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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

Thank you so much @StMartinsPress & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 28 June 2022)

SYNOPSIS | Lyric feels like a fraud as she is at grad school studying sexual chemistry in romantic partners with the goal of providing recommendations on what makes a successful long term relationship but she herself has never actually been in a successful long term relationship.

WHAT I LIKED:
- dual POV helped drive the story along (I love not having to guess what the love interest is thinking)
- love an academic setting & a focus on STEM

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- Lyrics behaviour doesn't match her age at all (she reads very immature)
- it took more than half of the book before there was even a spark between Lyric & Kian
- this had more of a brother / sister vibe than best friends
- the ending was sooo rushed (but by that time I was glad to be finishing)

Fake dating for the sake of science can't go wrong, right?

Lyric and Kian are best friends.

They're also Ph.D students trying to gather their data and prepare their thesis, which is the whole basic plot. 

Add in a little best friends to lovers, fake relationship drama to keep the book going (although this was at the end, wish it was more towards the beginning/middle). 

I was hoping for more Sizzle in the Sizzle Paradox. 

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this title. 

I just reviewed The Sizzle Paradox by Lily Menon. #NetGalley

This is a first time read for me by this author and I found it to be quite entertaining. STEM romances are definitely becoming more popular now and this latest one is a good addition to the genre. Lyric desperately needs some pointers in dating and how one goes about finding the sparks and chemistry that occurs between a couple that's attracted to each other along with finding an emotional connection. Otherwise, her whole thesis and work behind it will seem like a fraud. Her best friend and fellow grad student Kian has no trouble in the romance department and offers to tutor her. In return, she will help him with relationship commitment since that seems to be a trouble spot for him. As these two each impart their knowledge of love and romance, the line between academics and friendship and real romance seem to get blurred. I enjoyed the ride as these two figured out what was really going on between them.
This was an enjoyable and fun light-hearted read with cute characters  and I am glad to have had the opportunity to read it. 
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Great book and enjoyed the characters . loved the slight romance and the how well the group worked together. Overall a great book . I would read this author again.