FINALLY, Christina Lauren is back. After a few flops, I have enjoyed the last few of their books I have read with The Soulmate Equation being my fav of theirs in a long time.

Our hero, River... well, he's a jerk. Think Mr. Darcy jerk in that he's aloof, arrogant and acts like he's better than other people. And of course, our heroine Jess is sweet as pie. I don't want to ruin the plot at all but this is definitely a nerdy enemies to nerdy lovers situation. I found the balance of angst and humor worked well and there are a lot of seriously sweet and/or romantic elements as well. The relationship with River and Jess' daughter is heartwarming.

I found the story moved quickly and I read it in one sitting because I was so engaged. Highly recommended and even if you have been on the outs with these authors, please try this book!

The Soulmate Equation was a really interesting read for me. I am a big fan of the writing duo Christina Lauren, so I went in with high hopes and expectations. As with any author, some books are a home run for me others are okay - I was pleased that this one was a strong read.

The premise felt fresh - one thing I enjoy about romances are the tropes, however what really sets a romance read apart is an authors ability to deliver a 'fresh' feeling premise on a trope (and relatable characters of course). In this case, the CLo team delivered. While they took on some tried and true tropes - internet dating and (one of my personal favorites) the fake relationship trope, they made it feel new by adding this interesting angle of DNA based matches. This wasn't something I've seen before, so I was immediately intrigued.

I really enjoyed the main characters Jess and River - I found each relatable and fleshed out and I enjoyed Jess family as well (her daughter and grandparents). I wasn't 100% sold on Jess and River as a couple initially, but they grew for me over the course of the book.

Overall, it was a great read and one I will read again. Even though I was lucky enough to receive an ARC for review, I went and grabbed one of the beautiful hardcover editions to add to my permanent collection as well - definitely worthy of reread and recommendation.

River is the hot scientist who believes that love is based on science. Jess loves data and finance and feels love comes with conditions. Thrown together as the matched 98% according to River's company. Getting to know each other is the plan as they reveal the true them that very few have seen. Loved Fizzy she was funny and quirky. I want Jess inner circle, she has great people around her.

This was a cute book. It was fun, fast paced read with likeable characters. It was a great romance story. This is the first book I have read by this author, but it definitely won't be my last.

I love the idea of being matched with a soulmate by a person's DNA. I think my two favorite characters are the daughter and the best friend. The story was cute, light, made me laugh and predictable. An easy read and one I recommend.

You can never ever go wrong with any book Christina Lauren! I never get enough of her story telling! Can't wait until her next big hit!!

The concept of the book is with a single mother and her friend setting her up on a dating site that mates by DNA qualifications. It sadly wasn't able to really hold my interest.

This is the first Christina Lauren book I’ve read - I’m not sure how that’s possible, given that I enjoy a good contemporary romance book! The Soulmate Equation was delightful from start to finish. Both main characters, Jess and River, were well-drawn individuals. The premise appealed to me (matching potential soulmates based on gene pool compatibility) and it was well done, including some believable semi-technical statistical and scientific chatter. The trope is a bit of enemies-to-lovers as well as a bit of fake-dating, with a twist. Jess’s situation as a single mother was realistic and it was lovely that she had a fabulous best friend in Fizzy and loving grandparents as well, especially since her own mother was not a reliable person at all.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book but it seems like i didnt enjoy it as much as others who have already reviewed. I cant wait for this to come out though and more people to read it!

Christina Lauren does it again. Another page turner with a super sweet story.

What is more up to date than a dating app and one that dosen't work like the others. One that actually compares your DNA to see if you are compatible.

Jess knows River as the guy who comes to the coffee shop everyday at 8:42 but the her and her best friend, Fizzy learn that he is developing a dating app. They end up both testing their DNA for the app but Jess is called back to the office. She has a history breaking match with non-other than the founder, River.

As Jess and River start out on their relationship for publicity for the app you will see two reluctant people begin to fall for each other and learn that maybe DNA can't tell you everything.

Christina Lauren always seems to hit the nail on the head with the perfect easy read romance novels!

Another great book by Christina Lauren. Loved the intersection of science and romance in a practical setting.

Will be posted on Forever Young Adult, originally posted on Instagram.

