I love all Christina Lauren books and this one was no exception. As always, the writing was excellent, the plot was well developed, the characters were complex and messy and relatable, the chemistry was off the charts, and I devoured the whole book in a day. Unexpectedly, the second half of the book was actually better than the first half for me, as it managed not to be predictable despite my early expectations. A couple of quibbles - while I appreciated the theme of choice vs fate in soulmates, ultimately I felt like it didn’t get explored quite to the level it deserved. And, unusually for Christina Lauren, I wasn’t super into the sex scenes - somehow they managed to be kind of euphemistic even though they were very much open door; there was just something slightly unsatisfying about them. However, overall this was a great book and a really fun read.

Guys, I really enjoyed this one. And I am so thankful that I did. Confession: I did not like the last three books by these lovely ladies. I was so sad about that. But they completely redeemed themselves in my eyes with this book.

Jess is a single mom who is also a statistics expert. Dr. River Pena is the founder and creator of GeneticAlly, a genetics based dating app. Jess works her behind off to make ends meet for her and her daughter. She has her family and her best friend by her side but she is still lonely. So, she submits her DNA for the app. Well, you probably guess what happens. She is a 98% match to none other than River. Too bad Jess already knows who River is and she is not a fan. But when the company offers her money to get to know him, she cannot refuse.

Okay, so as you already read, this book has some science in it. And it went over my head a few times. I'll admit, I skimmed some parts. But science and Molly do not get along. But the romance part? I loved it all. I think my favorite part was River getting to know Juno, Jess’ daughter. I also loved the relationship between Jess and her grandparents.

If you are looking for a Christina Lauren book like some of their older ones, you are in the right place!

Christina Lauren did another cute thing. I thought that the whole 23andMe/Tinder dating app was fun premise was fun and likely to exist at some point if it doesn't already? Not gonna look into that.

A 30 year old with a elementary aged daughter is not the typical heroine of these contemporary romances and I liked it. The plot was maybe predictable but in a comforting way. The sex scenes are relatively tame and off screen.

Christina Lauren can be depended on for entertaining, witty, well-written romances. The Soulmate Equation did not disappoint. When Intelligent, professionally successful, determinedly single mom, Jess, meets brilliant, super nerd River, a predictable and satisfying story ensues. River’s company’s genetically based dating app takes center stage as their genetic profiles suggest that he and Jess could be soulmates. That premise combined in a plot with Jess’s precocious daughter and crazy best friend make for a light, fun read.

My favorite CLo book to-date and that is saying something because I have very strong opinions on each of their books I have read. My rankings range from strongly like to absolutely love and recommend to everyone. So while you never can go wrong with any of their books, I will be happy to try to convince you to read my favorites first.

The Soulmate Equation surpassed my expectations. It had the enemies (but not really) to lovers vibe that I love but also the emphasis on family and friends was just as important. We all need a friend like Fizzy in our lives. Dr Pena is most definitely one of my favorite book boyfriends and watching he and Jess get to know each other was a wonderful reading experience. All the feels.

I was given the opportunity to read and review this book through Net Galley and I am so glad! The story sucked you in and you'll find yourself thinking about the characters long after you finish the book. Can't wait to read more by this author!!

Match.com meets 23andMe in Christina Lauren’s newest novel. Imagine a dating service that gives you genetically compatible matches. When two people who aren’t that interested in dating score off the charts in compatibility, they are hesitant to jump into things.

I loved the characters in this novel. Jess and Juno are a lovely mother daughter duo. The family dynamics with the grandparents on site is amazing. Dr River Peña is truly made for Jess. I love them together and their relationship. This was a fun and engrossing read. Perfect for a day on the beach or at the pool.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book.

This is a great pandemic read, quick escapism from the reality of today. The characters are fun and relatable and the story has a "ripped from the headlines" take to it.

While this one did start out a little slow for me, I did really get into it and actually enjoyed this rom com by my favorite duo! Christina Lauren is known for their rom-coms and while sometimes I feel like they have felt flat in the past, I thought the scientific touch put on this one was a change from the usual cheesy rom-com scenarios!

Jess Davis is a single mom to a 7 year old. She lives with her grandparents and has a best friend, Fizzy. While money is tight, Jess Davis seems to be happily living her life. Until her best friend Fizzy decides it's time for Jess to get back into the dating game. However, in putting a modern twist to today's dating scene, Jess gets a test kit from a new company that's about to go public, called GeneticAlly. The company manages to match individuals in their data base solely based on their DNA equations. When Jess' score happens to match in the high 90's (which is unheard of) with another individual, she's shocked to find out it's none other than Dr. River Pena, the creator of GeneticAlly.

