this was a decent romance, very similar to Ali Hazelwoods' other book, Love Hypothesis, and just as steamy and romantic.

LOVE ON THE BRAIN by Ali Hazelwood

MY RATING: I really liked it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY:
Bee is a female in STEM, so she's already up against a lot of stereotypes and pressure. She gets the chance to work for NASA on a new project, but her co-lead is her grad-school enemy and a big jerk. He seems out to make Bee fail the project from the start, but Bee isn't going to back down easily.

MY THOUGHTS:
I thought this was a fun, easy romance read. It felt like the perfect length and never felt like it was dragging. I thought there was the perfect amount of plot to mix with the romance. It was super easy to follow and I loved Levi's character! I think I would have loved him more if we had gotten some chapters from his POV - especially with Penny in the picture! I read someone's review that they felt this was the same as THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS, but it's been a while since I read that one, so I didn't feel that way! I thought it was a fun, light romance perfect for February!

Ohhh such a wonderful books! I had so much fun with Ali Hazelwood’s Sophomore full length novel!! These two characters worked so well together and was just a joy to watch! The banter is top notch! The spicy scenes! Amazing! And it was just an overall fun read! The ending got a little crazy but I still loved it and I cannot wait to read her newest book soon!

I start my review by giving big applause to the brilliant person who created this amazing cover! And the second one comes from the brilliant brain cells of the author!

This is absolutely the sweetest, quirkiest, smartest, geekiest, sexiest, and STEMinest romance I’ve ever read!

Marie Curie fan girl, devoted Jedi, purple-haired, ultra-smart Bee Königswasser, and her nemeses brooding, know-it-all, reserved Levi Ward who has the greenest hypnotizing eyes and their fiery, explosive chemistry hook me up! I loved them so much!

Enemies to lovers and friends to lovers themes meet “You’ve got mail” blended in second chances with so much brainy, nerdy references that made me giggle at least a hundred times!

Heartbroken Bee, who was raised by different relatives, bounced from one extended family member to another, and lived in a dozen countries! It’s so normal for her to want a secure, stable life that she can put down roots. She’s the opposite of her sister Reike who travels worldwide, experiencing different lifestyles.

And Bee thought she’s finally found the love of her life: Tim might be the ONE she could live happily ever after with but she finds out he’s having an affair with her best friend.

But now she got a dreamy job offer: she will work at freaking NASA to lead a neuro-engineering project: she’s going to work on astronaut helmets! Yes! But when she realizes she’s going to work with grad school arch-nemesis Levi Ward: tall, dark-haired, piercing green eyes, a brainy Adonis, she curses her luck!

And as soon as she arrives at her workspace: she finds out she doesn’t have one: because there’s a shipment problem with her equipment and the clock is ticking, her superiors force her to show them some scientific results about her project, the very same project she cannot start. And Levi still gives her the cold shoulder, never returning her emails, criticizing her fashion style!

She has to confront that man who turns her life into hell by telling him how he makes her feel for years!

But what if Levi is not the villain of this story and the only thing he wants to do this accomplish their mission by working as equal colleagues? What if Levi’s awkward manners around her don’t mean he despises her?

Well: I loved the big espionage/action-packed mystery part of the story. Both Levi and Bee were so lovable characters. They keep savoring their happy ending of miscommunication but I loved how their characters evolved!

There are some similarities with Adam and Olive’s story ( Love Hypothesis): how both couples misunderstand each other, how the hero saves the day, and the hotel room romance parts! But I liked this formula a lot and this book really burned my brain cells with the smartest references: it’s truly so much fun to live inside Bee’s brain and read her whirlwind thoughts, admire her extra nerdy perspective, her vivid, sarcastic tone!

I think that this was a great story and was well written. Given that The Love Hypothesis was a 5-star read from me, I had really high hopes for this book. I was a little let down as I felt like I was reading the same story again, but I still enjoyed it regardless.

If you loved The Love Hypothesis, you’ll die over this book. Levi is one of the *swooniest* book boyfriends I’ve ever read. I devoured this book in less than two days. In a summer where I read SO many 5 star books, this one stands out. It was incredible. Hazelwood is an auto buy author now. I adore her work!

This was a great book with a great twist at the end! I seriously did not see that coming! Looking forward to more from Hazelwood.

Ahead of reading this book, I was excited to see what all the fuss was about. That said, the main character Bee was one of the most dense characters in a romance novel that I've ever encountered. And her obsession with Levi's stature was really annoying. Her every other word or thought referenced the size of his body, hands, etc. For goodness sake, it's not a personality trait.

Levi was equally infuriating. Repressed feelings are fine, but there were times that he and Bee both came off has really immature. This made it hard for me to believe that either one of them were adults. They read more like teenagers.

