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.

I received an ARC digital copy for my honest review. This is my favorite Christina Lauren book! This book will have you questioning what you think you and your soulmate's compatibility score would be if the fictional company app was real. This story has likable characters of two people who seem like two opposites, but in fact they are compatible more than they think. It adds more depth to the saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover". Although I do not have experience with dating apps, this book gave an interesting view on how dating apps should include more genetic material on a person, rather than a person's outward appearance. I read this book in one sitting. This was my first ever ARC to read. As an educator, I am used to having to edit my students' first drafts. I was surprised to not find any spelling or grammatical errors in this ARC copy. I have already pre-ordered my hardcover and I can't wait to reread this book in print!

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.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this eARC!

I always love a good Christina Lauren book, but I just didn’t connect with this one they way I usually do with their books. I think the premise is great though. Using DNA to make a love match is interesting but also kind of dystopian at the same time.

I didn’t feel like River’s character was very fleshed out. The romantic chemistry was lacking as a result. We never get any inner dialogue from him either so it’s hard to see how he and Jess connect.

The ending was a little too open ended for my taste. Overall it was a cute read and I’ll still keep reading CLo!

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.

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