I went into this with high (probably too high) hopes. I haven't read all of Christina Lauren's books, but the few I have read I have really loved. This one is probably my least favorite so far. There were definitely parts of this I felt made the story enjoyable and gave it great potential - Jess being a single mom (loved this), the DNA science nerding out involved, JUNO (loved her), and Jess' really great support system at home. All of that gave me hope this would be an easy five star for me, but unfortunately some things just dragged it down - Jess being a single mom (I felt like this tried to hit every stereotypical single mom problem without first hand knowledge of it), the romance happening basically immediately with hardly any enemies to lover build up, the conflict was way too predictable and the resolution seemed rushed and lazy, and finally the in depth explanations about statistics. I think my eyes actually started to cross at one point.

So all in all, I did like this because of the plot idea and the characters that really held up this story. But I just needed more juice for it to fully put me over the edge in love with their love story and the book as a whole.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the ARC of The Soulmate Equation. I am posting my review to GR and Netgalley now, and will post to my IG on pub date 05/18/2021.

Christina Lauren never misses! The Soulmate Equation is another 5-star contemporary romance from my favorite authors. Once again, they write very lovable characters, including their first single mom, Jess. I loved the single mom aspect of the story because I loved seeing the love interest, River’s, interactions with Jess’s daughter. This story follows a fairly predictable contemporary romance format, but the characters and writing more than make up for any predictability. The Soulmate Equation made me laugh and cry, and I recommend it to any romance fans!

Christina Lauren never disappoints, and the Soulmate Equation was no different in that sense. This was a new dynamic though, and they really knocked it out of the park. A brooding, attractive man who ends up being a shy genius who is good with kids? Good lord, take me to the altar now.

I've read quite a few Christina Lauren books over the years - some that I've liked, some that I loved. It is safe to say that this one topped them all. While I wish it had been 50 pages longer (the end felt slightly rushed) I loved the story and the protagonists just so thoroughly. If Fizzy doesn't get a spinoff novel then I will RIOT.

Single mom, and freelance data/statistics analyst, Jess Davis and her BFF, Felicity “Fizzy” Chen, meet at a coffee shop every morning and overhear that the grumpy guy they refer to as “Americano” (Dr. River Peña), is the CEO of a new DNA based match-making company, GeneticAlly. Being a romance writer, Fizzy is curious how that works, and they are invited, begrudgingly, by Dr. Pena to come by the lab, see how the process works, and maybe even provide a spit sample to see if they’re matched with anyone. Jess ends up matching with River with 98% compatibility, and with the app launch only 3 months away, the GeneticAlly big wigs want to see how well they’d do dating each other. They hate each other, so Jess isn’t interested, until she loses a client and GeneticAlly makes her an offer she can’t refuse.

This is the 5th book I’ve read by Christina Lauren and I’ve learned that they are hit or miss for me. This one had so much potential for me to love it, but it just fell kinda flat.
The relationship developed far two quickly for two people who hated each other. It was like all it took was the first date for them to go from hating to liking and not much else to loving. There wasn’t much build up like there is in most enemies to lovers. I also felt like the steamiest bits were rushed.
The main conflict happened around the 80% mark and was resolved too easily and far too quickly. The MC hero was forgiven far too easily for how he acted near the end. It also left a handful of lose ends. There’s a run in with the two MCs in the fourth chapter of the book and I kept on wondering why they were in the same place and it was never explained. I feel like they only had them in the same place to make them more irritated at each other.
I did really like the idea of the story. I think it was well thought out, for most of it. It just needed more resolution for me to rate it higher. I loved the relationships between Jess and the supporting characters. Her daughter is sassy and cute and I love how she got along with River. The moments with them are really cute and are some of the only times I felt a swoon from River. The grandparents are sweet and her BFF, Fizzy, is laugh out loud funny. I just loved her and would her book, if that ever happens.
Thank you to Netgalley, Gallery Books, and Christina Lauren for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Christina Lauren books and I have to say, this may be the best one yet. So well written; I would read passages out loud to my boyfriend; and laugh out loud funny. Its only January but this easily makes it into the Best Books of 2021. Sheer perfection, would recommend and gift to everyone.

Can you find your soulmate via DNA test? This book is not John Marrs’ One. The subject may be similar but this is truly entertaining, heartwarming and lately the best romcom my favorite duo has written. ( at some parts I loved it more than In A Holidaze because entire characters are adorable and I have to admit we don’t have Fizzy at In a Holidaze, actually all we need more Fizzys in our lives. What a sassy, naughty, funny, loyal, smart, vivid best friend she is! )

My pros about this fun escapade:
Both of the MCs are nerds!

