Cover Image: The Sizzle Paradox

The Sizzle Paradox

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Member Reviews

It took me over 3 months to read this book. I tried and tried and tried, but it just fizzled out for me. Actually, it never real got started. I just did not like the main characters at all.

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oof this one was,,,, not good. super weird dialogue and vocabulary choices, seemed like a wannabe love hypothesis.

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I wasn't able to read this one before publication day and then the reviews weren't the best so I put off reading this one but I actually really liked it a lot and I'm sad I waited so long to read it! This was probably one of the best friends to lovers books I've read. I did think the Sizzle Paradox thesis was a little silly but I just loved how this book really showcased their friendship and the obstacles they went through to become lovers. There was chemistry and tension and I really loved their relationship. I though the side characters were entertaining as well. It felt like the female main character might be neurodivergent but I wasn't 100% sure if that is what the author was going for but I really enjoyed her as she was trying to figure things out. I was also happy to see more women in STEM! I also enjoyed the different POVs. This was a fun read close to Valentine's Day. I'm just so shocked the reviews aren't higher.

*Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

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Friends to lovers is probably my least favorite trope, coupled with the himbo MMC and dorky, awkward FMC - yeah this was very much not for me. I enjoyed the science and school aspect as I have an interest in research and academic love stories (my personal love story is through schooling), but overall I was bored and put off by both characters. Also, "teaching dating" to your inexperienced friend is such a weird story line for me, especially as internally both are cringey about it.

Overall yikes kind of book for me *personally*. This could be your next favorite book simply because the aforementioned tropes are your favorites. This does has a lot of positives, there is some good racial representation and friendships.

That's about all I can say about this one honestly. It's not for me. But that's okay.

**Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review**

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This was a cute slow burn friends to lovers romance. My one gripe is that maybe the slow burn was a little too slow. I just wanted them to kiss already, because I loved their relationship. lol

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I liked this in general but got very frustrated with some things. The pacing is alright - it feels like it has a slow beginning and then rushes the end a bit. It takes a while for them to even start fake dating and realize their feelings for each other, and I would have liked the second half to be more drawn out. The ending was quite good though!

I appreciated that both characters are in PhD programs and that we get to see academic settings, even though this isn’t always realistic. I don’t know what kind of stipend she’s on, but I would have loved to be able to take a spontaneous trip to London and stay in a fancy hotel! There are some mix ups with how PhD programs are structured, but this didn’t bother me too much for the most part.

Lyric is working in experimental psychology studying sexual chemistry. I thought this was interesting but didn’t entirely get why she was so hung up on not having the personal experience to be able to write up her results, especially since I write up results of my analyses all the time without having that personal experience. I can appreciate her feeling blocked with writing her dissertation and feeling drained/not as into it though. She seems to come from a large, eclectic family who all seem supportive but also too much at times. I kinda wish we got to see more involvement from them or just more development with them. I did think Lyric was funny overall and could relate to her being awkward.

Kian was in environmental engineering (I believe). This seems like an interesting focus, and I liked some of his projects that we get to see. He seems nice and smart, and he’s definitely there for Lyric. He comes from a more strained family background - I liked seeing some things develop with this, but we also don’t get to really explore the aftermath with how it changes him.

I did feel their chemistry together and rooted for them. However, I felt VERY annoyed by how dense they are at times and the level of miscommunication that happens for most of the book. It’s like they’re willfully oblivious, and I definitely did not like how drawn out this is, especially when Lyric keeps trying to hook Kian up with her friend Zoey when it’s clear that neither Kian or Zoey are into it. I feel like I would have liked more of their backstory with how they became friends and just more development with their personalities.

Overall, I liked this quite a bit but had some fairly large complaints with how some of the elements are done. I’d still recommend this, though don’t go in expecting it to be The Love Hypothesis.

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Friends to lovers is my favorite trope, so when I read the synopsis for this book I was immediately hooked and had very high hopes. Unfortunately, it did not meet my expectations. I did not feel the chemistry between Lyric and Kian, either as friends or romantic partners, and the plot was very slow moving.

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I love a fake-dating romance as much as the next gal, especially one set in academia. The Sizzle Paradox was such a fun read. I loved all the characters and was so excited to cancel all my plans to finish this book. Definitely looking forward to Lily Menon's next book.

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I’m a huge fan of fake dating. I really liked the best friend aspect to this story. The chemistry between the characters was great. However, I just couldn’t get emotionally invested in the two characters. It just wasn’t a can’t put down book.

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I was hoping for something similar to the Kiss Quotient, but it fell a little flat. The premise was good, but the execution fell flat.

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Too predictable, but it was a nice palate cleanser. The heroine was wildly immature and overly quirky.

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Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC! I simply could not get into this one and I usually love books like this! The main character was awful and the romance felt forced.

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A cute STEM romcom from Lily Menon. I always love women in STEM romances, but I feel very neutral about this one. It’s a friends-to-lovers romance, but I didn’t see a good enough reason for them to have waited so long to be together. I thought the MCs were really immature for their ages.

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This was a cute read. I enjoyed the relationship between the characters and their dual perspectives throughout the reading. I do wish we got more insight into how they got to the point that they were in the book. Nonetheless, it serves as a great romance for a friends to lover troupe!

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Didn't love this one.

The heroine was a bit too immature for my liking and I just felt like I was reading a YA that was trying to be adult. This was a bestfriends to lovers story but wasn't executed in anyway that made me want to root for either party. My favorite part was the dual POV, but even with it I don't feel like this one is worth too much time. 2/5

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Having been a long-time fan of the author's YA books, I was excited to receive a copy of The Sizzle Paradox by Lily Menon. I'm always a fan of a STEM rom-com. This is one for fans of Ali Hazelwood and Helen Hoang.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this one with me. All thoughts are my own.

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This book was a little too similar to "The Love Hypothesis" for me to be able to get into it, sadly. The main character never really connected with me, so I slogged through reading this a bit.

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I actually, and very strongly, disliked this book. It was pedestrian at best and read like a wattpad book. Would not purchase for a circulating collection unless directly requested

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Unfortunately I did not enjoy this one and ended up DNFing at about 33%. I disliked both main characters and after reading some other reviews, it seems like those characters never get better. I found myself annoyed rather that engrossed in the story.

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Lyric is a student at heart and will do just about anything to prove a thesis. She’s studying sexual chemistry but with no experience of her own she is going to need to do some experimenting.
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Kian is her best friend and roommate. Kian agrees to be her sexual chemistry test subject which shouldn’t be a problem seen as there are no real feelings involved…right?
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Thank you #StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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