Lyric and Kian have been friends for years, and both have big life and career changes on the horizon. When he offers to tutor Lyric on dating to help with her thesis, it's only a matter of time before everything changes between them as well.

I really liked that Lyric and Kian both had fields of study/work they were passionate about. It added a lot to the story and was interesting to learn about. I also could tell from the very beginning that they shared a strong friendship. As the story progressed, though, I honestly didn't feel the romantic chemistry between them like I had hoped. I could understand why they fell for one another but it felt a bit flat to me.

Overall, though, I enjoyed this book and definitely want to try another from the author.

<b><i> Come for the feels, ignore the science! </b></i>

<b>Overall Rating: </b>3/5
- Best friends to lovers
- Roommates
- Woman in STEM
- Dual PoV
- Mutual pining

<i>Characterization:</i> 3/5
<i>Dialogue:</i> 4/5
<i>Chemistry:</i> 3/5
<i>Secondary characters:</i> 2.5/5
<i>Unique quotient:</i> 2/5
<i>Steam quotient:</i> 3/5

<b> What worked for me:</b>
- <i>Grad school feels:</i> Being a woman in STEM, I'm always looking for a good book that deals with STEM women in grad school. The setting did not disappoint. Lyric's issues with motivation and feeling stuck in her research is such a common grad school phenomenon, and I enjoyed seeing that on paper.

- <i>Lyric's relationship to her family:</i> I liked the whole family - was unique and quirky. I enjoyed seeing her relate with her sister. One thing I loved was how Lyric reached out to her sister for a tarot card reading - something you hardly ever read of scientists doing - but being a science person with an artsy side myself found it relatable!

-<i>Awkward dating:</i> Lyric's awkwardness with dating and her inability to connect with her dates was in sync with a PhD candidate working 80hr weeks!

-<i>The slow build:</i> The pining, jealousy, confusion, and attraction were all well done. It managed to keep my attention.

<b> What did not work for me:</b>
- <i> The science:</i> This was really the biggest thorn on my side. I am aware that this is an area I might be overcritical in, but this really fed into the believability factor for me. I'm not a neurobiologist, but I was unclear on how oxytocin or dopamine 'levels' are seen in an fMRI. fMRI measures neural activity while oxytocin is a hormone. That inaccuracy really bothered me.

- <i>Research motivation, or lack thereof:</i> The female protagonist's lack of motivation is understandable, every grad student goes through a phase where they feel a bit lost, bit unmotivated, even want to quit. But the insistence that she needs to feel something in order to 'connect' with her research feels like the author has not captured the scientist. Scientists tend to be very data focused, and not experience focused.

- <i>Who is Kian Montogomery:</i> Being a dual PoV book, I expected to know more of Kian's personality but somehow that wasn't the case. Apart from that little run in with his family, his motivation for grad school or his ambition was 'told' rather than 'shown', and I felt that made his character fall flat.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the ARC of The Sizzle Paradox and the chance to share a honest review.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book but I was unable to get into it. The characters seemed immature to me, almost immediately and The story did not hold my attention.

This was a cute and adorable book. I love a good fake dating/friends to lovers story. I left it was a little slow in the first half but picked up in the second. Some details were a little strange mainly how the two characters could afford to go to London on a whim and then later on comment on how broke or strapped for cash they were. Overall was a enjoyable read.

This story was okay. I think I had higher expectations since the blurb compares it to The Kiss Quotient, which I absolutely loved.
This friends-to-lovers rom-com follows doctoral students Lyric and Kian, who have been best friends for years, as well as roommates. I usually love a good friends-to-lovers story, but this heroine really frustrated me. Lyric was annoying and over-the-top superstitious. I found her self-centered and childish, and I honestly thought Kian deserved better. The romance also fell flat for me as it felt forced and they lacked a natural romantic connection.
I liked the premise of the story, I just think it was poorly executed. I would have liked to see these protagonists developed further (more backstory) and more growth from Lyric.

Things I liked:
Dual POV
Kian's characterization
Protagonists in STEM (reminded me of The Love Hypothesis)

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

The slow burn and build up was just what I needed. From the beginning you are rooting for Lyric and her sizzle paradox. After a quarter way through the story I was invested and could not put the book down.