LET'S GET IT ON with The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren

First Impressions
It’s simple but super effective AND relates to the story. Perfect!

What’s Your Type?
Sick of online dating but still kind of believe in it, science is sexy, single parents with cute kids, rich hero with a chip on his shoulder, wish fulfillment, sorta fake dating

Dating Profile
Jess is straight out of a ‘90s rom-com: she’s a struggling, smart, single mom of an adorable daughter, Juno, living right next to her adorable grandparents who love to help babysit. When she loses one of her reliable clients, her bank account for the next few months is suddenly in deep trouble.

Dr. River Pena is the founder of GeneticAlly, a matchmaking website that purports to find your soulmate based on your compatible DNA. While he believes in his work, he’s much too busy getting the company off the ground to look for his own love match.

Meet Cute
As a freelance accountant with a romance writer best friend, Jess spends a lot of time hanging out at the local coffeehouse working, and it’s there she and Fizzy surreptitiously scope out “Americano”, the hot but grumpy looking regular, River Pena. Through a series of coincidences, Fizzy and Jess end up giving samples to GeneticAlly, and to everyone’s shock, Jess and River are what the company calls a “Diamond” match, meaning they are practically guaranteed to be a successful, long-term match. The board is salivating over this PR golden goose, so they persuade Jess to essentially fake-date River for a hefty payoff (with the possibility that it could be something real, but no pressure).

The Lean
The sheer awkwardness turning into an undeniable attraction is the foundation of the “forced marriage” trope, and Jess and River have enough chemistry to make it believable. Christina Lauren’s books always have a sheen of rom-com magic where everything proceeds in a very glossy way, and, for me, River and Jess may have bonded a little too quickly, but we have a page count to keep to!

Dirty Talk
The authors’ chick flick books range from PG-13 to soft R, never getting TOO graphic, and this one is no exception:
“River moved over her—slow, then building in tempo, pressing into her again and again, releasing a quiet grunt with every forward pitch and—and suddenly she felt the weight rolling down her spine like a steel boulder in a trap ready to spring.”

Ms. Perky's Prize for Purplest Prose
Christina Lauren know how to keep it snappy and keep you turning the pages, and no one will accuse them of being too flowery. My favorite meta moments were when Fizzy likened something happening in real life to her romance novels, or found inspiration for a future book.
“Honestly, Jessica, I haven’t seen outfit panic like this since I wrote Nicoline in His Accidental Bride.” Fizzy stepped back to judge what had to be outfit change number 142. “And you’re not even pretending to be a virgin picking out what to wear on your Victorian-era wedding night. Take it down a notch.”

We Need To Talk
At this point, you know what you’re getting with a Christina Lauren book, and I thought this was right on par with their most recent reads. I thought the DNA dating was such a fun concept and it was interesting to see where the story would take it. Was it completely real in this reality? Was it a bunch of bunk? Is it even worth dating someone who will never be your highest match? There was some inevitable drama for both characters and sometimes they acted like boneheads, but it wasn’t drawn out enough to really frustrate. All in all, a solid read.

Was It Good For You?
Yes. The most accurate adjective that comes to mind whenever I think of these books is “cute!” It’s light; it’s fun; it won’t linger in your mind long after it’s over, but, man, it was sure fun while it lasted.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from Gallery Books. I received neither money nor peanut butter cups in exchange for this review. The Soulmate Equation is available now.

Overall, if you typically like Christina Lauren books I think you'll like this one. I really enjoyed the premise here, it felt fun and unique. However, I was not as invested in the romance as I have been with some their other books. It was fine but I wasn't rooting very hard for the couple.

This was on okay read but I was just a little disappointed. Not sure what I expected but it was a little predictable. I think this topic of dating help is getting a little overdone. I'm older and have never used or explored these options but to me they are a very different concept. Single mom, Jess is selected by GeneticAlly to be a match for their founder River. She can't stand him. sort of a formula ending. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I just realised one thing. CLa are The Queens and no book will trump their Unhoneymooners! My first forced dating trope story, and to my surprise I liked this very much! Heartwarming and sassy. Perfect for summertime or if you are a CLa head like me, you can read this at any time of the year and enjoy.

