn’t hold my attention or have me in my feels like I was hoping this romance story would. The romance was awkward and cute, but somehow…sudden and too much at certain points? It felt as if the FMC was pressedddddd for him and some insight into his inner dialogue would’ve been helpful as a reader.

The third act miscommunication also made me mad 😭 but overall a pretty solid romance story with a refreshing storyline.

In THE LOVE SIMULATION (Berkley, 305 pp., paperback, $19), the sequel to Easton’s excellent “The Kiss Countdown,” the middle school vice principal Brianna Rogers is brutally strict about work/life boundaries. Especially because the hot science teacher Roman Major is also the principal’s son and a rival for Brianna’s job. The elder Major has been vengefully thwarting Brianna at every turn, even redirecting her library funding to a new football field — so when Brianna finds a fellow teacher is putting together a team to do a simulated Mars mission for a cash prize, she sees a chance to get that library budget back.

Unfortunately, Roman also ends up on the team. Brianna’s sure Roman’s there to sabotage her on his dad’s orders, even though he insists otherwise. As simulated Martian dangers and close quarters turn up the heat, it’s up to the two of them to decide how much they can trust each other — and if they can be more to each other than merely colleagues. Easton’s books are a blend of family tension and bubbly fun, with a spark of chemistry at their hearts.

DNF @ 33%. I feel so bad about DNFing "The Love Simulation" by Etta Easton because I have heard nothing but good things about this series and this author, but I just could not get into this book and this story. The portion I did read was incredibly underwhelming, and I found myself bored while reading it. I love books about nerds/nerdy characters, as well as black love stories, but I did not feel like Brianna and Roman would ever be a solid couple I could see myself rooting for. Their chemistry was tepid at best. I was interested in them separately, but not as a couple. There was no sizzle, no spark between them. I love a good enemies-to-lovers tale, but this wasn't it. I was way more interested in the plot about Roman's dad, the principal of their school, trying to usurp and meddle in Brianna and Roman's affairs (he wanted Roman to be vice principal, but Brianna beat him out for the job). I will go back and read the rest of this series and maybe pick it up again in the future, but for now, it's a DNF because of a lack of interest in the characters and their basic chemistry.

Thank you to NetGalley, Etta Easton, and Berkley Publishing Group for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Thank you to Netgalley, Berkley, and PRHAudio for the ebook and ALC arcs!

I requested this one because I read the other by this author, I love anything space related, and it’s such a cute cover. This was a fun listen. The characters work together and are going into a simulation for six weeks to try to win prize money. Our female lead wants the money to help the school’s library, and our male lead’s dad is the principal at their school, someone who gives Brianna a hard time.

I liked the premise here, I thought the chemistry developed well, but the story moved a little slow for me. Overall, pretty good!

I loved this author's debut but this one missed the mark. Most of it took place inside of the Mar simulation but I couldn't for the life of me picture what it looked like or what was happening at any given time. The romantic relationship between Brianna and Romance felt tepid at best on a chemistry level. Also the author made Briana and big reader and it felt like in book promotion the amount of times she name dropped certain titles.