I really enjoyed this friends-to-lovers romcom. It has to be my favorite trope! I loved their close friendship and how it grew into more, even while making me cry a bit in the end. Had kind of a “Josh and Hazel” feel to it for any Christina Lauren fans out there.

I feel terrible saying it, but this book is like…. A 1.5 out of 5. I’m not sure if this book will be further edited since there are still a few months until its pub date but I’m hoping it will be. It reminded me of The Love Hypothesis (which I hated) and The Kiss Quotient (which I loved, but was done way better). Here are my disjointed thoughts, from my notes app:

-siblings vibes
-tenuous premise at best
-they already cuddle constantly where’s the tension??
-Lyric’s preoccupation with experiencing what she’s studying doesn’t make sense; psychologists often don’t experience what they are studying. Just collect your data and go??
-Lyric complains about having either emotional romance or sexual romance but… can’t you cultivate both with someone?
-Lyric is weirdly super pushy about trying to get Kian to date this girl he’s not really into
-“but… why?” (A thought I had a lot)
-the miscommunication trope is way too much. Absolutely infuriating
-there were some big pacing issues
-the book has wattpad vibes. Lacking subtlety and nuance, it was very surface level
-on one hand, I’m glad it’s short because I didn’t enjoy it but on the other hand I think part of the problem is that it wasn’t as fleshed out as it needed to be and would maybe have been better if it were longer
-I am not in grad school…. But I don’t think grad school is like this
-holy shit talk to each other what the hell y’all are supposed to be best friends??? And can’t?? Communicate????

I really wanted to love this book. However, the friends-to-lovers plotline was, in my opinion, almost too cliche. While most books have the cringe factor of the main characters being oblivious this book went even further to the main characters being painfully oblivious. I suffer from second-hand embarrassment in many areas of my life but this book brought out the worst case I have had in a long time. There were great parts of this book, the plotlines were fun and easy but I couldn't even get through the entire novel to see if, in the end, the good won over the bad.

3.5/5-

Gotta love a good friends to lovers 🥰 Lyric is such an adorable quirky FMC & Kian is the sweet, hot cinnamon roll best friend. We get one spicy scene from this book, which wasn’t enough and def could have added more chemistry and tension for the book. Otherwise, it was a nice short-er read!

Lyric is a Doctorate student studying the science or emotional and sexual attraction, but has been failing at finding it in her real life until her best friend and roommate Kian Montgomery offers to take her out of “dates” to learn how to find that chemistry in real life. Until the pretend scenarios start getting more and more real for the both of them

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC copy of The Sizzle Paradox, in exchange for my honest review!

If you liked the love hypothesis, you will most likely like this book as well. While set in the STEM graduate school field, like the love hypothesis, it tells a different story. Two people who have been best friends for years, trying to find love, just not with each other. The book was a cute and fun read. It kept a good storytelling pace so I never got bored with the book. A few details, as someone who has been in grad school, bothered me, but overall, a very good read.
Things to fix: they are PhD students; not doc students - no one says that
Kian has a pretty busy social life for someone defending their PhD in two months

The Sizzle Paradox is about two roommates, Lyric and Kian, that are pursuing higher education while trying to navigate adulthood and relationships. I enjoyed the beginning scenes between the two main characters and thought this was a quick and cute read. As the reader delves into the story, the two main characters’ friendship begins to change and miscommunication occurs.

I did not enjoy the decisions being made towards the ending as they seemed rushed. Lyric’s decision seemed like something a different character would do and frankly seemed childish.

Overall, this was a charming read.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for allowing me to read this ARC!

I was drawn in by the synopsis and cover. I thought this was a light, fast-paced, and cute read. I enjoyed Lyrics zany family along with the friendship between her and Kian. Also, I liked the university setting but there were some inconsistencies with that. I surprisingly didn’t mind the dual POV’s either. However, I didn’t feel the connection between Lyric and Kian once they were “fake dating” and got together. I’m not sure if it’s because it kept being said how “things changed” between them and then all communication was lost which was super frustrating. Lyric was a hard character for me to like, she just came off selfish (which is fine because it’s realistic) but for reasons I don’t understand. For example, her brother getting engaged and she’s upset because she’s alone and having trouble finding someone? Ehhh yeah, 🚩. Overall, it’s a cute book that I think a lot of people will like and I’d recommend it for anyone who just wants a quick read. It’s well written but there are just things about it that could make it better.

it was well written but not quite what i was looking for in a friends to lovers book. it felt very cookie cutter friends to lovers, like it was cliche and didn't have anything to make it stand out from all of the other friends to lovers. i did like the aspect of science in it, but overall it was not one of my favorites but i might still recommend it to some people when it comes out.