Dr. River Pena is as closed off as ever and meeting his own soul mate was not at the top of his list. Their first encounter does not leave the best of impressions. But when he finds out he's matched with Jess, well, it takes on a life of its own.

Of course, there is a twist, like any good rom-com, but it leaves Jess wondering if there match was truthful or if it has been tampered with. And if it was tampered with and this was not based on pure numbers, did River know the whole time? Was he keeping up pretenses for the benefit of his company right before it's about to go public?

I thought it was a great plot to have something different than the usual rom-com scenarios. The scientific references to DNA while did leave me confused, I did find interesting and a breath of fresh air!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Romance novels are a dime a dozen nowadays. I have read so many myself, there is no way I could count. My top requirements for a romance are they must make me laugh, cry, swoon, and when the book has a little kid, it automatically gets bonus points with me. This book gave me all of that and more.

I have read a few Christina Lauren novels, and this one is by far my favorite. The book description sucked me in. A single mom who comes across a DNA-based matchmaking company? What!? I immediately looked this up by the way, and it IS a real thing. It was so intriguing to me!

I dived right in and fell in love with Jess, her daughter Juno & her best friend Fizzy! Everyone needs a Fizzy in their life by the way. Fizzy is a romance author and Jess does freelance statistical work, so they meet every morning at this coffee shop called Twiggs. This is where they find out about the DNA match making company from one of the baristas and they meet one of the founders, River Pena. Jess is very interested in finding out about this company, so she approaches River and he invites she and Fizzy in to find out about the company and give a couple of samples. Jess' whole world is turned upside down when she finds out she matches an unheard of 98% with River!

River is my favorite kind of hero. He comes across as quiet, stoic, and brooding, but as you get to know him he is just a romantic, loving, guy who is as good as they come. I loved the chemistry between he and Jess, it was off the charts!! I enjoyed how the story unfolded from page one and I devoured it!! I give this book 5 stars and it is going on my shelf to re-read! Not many books fall into this category for me!

Bravo to Christina Lauren for another great romance. Please never stop giving us amazing characters and stories!! You two rock.

I've had fun reading every Christina Lauren book I've come across, and The Soulmate Equation is no different! Jess and River had a rocky (and entertaining start), but I found myself enjoying the novel the most once we got past the meet cute and into the true romance, which absolutely made me swoon! The novel explores the ideas of soulmates and genetics vs choice and emotions, and is absolutely hilarious while doing so! I loved Jess's best friend Fizzy, who is also a romance novelist (I can't help it - I always love writers and readers in books!). And I found myself loving the aspect of Jess being a single mom. Maybe it's because I'm a new mom myself, but I thought the scenes of her daughter bonding with River were some of the sweetest in the entire book.

I definitely recommend this to fans of contemporary romance and romantic comedies! Can't go wrong with these authors!

PS: I got this one on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review :)

This was reminiscent of The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang - using mathematics and science to achieve the perfect romantic match. But using DNA to achieve optimum romantic connecting was a pretty interesting concept to present in a romance novel. I thought the story line was tried and true. Single mom, professionally successful but romantically barren, who finds herself inexplicably matched up with the one man she's deemed too haughty and pretentious to stand. Then, BOOM. They fall head over heels, have mind blowing sex, and everything just falls right into place. Until it doesn't. I thought the conflict was a little meh, but it couldn't have really gone any other way. Funny, sexy, and a good read for when you want some nerd love thrown into the mix.

I ABSOLUTELY loved this book. I think it's their best one yet!

This was a fast read, but mostly because I refused to put it down. I didn't want it to end, I didn't want to continue reading because I knew it would end. Definitely a conundrum.

This author(s), there is just something about the way they write a modern, contemporary romance, and the characters, the supporting characters, you fall in love with them. You want to be their best friends, their neighbors, their dinner party companions.