Thank you Gallery Books via Netgalley for the arc.

As always, a huge thank you to Gallery Books for providing me with an advanced copy of The Soulmate Equation! Jess is a single mom struggling to prioritize herself first. She and her best friend, Fizzy (Felicity), work out of a coffee shop every day together and have seen the same broody man "Americano" come in, grab his drink, and walk out without much to say to anyone.

That is until one day, their favorite barista mentions that Americano is working on launching his own service that matches you with your soulmate based on DNA. The higher the score, the closer to soul mates the other person is for you. Fizzy dives all in after dropping in at Americano's (Dr. River Peña) lab and provide samples.

Jess is skeptical and even more so when she has a 98 compatibility score with no one other than Americano. Chaos ensues as Jess and River attempt to find out if they could really be soul mates or if it's just a crazy coincidence right before launch.

Over the past two years, Christina Lauren has become one of my favorite authors. They're always so upbeat, and this one was no different! I read the book in two sittings, though if I had started earlier in the day, I could've easily done it in one! Their books always keep the pages turning and this is not the first time I've been up to 4 am trying to see how far I can get.

As always, I couldn't recommend this book more. It's light, cute, and just what I needed to break up the monotony of the other genres I read. I can't wait for the next one already!

Christina Lauren did such an amazing job with this book. The Soulmate Equation felt original but still fit into the typical romance if that makes sense. Soulmate Equation is my second favorite book by CL.

What I liked:
- I love this story was about a single mother trying to find love. I thought the reasons she was hesitant were valid. Jess was a devoted and caring mother.
- I loved Jess's relationship with her grandparents. They were super adorable.
- Of course I love Fizzy (Jess’s BFF). She is was a romance writer who was funny as hell. I like that Fizzy was always there for Jess and give Jess the hard truth when needed.
- This book was right down my alley with enemies to lover theme. I really liked Jess and River together. Chemisty was STEAMY and cute.
- DNA soulmate concept was cool but I don’t know how that would work in real life. There were a lot of math and science in this book but it did not feel overwhelming.
Thank you so much Gallery Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a Romance book. I loved this book so much. This book took me a little bit to get into, but once I got pulled into it I did not want to put it down. The characters where fun and very developed. I love the nerdy parts of this book. Their was a twist in this book, and I loved how it was handle. I loved being with these characters so much that I did not want the book to end. Another great Christina Lauren book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Gallery Books) or author (Christina Lauren) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Can you find your soul mate through DNA?

What an intriguing little question!

Christina Lauren wrote this lovely little rom that sets out to try and find the answer to that question. It look me a little bit to get into the storyline, but once I did the characters were fun.

Thankfully I never had to date during the age of "dating apps"- it's exhausting just thinking about it, actually. And add on top of that swabbing your dna to find someone. That brings on a lot of anxieties, haha!

So like I said, I liked the characters individually, and I just missed a bit of the spark between River and Jess that I had hoped would be there- this also could have been me personally and the STEM theme. I could totally relate to Jess trying to get Juno ready for school- I feel you on that one!

Last, Fizzy needs her own book. :)

I enjoyed reading it, and if you are a CLo fan, then I am sure you will like reading this newest one!

What do you get when you combine a genetic test like 23and Me with a dating website?

You get GeneticAlly and the main idea behind the story of The Soulmate Equation. The idea that your genes can point to who you would be most comparable with. What if you met your match this way? Would you want to know your comparability score?

This is exactly what happens to Jessica Davis, a single mom and statistician, who took a chance, spit in a collection tube, then had the surprise of a lifetime when we was told she was a Diamond match with someone. But not just anyone, Dr. River Pena, the researcher, DNADuo inventor, and member of GeneticAlly.

Both having ulterior motives, and feeling forced to see where their relationship could lead, both Jessica and River decide to give it a shot. But the press, interviews, then a surprise neither saw coming they have to decide if it was fate, the genetics or nothing at all.

Whenever I read a CLo book, I am always comparing it to my favorites. This one didn’t top that list as my favorite but I still really liked it. There is def a little less steam than some of their others, but I loved the story and I adored the characters. I wouldn’t be mad if there was a spin off novel about Fizzy, I loved her character and would love to see her get her happily ever after.