The Sizzle Paradox can best be regarded as a kissing cousin to the 2018 release The Kissing Quotient. In many ways it was hard to shake the ghost of The Kissing Quotient in the back of ones mind while reading. The Sizzle Paradox is a charming plot on the surface two young academics who are the best of friends look to each other to improve their love lives and crack "The Sizzle Paradox" a vague scientific theory that doesn't actually get described beyond the idea that romantic compatibility can be somehow determined by imaging the chemicals in the brain (no further elucidation on what the paradox of the theory was exactly, leading me to believe this word was chosen solely to sound scientific without actually being accurate).
Lyric is often a frustrating protagonist. Supposedly a brilliant scientist who is an expert on romantic compatibility (despite her constant protests to the contrary) so often struggles so completely to engage with the people around her or discern the interest or intentions of others thats one if left wondering like the protagonist in TKQ if Lyric is meant to be on the spectrum although this is never specifically addressed. Despite this she is also some how the "hetero" fantasy woman seemingly based on nothing more than her physical appearance.
Honestly, the plot is a slow build and grinding through that build can feel a bit like slogging through mud. There are a few mildly spicy scenes which are given as the payoff for the trudge and yet once it's all over and done with you find yourself wondering if there were truly any stakes at all. Perhaps, this is the trouble with the friends to lovers and miscommunication tropes despite the character constantly going on about why they could never date their best friend we all of course know that there is simply little reality to that statement. In fact, a firm friendship is only going to build a firmer relationship (which any scientist studying sexual chemistry should probably know). The plot relies heavily on miscommunication to create stakes and keep the main characters apart as long as possible and yet given their supposed level of academic brilliance its a little hard to accept and get behind.
That is not to say this book doesn't have its moments. There are many funny and charming moments peppered throughout the book and the supportive friendship between Lyric and Kian through out it wonderful. The book is a nice romance between nice characters, and I think there will be many who enjoy the plights of Lyric and Kian. For myself personally this wasn't quite a book for me.

Loved both Lyric and Kian. Had a great understanding of who they were as characters not just individually but also as friends/roommates. Could immediately sense the deep level of friendship but was also already rooting for them to get together.

**spoiler alert**



The progression of the story did feel a bit choppy. They went from going on a practice date, to suddenly out to London, to kissing, to back home, and then having sex. The plot details were there but it sometimes felt like the author didn’t know how to transition from one point to another so instead chose to just jump. I wish there had been a slower, more natural progression to those points heavy on a slow burn. I wish we could have experienced more longing and awkwardness between the two characters as they figured out their feelings.


Overall I enjoyed the story and felt it was nicely wrapped up in the end. Would definitely read more from this author moving forward.

You’re at a bakery… just go with me here … and there’s a treat in the case that looks so delicious that you simply can’t resist. You don’t even ask the price. You have to sink your teeth into that pastry, that cookie, that donut, that slice of pie or cake. You can almost feel the flavors mixing on your tongue even before you hand over your credit card.

Finally, the box or bag is in your hand and you are shivery with excitement, your stomach growling a little in anticipation. You step outside and sit at one of the conveniently placed sidewalk tables, your hands shaking the tiniest bit from excitement.

You slide the treat out of its container and place it gently, reverently, on a napkin on the table in front of you. Glorious, you think, saliva pooling in your mouth. You lift the delectable treasure to your nose, inhaling a heady scent combination that makes you groan aloud.

Time for the first tentative, exploratory nibble, though you want desperately to consume the entire treat, napkin and all, in one enormous bite. You open your mouth, lick your lips, and bite down almost gently, eager to savor the first luscious taste.

It’s … sawdust. It's beautiful in concept but inedible in execution.

