Christina Lauren's books are perfect weekend read! Jess is not looking to date let alone her soulmate. She has a job she likes, a wonderful daughter, and a support system she can rely on her grandparents and best friend. So when her best friend, romance writer Fizzy discovers the handsome man that always gets his coffee at 8:24 has a company that uses DNA to find your soulmate Jess wants no part. But Fizzy won't take no and Jess finds herself receiving unexpected results. The numbers are there but can numbers really predict compatibility and love. A story of friendship and trust and being open to possibilities.

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5 stars
Publication Date: 5/18/21

Christina Lauren is an auto-buy author for me and I immediately dove into this read. The Soulmate Equation is equally as amazing as Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating and The Unhoneymooners and I loved everything about this read.

The plot to The Soulmate Equation is so unlike anything I have read in a romcom and Christina Lauren nails the mix of science, love, and magic. The story centers around Jess, a single mom who is afraid to begin dating again. When her and her friend (the amazing Fizzy, who I need a spin-off about) find out that the handsome scientist they see every day at their coffee shop is the founder of the new DNA-based matchmaking company, they send in their samples. Jess matches with the scientist, River Pena, with an unheard of 98% compatibility. Jess and River now have to see whether or not his science is right and they are soulmates.

Jess is a lovable heroine and her family is full of standout characters. I loved Jess and Juno’s mother-daughter relationship, but I also particularly enjoyed River and Juno’s. River and Jess have both the love/hate chemistry and (later) the sweet, nerdy chemistry. It is the perfect combination and I enjoyed reading how their love changes.

Overall, The Soulmate Equation is a sweet, swoonworthy, and fun romance. It is definitely one of my all-time favorite Christina Lauren love stories.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Full review to be posted closer to release date.

Christina Lauren DOES IT AGAIN. What a premise. What a book! LOVED THIS SO MUCH! From the start I knew I'd be mad once I finished it because I would have no more book left to read! Jessica (Jess) was a super relatable character and I loved how dorky she was about numbers (and not in a fake romantic comedy book way, but it seemed like the gals did their homework with what a statistician would sound like). River was just as wonderful of a character. Handsome, shy, and a total dork with science and numbers. Overall 10/10!!!

I really liked this book. It was a fun read that had me laughing and in crying. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that wants a fun book to read.

The dynamic duo of Christina Lauren have done it again! The Soulmate Equation is a story which will have you laughing, crying, and wanting so.much.more.

While working from the local coffee shop Twiggs, we are introduced to single mom Jess, her hysterical best friend Fizzy (Felicity), and Americano - later to be discovered as Dr. River Pena.

The storyline is an interesting take on dating sites where River is the founder. Jess and River are “set-up” and what follows is a story rich with detail - and depth.

This took me back to Clo’s Love and Other Words - and I absolutely loved it! They have a way of writing which is seamless and makes you feel all the feels.

I’m really, really hoping Christina Lauren give Fizzy her own novel. She stole the scenes she was in.

I gotta be honest, going into this book I was a little skeptical because the premise alone was giving me a horrible flashback of pharmacy statistics class. But if I am about to dive back into null hypothesis, variables, post hoc analyses, and Type I error, what a better way than a romance book written by my favorite dynamic duo.

River Peña. It just feels sexy just even trying his name out. He’s broody and mysterious and the kind of a guy you are simply dying to get to know. He’s not an over-the-top guy with grand gestures, his actions are smaller but extremely meaningful like a hot air balloon ride. He’s the person I want to “hate-attend fancy social events together.” Jess is a skeptic and has a mind that is more analytical than emotional. She thrives on numbers and probability as evidence and tends to look at life as a series of black and white events. She has her people and isn’t ready to introduce an outlier that could mess her perfect curve.

There’s something so enjoyable about watching two people who have mild tolerances for one another break each others’ barriers to find a common ground and form something more out of a friendship. Their romance was the perfect blend of sweet and flirtatious while blossoming in an organic way. The writing is so good that the gross act of drawing blood is filled with tension and angst. How is it possible that the authors made that sexy?!

In order to get this book I was willing to give a kidney and a half for it 😂. Christina Lauren you never cease to amaze me. Between the comical dialogue that had me wishing I was Fizzy, to the charming facts Juno could spit out at any given moment. This book is fun and lighthearted, and can we PLEASE get a book for Fizzy. Please!! It’s worth at least two kidneys. Thank you Gallery Books and Netgally for this ARC

I loved this book so much!!! It has everything I look for in a romance novel and the plot was so unique! Once I started, I couldn’t put it down! The characters are funny and relatable; the chemistry was a slow burn in the best way possible. This book really hits all the marks for me! Thank you to the publisher for the copy, this is definitely a 5 star review!!

This book was...FANTASTIC to say the least.

The romance- incredible. A true, real love story made out of something that seems completely impossible. I loved both of their characters and how they grew.

