First things first: I absolutely LOVED this book. I literally read it in one sitting it was that good. Having read most (if not all) of Christina Lauren's books, this one is now up there in my top 3 right next to Beautiful Player. For me, this book had a little bit of everything: fun, laughter, tears, amazing best friends, a great kid, anticipation, some drama, and lots of sexiness.

Jess is a single mom who is pretty much over the best way to get a date is through tinder, and as it happens, the sexy stranger she's been eyeing happens to have a new dating app - using genetics and DNA. The concept is really intriguing: What if we can tell how well we're matched with someone through our DNA and find that right someone? Jess and River have to decide if they're falling in love because they actually feel chemistry with each other and not because the program says they should.

It's a beautiful story - I love how nerdy both Jess and River are, and I love that they actually gave it a go after learning they were so highly matched. I also love just how caring each of them are and how they go out of their way to help the other. The ONLY issue I had with River was how badly he reacted after learning a specific truth about the process. However, he definitely redeemed himself and he's definitely swoon-worthy book boyfriend.

Highly, highly recommend, especially if you haven't read any of these authors previous books.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to review this advanced reading copy!

Romances have gotten me through the pandemic and Christina Lauren comes through with a meet cute story set in the online dating world. I have to admit to skimming over most of the science/stats portions of the book but can appreciate that many will enjoy this angle of the story.

In the days of Tinder, it seems like it gets harder and harder to find someone. Jess is OVER it, dating and apps that is; so over finding  duds (I know this all too well so) Now insert an extremely, hot data scientist who just happens to be creating a dating app based entirely on the compatibility of DNA. Will Jess find her match or will she fice up entirely??

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HOLY SWOON. Now this is the romance I needed. These characters just get it, how awful the dating apps are. Let me tell you, the scientific info in this one is fascinating. I vote Christina Lauren finds a way to create a daying app like this one! I find this to be a must read. Look out for publishing MAY 2021!

THANK YOU Christina Lauren, Gallery Books and Netgalley for this GREAT ARC ❤

A single mother living in Sunny San Diego gets pushed into doing a DNA analysis based dating service by her bestie. The DNA analysis centered dating service was created by a handsome nerdy man whom just so happens to match up with the highest rating possible with the lovely single mom. With the company going public in a few months this revelation could make or break his findings.

This was a cute book. I loved the concept and gives for an interesting premise. River is drop dead perfect dreamboat. Jess is very likeable and relatable lady. Even the side characters are endearing. Is the plot predictable. Yes of course. However sometimes we need a tried and true formula to just take a break with.

Overall I enjoyed the story and got the fuzzy feels for the entire family at the end of it.

Thank you netgalley and gallery books for the opportunity to read this gem.

The Soulmate Equation was very much in the style of Christina Lauren's other books. It did add some new dimensions with the DNA love-match premise and I was wondering by the end if this technology exists or is being worked on somewhere because I'm sold! Why don't we have this? River and Jess were fantastically matched characters, and it was refreshing to read a love story between two super-smart people. Statistics was never my jam so when they started talking technical, I zoned out a bit but loved the addition of it in the book. Really excited to get a copy of this when it's out to add to my collection!

Disclaimer: I received the ARC from the publisher through Net Galley. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book! The concept felt fresh, the relationship between River and Juno was adorable, the friendship between Fizzy and Jess was a delight, and the romance and love between River and Jess was passionate, funny and steamy. Another must read by Christina Lauren!

#TheSoulmateEquation
#NetGalley
A wonderful and funny romance from Christina Lauren. The characters are well developed and the plot keeps you laughing. She has a great way with romance and this one does not lack on chemistry. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the E-arc copy of The Soulmate Equation.

I loved this book! It was a super speedy read and so cute. My favorite part was probably the science, I'm not sure I've read a book that featured relationship science so heavily. Very original and very cute!

Over the years I have learned that when I crack open a Christina Lauren book I can expect a fun and heartfelt time, and this book was no different. Jess might actually be my favorite female protagonist out of all their books?!?! Which is saying something because I adored Hazel (from one of their previous books). It was a breath of fresh air to read about a character that dealt with mental health issues, but was still successful, and lived a generally pleasant life. I really appreciated the way that the book casually mentions Jess’s experience with physical dissociation as a symptom of her anxiety and doesn’t paint her as a “broken person”. I think including mental health aspects in books that are about more than mental health is an important step to normalizing talking about these topics and I commend the writers for including this in a romance novel. The pacing at the end of the book was a little too fast for my taste, and all the statistics explanations were a tad dense for me but other than that this book was very entertaining. The love story was incredibly sweet, and it made me audibly laugh during plenty of scenes.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. And thank you to Christina Lauren for yet again bringing some laughter and joy into my life through your writing.

