2.5 stars

Wow, I really didn’t enjoy this…. Like, I was able to finish it, it wasn’t so bad I had to DNF it, but it also just wasn’t that great.

I have really loved Sandhya Menon’s YA books (especially the Dimpleverse books), but idk if something just isn’t translating to her adult books (this is NA) or what, but I’m just not liking them.

There honestly isn’t much good that I can say about this book. It came across as aphobic, where the MC was obsessed with romantic and sexual attraction. She was doing this whole study on it, her doctoral research, yet there was no mention of folks who don’t experience romantic or sexual attraction. It was this whole ‘you have to score way off the charts on sexual and romantic attraction in order to be compatible’, which is really not true. I think this could have easily been remedied with a single sentence about aro/ace folks, but there wasn’t. It was a very allocentric view and I didn’t like it.

This had fake dating (sort of), which is basically my favourite romantic trope, but it just didn’t work for me in this instance. Like, it was almost painful how long it took the two MCs to actually talk about their feelings, to the point I almost didn’t want them to get together because I was getting annoyed.

Also, there was one sex scene and it was kind of… off? It just did not work for me, and maybe had some mild consent issues? It felt like they just had to get to the PIV, instead of doing other hot stuff that didn’t involve PIV. Honestly, I think that’s what ruined it for me.

The one thing I did like was that Lyric’s older sister is in a secret age gap relationship with a magician (he’s 10 years younger). Like, please, give me that story, I think it would have been better than the mess that this one was.

Overall, this wasn’t unreadable, but it also wasn’t good.

Cute and smart. Fun as well. I always enjoy intelligent women main characters. The idea of testing the “sizzle” hypothesis was clever too. Friends to lovers trope done well.

I really like the author's writing (especially her YA novels) and I was really excited to read this new book.

I thought the story was good and I could relate to the main characters both being in academia, and how Lyric wanted to create a formula for attraction. I like that both of the characters had complicated family histories and how they shared such a deep bond with each other.

Of course in this kind of book the love between the best friends is obvious to everyone else except themselves which is frustrating but otherwise there wouldn't be a story. I liked the fake dates or tutoring sessions that they went on and that it wasn't instant love instead they were best friends for so long, and really knew everything about each other.

I found Lyric a bit irritating throughout the book at the same time as empathizing with her. Overall it was a quick enjoyable love story, and I look forward to reading what the author comes up with next,

The Sizzle Paradox is a friends-to-lovers trope and a romcom that would make a light-hearted summer read.

If you like:

-dual narrators
-friends to lovers
-HEA
-boy falling first

Rating: 3 STARS

I requested to listen to the audiobook on NetGalley because of the suggested comparison to THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS - which I adored! But...Ohhh, I really struggled to stay connected in the first half of this book/audiobook. Which surprised me as I have always really enjoyed Brittany Pressley as a narrator; and was excited she was performing Lyric's character. And she did a fantastic job. However, Kian;s narrator (to my ears) just sounded like he was simply reading out-loud and it was a bit of a struggle to connect with his performance,
for the character development to really stick with me

Thank you St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for this ARC!

Lyric Bishop is preparing her graduate thesis on romantic love and sexual chemistry, except she feels like a fraud because she’s never found that sizzle. Her roommate and best friend since freshman year, fellow graduate student, Kian Montgomery offers to tutor her in the fine art of dating. When their dates start to feel too real to both of them, can their friendship survive?

The Sizzle Paradox is a hilarious romantic comedy that I couldn’t stop listening to or put down. Kian and Lyric have such a solid , loving, real friendship, so of course that should translate to a hot, spicy romance. I loved it!

Audiobook note: I loved the audiobook but I did feel as though the male’s voice was a bit on the younger sounding side compared to what I expected for Kian. It took me out of the story a bit, but not too much, at least.
I couldn’t put this book down. I loved everything about it – and even the audio had me enjoying every last word.
------------
A STEM romance story, these two best friends have been through the thick of their academic careers together – they even live together, and despite what EVERYONE around them says, they know that they are JUST friends. Anything more would be a complete disaster.

But Lyric’s PhD research involves the sizzle paradox – trying to determine what makes for the strongest romantic relationships both sexually and emotionally. And while all of her data collection has gone beautifully, she cannot herself endorse something that she can’t seem to make plausible in her own life.

Whenever she tries to date, she is 100% socially awkward – but in the most adorable way. Spouting random facts she knows, no matter how inappropriate, I honestly couldn’t get enough of her awkwardness throughout the book. It was so genuine and authentic, I just wanted to be her friend.