Lastly, parts of the book's ending felt rushed. That said, thanks for the arc. I can without a doubt say that Ali Hazelwood's writing just isn't for me

After The Love Hypothesis hype, there’s no doubt this book is going to be highly anticipated by many! I was one of those people who absolutely adored The Love Hypothesis and maybe it created high expectations, but ultimately I found that I didn’t love this book quite as much.

I’ll start with the good! I love the women in STEM rep and the academic setting. The science-y aspects were interesting and not too difficult to follow along. I also liked Bee’s passion for neuroscience and the Marie Curie references were fun. On top of that, we have lots of humorous one liners, banter, and cat puns!

Getting to the not as good: First, there’s Levi or rather the description of him that sounds like a knock off Adam. Nothing on Levi himself as I still adored him, but the writing wasn’t unique to really set the two apart in my eyes. Though he did have his sweet moments and obviously cared a lot about his work and the people that matter most to him. But this is also where things got murky.

Bee and Levi never started off on the right foot five years ago which is fine. But their present predicament and supposed “hatred” for each other is ENTIRELY due to miscommunication. And when Levi tries to explain himself and COMMUNICATE what happened, Bee doesn’t give him the chance and the cycle continues to drag.

Bee’s character was another thing I struggled with. There was the incredible scientist fighting for herself, her projects, and women in STEM which was fantastic. But then, there was the personal/ romantic side. While she did experience previous trauma and an unconventional upbringing, her inner monologue in undermining her later relationship with Levi and the fact she always made assumptions about him got tiresome.

Also, one of the ending scenes had literal action which felt a bit odd, but wasn’t terrible.

I feel like I’ll be more in the minority on this one because I can still see why people will rave about it! Just maybe my expectations were too high or I’ve become a super harsh critic? But I will still read more Ali Hazelwood and will look forward to the next!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

𝘼 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙎𝙏𝙀𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙤𝙢-𝙘𝙤𝙢 𝙞𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙖 𝙨𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙨—𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙨.

📍 Read if you like:
• STEM Romcoms
• Miscommunication
• NASA Settings
• You’ve Got Mail
• Nerdy References

I struggled with rating this book, part of me wanted to give it three stars but I feel like Levi deserves better. I loved The Love Hypothesis… but after reading Ali Hazelwood four times after TLH I’m starting to realize her stories are way too similar.

I love the idea of these stories focusing on women in STEM, but unfortunately, they all seem like copycats and way too repetitive.

In Love on the Brain, the romance wasn’t as great as in TLH but I still really loved Levi’s character.

One of my biggest issues with this was the miscommunication trope. I get it would work for some readers, but it didn’t for me. I mean this book is everywhere… is it overhyped? Honestly, yes!

Also, one of the bigger issues I had was with how many times Bee mentioned how tall Levi was… we get it, he’s tall. I personally think he deserved better - I said it 🥱

I know three and a half stars may be too genuine, but it’s okay. The story was there, it was fun and Levi made it better. Bee was at times annoying, but how awesome for her to get the NASA opportunity.

I honestly don’t know what this review is, but I’m writing it while being extremely tired. I may have been too harsh so let me mention the positives: NASA setting, women in STEM, steamy romance, sweet romantic moments, enemies to lovers and friends to lovers, nerdy references, giggles, quirky, and ofc Levi.

This book follows our main character Bee. She is a neuroscientist and a huge fan of Marie Curie. Long story short NASA offers her a position to co-lead a neuroengineering project. Bee is ecstatic, this is a huge break for her and her career, but there's a catch. It wouldn't be a fun rom-com is there wasn't a catch. She has to co-lead this project with none other than her archenemies from grad school, Levi Ward.

I was actually a little nervous to read this because I read The Love Hypothesis and I really enjoyed it but I felt like this was going to be extremely similar and, guess what, it kind of was but not in a bad way. The characters were great. I love Bee and Levi. I thought that they were perfect and I love the banter that goes on between them. The one liners were great and the Star Wars references were great. If you liked the Love Hypothesis than I think you will like this book.

Be warned that you have to go into this book knowing its going to be like The Love Hypothesis and some parts of this book were completely unbelievable but you kind of have to look past that. If you can do that, then you'll like the book.

I would have given this 3.5 stars but I rounded up. It would have been a solid 4 stars but the ending didn't do it for me, like whatttttt?

I actually really enjoyed this one, despite only giving it 3 stars. I read a majority of it on my flight back from Austria and it was hard to put down.

This book was really easy to get into and I flew through it. I loved the main character, Bee, and reading about her past and her job was very interesting. This book lost some stars just because I thought it was a bit predictable and nothing earth shattering happened.

I did still enjoy it overall, so if you’re stuck in a reading slump, I’d recommend this!