They love mathematics, equations, genetics! At some parts of the book, they seem like talking Gibberish ( geneticish if it is a real language) Jess, single mom, quirky, smart, easy to connect, statistics prodigy, barely making ends meet as a single mother but she still does a great job, trying to gather pieces of life, always trying to finish her next task. On the other hand , Dr. Riva Pena is outstandingly charismatic, a charming human robot, workaholic, founder of GeneticAlly’s : visionary version of dating sites. You just spit into an envelope and ta ta, you learn who is genetically compatible for you!

Hot chemistry and enemies to lovers theme
When I see ETL blurb, I always go blind because this is my all time favorite theme. The sexy and smart banters, increasing sexual tension, smoky hot intimacy between two people who cannot stand each other but also want to rip each other’s clothes is my favorite romcom formula.

Super duper supporting characters:
Juno: 7 years old daughter of Jess is extremely sweet and I loved her quirky mind! She and best friend Fizzy were scene stealers! At some parts they truly stole the book!
Nana and Pops are also huggable, sweet so much lovable characters!
We only see at one chapter but I already liked River’s overprotective sisters, too.
But as you may imagine I think Fizzy needs her own book as a sassy romance writer!

Unputdownable, intriguing pace:
I was hooked as soon as I was introduced the whirlwind, extra busy life of Jess, how she puts others’ needs above herself, how she takes care of her loved ones. The book moved fast but it didn’t affect romance’s blooming ( thankfully this is not insta romance story) actually I found myself chant for River to kiss the girl! I finished this gem at one sit, canceling everything in my life, buried my face into ereader.

My cons
Hero was truly dislikable at the beginning:

At the beginning River earned so many punching and kicking his ass points with his extra arrogant douchebag attitudes! He told his colleague Jess was average! Of course Jess heard and reminded him of his rudeness at several times! It took nearly half of the book to see his true face and realize he is kind hearted nerd!

Scientific terminology:
The characters talked so gibberish when they mention about their professions. As Jess talks about statistics or River makes explanations about genetics I felt like my head may explode because of information bombardment! Those parts made me lose my interest about the story.

Overall: instead of genetical mumbo jumbo, I enjoyed this heartfelt, sweet, sexy, enjoyable story! It is a big winner! I love this duo and I loved their incredible book!

A quick request: I want sequel ASAP! Fizzy is too vivid, entertaining character to be wasted as supporting characters at one book!

Special thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for sharing this incredible digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

As an avid reader of Christina Lauren, I was very excited to get an ARC of this novel from NetGalley. That being said, I was disappointed in this book. I enjoyed the usual rom-com storyline, but I found that there was too much emphasis on explaining the scientific aspects of the storyline. It seemed unnecessary and didn't flow well with the rest of the story. Overall, I enjoyed the characters and especially liked to witness the Jess' growth. I would've liked to have seen a little more of an arc for River's character though. In the end, my issue with this book may just be though that I'm not a believer in its notion that genetics plays such a large role in love and romance. Thanks again to NetGalley for giving me an early copy of this story!

Oh my heart.

I started and finished this in one day as I couldn't put it down.

Jess is a single mother, broaching the age of 30. She's very selfless, always giving of herself and finds that idea of dating, daunting. She doesn't have a lot of time and to spend it trying to date someone... Well, she'd rather not. After being pushed by her best friend Fizzy, and in a moment of self loathing, she submits a spit test to find a soulmate using DNA.

Imagine Jess's surprise when she matches someone at a 98%. The probability is astounding. That someone happens to be Dr. River Peña, aka Americano, the lead scientist and founder of the company GeneticAlly.

Jess, the skeptic, isn't sure she should pursue something as the company tries to push them together to enhance their marketing. What happens? You'll have to one click.

I generally stay away from the single mom books. I often find the child or children written unrealistically, but Christina Lauren was superb in their writing. I emotionally connected to this character and let me tell you all the swooning I did by the end of chapter 15. I highly recommend this book.

Kudos girls! This book was fantastic!

I’m a big fan of Christina Lauren books. My most beloved is still Love and Other Words, but I also adore Josh and Hazel as a couple. But The Soulmate Equation was everything I was hoping for.

It had heart, wonderful characters, a smart and trendy story, and a love story that will be a fan favorite. Honestly, besides a slow beginning, there was nothing in this book that didn’t work for me.

The story was heartfelt and charming. The idea of finding a love match via DNA was fascinating. And I wonder if this is something we’ll be seeing in the future.