But then her best friend Kian offers to tutor her, since he never has problems romantically. It’s on these dates that they realize how easy it is between them – but of course they could never tell one another that.

This story definitely has a bit of miscommunication mixed in, but it’s not as drawn out as other books I’ve read. What I found endearing was the obliviousness to their own feelings, because I know how easy it is to overlook a friend in a romantic way – especially if you’ve been friends for so long.

Before I even finished reading this book, I went out and ordered a copy. Definitely worth the read!

3.5/5 stars, rounded down
1.5 /5 spice

A fun, friends-to-lovers, women in STEM, new adult, romcom.

Our FMC is a young experimental psychology doctoral student who is studying sexual attraction, compatibility, and relationship stability. She lives with her best friend, a smart, charming, older doctoral student from another department. When she hits a bump in both her research and dating life, her best friend volunteers himself to be her relationship tutor, which brings up a lot of confusing feelings for both parties.

This was a fun, though predictable read, and while it wouldn't be a highly recommend for me, I would still recommend it to those interested in a romcom without spice.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Abhay Ahluwalia and Brittany Pressley, via NetGalley. An advanced reader's copy of this audiobook was provided to me via NetGalley by Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.

The Sizzle Paradox is a fun friends-to-lovers romance set in the world of academia. It's a little spicy and features a close friendship between longtime roommates in graduate school. Overall, the story was okay, but aspects of it were a little frustrating. The main character, Lyric, seems a little immature and it seemed beyond belief that her personal anecdotal relationship experience would somehow be used or be limiting her thesis "research." The narration by Brittany Pressley and Abhay Ahluwalia was fantastic. I especially love all books narrated by Pressley.

Thank you St. Martin's Press / Macmillan Audio for providing this ebook / audiobook ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I’m so excited for everyone to read The Sizzle Paradox! If you loved The Kiss Quotient or The Love Hypothesis, this is definitely for fans of STEM Romance!

Best friends and roommates, Lyric Bishop and Kian Montgomery, are two doctoral graduate students at Columbia University. Lyric is studying sexual chemistry in romantic partners and what makes for a successful long-term relationship. Although the research is sound, Lyric has never had a successful relationship complete with both. Kian, on the other hand, struggles with long-term commitment and has become bored of dating the same type of woman.

When Kian offers to tutor Lyric in the social aspects of dating, she accepts and in exchange proposes to help Kian date someone outside of his comfort zone. But as their “tutoring sessions” progress, sexual tensions build, and their feelings begin to move beyond friendship.

I absolutely adored this novel and the chemistry between the two MCs. I really appreciated Lyric represented in this role and academic setting as the female MC as well. This was a lighthearted Rom-Com read sprinkled with some spice amongst the sweetness. Personally, I am a sucker for the friends-to-lovers trope. And I think it goes without saying Kian Montgomery is our new book boyfriend, right?

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the dual narrative from Lyric and Kian’s POVs by Brittany Pressley and Abhay Ahluwalia. However, though it didn’t detract from my overall listening experience, Ahluwalia’s impersonation of Kian was not as natural in comparison to Pressley and seemingly came across as if his voice was powered by artificial intelligence in a text-to-speech functionality.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

🎧Audiobook Review🎧

The Sizzle Paradox by Lily Menon

Friends to lovers, fake dating, women in STEM… what’s not to like?!?!

This is a fun little romance novel. The narration was fantastic. A little 🔥for those who enjoy that. 😉

Nothing unpredictable in this one, but not uncommon in this genre. A good solid read. I enjoyed it and gave it 3.5⭐️

The Sizzle Paradox feels like The Cheat Sheet meets Big Bang Theory. Like Raj and Bernadette dating but The Cheat Sheets “Dating your BFF” trope combined. It was cute and all but I was a little turned off with the female lead. She was a mess for being a scientist (loved crystals, unreliable, smart but pretending to be unsure constantly). The chemistry felt mostly believable.

This one was so cute! It went by pretty quickly for me. I love a good friends to lovers romcom. Add in the fact that Lyric and Kian are science-nerds, even better. I enjoyed all the side characters in this one as well. It reminded me a little of “Love Hypothesis,” but I liked that one more. I will say, that Lyric was a little immature for her age? Maybe? I am trying to remember what I was like in my late twenties. Either way, I enjoyed this one.

I received an audio version of The Sizzle Paradox and I really enjoyed both the male and female narrators. They kept me interested and engaged through the whole book.

Bottom Line: Read it.