Unlike the aforementioned delectation, I consumed the entire pseudo-treat that is The Sizzle Paradox by Lily Menon. But I am very sorry to report that I didn’t enjoy it and I won’t be going back to that bakery again.

The story should be good but pretty much immediately falls as flat as a poorly cooked souffle. The concept is standard: friends-to-lovers roommates who fake-date. The problem is that there’s no reason for them to fake-date. They literally do everything together.

The point of fake-dating is to put the protagonists in situations they wouldn’t normally be in together. This doesn’t work when the protagonists spend 90% of their time together. They snuggle. They wake each other up. They hold hands. They go to all their family events together. They have a favorite pizza (half Hawaiian, half pepperoni). They touch constantly. It would be great if that were the start of their fake-dating to falling-in-love storyline but it’s their normal.

Since that is their normal, what if their normal suddenly weren’t possible? What if they both had significant others who objected when Lyric and Kian curled up together on the sofa? Think of all the lovely pining if they suddenly couldn’t hold hands in public. Well, you can imagine it all you want but just like that lovely pastry, you can’t have it.

In addition to the concept problems, the book itself is absolutely dusted (bakery references will continue until the book improves) with really terrible, awkward wording, like a donut that has been way over-sprinkled until every bite is chalky and crunchy, stabbing your gums with little rice-shaped daggers that won’t be dislodged no matter how much you worry them with your tongue.

Also, the author includes so much drinking and joking about drinking. So much. “Haha, they’re all going to think I’m an alcoholic because I have to pound three jugs of wine just to feel comfortable talking to boys who aren’t my roommate.” (Quotes are illustrative, obv, because I’m reading an uncorrected proof and can't include quotes without permission.)

Writing kissing and sex scenes that require the protagonists to be drunk is bad and unnecessary. And including “I’m drunk but I’m thinking clearly” does not absolve the writer from perpetuating a really bad trope. Drunk sex is not consensual because … duh … drunk people can’t consent.

All of this results in those cringy “oh no, did we have sex last night?” or “oh no, why did we have sex last night?” conversations which are awful. If you can’t remember having sex or don’t know why you had sex, you were too drunk to consent to sex. Why in heck are authors still writing this crap?!

Rant over. Back to baking comparisons. Salty-sweet is a thing. Pitch-black but moonlit is not. Salt on chocolate chip cookies is a thing. Tense but relaxed is not. Peanut butter and chili pepper is a thing. Restaurant is so popular we can’t get a reservation but we don’t need a menu because we’re such frequent diners that they know what we want already. Yeah, that’s definitely not a thing.

Unfortunately, there are many contradictions and malapropisms in this book. Over and over, I wished that the author’s beta readers would have stepped up and pointed them out. That’s literally their job and they didn’t do it (or in fairness to the betas, perhaps the author just ignored all the feedback).

I mean, really, if your baking apprentice frosts the cake with Crisco shortening instead of icing, you’re going to say something, right? Because a good crumb with crappy icing is a crappy cake.

The Sizzle Paradox by Lily Menon will be available on June 14, 2022. I received a digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Sizzle Paradox follows Lyric and Kian, best friends, roommates and grad students. Lyric is struggling with her doctoral thesis on sexual chemistry in romantic partners and long-term relationships, and her lack of good dating experience is discouraging. Kian, who has lots of short-term relationships, offers to help Lyric by fake dating and showing her what good dating and chemistry look/feel like. In return, Lyric will set Kian up with someone different than his normal dates in the hopes it will give his romantic life a shake-up. As they go on fake dates, both of them start wondering if maybe they can be more than best friends.

This was a super fun friends to lovers romance. I loved the pining and the slow feelings realization. The struggle between whether or not they should say anything about their changing feelings was so good. Plus it had some relatable content on grad school and figuring out what to do after you graduate college. And from one awkward potato to another, Lyric was definitely relatable at times as she struggled to go on dates and connect with people. This was a quick, easy read but lots of fun.

This was such a fun friends to lovers story! I thought the plot was well thought out and I enjoyed the author's writing style. The dynamics of characters’ relationship and their fantastic chemistry melted my heart. I recommend The Sizzle Paradox to fans of romantic comedy novels.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a ok book. It reminds me of another book that I read. I like the conflict in the book. The dual perspective was nice.