What I loved about the book:

The heroine was easy to like and root for.
Her daughter was adorable. Also since I’m a big fan of the single parent trope I was charmed by the daughter from the very first moment.
The grandparents were dream grandparents, especially Pops made me LOL. And their relationship made my heart all gooey!!
Her best friend was the hoot. Wouldn’t mind if she would get her own story.
And the hero was swoony in a wonderful nerdy way.
I also noticed how much I loved and enjoyed the little details the authors added to conversations, and throughout the story. Small things that stood out to me, and only added to the overall enjoyment.

The Soulmate Equation was more than a solid romance novel. It’s everything I wanted in a new CLo novel. And I can’t wait to own the book for my bookshelf.

This Christina Lauren novel is another delightful romcom read from these two authors. Here, single mom Jess is barely holding it all together to make ends meet. She lives with her grandparents, who helped raise her, and who helps raise her seven-year-old daughter Juno. She's a statistician who loves data and crunching numbers, but hesitates to get back in the dating game. As a statistician, when she and her best friend discover GeneticAlly, a DNA-based matchmaking service, she's skeptical but intrigued. On a whim, she signs up and spits into a tube. Soon, she's discovered that her results have matched her with Dr. River Pena at a freaking 98 percent compatibility, a nearly unheard of score. Oh, but she already knows River and doesn't really like him after some initial, unfriendly meetings. The company has a proposition for her. To pretend to date, or actually just get to know, River and they'll pay her a handsome sum that could really help her day to day. Since she needs the cash, she reluctantly agrees. They're trotted out at all sorts of public events as the rare, elusive Diamond Match in order to help his company succeed, but eventually, they realize there might be something to each other than they initially thought. This book, in true Christina Lauren fashion, is chock full of compelling language that draws me in from the get-go and I hesitate to put this book down because it's so intriguing and engaging. Overall, it reads quite quick because I just need to know where things go with these rich, relatable characters. It's an authentic love story for this pair of skeptics, which makes it all the more romantic and sweeping in the end because the coupling up feels justified and earned. These authors did what they do best with this romance read and I'm already wishing I could read it all over again. Now, as an ARC galley, there were a few continuity errors and kinks that weren't exactly logical, but that didn't stop me from getting into this book, and I'm sure it'll all be adjusted by its pub date. I thoroughly enjoyed reading and swooning over this book. Also, the ending's a bit ambiguous, which I understand the narrative point, but as an invested reader I just wanted to know what we didn't know, which is my way of saying I just wanted more content.

This was my first book by this writing duo, and I'm disappointed I haven't found them before! The Soulmate Equation tells the story of Jess, a statistician and single mom, and River, an introverted doctor who has started a dating service that matches people based on their DNA sequences. On a whim, Jess submits her DNA for the test and is shocked when she matches with River who has been nothing but rude to her in all of their past encounters at the local coffee shop. When she agrees to go on a few dates with him for pay, she doesn't expect to catch feelings, but of course there's a reason they matched so high. Add a hilarious best friend, adorable daughter, and sweet grandparents, and you have a really fun rom-com for the ages! While not the most emotionally compelling or realistic, it was snappy, fun, and entertaining!

I think The Soulmate Equation has surpassed The Unhoneymooners for my favorite book by Christina Lauren and that is saying a lot! I devoured this in one sitting and am still thinking about it. The Soulmate Equation features Jessica Davis, a down on her luck single mother who feels like she has just been going through the motions without really living her life. She recently lost her biggest client and has been having financial struggles while feeling like she never has time to live her own life. Her and her best friend Fizzy, who is a complete delight, often work from a coffee shop where she sees Americano aka River Pena every morning. River Pena is a scientist who has founded a DNA matchmaking company that is about to IPO. When their paths cross at the coffee shop, Fizzy and Jessica learn about his company and end up giving in spit samples for the database. Jessica only sent in the sample when she was having a bad night and is shocked when she receives an unheard of Diamond Match with none only but the founder himself River Pena. How can this grumpy scientist be her soulmate, even if he does look like Keanu Reeves? Jessica assumes the data must be faulty. However, the company itself needs to examine the validity of a match so high and offers to pay her to go on some dates with the founder so they can see if data is correct.

While the premise for this one was far fetched, it was a fun given the techno driven modern dating world and you just have to suspend your disbelief and roll with it. The chemistry between River and Jessica jumped off the pages and I loved their relationship. Both characters were really lovable and I loved reading as their relationship grew and trust formed. While this was a romance, it was also a book about friendship and family. All of the secondary characters were top notch. I especially loved the true supportive friendship between Fizzy and Jess. I would love to read a stand alone about Fizzy one day! Juno was also adorable and as a working mother, I could relate to Jess’s guilt over spending any time apart from her.

