I LOVED this book! Jess and River both drink coffee at the same shop every day at the same time for YEAR'S. They finally interact and he invites Jess and her friend to join his research in finding the perfect soulmate based on your DNA. Jess and River each have their nerdy moments over statistics and genetics, and have some hilarious bad science jokes! While everything seems to be progressing you find Jess wondering whether everything is real between her and River, or if the connection is because of a predicted compatibility based on their DNA. I am a nerd for genetics, enjoy some stats, and my favorite trope is enemies to lovers, so this was the perfect romcom for me!

This was the type of enemies to lovers I enjoy the most. There was a perfect amount of banter, annoyance, and sexual tension . The relationship with Jess and River had a believable, natural progression.

This also highlights a relationship between a single mom and her daughter as well as with her own family. This book handled involving a child in a romance in a tasteful way, and I adored all of the interactions with June.

My only complaint is that I desperately wanted a chapter of their first interactions told from River's point of view! I need more River!!!

Thank you so much Negtalley, Christina Lauren and Gallery books for my early copy in exchange for a honest review!!

LOVED LOVED LOVED!!! This is my new favorite novel by this author!! Smart, funny, entertaining! It was so complete and enjoyable!! I never wanted it to end! Full review to come!!

Two data driven scientists not looking for love end up finding it... after spitting in a tube and having their DNA tested and compared against thousands and thousands of other samples?? Sign me up.

This is a classic Christina Lauren for long time fans. Predictable but cute and enjoyable.

I loved this book. The characters where fun and well developed. Is it possible to find your soulmate via DNA test? While the premise of this book is similar to others, it stands alone as a true romance novel. This book is entertaining, heartwarming and one of this duo's best!. Jess is a single mom who works and lives for her daughter. Jess has a best friend named Fizzy who feels that Jess needs to start dating or at least have a couple of quick 'hook-ups'! Of course things never start out smooth and that's where the fun and love truly begins.

I liked this one, but ultimately I found the romance forgettable.

Jess is a single mom and data analyst who has sworn off love. River is a stiff genetic researcher who has developed DNA sequencing that can identify the components that align to romantic compatibility.

When Jess and River's respective DNAs make an unheard of match, they try out a relationship, despite both being very dubious that they could have a lasting love match.

I loved the premise and Christina Lauren clearly did their homework. There was a lot of data and DNA talk, maybe a little too much at times, but it helped make the story more believable. What I found less believable was how fast Jess and River fall in love, especially given Jess's misgivings and history. I'm not a big fan of instalove, and they went from dislike with some attraction to River picking up Jess's kid and taking her to ballet and sleeping over in a matter of weeks. To me, that made the romance aspect forgettable and just ok even though I really liked Jess as a character.

It’s not easy these days to find a romance novel that is unique and special, but this one fits the bill. What an engaging premise with thoroughly relatable and believable characters, especially Juno! Even tho the plot points were somewhat predictable, the premise was more than fascinating enough to keep me reading chapter after chapter. Witty dialogue and vivid emotional descriptions also kept me intrigued page after page.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I have a few favorite Christina Lauren novels and this one is up there. Jess is a single mom with not much time for a love life. When she finally meets the dashing and cold stranger in her favorite coffee shop, she founds out that he is the brain behind GeneticAlly, a dating site based on DNA matching. One a low night, she sends in her dna and matches with River. She is then offered an opportunity and broke single mom cannot afford, but is she actually falling for River. Don't want to include spoilers but this was so sweet.

The Soulmate Equation (Hardcover) by Christina Lauren

This is a different kind of dating app story. River is working on a app that uses DNA to match couples. Jess is a single mom statistician (daughter Juno) and she sees River every morning in the coffee shop she and her friend Fizzy (romance writer) go to everyday to use their wifi to work. They think he's handsome but stuck up. They end up giving samples and she is a 98% match with River. This book is fast moving and funny, there are also tears, angst, deceit, her close family and feelings of being left behind, and plenty of steam. I had a little problem with River toward the end (but I forgave him) and enjoyed their HEA.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Witty Unpredictable Page-turner Romantic Original Tear-jerker Entertaining Wonderful characters Great world building Easy-to-read Funny Happily Ever After Steamy

4.5 stars. Jess is a statistician and single mother who has not dated since her daughter was born. On a whim, she and her BFF submit a sample to a new company matching soulmates based on DNA and genetics. She is astonished when she is matched with the company's founder, who just happens to be the handsome grumpy man from the coffee shop that she frequents; even more so when the company offers to pay her to date him. This book is funny and a quick read. There were several laugh out loud moments, especially involving the best friend Fizzy. It is somewhat predictable but still a sweet and entertaining story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Loved the book right from the start!! Didn’t want to end & wanted to know more about Jess & River’s journey. Jess & Juno gave me some Gilmore Girls vibes, & everyone needs a Fizzy in their life. I always look forward to anything written by these great authors, & this one did not disappoint.

