A fun, sexy second installment of the lives and loves of the Rogers family. Brianna, the youngest Rogers sibling finishing the school year as a Vice Principal at a Houston school. Brianna is smart, sassy feels like a failure compared to her astronaut brother and physician sister. She tried a few different careers but has kinda fallen into the education field because she loves kid. The Principal of the school is a gruff, seemingly humorless grump who clearly doesn’t like Brianna and wanted his teacher son, Roman, to have the VP job. Brianna thinks that Roman is very attractive but she thinks that he resents her getting the VP job. The school’s library is in sad shape and Brianna really cares about book access for the students. The Principal has taken money that the School Board allocated for a new library and is using it to upgrade the football field. Brianna is desperate to find a way to get money for the library and decides to give up her summer vacation plans and join colleagues to spend 2 months cut off from the world in a NASA Mars simulator. If Brianna and her colleagues can stick it out, they will win a big cash prize that may be used for the library upgrade. Brianna is surprised on the first day of simulator to find that Roman is a last minute substitute for the team. Brianna is convinced that he’s there to sabotage their chances of winning. What could go wrong???? They are very clearly attracted to each other but can they get over themselves to find out if their relationship could be more.

This book is so sweet. The main character is my name twin AND I love it when a character loves books and reading as much as I do, so fun!

As the vice principal of a middle school, Brianna Rogers constantly finds herself at odds with her principal in the fight for what she believes is best for her students. As a result of their latest faceoff, she has signed up with a group of four other teachers from her school to participate in a Mars simulation. Their main goal is to try and win the grand prize money for the new school library that the principal has continually put on pause. Roman Major is not supposed to be on this team, but at the last minute, he's swapped in. As a science teacher at the middle school, Brianna's forbidden crush, and the principal's son, Roman has thrust Brianna into an emotional whirlwind as she tries her hardest to win this library for her students. Even though she's had feelings for him from jump, she doesn't know if she can trust him to help her bring home the prize. Etta Easton takes us on an out-of-this-world journey to Brianna and Roman's happily ever after.

Easton really did write a brilliant story. The plot didn't feel the most realistic because I'm not sure how many of us would find ourselves in a Mars simulation with the love of our life, but that didn't take away from the story for me. We still got to see the inner workings of a young woman learning what he true purpose is and how to be validated enough within herself to stand up for that. I would've loved to experience more of Roman's perspective, but just from Brianna's lens we were able to witness his drastic growth in his self-actualization as well.

Much of the plot felt predictable to me, but I like predictability (that's why I read contemporary romance). I do enjoy how Easton presented their conflict towards the end as resolvable. There was a dusting of a miscommunication trope, but I would more accurately consider it mistrust that really irked me. I didn't see that coming lol.

There were some tidbits about the characters that I wish the author would've revealed or incorporated earlier on. I don't think it served us much to keep those to the end.

Overall, I do think this was a well-written, enjoyable, fluffy, kick-my-feet-in-the-air story. Brianna is literally me, and I don't care what anyone else has to say about that. I appreciated how seen both Brianna and Roman each felt by the other and the accountability they were able to take for their actions. The character development was definitely there.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Berkley Romance, and Etta Easton for giving me the opportunity to read and review Brianna and Roman's sweet story! I do look forward to what else this author has in store.

Read this if you like:
•forced proximity
•science
•libraries

Brianna is a VP at a school and is trying to safe their library & rebuild after a hurricane ruined it. Her coworker ropes her into a 6 week Mars Simulation and the winners get money towards the school. This was a cute, fun and spicy forced proximity romance. Roman doing small things for her was so cute. Thank you Berkley for the eARC

I absolutely LOVED THIS BOOK!!! I am so grateful I got to read the ARC and when I say this book GAVE! It gave. I truly loved learning more about Brianna Rogers (Vincent sister from The KISS Countdown). I related to her so much. So much so she frustrated me at times. This book was a book that I was able to visualize every word and I love when an author does that to me. Etta Easton is such an incredible writer. Her words come to life. I loved Brianna (FMC) and Roman (MMC) and all of the other characters truly added their own value. I felt every character mentioned needed to be there. Thanks again for another amazing read Etta Easton.