I really can't say enough good things about this book. Jess and River, gah! The chemistry was palpable from just reading. Imagine being in the same room as them. Oh, wait. They are not real. Ahem.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to review this book early because Christina Lauren is quickly becoming one of my favorite romance authors, and I’ll read anything they write!
To start with, the premise of this story was so unique and captivating.
Our main character, Jessica, is a single mom, just getting by -ok- in her life when an opportunity arises to send her DNA in to a company that matches a person’s DNA with his/her genetic “soulmate”.
I really loved how Jessica was nerdy, and she owned it!
Another thing I really enjoyed about this story was the side relationships. Jessica’s grandparents were endearing, her daughter, Juno, adorable, and best friend hilarious. It really rounded out the romance to have such a good supporting cast.
The only thing is that I wanted more of the book! More of the many implications from this DNA matching. And more of the romance between the main characters.
I would for sure recommend this to romance readers, especially those who like fade-to-black scenes because the steamy scenes were minimal and mild (in comparison to most other romance novels).
I’m so happy to have read this and will be recommending.

I've read several books by Christina Lauren and was eager to read this one. It was enjoyable, but not my favorite. I never totally bought in to the concept of the biological matching system so that might have contributed along with the inconsistencies in Jess's financial situation. She struggled for money but always seemed to have extra cash when she needed it? I wasn't sure about that.

Overall, an enjoyable read and I"ll look forward to snatching up new titles by Christina Lauren in the future.

I thought the premise was cute and overall well done. It was a predictable rom com without being overly done. My main complaint was that, while the side stories were representative of real life, there were so many and they weren’t fully explored so they just felt thrown in there. 3.5 stars rounded up.

From the beginning, I knew this book was just what I needed. A light, fast-paced romance with some quirky characters. Jess is a single mother, down on her luck and River is the brains behind the dating app DNADuo, where people are matched together based on the compatibility of their DNA. Imagine their surprise when they match together, even though they don't like one another very much. I really liked the concept of this novel, finding your soulmate based on DNA and an app. I loved seeing how Jess and River navigated the pressures and challenges that came with being matched. And Jess's best friend Fizzy? I loved her! She was the perfect balance to Jess and what a true best friend should be. There is a lot of science and math talk in this one, as both Jess and River have jobs based in those fields. Christina Lauren is one of my absolute go-to's when I need a romance, and this one is in my top 3 of their books. This one releases in May 2021, and this one definitely gets a recommendation for me!

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC copy of The Soulmate Equation. This was a really cute story and I give it four stars. Yes, it was slightly predictable, but the cast of characters made it a fun journey. Three things I loved: how down to earth the characters ended up being, the laugh out loud funny bits of writing, and the overall story of River and Jess. I felt like the book ended a bit abruptly and (no spoilers!), but there is one piece of information at the end I would have loved knowing!

Jess is a single mother to a seven year old and doesn’t really have a dating life because she feels like she is being selfish if she doesn’t devout herself to her child, grandparents, friend, and work. Her friend Fizzy gets her a dna kit for a dating company for Jessica’s 30th birthday. She ends up matching 98% with one of the lead scientists. However, she has met him before she got tested and thinks he is an arrogant jerk. Will sparks end up flying?
I loved how cute this is. I loved the banter and getting to know Jess, River, Juno, and Fizzy. I did find the ending to be a bit slower and not have an enough umph like the first and half of the book. It was still a fun read and one of my favorites by this author duo. I suggest everyone to check this book out on May 18th. Also, I want to thank the publisher, Christina Lauren, and Netgalley for allowing me the chance to read this arc. I usually get declined for their books and I actually squealed when I got approved for this book.

I loved this book. So let's start with the premise: a matchmaking app based on genetic compatibility. River is the lead scientist who ran the studies and invented the algorithm for compatibility. When Jess's friend drags her along to get her profile done, she and River are the highest match that the company has ever had. And wow, are they ever compatible.

I loved both of the protagonists. They are complicated, and they have awesome STEM careers, and they have great families. River's sisters and Jess's grandparents and daughter are so well rounded and fabulous.

I especially loved Fizzy, Jess's best friend. Fizzy writes romance novels (including a series featuring Jess as the villain) and always carries around a notepad for when she is inspired. I always love strong female friendships in books, and this was a great example. And I loved how her character celebrated the romance genre.

Beyond that, this book made me think. It's not usual for me to spend lots of time reading a rom com wondering about genetics and eugenics and the ethical implications of using our DNA to find out soulmate. But I did. I can't say enough good things about this book. It's a new favorite, and River is a new book boyfriend. I'll be preordering a copy because my eARC won't be enough.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the eARC.