Also the support system?? For a broke, single mom, Jess is so lucky to have the best people around her. Between her grandparents and Fizzy, she has everything she needs to take care of herself and Juno. The relationships were so real and raw, and completely full of love.

I’m obsessed with this book and will probably reread soon because I loved it that much.

<b>** I was given an Advanced Reader Copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**</b>

Where do I even begin!? <i>The Soulmate Equation</i> by Christina Lauren was absolutely AMAZING! This is the first book of theirs that I have read and I <b>LOVED</b> it.

<i>The Soulmate Equation</i> follows Jess Davis, a data analyst and single mom who has pretty much given up on love. She is scared to let anyone else into her life. After all, she's been abandoned by too many people; her father was never in the picture, her mother preferred drugs to her, and her daughter's father wanted nothing to do with them. Because of her absent parents, Jess was raised by her grandparents who took custody of her at a young age. She's comfortable being stuck in her tiny bubble.

That is, until she hears about GeneticAlly, a new matchmaking company that will change the world of dating. This company claims it can use DNA to analyze how romantically compatible you are to someone. This excites her best friend, Frizzy, who just so happens to be a romance novelist. Jess on the other hand is skeptical. She submits a DNA sample, only to find out she has a 98% match with someone who infuriates her to no end. This "Diamond" match, just so happens to be GeneticAlly's founder, Dr. River Peña. Jess is sure it's a fluke, after all she can't stand the guy! She's ready to just ignore it all together, until the company offers to pay her money to get to know him. Jess decides to give it a shot, after all she needs the money, and she's not required to end up liking the guy!

I absolutely <b> adored </b> this book. I am usually not one to rate a romance novel 5 stars, but this book was PERFECT for me. It had the right amount of plot-driven versus character-driven details to the book. A lot of the time, I find romance novels to be too character-driven or too focused on the provocative aspects. Christina Lauren does a great job of balancing the story!

There also was a great amount of DRAMA, without the story feeling too overwhelming. I really fell for River and the character development there was great. I squealed so many times while reading the book. I was thankful to have a friend who also got an ARC that I could scream to! I will definitely be preordering a hard copy of this book and I am looking forward to reading more from them!

Good book!! I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked this book! It had intrigue it was funny had some heartache and heartbreak! The storyline was very interesting and flowed very well! It had a little steam to it too!! All and all it was a great read! Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

This book had me laughing out loud a ton, while also giving me all the warm feelings with its heartfelt moments. I love Jess and River's characters and their romance. All of their actions and reactions felt genuine.
Jess's best friend, Fizzy, had me rolling and needs her own story. Reading this book was like a shot of pure joy into my veins!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for access to this arc.

I loved this book, definitely my favorite Christina Lauren book yet!!!
Fun, quirky characters that I could relate to. I loved the original storyline.
I laughed and cried and absolutely could not put this book down. The friendship between Jess and Fizz are total goals and I love River!
I met my husband through match.com so this one immediately appealed to me and I wasn’t let down! This is a must for any CLO fan and for anyone who enjoys fun romance!

Thanks to NetGalley for my advanced ebook copy!

*Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. These words are my own.

WOW, I don't know what I was expecting out of The Soulmate Equation, but it definitely was not this.

This was such a don't talk to me until I'm finished read. Evidently, this is also my first Christina Lauren book and if this is any indication of their other work, this won’t be my last. In just a few words, this book is insanely nerdy, funny, and charming. Who would have thought that I'd actually laugh out loud while reading?

The Soulmate Equation follows an insanely real and lovable Jess, a single mom, who desperately tries her best to raise her daughter in a way that won't profoundly scar her adulthood. Dating? Yeah, that's on the back burner for her. But she suddenly finds herself thrown into matchmaking, science, and maybe even love (?).

Who knew a simple mouth swab would make her believe that being selfish for once in her life, wasn't selfish at all?

This book was so good! I only wish that the pacing made more sense-perhaps an intro that wasn't as slow and an ending that wasn't so abrupt.

Can't wait to get my hands on a hardcover copy of this book in the Spring!

I am sad to say this is one of my least favorite Christina Lauren books. I have a very hard time believing in an enemies to lovers romance if the enemies part isn’t properly set up and that is the case here. Our “heroine” Jess honestly came of as super annoying and I couldn’t get past it. Her reasoning for initially disliking River (hero) is so judgmental and stupid.

Jess and River have been going to the same coffee shop for years they don’t know each other and have never interacted with each other before. Jess is a freelance analyst who uses the shop to work in and River comes in every morning at the same time to get his coffee. Whenever River comes into the coffee shop he gets his order, pays and leaves without interacting with any of the other patrons or the shop workers. Jess for no other reason than she is a member of this tight knit community is insulted by this and deems River an a*shole because of it. She doesn’t like him for no other reason than he is reserved and stoic. One day Jess hears from another person in the coffee shop that River is creating a dating app and decides to aggressively get his attention and interrogate him because she just can’t believe a “jerk” like him has the capacity to create something regarding love. River proceeds to answer her questions, however, because he isn’t overly enthusiastic about being accosted by a rude stranger this further cements Jess’ negative opinion of him. She then proceeds to be passive aggressive and rude to him for the rest of the first half of the book. Going so far as to blatantly insult him to his face many times.

