This book instantly gave me Ali Hazelwood vibes. Scientist enemies-to-lovers story line with lots of sexual teasing involved. I really liked the beginning of the story and plot, but once Liz and Tom started to live together, their relationship seemed to move too fast and easy for an enemies-to-lovers plot. I really like some more building up before the romance really takes hold, that’s what anyone who loves this trope is in it for, the sexual tension that really builds while the two are still enemies and I found this book to be kind of lacking in that department. I did enjoy the story overall and like the female empowerment that is coming out with these STEM/scientist main character books.

This was a good enemies to lovers book that had great steamy scenes. The characters were well developed and I enjoyed reading this book.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. Okay I was super excited to read this book, but i’ll be honest when I say this wasn’t it for me. While it had potential, I found the characters slightly annoying and my goodness I despise the miscommunication trope with every fiber of my being. The constant miscommunication was almost unbearable for me and made me lose interest in the story.

First of all, this book is long, extremely long.
Woah
I didn't get to finish it on time, because my phone got stolen; yay me.
but from the amount that I read, it was going great, the shock and everything going on, was crazy.
it was giving the love hypothesis, but oh well.
I'll try it again

The unbalanced equation was unfortunately a big let down for me. I loved The love hypothesis and this one seemed to copy a lot of tropes and character traits of it.
The characters acted in a very immature way for them being fully grown adults, especially Tom who is almsot 40 years old. It just felt a bit juvenile in that sense.
The plot was very predictable from the beginning on and I always knew how a scene would play out, therefore I was never really surprised by anything happening in the book.
I also didn't feel any chemistry between the characters. It was almost entirely sexual and most of their "good" interactions in the beginning happened when they were drunk. I couldn't connect to the characters and it didn't feel like they actually cared about one another.
I did appreciate the women in STEM rep and there were some funny passages, but overall I just couldn't get behind this romance.

Unbalanced Equation had a lot of good things going for it- woman in stem, amazing chemistry between the characters, a shared love of anime, and adorable parents. However it had a lot of annoying male behavior that is expected to be immediately forgiven which I don’t love. But I really enjoyed the writing and especially Liz.

This was such a great read! I absolutely enjoyed reading Tom and Liz’s story. The way they met was your typical adorable first meet and you could tell right away that their chemistry was fire! Finding out his role in Liz’s academic career, Tom attempts to squash his feelings in an attempt to protect his own career from possibly being tarnished. In the process he becomes Liz’s worst nightmare. Years later, their lives are thrown together in the most unexpected of ways and the conflicting feelings that arise created one of the best stories I’ve read so far this year. The banter was so good, I absolutely loved their chemistry, they were perfect for each other. I love how meddlesome some of the supporting characters were and I really enjoyed the family and friends. This book really had it all and it’s an easy recommendation from me.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

Absolutely LOVED this story, the characters, their chemistry. Their banter and “games” were funny even if totally over-the-top.
The book is usually longer than most rom-com books, but it perfectly fit for the character development of Liz and Tom.
If you are a fan of The Hating Game and The Love Hypothesis like me, this book is for you.

I really wanted to love this book, and in a way I did. There were aspects I really enjoyed about the characters and the setups and the overall plot. But something underlying just felt so lackluster with a book that could have been grand. It was an enjoyable book, there was just something missing and I can't really put my finger on exactly what it was.

Quick Summary: A hot for the teacher romance

My Review: The Unbalanced Equation by H.L. Macfarlane was an older man-younger woman romance. It was also a teacher-student scenario with loads of misunderstandings and oodles of twists. The characters were highly accomplished, totally imperfect, and really humorous. The conflict was minimal, and the tension was well written.

About the Story: When Ph.D student, Liz, meets a super gorgeous professor, Tom, at a gathering, the two hit it off. Their mutual attraction and shared interest all but guaranteed a match…or should I say a memorable hookup. Unfortunately, luck was not on their side, and they were unable to explore the possibilities.

Fast forward… After four years of being in close, torturous proximity, they reconnect in such a mind boggling way that all bets are off. Will they finally throw caution to the wind and go for the goal?

Special Mention: The bonus feature in this book dealt with the parents of Liz and Tom. I loved how they both found happiness after loss.

My Final Say: This book was a whole lot more than I was expecting. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Readers who enjoy second chance love stories, as well as loss to love stories will appreciate this double romance.

Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A

Appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher, and to NetGalley, who provided access to this title in exchange for an honest review. The words I have shared are my own.

* A Goodreads review has been posted.