Thanks to @berkleypub and @berkleyromance for the gifted e-ARC and to @prhaudio for the ALC!

Bri is a middle school vice principal who does not get along with her principal. Especially because he doesn’t want to make upgrading the school library a priority. Roman is one of her teachers, and the principal’s son. So when she joins a summer program to earn money for the library and shows up, she’s suspicious he’s there to sabotage. The program involves simulating life on Mars for six weeks by having to complete tasks in an isolated, harsh environment. As team members drop off one by one, Bri and Roman are the only ones left. But she still does trust him.

I liked Bri, although she came off a bit flighty. She struggled to find her purpose in life and jumped from idea to idea. And the chemistry she had with Roman was palpable. I definitely would have liked his POV! He was a great character and his relationship with his dad would have been interesting from his POV.

I found the plot fascinating. As a child I used to dream of space travel, and this book had all those vibes. They had to wear space suits when they left their pod, and combat dust storms, and search for rock samples. It was a great location for a forced proximity romance. And the romance was good. Lots of pining. A great forbidden aspect, and a pretty good, fade to black spicy scene. There’s a pretty dramatic third act breakup, and I thought the resolution of that was pretty easy.

The narrator did an excellent job. Her inflection and voices really carried the story.

Overall it was a solid romance with a really unique setting.

3.5 stars
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed Etta Easton’s first book, and while The Love Simulation wasn’t as strong for me, I still enjoyed it. The light science-y vibes are once again fun, and I particularly enjoyed the academic environment with the teachers and their competition, as well as the space simulation itself. There’s also some light references to the first book, although this is not a formal series.
Brianna is a sympathetic protagonist, and I love her devotion to her job and drive and passion in general. I did find her complex feelings toward Roman to be a bit all over the place, because on the one hand, she’s pretty gaga for him, but on the other, he’s also her professional rival, and there didn’t seem to be a consistent through-line for that. And the result was that the stakes and tension felt rather low.
Roman is a solid love interest, and he’s definitely swoon-worthy. But I feel there was definitely more to explore and flesh out with him, particularly if he’d been given his own POV. He’s not flat by any means, but I can’t help but feel like there was a lot of missed potential given his position as the principal’s son to be probed further.
The romance overall was pretty cute, even if it was fairly low-stakes in the grand scheme of things. The simulation provided some fun challenges and a unique environment for them to explore their chemistry, and they were fairly easy to root for.
This was a pretty cute read, and I’d recommend it to readers who are in search of Black romance with a focus on the education and STEM fields.

My first Etta Easton book! Why did this make me wanna find a mars simulation and sign up for it, knowing my ass would not survive like that? Lord help me. This was a really great book especially for it taking place in mostly one setting. It reminded me of when I watched 47 meters down and how intrigued I was at the amount of storytelling someone could do in one place. This book was quick, witty, steamy, tension-filled, and emotional all in one. I might need to go back and read the kiss countdown bc this was just a ton of fun & one of the only books I felt the FMC made logical decisions throughout the entire book LOL

3.5 ⭐️ this was so cute and unique! I’ve enjoyed Etta’s stories involving space and the Mars simulation was so cool to read about, it almost felt like a reality tv show.

I definitely understood Brianna’s trust issues and setting her guard up around others and I melted anytime Roman took the extra time to reassure and validate her. I think there were some moments between them felt a little too surface level and I wanted a bit more within their forced proximity and forbidden romance, but I still thought it was cutie!

Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

I loved the unique concept of this romance!

Vice Principal Brianna and 4 teachers from her school decide to spend six weeks of their summer participating in a Mars simulation, trying to win money for their school to get a whole new library. She doesn’t count on Roman coming along, the one teacher she has had a crush on and the son of the Principal she doesn’t get along with.