Jess and River or genetically matched on a data app that River created. The catch is that they are the most unlikely pair or are they? This a humorous and quirky romance in which the main leads are refreshingly intelligent and mature. Their relationship is layered and realistic.

I know this is fiction... but can someone please create the technology from this book!? Jess is a single mother who's sworn off love. She sits with her best friend Fizzy, a famous author, at their local coffee shop every morning, as Fizzy writes and statistician Jess crunches data. Every morning at 8:24, a tall, handsome (and utterly preoccupied) man walks through the door and orders an Americano.

The two women learn that he works for a biotech dating company, and finagle their way into a tour of the company. GeneticAlly uses DNA data to determine compatibility... but since Jess isn't even a little interested in romance, it shouldn't matter, right? Right. At least... it would have been right, but on a down day, Jess submits her DNA and finds out that she's been matched, and the couple's compatibility is a 98-- the highest score GeneticAlly has ever seen. And do you want to know who she matches with? Yep... 8:24 Americano.

I finished this book in 24 hours! The nerdy scientific love story drew me in and the thought that a soulmate could be quantified intrigued me, because almost every single person has a Bumble or Tinder horror story!

My science-obsessed brain loved every second of this book.
After reading Christina Lauren's Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating and The Unhoneymooners(a favorite of mine), I had very high expectations for this book. And it absolutely did not disappoint. In addition to her usual easy, witty and swoony writing I was hit with a concept that deals with Molecular Biology (YES I NEED TO MENTION THIS) and it was just the icing on the cake, the cherry on top, the absolute last thing I can imagine a romance novel tackling but that blew me away and left me wanting to know more. Is science enough to determine whether two people are meant to be together?? This is the most fascinating question posed, and it got me thinking of all the endless possibilities and what a solid answer to that question could mean. But since not everyone's a science freak like me. I'll just move on and talk about it from a reader's point of view.
Before I go into the details of the romance side of the story. I just want to highlight how big of an impact a goofy, blunt and supportive best friend with no filter has in the making of a just-perfect book. Fizzy is, without a doubt, my favorite person. Her snide remarks had me laughing out loud and wiping my tears a handful of times throughout the book. Then there's Juno who is pretty much the cutest ball of sunshine. Jess and Juno's mother-daughter relationship was so heartwarming it just made me melt into a puddle of goo whenever they were together. And of course Nana Jo and Pops whose love for each other had me swooning and cooing on the spot.
But then there's River Nicholas who I'm pretty sure had my heart as soon as the word "geneticist" was mentioned. I'M NOT SPOILING ANYTHING hehe alright let's go with the "stuck-up, stubborn man" bit for now, dammit. I love unintentionally misleading first impressions and a misunderstood hot hot love interest. He is so sweet and considerate, and the way he and Juno teamed up made me want to sit there in the corner and weep into a bucket. It felt like I had a lot to say but talking even this little makes me feel like I spoiled the whole thing, so I have nothing else to say. Prepare to have your standards wrecked by this man.

This book was solidly okay for me. There were parts I enjoyed and laughed out loud at, parts that I found a bit cringey, and some I found predictable.  Overally though, it was a funny, quick read that I read in like 2 days (very out of character for me this month).

I enjoyed the originality in plot, in that maybe you could find a soulmate though science. The side characters were all pretty quirky and cool, and I do think that River Peña might just be my new book boyfriend. But on the opposite end of the spectrum, the conflict seemed unrealistic and easily avoidable. And while the ending wasn't bad, it was abrupt and a bit open-ended for my taste. I liked this book for the most part, but it just didnt leave me with a lasting impression like I hoped it would.

Read this book if you like Christina Lauren's other books, enemies(ish) to lovers, fake dating, witty banter, women in STEM, or books like Beach Read.

Thank you Netgalley and Gallerybooks for the eARC.
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I was lucky enough to get an eARC of this book on NetGalley! I was excited for this one and it did not disappoint!

Jess is a single mom. Her best friend, Fizzy, a charismatic and hilarious romance writer, keeps encouraging Jess to get back out in the dating world. They meet River, a customer at the coffee shop they frequent, and hear a rumor he’s a match maker. They find out he is actually a PhD who developed the company GenenticAlly. A company that uses your DNA to find your perfect match and soulmate.

I really enjoyed this story. It was fast paced, funny and charming. Yes, it was predictable had its fair share of cheese, but overall it was enjoyable and made me smile ! I found myself drifting a little when they started talking about the stats, but these parts were short and not frequent. It was a quick and easy read which was just what I needed!