I DNF'd this book because of a pretty big violation of the heroine's privacy from the hero. I could understand why they couldn't date because of *romance reasons*, but after what the hero did, I couldn't root for him to get the girl. I don't want to share spoilers, but let's just say if this was a dark romance, I wouldn't have blinked an eye at what the hero did. But in a contemporary romantic romantic comedy? That kind of thing doesn't work for me.

a very predictable but fun read. At times i had to roll my eyes at all the "coincidenceses" but was always grinning at the same time.
I enjoyed the writing and the characters, especially some of the side characters.
The science element added another interesting layer to the book.
All in all a very enjoyable, good old romance book!
3/5 stars

This is a good book. The two main characters are Liz and Tom. They both are working at a university lab. There is an instant attraction. They each have trust issues but together they work them out and fall in love.

STEM romances are usually a hit or miss for me, but I did like the Unbalanced Equation because it brought something new to the genre. I particularly liked the enemies to lovers and age gap tropes in the novel. However, the cover makes Tom look a lot more older than he actually is. I also think he acted younger than 38, in almost an immature way at times. A few scenes came off as more toxic than grumpy too. The spice was perfect and I think it carried the book to a solid 3.5 stars for me.

i absolutely adored this book. im a sucker for romance that involves anything sciency so this book was right up my ally. it took me a little while to get into just because i constantly got distracted but once i started i couldn't stop reading. it is seriously one of the best books that ive read and i intend to buy it when it comes out for sure.

This book is a must read if you love books with enemies to lovers, age gap, forced proximity, STEM workplace, and he falls first. Tom and Liz have wonderful banter and are super cute together. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good STEM romcom.

Plot: .5
Writing: 1
World building: 1
Characters: .5
Themes: .5
3.5/5

Spice: 2.5/5

What you can expect:
- Forced proximity
- Step-siblings to-be
- Nerdy references: books, tv, and anime
- Slow burn
- Angst
- Hate to love

READ THIS IF YOU ENJOYED THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS!!

This is a cute, nerdy romcom where the MCs work in STEM. Very reminiscent of The Love Hypothesis. I think both books do different things better than the other. The romance and angst is better in this one and it's not a Reylo fanfic.

The first chapter talked about anime so I was hooked. I love it when book characters have the same hobbies as me.

This one was a fun read, nothing too serious. I would recommend it for anyone looking for a new romcom, focusing on STEM.

**SPOILERS***
One thing I'm not a fan of is the lack of communication. It's not quite miscommunication but it's just as frustrating. For grown adults who have proven to be able to effectively communicate, holding back information seems immature. It seems like it was all just done for the 3rd act break-up and doesn't necessarily add to either of the character's development (and c'mon, the man is almost 40 years old acting like a teenager). What makes it worse is that it wasn't just he MC's break-up, but the parents too!

First off, thank you to netgalley for providing a review copy! ☺️

I give this a solid 4 stars. While the initial circumstances of the story seem contrived, cliche and "what, really?"-ish, don't be fooled! This book shows neatly that you don't need an enticing, page-turning plot when your characters (or more like their chemistry) are good. And booooyyy are they good. Truly, the chemistry and sexual tension between the heroes is on point and sometimes plain funny or "awwww" inducing.

However, I do have to pick a bone with the MMC at times for him being a total jerk in the beginning and manipulative at points throughout. But, the sweetness is there if you stick through, and by the end, they deserve each other and a HEA.

Amazing book, and I think a must for STEM-romance fans.

Enemies to lovers is ultimately my favourite romance trope and when it’s done well I fly through books! I always love the academia setting that seems to be more common nowadays as it makes the romances feel a little less cheesy and a bit more real world for me. I enjoyed the Scottish setting and did like the characters but with some of the toxicity displayed in actions I found it hard to get a grip on Tom.
Similar to the love hypothesis so if you loved that you should read this!

4/5⭐️
2.5/5🌶️
thank you netgalley and macfarlane lantern publishing for this arc! this book was released on september 15th, 2022.

this book was such a pleasant surprise. this rom com follows two nerds, liz and tom, who i found really relatable because of their love for science and anime. it did have similar vibes to the love hypothesis, so if that’s a book you enjoyed, this is definitely one to check out!! it had some tropes i really loved (forced proximity, enemies to lovers, guy falls first) that really hooked me from the beginning. my only complaint with this book was that i felt like the second half of the book dragged on a bit it terms of plot. besides that, i found the banter between liz and tom very entertaining and i definitely did not expect the spice to be what is what, so both were a nice surprise! if you’re looking for a rom-com with characters who are in STEM, this is definitely a good one to pick up!

“i never knew how much i was waiting on you until i met you”