Another reason I couldn’t get into this story is that I just don’t believe in the romance. River and Jess have a total of 3 interactions and none of these interactions was especially deep or romantic but the next thing we are told is that they “love” each other. How? It’s been like a month. I am not saying that people can not fall in love quickly, I just didn’t believe it in this case. The pacing of this story is off as well, everything is moving too fast and at the same time not fast enough.

I also didn’t believe some of the actions that certain characters take in this book. Jess a single mom who has trust and abandonment issues let’s a virtual stranger who she doesn’t like pick up her daughter from school and spend the afternoon with her??? I could not believe it.

Overall, I was let down by this book. Which is a huge disappointment as this was one of my most anticipated books of the year.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Christina Lauren's newest title, The Soulmate Equation, is full of friendship, family, and a enemies to lovers romance, which had me devouring yet another one of their books in one sitting! It hooked me from the start, with a best friend duo which would make anyone envious. I adored the funny, relatable friendship between Fizzy and Jess and how they help one another navigate through life's ups and downs. Jess' daughter Juno is an adorable side-kick, and her single mom life is undeniably realistic, every decision she makes because of her child.
Enter River, the tall, dark, and handsome stranger, whom Jess outwardly detests, but secretly cannot deny just a tiny bit of attraction. The two are forced into a relationship and their sweet, yet steamy, romance evolves. Both have so much to lose, professionally for River and personally for Jess, which brought a true vulnerability to the relationship.
You can count on Lauren's witty writing to provide playful banter and heart-melting love scenes. Do yourself a favor and add to your TBR!

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Christina Lauren, and Gallery Books for the gifted ARC of The Soulmate Equation. This book felt like a glimpse into the future of romance! This felt like a romcom with a modern twist. I thought Christina Lauren did a fantastic job with all of the details in this book. I can't imagine it would be easy to write a romance that has such a heavy focus on genetics and statistics, but they did a fabulous job! One of the things I enjoy most about their books is the details in their writing. They do a phenomenal job describing the characters, emotions, and settings. As the reader, you really feel like you see and feel the emotions with these characters! I really enjoyed this book!

This review will be published on our Instagram account closer to the publication date. Thank you!

Single mom and freelance data analyst Jess is ready to give up on dating when she and her best friend meet a hot but seriously stuck-up guy named River who invented a genetics-based matchmaking technology. At a particularly low moment, Jess decides to submit a sample to the dating service. But she never expected to match at 98% compatibility (completely unheard of) with the jerk River himself. Could she have really found her soulmate through science? River is just as shocked when his colleagues corner him to tell them the news. The company scientists are so interested in the pairing (and its success’ impact on stock price) that they make Jess an offer: get to know River and we’ll PAY you. Strapped for cash, Jess feels she can’t refuse. As the couple gets dragged to PR events, Jess discovers there’s a lot more to this snobby scientist than she thought.
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This book had me laughing out loud within the first few pages. I adored Jess and her family and friends—Christina Lauren does a AMAZING job with side characters and backstory to help build the plot. Juno was hilarious and cute, and Fizzy was such a great friend.

River was sweet and thoughtful. I loved the way we got to know him through the different situations. The ending overall made me so incredibly happy. He does do a few things in the last act that bothered me, but I understood why. I just wish there had been a bit more verbalized self-reflection on his part at times.
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The pacing was good and the chemistry between the Jess and River was smoking. I like that there was some ambiguity about “certain” things in the end. I felt like the overall set-up was super creative—and a bit bonkers in the best possible way. This was a one sitting read for me because I couldn’t wait to see what happened. It felt very fresh. I wish we had more romantic comedies where the leads are single parents.

Hats off to the ladies behind Christina Lauren, they did it again. Fabulously fun read.

Thank you so much to Christina Lauren, Netgalley, and Gallery Books for this gifted arc in exchange for an honest review!

I’ll be posting my review on Goodreads today and then on Instagram and Amazon on publication day.

I always love this author and was so excited to be granted an ARC through netgalley. This is a book is about dating via dna comparisons and I found it really interesting - how are we not doing this yet?? River was a solid hero and Jess was a solid heroine. I liked the element of Juno and the secondary characters. Overall I would give this 4.5 stars.

This felt like a return to vintage CL. I really enjoyed Jess and Fizzy’s friendship (can we get a Fizzy story please). River gave me the warm and fuzzies and I appreciated the slow turn from enemies to lovers.

Christina Lauren never disappoints. Soulmate Equation was such a great read! I’m all for enemies to lovers troupes and loved Jess’ daughter Juno! I think adding Juno into the story made it more real with the story and chemistry between Jess and River. A solid Christina Lauren novel. 4 Stars!