Easily, I gave this book 4/5⭐️. Thank you so much @netgalley and Gallery books for an eARC to review this early! I cannot wait for more people to read this one!

Dr. River Pena is the geneticist behind the not-quite-public dating app GeneticAlly that takes a DNA sample and matches people based on how compatible their genes are. Jess is a single mom statistician who gets roped into submitting a sample to GeneticAlly by her best friend. When her results come in, everyone is absolutely blown away: Jess and River have a score of 98! This is the highest score they've ever gotten, and only three other couples have scored 90 or higher. To help with the launch of GeneticAlly, they agree to pay Jess $10,000 a month for the next three months if she will go on dates with River and attend multiple public appearances. Jess agrees, and she and River go in with the same game plan: cautiously optimistic. VERY quickly, it turns out that they are a superb match. But is it too perfect?

I was worried about The Soulmate Equation not meeting my expectations since I didn't particularly enjoy Christina Lauren's previous book The Holidaze. But I loved it! Every character is a pure delight-- and the romance author BFF meta is so fun! River is a divine male protagonist, and the juggling of being a single mom and grandparents is *chef's kiss*. Brava!

This is the third book that I've read by this author duo, and they have sealed the deal with this book and become and auto-read for me! Their story lines are always a little bit far-fetched, but the characters totally make it work, and make the story line more believable (or at least you want to believe it). The hero and heroine always seem like good, normal people and their conflicts are more situational than about character flaws. I loved this book and would highly recommend it.

As someone who has devoured Christina Lauren books like a kid eating candy, I immediately felt like this one deserved to be savored. (Seriously—at one point I DID put it down and walk away for ten minutes, because I was overcome with sadness that it was almost over.)

I fell in love with the premise immediately upon reading the description; a single mom taking a chance on a new genetic dating app (think 23andMe colliding with Tinder) and matching with the science’s founder. I was already invested.

When I dove into the story, I became invested in so much more than that, because there is so much more here. There is unwavering friendship between women. Bonds within a family. Complex feelings of responsibility, and the line between being selfless and allowing yourself to be a little selfish. Knowing when it’s okay to let go of control. What people do when they’re forced to question everything they know in their brains when it contradicts everything they feel in their DNA. And a few good ol’ fashioned steamy moments, too.

The result is this stunning book. Be prepared to fall in love with Juno, Jess & River Nicolas, and find yourself dreaming about Fizzy getting a spin-off book, because Fizzy demands a spin-off book.

Not interested in reading this one after I realized the eugenics ethical issues posed by DNA testing soulmate issues.

I LOVED this one!!! The dynamic duo of CLo is a top favorite of mine. I've been slowly working my way through their backlist and I was so excited to dive into this one. I was looking for a read that would grip me and suck me into the story. This book did exactly that! I finished it in just over 24 hours because I couldn't put it down. I LOVED Jess and River's story! They are adorable and nerdy and flawed and awkward and ... perfection. I also really loved that Jess was a single mom. It was fun to see her relationship with Juno and with her grandparents. Fizzy (the bff) was a fun addition! Everyone needs a bff that makes you laugh like Fiz does and supports you like she does! Also, I would NOT be sad if there was a book two that followed Fizzy's love life!

Jess Davis is a single mom who works hard to care for her daughter while juggling work as a freelance statistician. She and her best friend, Fizzy, find out about this new dating service called GeneticAlly, which claims it can find people's soulmates based on DNA. Jess is skeptical, but in a moment of weakness late at night, she gives in and sends in a sample to create her profile. Much to everyone's surprise, she receives one of the highest rated matches ever... with the founder of the company, River Peña, who she has already met and who is definitely not her idea of a soulmate. She quickly finds herself thrown together more and more with River as they grapple with what the numbers mean for their real life and whether the numbers can predict something lasting.

This was a cute story! The best part for me were the characters. Jess is real and likeable, but she wasn't a perfect character. There were plenty of real life moments portrayed in the book that would be relatable for any parent. Juno was so sweet, and I really liked Jess's grandparents. Fizzy was the crazy, but fun best friend, and River was stand-offish at first, but eventually so caring and charming. I appreciated the subtle nod to Mr. Darcy that I noticed in River.

The one thing that I didn't really like were some of the descriptions as Jess was narrating the events. There are some weird descriptions that are certainly unique, but they seemed over the top cheesy and were jarring to me.

Overall, I enjoyed it. It's fluffy and sweet, and just a lot of fun to read.

A big thank you to Christina Lauren, Gallery Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and honestly review this book.