**I received a copy of The Sizzle Paradox from NETGALLEY in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

The Sizzle Paradox unfortunately did not really do it for me due to the miscommunication between the two mains, Lyric and Kian. All their issues could’ve been resolved just with telling each other how they really felt.

The ending felt very rushed. Over half of the book focused on Lyric and Kian dating other people and then they lived happily ever after. I wanted more development and substance especially from Kian and his issues.

I finished this one over the weekend. It one was super cute! The characters had solid character arcs in this friends to lovers trope. The storyline was unique, and I love that both characters were grad students. It kept me mostly interested from start to finish. I enjoyed listening to the female narrator. The male narrator wasn’t the best but not enough to stop listening. Huge thanks to the audiobook publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to listen and review this book!

While this plot or trope is not super original or clever, I still enjoyed it quite a lot!!

I tend to typically really enjoy the friends to lovers and fake dating stories as they’re usually pretty light, witty and fun! My least favourite thing about them is the constant miscommunication, and this one was no different. I definitely was rolling my eyes at times but there were also several swoon worthy moments as well.

After the success of The Love Hypothesis and The Kiss Quotient, I’m happy to see more and more romcoms and contemporary romances coming out and revolving around women in STEM, so huge kudos to Menon!

I rotated this one between a physical copy and audio and I must say that I certainly recommend the audio!

3.5 stars rounded to 4 for goodreads

This was a classic friends to lovers story about two Columbia graduate students., with all the usual components of this type of romcom: fake relationship, miscommunication, sassy best friend, and the big grand gesture at the end. It went back and forth between both main character's points of view. I usually really enjoy romcoms set in academia, but this one fell a bit flat for me. There was nothing inherently wrong with the writing or the story, other than it just didn't feel fresh or new. I think the biggest problem for me was that I listened on audio, and while the female narrator was great, the male narrator was quite possibly the worst I have ever heard on an audiobook. His inflection was all wrong, he mispronounced multiple words, he would pause mid-sentance as if he lost his place. It completely detracted from the book. I truly hope this book gets re-recorded before it's released.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced audio copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Sigh. This just wasn't it. Was it a lighthearted summer romance read? Yes. Was it offensive in any way? No. Would it be ok to read on the beach and not get too invested in? Sure. It tells the tale of doctoral candidates Lyric and Kian, who are longtime platonic best friends. Lyric is working on The Sizzle Paradox, which is a way to assess romantic love and sexual chemistry. The problem is that she is socially awkward and her dates for the project aren't going well. Kian suggests some sample dates with him to help her out and sparks fly. They go from friends to lovers but don't seem able to face it....until they do. My problem with this book was the level of maturity that both characters lacked, and the sense that neither one of them had any sort of growth. The verbal exchanges didn't seem like those of doctoral candidates...more like high schoolers.

The narration matched the maturity of the dialogue, which would have been great if it was a teen romance -- but it isn't. I can't blame the voice acting in the slightest, as I suspect they were just following the lead of the writing. The voice intonation and added cast members were a nice feature of the audio. Overall, I liked the audiobook choices, just not the book I was listening to.

I loved this book! This is a fun friends to lovers/fake dating story.

Both characters in this book were very easy to relate to which made it a super quick and enjoyable read. I listened to this audiobook in a day and really liked the narrators. I did think the male narrators impersonations of a female voice was a little funny but it didn’t take away from the book at all.

Some things that were a little frustrating with this book was the miscommunication or lack there of. I know it’s essential to the plot but I don’t think it’s a troupe I particularly like. I also felt that Lyric was a little rude maybe even a little condescending at times. This wasn’t a huge deal but was something to mention.

Overall I felt like this was a super fun read with just enough smut to be satisfying but not to much either. They do use the “f” word a lot in this book but I use it a lot so it didn’t bother me at all.

For me, this was a case of friends to lovers romance where I totally was on board for the friendship, but felt like the romance piece was a bit of a reach. This had the hallmarks of everything I love picking up in a contemporary romance - a college or academic setting, nerdy characters, multiple POVS, and charming heroes who deeply care for their girls!! By all accounts this should have hit, but I was left a little dazed by the quick development of their romance and couldn't really see them compatible as anything other than friends.

I loved Menon's previous book, and would be completely interested in reading whatever she writes in the future! These characters just were not my favorite.

DNF at 20%. I pushed myself through Make Up Break Up, and it just wasn’t worth it. I refuse to do that with The Sizzle Paradox. I feel like this author just continues to write stereotypical characters that feel like shells rather than actual people.