The Soulmate Equation was so lovely, I can't handle it. Christina Lauren is (are) always a must-read for me, but I must admit that the last couple books didn't click with me the way the ones before them did. But this one gave me everything I was missing. And River Nicolas Peña might be my new book boyfriend. This was the perfect amount of fun, heartwarming, and steamy, and I loved every single character (well, you know, except the ones I wasn't supposed to love).

An endearing 5 stars, or 5 hearts. Rom-com is not a go to genre for me but I've loved every Christina Lauren book I've read so far. There's a certain magic, a spark that no other author duo can replicate. The writing is fantastic. The characters feel real and are relatable. The story is fleshed out and paced superbly. The only major hiccup for me was how quickly (or so it seemed) the characters fell in love. There was one other, smaller annoyance but I don't want to spill a spoiler by explaining it. I'll continue to read CL's books as long as the keep making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy. This is my honest review.

The Soulmate Equation makes everything logical out of romance by using genetics to match people up, but just as quickly shows that while checking the right boxes at the DNA level is only as important as the emotions at the full human scale. Jess and her friend Fizzy camp out at Twiggy's, a local coffee shop, everyday and see the same good-looking man come in every day to get his coffee. Said man, River, runs a genetic dating company in beta testing, and comes off as a complete jerk. Which is a problem for Jess when it turns out they're genetic equivalent of soulmates. They seem to go from hating each other to crazy about each other just a little too quickly, and there's moments where it's hard to get past River's inclinations but that's about the only downside to the story. Jess is a great, well-rounded person with a daughter, wonderful parents, a horrible mother, and a best friend most people can only dream about. The story's told only from her point of view which makes it easy to root for her finding happiness as the every woman we all seem to be - especially when she has her down moments.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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The New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners returns with a witty and effervescent novel about what happens when two people with everything on the line are thrown together by science—or is it fate? Perfect for fans of The Rosie Project and One Plus One.

Single mom Jess Davis is a data and statistics wizard, but no amount of number crunching can convince her to step back into the dating world. Raised by her grandparents—who now help raise her seven-year-old daughter, Juno—Jess has been left behind too often to feel comfortable letting anyone in. After all, her father’s never been around, her hard-partying mother disappeared when she was six, and her ex decided he wasn’t “father material” before Juno was even born. Jess holds her loved ones close, but working constantly to stay afloat is hard...and lonely.

But then Jess hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company that’s predicted to change dating forever. Finding a soulmate through DNA? The reliability of numbers: This Jess understands.

At least she thought she did, until her test shows an unheard-of 98% compatibility with another subject in the database: GeneticAlly’s founder, Dr. River Peña. This is one number she can’t wrap her head around, because she already knows Dr. Peña. The stuck-up, stubborn man is without a doubt not her soulmate. But GeneticAlly has a proposition: Get to know him and we’ll pay you. Jess—who is barely making ends meet—is in no position to turn it down, despite her skepticism about the project and her dislike for River. As the pair are dragged from one event to the next as the “Diamond” pairing that could make GeneticAlly a mint in stock prices, Jess begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist—and the science behind a soulmate—than she thought.

Funny, warm, and full of heart, The Soulmate Equation proves that the delicate balance between fate and choice can never be calculated.
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I read this book from start to finish today and found it to be the perfect kind of story to fall into on a day off from work. I curled up on the couch with my dog and my Kindle and just read the day away, racing through this enjoyable romance. The characters were fun to get to know, and I found myself really drawn in by the premise that our perfect match is somehow in our DNA (I have a biology degree and am a bit of a science nerd.). And almost from the beginning, I found myself rooting for a love match that may or may not be the real deal. If you are looking for a full cast of delightful characters and just enough drama to keep you guessing, The Soulmate Equation is definitely for you!