Overall, I just loved this book and highly recommend to fans of Christina Lauren and contemporary romance. This is one you will want to preorder! As always, I am counting down to their next book. Thank you to NetGalley and GalleryBooks are this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Pros: Of the six Christina Lauren books I’ve read, this one has overtaken The Unhoneymooners as my favorite. The genetics-based dating app reminds me a bit of The One by John Marrs, which is a good thing! This was a fun reading experience—a fast-paced book with characters I rooted for.

Cons: None really. Although no great work of fiction, this book does just what it sets out to do and is one of my favorites in the genre.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 on the Goodreads scale because the reading experience was so much fun.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC of this book!

This book I think by far has been my favorite Christina Lauren book. They just keep getting better. It took me far longer than it normally would have taken to read because I didn't want it to end. It was a painful struggle between wanting to continue because it just makes your heart glow, and being sad that you know once you finish there's no more.

The premise was fairly silly, it reminded me somewhat of the movie TiMer, but you just can get too wrapped up in any ethics or scientific nuances. You just have to enjoy it for what it is: a heart warming, frothy, fun excellent escape from the world. I liked the characters, Jess and Fizzy, and Juno and River, even the minor characters have you trilling. I needed this so very much.

3.25 ⭐️

Jess Davis is a number loving single mom who has given up on dating. Her grandparents, daughter Juno, and best friend Fizzy are enough to keep her happy. At least that is what she keeps telling herself. One night Jess succumbs to the loneliness and sends her information to the new dating site that Fizzy forced her into researching. A dating site that finds matches based on DNA. And she just got a 98% match with the company’s founder, Dr. River Peña. Jess understands numbers, but finds this hard to believe. She knows River- and he’s a jerk! But the company needs these numbers for their launch- so they need her to date River. They’re even willing to pay for it. And as she gets to know River, she realizes there might actually be some truth to this science.

I love Christina Lauren, but it took me a while to get into this one. I really had to suspend my disbelief, which is fine, but there were just so many numbers and statistics about the dating site and DNA matching info that my eyes started glazing over.

The characters in this one are so fun. Jess’ daughter, Juno is spunky & cute. Her best friend, Fizzy, is vivacious & funny. Jess herself is fun, snarky, and quirky. River... I really loved the River we get in the 2nd half of the book. He’s smart, sweet, nerdy, and shy. The River we are introduced to in the beginning doesn’t match the rest of the book. When we meet him he is callous and rude (not holding elevators for others, stealing parking spots) and this is later written off as him being shy. These qualities however did not read as someone who is just shy to me.

While not my favorite Christina Lauren book, it still ended up being really cute, and I will continue to read everything this duo author team writes!

*Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

Christina Lauren (the pen name of authors Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings) is known for writing romance novels that will leave a smile on your face, and this one does not disappoint! In "The Soulmate Equation", single mom Jess and researcher River are guaranteed to be a near perfect couple. But how is that possible when they can't even stand each other? The "enemies to lovers" trope is one of my favorites, and this is done to perfection! I also enjoyed all the supporting characters as well! This book was a nice escape from the craziness of 2021 and it was really enjoyable!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I love Christina Lauren books, so I was ecstatic to read this ARC! I'm happy to report that it did not disappoint. It sucked me in as all their books do, and I would have happily read another 200 pages of this novel if it existed.

Jess is a frazzled single mom who's doing the best she can. She's lucky to live in San Francisco with her grandparents and friends to help her out. Her friend Fizzy is especially delightful.

Jess' life is thrown off course when she is talked into using a genetic dating app and ends up with a crazy-high match with her coffee shop nemesis, who is also the app's founder. He is, of course, delightful.

Great rom-com - thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

So satisfying to read!!! I absolutely fell in love with all the characters. I was giddy and anxious the whole time. A spectacular book.

They did it again! It was cute, just the right amount of real life to not be too cheesy.

Jess is a single mom who is trying her best to raise her daughter, Juno, with help from her grandparents and BFF, Fizzy. After noticing a grouchy guy at her local coffee shop, Jess learns he's the head scientist for a company that specializes in DNA matching for soulmates.

River and Jess end up with an extremely high DNA score, after Jess takes the test on a whim. They strike up a relationship and learn that there is more to it than a number for a test.

I enjoyed the relationship between Jess and her grandparents and her best friend. She had great people in her corner. I also loved the mother-daughter relationship with Juno and the thoughts behind mom guilt and how Jess was trying to do right by her daughter while still being her own person.

This was a great read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.