The simulation added so many fun elements to the story with all of the tasks the teachers are required to do and the emergencies they are forced to respond to. It made me want to participate in one of these scenarios of my own, though maybe not for a full six weeks! The forced proximity begins to weigh heavily on our characters as time goes on and their team size shrinks down, leaving a smaller team that is forced to rely on one another.

There is a lot of internal conflict for Brianna throughout this book, as she faces whether or not a VP should be able to build friendships and relationships with her coworkers. She tends to close herself off from others rather than open up, and I was dying for her to feel comfortable with everyone and like she was an important part of the team. Her thoughts felt on brand and authenic to her character even if they did make me crazy a few times!

Overall this was a cute second book about the Rogers siblings after we got her brother Vincent’s love story last year. Will we get a third book for sibling three??

Thank you to Berkley for the arc. All opinions are my own.

"Life isn't a race to see who can get it together first."

"A passionate vice principal and a guarded science teacher compete for a grand prize, only to realize their budding relationship might be the real jackpot."

Two characters confined in a Mars simulation - this was one of the more unique romances I've read as of late, and I enjoyed it! The romance between Brianna and Roman was cute, and it was fun to read as the two characters navigated their personal and professional relationship at school. I do wish we could've gotten Roman's POV in this one.

One other note, I related to Brianna's struggle with finding a career/job to be passionate about. I appreciated her journey and wanting to leave a mark in her profession. I think that is relatable for so many of us and is one of the areas where this book shines.
 
Read if you enjoy:
- forced proximity / slow burns
- lower stakes conflict
- workplace romance / STEM
- attentive and caring MMC's

Thank you so much @berkleyromance for the free copy of The Love Simulation by Etta Easton!
Pub Date - March 4, 2025

Read This Book If…you love Abbott Elementary!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
The Love Simulation by Etta Easton

Genre: romance
Spice Level: 3/5🌶, 1-2 open door scenes
Setting: Houston, TX
POV: single, 1st person, present tense
Tropes: rivals to lovers, workplace romance, forced proximity, longtime crush

My Thoughts:
Ohhh the days of having a crush on someone just because you could see them every day! This story had a bit of a slow start to get to the main plot, but overall it was very cute.

Brianna got in her own way a lot of the time, both with personal and professional matters. If Roman had spoken up at any point, a lot of their issues would have been solved.

I thought the romance was sweet but felt a little rushed/surface-level, considering how close these two were forced to be.

Memorable Quote: “I’m not a nice man. My dad made sure of it. But you know what I am? A man who goes after what he wants.”

Thank you to the publisher for my advance copy!

3.5 stars

This was cute and I loved the STEM part of the narrative as well as school library and literacy angle. I do wish this had dual POV, though. This is one story that would have definitely benefitted with including Roman's point of view beyond Brianna's. It was nice to see cameos by Vincent and Amerie from the first book, and of course Bri's older sister Camille and her family. (Not to forget Bri's adorable dog, Sheba!)

3.5 stars! i really enjoyed the space aspect and the simulation plot, very unique and interesting. however, i do wish we had dual pov, i feel we would have benefitted getting roman’s inner dialogue and feelings to develop their romance. i would recommend for anyone looking for a short and fun romance!!!

I loved this book even more than the first one!

This book is basically the definition of forced proximity but she is his boss, but also his dad is her boss. The vibes were immaculate! I am obsessed with this plot, the side characters, the themes, the tension, the banter, and the chemistry between Bri and Roman.

10/10 romance book and I can't wait from more from this author. SHe has quickly become an insta buy author for me!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley pub for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

3.5 Rounded up to 4

Thank you Berkley Romance and NetGalley for an eARC of The Love Simulation in exchange for a review!

