I don't know what to say other than, wow I really loved this. Like in a way I haven't loved many romances in the first place. It's fun, a little high concept, and bolstered by a wonderful main couple whose relationship is just a treat to read. I've been lukewarm on the other Christina Lauren books I've read but this? This is a knockout.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Soulmate Equation is a sweet story by the amazing duo Christina Lauren.
This story follows the life of, a very realistic and easy to relate to, Jess. She’s a single mom with a tiny but mighty village who helps her raise her daughter while she’s trying to be the best mom she can be, make ends meet, and not permanently scar her daughter in the same way she was as a child. Throw in spit in a vial, a super hot scientist, and a crazy turn of events and you’ve got a cute love story that will leave your rooting for love to prevail.

I always open a Christina Lauren book ready to fall in love, but this one had me SWOONING from start to finish! This writing duo has truly outdone itself!

Jess is a freelance statistician, best friend to adventurous, romance author Fizzy, and mother to adorable, intelligent, way beyond her years 7yo Juno. In summary: she's a strong independent woman surrounded by other amazing women, and I AM HERE FOR IT. However, bf Fizzy knows that Jess wants a partner in life and convinces her to try Genetic Ally, a new dating service which matches people based off of their genes. Jess knows more than anyone that numbers can be fickle, but when she achieves an unheard of 98% match with the company's founder, River Peña, she's torn between whether the results are her friend or her foe.

With this set-up, Christina Lauren delivers their funniest, swooniest, and most uplifting novel yet: The Soulmate Equation. I touched on this in the description, but the character development (ESPECIALLY for Fizzy and Juno) was by far one of the greatest aspects of this book. CL breathed life into every character, pulling no short stops when it came to Jess's statistician nerdiness nor Juno's wide breadth of animal/rollercoaster knowledge.

It should go without saying, considering CL wrote this, but the chemistry between Jess and River is EVERYTHING. These writers really had me annoyed by him in Chapter 1, only to gradually increase the pressure until I was crying by the end of the novel because I'm not Jess (although tbh, not being Fizzy also produced some tears). This book has five love-struck stars from me!

So many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I know it say it nearly every time, but I think this is my favorite Christina Lauren book. It may end up being a five star book, but I'm going to wait for the final copy to make that assessment.

Jess is a delightful main character, someone who knows what she wants and how she wants to live her life. River is an impossible and charming love interest, who has his own complications. Together their story is so cute, while also being twist in some places, and overall VERY swoony. I'm really excited for my statistical minded friend to read this and tell me how the authors did in that area...as I know nothing about statistics.

Now I just need to wait five months for everyone else to read it!! SIGH.

I really wanted to enjoy this book because the premise that you can find your soulmate by exploring your DNA was a cool thought. Unfortunately, I just didn't like it.
There was too much math that had to be writer-splained.
The hero and heroine, I felt, didn't really have much chemistry.
I never believed the hero loved the heroine.
The heroine's mother was an add on a character and I didn't understand why she was even in the story.
I miss the The Beautiful Bastard days...

Great addition to the Christina Lauren line! I love that the duo continually writes interesting characters with different backgrounds - I never feel like I'm reading the same overused plot when I pick up a Christina Lauren book.

Oh man, CLo does it again! I was beyond excited to get to read Christina Lauren's newest book early, and these authors did not disappoint. It's a remarkable book that causes me to sacrifice my precious sleeping hours, and The Soulmate Equation fit the bill.

The plot:
Jess Davis is a single mom raising her seven-year-old daughter, making a living crunching numbers and analyzing statistics when her best friend manages to convince her to send in her DNA sample to GeneticAlly. This matchmaking company claims to change the dating world by using genetic compatibility scores to match clients. When Jess receives a 98% compatibility score, her initial skepticism turns to incredulity when she finds out that her "near perfect" match turns out to be the surly, stuck-up founder of the company, Dr. River Pena. Wanting to capitalize on this "Diamond" level pairing in anticipation of the company's IPO, they issue Jess a proposition. Will she consent to getting to know her match in exchange for three month's salary? Although Jess finds comfort in the reliability of numbers, can she truly believe that one can find a soulmate through DNA?

One might consider this book fitting the enemies-to-lovers archetype, but that would dramatically reduce what this book actually is.

What I liked:
In my opinion, a five-star book has to have three things: excellent writing, a well-designed plot, and likable (or at the very least accessible) characters. This book has all three. The main character Jess, felt like someone I'd totally want to be friends with. There's a scene early on where she's talking to herself in the restaurant bathroom mirror on a terrible Tinder date that was so relatable. I found myself laughing out loud at so much of the protagonist's dialogue and inner thoughts, not to mention those of her hilarious and sassy best friend.