Christina Lauren's books are always very hit or miss for me - this one was so much fun. Jess is a single mom who gets matched genetically with her "soulmate" River. They begin to date to see if they are a true match, and trouble ensues along the way. I took away a star from this due to the resolution coming to an end too quickly, and the unnecessary addition of including Jess's problematic mother in this book. Other than that, the family aspect is lovable, and the relationship is quirky and cute.

I have been a fan of Christina Lauren for a long time and was thrilled to get an opportunity to read their latest novel "The Soulmate Equation."

In this story we meet our heroine, Jessica Davis, a statistician and single mom, working hard raising her daughter, Juno and barely making ends meet. Our hero is Dr. River Peña, or as I will forever refer to him, River Nicolas, the seemingly cold and aloof founder of GeneticAlly, a DNA-based matchmaking company.

When Jess first learns that River is about to launch GeneticAlly, she cannot fathom how such a jerk could have possibly founded an app meant for people to find their genetic love match. Her impression of him does not improve when Jess accidently overhears River calling her "entirely average." after her bff Fizzy convinces her to join her in trying out GeneticAlly.

Of course, this would not be a romance story if Jess and River did not end up matching. Not only matching, but scoring a 98% - a nearly perfect match - and the first one of its kind at GeneticAlly. Initially both River and Jess are skeptical for a plethora of reasons, chief among which is the fact that they obviously do not like each other. *wink, wink*

The board members of GeneticAlly need River and Jess's match to be successful. After all, they've invested a lot of money into the launching of this new and innovative dating app and what better way to promote it than by using River and Jess as the prime example of how GeneticAlly can find your true love match based on genetics.

Jess agrees to "get to know" River after GeneticAlly offers to pay her. She is a single mom struggling financially and cannot really afford to reject their offer, even if she's dreading spending time with River. It quickly becomes apparent, however, that Dr. River Peña is not as much of a jerk and is actually more of an extremely shy man trying to overcome his awkwardness.

As Jess and River get to know each other they start to believe that they may actually be a perfect match. It's not an easy thing for either, especially for Jess, who has conditioned herself to not rely on people - they tend to let her down. Her inner circle consists of Juno, her grandparents and her best friend Fizzy, and she's hesitant to allow anyone else in. River slowly breaks through her barriers and in turn she gets to know the real and sweet and caring and adorable, River Nicolas.

It all almost comes crashing down after an unexpected discovery makes River retrieve into himself and in turn proves all of Jess's greatest fears to be true. However, I was pleasantly surprised and very impressed by how these two dealt with the aftermath of this conflict; like adults, they actually talked it out. Groundbreaking.

Overall, "The Soulmate Equation" was an adorable and delightful read. I loved River and Jess, but all of the supporting characters deserve all the love too. Especially Juno - adorable beyond words, Fizzy and Jess's grandparents.

I always tend to end reviews with a plea for more and I will do so again, today. Can we please get Fizzy's story next? Please and thank you.

I am a huge fan of Christina Lauren and never miss one of their books. I love this one. It is a new spin on the dating apps idea and pushes two people who initially dislike each other into considering what they may not be seeing. It has a feel of Pride and Prejudice in it at times and is funny and unique. You think you know how this will end, but you don't. It is a great read and I will be recommending this to many of my library's patrons and friends.
#netgalley

The story is good and in line with the author(s) other works. The e-copy still had some edits to make for corrections - for instance, one character is out of town to LA one day and the next day is returning from NYC without any comment on the change- it seems more error than the actual story. I could have done without the family drama at the 60-70% part of the book, but I understand it was added to show character growth.

What a delight! The Soulmate Equation was such an enjoyable read. Christina Lauren really nailed it with this one. The DNA matchmaking concept was so fun.

Jessica and River, our main characters, were both cute, and their chemistry was top notch. The secondary characters were equally likable. Jessica’s friend, Fizzy, was especially great. Their friendship was definitely one of the highlights of the book.

Definitely recommend! Especially if you’ve been less than impressed with some of Christina Lauren’s other works. This one is definitely worth a shot.

I absolutely adored this book. I loved the scenery, characters, how it grabs you right away, and the plot. So glad I came across this. You know it’s good when you try to read it in parts so it feels like it is much longer.