I had the pleasure of reading @alihazelwood’s Love on the Brain early and wow, what absolute romantic, nerdy, clever, surprising and sexy trip. Ali crafted Levi and Bee’s story with so much care and detail and it was fascinating seeing her writing grow between her debut to the novellas and to this one.

I will be the first one to admit that I am 100% “he fell first” trash so seeing Ali venture into that trope once again and mold it into another love story that perfectly balances pining, vulnerability, forgiveness and fulfillment of a first love was just delightful. It’s honestly impossible not to fall for Levi and Bee as a couple and as individuals. Their personalities are so contrasting but make so much sense together because they truly complement each other. Their interactions shift from being awkward/stiff to being downright cute and sexy and dammit, Ali why are! They! So perfect! (Also, *slides $20 to Ali* What did Levi whisper to Bee’s ex? I am asking… for scientific purposes.)

But Love on the Brain isn’t just Levi and Bee’s story. It encompasses the relationship of Bee and Levi with the amazing cast of side characters plus their complex relationship with each other (and some of them were quite unexpected, in a very good way); and did I mention there is not one but two adorable cats in this book and they both have interesting roles? You’re welcome. Admittedly, the third act was a bit far out which felt like a last minute effort to create a conflict and ended up a little silly/forced but other than that, I adored this book.

If you’re anticipating your next Ali Hazelwood fix, I am happy to report that Love on the Brain hits the right notes, will leave you very satisfied and remind you that this is really Ali Hazelwood’s world and we’re just living in it.

I have DNFed this book for now. I loved The Love Hypothesis and the novellas that Ali had released but I was unable to find the hook in the book that made me want to continue to read Love on the Brain.

It is my goal to try and pick this book up again in the future, and if I finish and review it, I will come back and add my review.

Love, love, love! This book is so smart and fun and I couldn't stop thinking about it after I finished reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Romance for an advanced copy of Love on the Brain! This STEMinist rom-com follows Bee, neuroengineer who dreams of NASA, and Levi, her grad school archenemy. When they are forced to reunite in the workforce and co-lead a project together, Bee is convinced Levi is out to sabotage her...and play with her heart along the way.

I loved The Love Hypothesis by this author and slotted it as one of my top reads of 2021. I loved a lot about this in the same way - a strong female lead, cool science talk, a fair amount of steam, and fun along the way. There was some great banter and lovable characters. I struggled with reading this right around the time I read the STEMinist novella series because I found so many of her stories to be so similar. While I understand romance tropes tend to follow a predetermined script to some extent, I'm waiting for something new from Ali Hazelwood. The miscommunication trope seems to be pushed too far in this one, and I grew tired of some of the parts that should have been funny but just felt immature. Like, come on you two! Grow up and talk to each other! Also as feminist as it is to write about women crushing it in science, I feel like Hazelwood's characters are still often awaiting the strong hands of men around them to save the day AND continuously fit the "tiny, quirky, not-like-other-girls" trope I'm so tired of seeing.

The ending also just wasn't for me and felt a little too neat.

I think Hazelwood is going to be on the back (Bunsen) burner for me for a while.

Those books are so cute! They do all kinda look the same though, but it was super entertaining and it was super easy to read. Would recommend it for any romance lovers!

1.5* (⅖)

‘Love on the Brain’ by Ali Hazelwood is a romance novel about Bee and Levi. Bee works for NASA on her dream project, however her co-leader for the project is Levi, who made his feelings clear to her in her graduate days. They are archenemies who are forced to work together, but she starts to have feelings for him.

I have read all of Hazelwood’s blacklist of books, and like her other books, ‘Love on the Brain’ is the same. The plot and characters are all the same. It feels like I just reread ‘The Love Hypothesis’, her debut novel. The main female character is a quirky girl who likes science, the love interest is a grumpy guy who is secretly in love with the main character, the side characters are just there. The plot is that the characters run into each other and are forced to work together, with a miscommunication towards the end. I’m disappointed that this is just the same thing as her other books.

I don’t care about Bee or Levi. I don’t care about their relationship. I just don’t care about them. Bee is what I imagine if Buzzfeed quizzes were a real person. I thought some parts of the book funny, but often cringe. The NASA plot is fun at times but it often loses my interest. The ending completely losses me. It feels like it is out of no where. An opera ending in ways, which is very different from the rest of the book.

If you like Ali Hazelwood’s other works and quricky romance novels, you will like this.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC for an honest review.

This is a new author for me, and I was interested in it because of the female leads who were highlighted in field not normally associated with women. Anytime I can read about women in the math and/ or science fields, and then add in a bit of romance and I am so here for it.

I can't keep reading the same story over again - I feel like every Ali Hazelwood story is basically the same - I adored her first book but I think I might be done.