I also appreciated the fact that the seven-year-old daughter Juno actually felt like a seven-year-old. There's nothing worse than a book where the author completely abandons developmentally-appropriate conventions for children.

What I didn't like:
Although initially all of the statistics talk was weirdly sexy (who doesn't love a baller woman who can wipe the floor with her male peers when it comes to data analysis?), it goes a bit too far later in the book. Maybe it's because I had hit my threshold of knowledge about statistics and stopped being able to follow it, but I think it could have been simplified slightly for broader audience appeal.

Finally, my biggest gripe was the fact that the authors casually mention our male romantic lead's height of 6'4". I cannot figure out why so many romance authors ascribe their characters to this insanely tall height. As this is largely a book about statistics and probability, I'll offer this piece of data for consideration. The percentage of men in the United States who are 6'4" or above is a whopping 1%. The average woman in the US is 5'4", and honestly, who wants to be craning their neck up that high just to get in a kiss? I would very much like to see this particular trend in the genre die a quiet death.

Overall:
Statistically improbable heights aside, this book was wonderful, and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to have a smile plastered on their face for their entire reading duration.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for sharing a digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

3.5

I got to say this was an extremely sweet book! Not as hot and steamy as other Christina Lauren books and not as emotionally fleshed out as I would have liked it to be, but overall it was a nice fluffy book to tide over the reading grouch.

Although the premise was sound enough, I really wished we got more chemistry (ironic, I know) and just more of the characters, world, and dialogue. If it had just 100 pages more it would have been a banger but I have to settle with 3.5 stars.

I really like the Author Duo and their latest book is as good as I hoped. The plot is about two women who experiment with DNA dating. They use a dating service that looks at your DNA to find someone who is compatible with you. If this concept sounds very similiar to "The One" by John Marrs you are right. However he wrote his book in a thriller style, while this is a fun rom-com romp.
I found the characters very likable and the dating DNA concept to be well thought out.
This book was very readable and I think I zipped through it in one weekend.
If you are looking for a cute, light hearted romance for Spring this is the book to get.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Soulmate Equation shows what happens when science and genetics are brought into the dating world. Jess and River are brought together in the most unusual way, their DNA shows them to be an "Emerald Match." This means that they should have the best chance to have a long term "soulmate" relationship based on their DNA. The problem is, they can barely stand each other. I usually love Christina Lauren novels, and this one was no different. The story is unique with a science background. It leads to deeper wonderings about the role of DNA in relationships. I would and will definitely recommend to friends.

Loved, loved, loved this title. It was impossible to put down! Per Christina Lauren's strength is the wonderful dialogue throughout. Her characters say things I wish I was fast enough to say! I could almost see this story happening and really felt the range of emotions between the characters. Hands down, Juno was my favorite, but everyone needs a Fizzy in their life! This will be highly recommended by myself and I see it being a favorite summer read!

I adore Christina Lauren books and I think that I enjoyed this even more than [book:The Unhoneymooners|42201431]. I thought the plot was incredibly intriguing. Would you use data and science to determine who to date? What level of compatibility would you need for them to pique your interest?

The characters were fleshed out and written with love and detail, including the secondary characters. I was glad that Juno wasn't one of those child prodigies who is wise beyond her years, because I think we are all getting a bit tired of that, am I right?

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

there was an app that could match you with your Soulmate, would you try it? In Christina Lauren's new book, The Soulmate Equation, Jess decides to send a DNA sample to GeneticAlly, a new dating service that matches people with compatible DNA. Not expecting much in the way of results, she is shocked to discover that she matched with none other than the founder of GeneticAlly himself. But are the two really meant for each other? While this was a pretty quick read for me, it was just ok. Being a biology major I was intrigued by the idea of using genetics to predict a love match and whether that could actually work. I wasn't a huge fan of River and didn't think he was the nicest of people. I didn't like how he completely ignored and was kind of rude to Jess before the match. But if you are looking for a quicky, different romance than this is a good option!

I’ve read almost every one of Christina Lauren’s books and I have to say, this is one of my favorites. The two main characters have a realistic relationship with normal ups and downs that fit the overall storyline well and keep you rooting for their happily ever after. What isn’t realistic is the DNA database that connects them, though it’s not enough of a stretch to take away from the love story in any way.

What I really enjoyed about this book was the main character, Jess. She is a single mom handling motherhood and a freelance career with grace and strength that is admirable; especially when she puts her daughter before any budding love. This book also stretches the will they or won’t they plotline longer than Holidaze and I LOVE the suspense (though we totally know they’re going to get together, right?) and build up to the relationship almost more than the actual thing.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a light romcom from time to time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Christina Lauren have done it again. Some of my top authors I was so excited when I heard about this book and it did not let me down.

I would recommend if you're looking for (spoilers)
-m/f enemies to lovers
-fake dating elements
-a single mom concentrating on her daughter and everyone else in her life rather than her own love life
-a grumpy scientist focused on finding love for other people and not for himself
-amazing secondary characters
-coat hugs
-flirting through science
-slow burn

There have been quite a few takes on modern dating, but this was a fun twist. DNA testing to find your perfect match. This was a wonderful book filled with STEM and brilliance. I adored Jess. Despite the times that life had tried to knock down she loved her life and worked hard to give her daughter everything. And River, the grumpy and shy cinnamon roll. How he supported Jess, adored Juno, loved all the parts of Jess' life.

The secondary characters in this book were so well drawn. Jess' sweet grandparents, her daughter Juno. But the superstar to me was Fizzy. Everyone deserves a Fizzy, a superstar best friend who writes steamy romances. I hope she gets her well deserved HEA of her own as well. I loved the relationship between Fizzy a true supporting friendship, making me laugh out loud more times than I could count. Christina Lauren's writing sparkled off the page, another page-turning hit.

Rating: RAVE
Steam: 2

CW: parental abandonment, parental addiction

I have found Christina Lauren books to have an indefinable charm and this one tops them all. From the moment I began this story I was enthralled with Jess's plight as a single mom and her encounters with River. One of the thing that sets this book apart is the premise of using DNA to find true love. The way this concept was explored was intriguing and fun. My nerdy heart loved this scientific approach, while my inner romantic swooned for the chemistry between River and Jess. I lost count of the number of times I laughed out loud (cue the weird looks from my family) from the smart and sassy humor. A story is nothing without relatable characters and this one is filled with endearing characters that you feel like you've known forever, from the precocious young Juno, to Jess's fiercely loyal friend Felicity and her love-able Pops. Full of heart and humor this one is a must read!

Ugh I hate to do this, but I just couldn’t get into this. Im willing to give it another try, but right now, I’m DNFing it.

I may have found my new favorite Christina Lauren novel.

When single-mom statistician Jess decides in a moment of despair to spit in a tube and send her DNA off to to GeneticAlly, a company that thinks they can find your soulmate based on DNA, she doesn't expect to look at her results. But when she has a startlingly high match percentage with the company's founder, it's hard to resist curiosity... and his good looks.

There have been a large number of romantic comedies premised on newfangled dating apps recently (The Right Swipe, The Marriage Code, Make Up Break Up...) but this one takes the cake. With a truly original idea, it's not only creative, but incredibly thought-provoking. I loved both the main characters--Jess and River--and enjoyed watching them get to know each other. Jess' best friend, Fizzy (short for Felicity) is a romance writer and one of my all-time favorite characters; I wish I had her as a best friend. Can she get her own book? I got that pang of anxiety when things were going too well and I knew something was going to happen, but, maybe stupidly, I didn't guess what The Big Hurdle(TM) would be in advance. This one isn't closed door, but is very low on the steam level for a Christina Lauren, especially if you're used to reading their old school stuff, but we're given enough it doesn't feel like we're missing out.

Thank you to Gallery and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review!

5 stars - 10/10

I've been a fan of Christina Lauren's books ever since I read <i>Love and Other Words</i>. They really do a great job of creating characters that you want to root for, and <i>The Soulmate Equation</i> is no exception. Jess Davis is a single mom in San Diego who was raised by her grandparents and has a cynical view on relationships thanks to her own absent parents. After noticing the same man in her favorite coffee shop every day, she stops him to ask a question and learns that he is one of the (very grumpy) founders of a new dating service that pairs people up by their DNA. When Jess decides to send in her sample after a bad day, the adventures begin.

I really liked this book. The characters are fun and even though I've read a bunch of their books, I never feel like the stories or character types repeat themselves. I'm already looking forward to whatever their next book is.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I didn’t know much about the plot going into this, just knew I wanted to read it because I have been loving Christina Lauren’s books!

I loved that Jess is a statistician (yes, a woman in STEM!) and single mom, two character types we don’t see a ton in romance novels. I also really enjoyed how unique and unpredictable (at least to me) the plot was. The enemies to lovers switch was a little abrupt, but it didn’t bother me that much. I grew to really like River, especially as he got to know Jess’s family and daughter.

The supporting characters were also fabulous: Jess’s best friend, Fizzy, her daughter, Juno (what a kid!!), Nana Jo and Pop, even River’s sisters.

This book checked all the boxes for me, and if you love Christina Lauren, too, you’re definitely going to want to check this one out. I can’t wait to see what the duo comes up with next!