The Love Simulation follows Vice Principal Brianna Rogers as she competes with other teachers in a Mars simulation for a grand prize - enough money to renovate the crumbling library at her school.

I loved the concept - mean ol principal making her life harder than it needs to be, Brianna showing him how far she could go to get the kids what they need, but her attraction to the principal's son/teacher at the school could throw a wrench in everything she's worked for!

We had a lot of Brianna isolating herself in the book - it's a fine line of being professional and friendly, but Brianna wouldn't allow herself an inch of grace until weeks into the simulation. I wanted a little more from her internal dialogue other than keeping herself from her colleagues and thinking how good looking Roman was.
Roman's betrayal/not-betrayal was enough conflict to keep the storyline pushing, but I didn't feel their romantic connection as much as I had hoped for.

Overall, a low stake/high reward cutesy romance read to add to your list this year!

This is the perfect work place, sort of rivals to lovers but also we very much are pining after each other the whole time and then are doing this Mars simulation together to get money for the school library! I loved The Kiss Countdown! And being back in this universe was so much fun! I LOVE that even though no one was an astronaut this time around we got to stay in the NASA theme. It’s really such a fun back drop!!

I loved Briana and Roman. Their chemistry was so good! Even when she was SURE he didn’t like her, especially then really. Because she desperately didn’t want to like him…but did anyway…and he clearly was picking that up!! And when the tension finally breaks and she realized he DOES like her!! And he WANTS her!! And then they’re ALONE!! Delicious really.

I also loved how Briana’s job and how much she WANTED to like it was written. She loved it, right! She was doing what she wanted! But it wasn’t going the way she necessarily wanted?? She wanted to do being doing MORE. Which is true for so many people. And her boss was annoying…and prioritizing the wrong things, and pushing her to go to another school…And being the vice principal she isolated herself, since she had the authority, and that was making things hard for her too. I just thought it was written so well!

I’m already excited for whatever Etta writes next!

Thanks to Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley, Edelweiss, and Berkley for the arc and to PRH Audio for the ALC.

This was a charming rom com about a group of colleagues from a school that participate in a simulation to explore Mars. I thought this was a cute love story and I enjoyed the chemistry between Brianna and Roman.

As for the audiobook, I enjoyed the voice of the narrator Sisi Aisha Johnson and I would definitely consider listening to more audiobooks narrated by her in the future.

I am very much looking forward to seeing what Etta Easton writes next!

I have been following Etta Easton sine the Kiss Countdown and I look forward to every book she will ever create. She is the first author I have actually followed from the beginning. The Love Simulation is an amazing book that I could not put down. It was so nice to contine the story of the Rogers family and see how Brianna can find love. Brianna and Sheba were lovely side characters in the Kiss Countdown, and they did not disappoing in their own novel. The forced proximity that Roman and Brianna had was just the right amount of tension. Etta writes such real characters that have flaws and situations just like real people. It allows you to really dive into the book. I will devour EVERY SINGLE BOOK that she writes, and that's a fact.

Thank you Berkley for the Free Digital ARC! 🫶🏾🫶🏾

I enjoyed the idea of a vice principal and a teacher who have a crush on one another working together in a space simulation! Sign me up for all the Forced Proximity.🤭

I love that Bri was able to find a job that matched her passion. She was able to combine her love for books and helping kids. I adored the little crumbs in the story that talked about reading and books. Of course I did as a book lover, not surprising! I also smiled to myself when Kimberly Lemming’s book series was mentioned. AHHH!! One of my favs. What I found really heartwarming was the journal entries from Roman, especially the last one. 🥹🥰 Lastly, I enjoyed the epilogue so much! The whole simulation team coming back together, being friends and creating a book club together was everything I needed. I was happy that Bri got her library and that Roman had it named after her.🥹🥹

The only reason I did not rate this higher is because I found myself craving and wanting more throughout the book. Especially in the Romance aspect between Roman and Bri. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a slow burn girl. But I like it when the author gives us bits and pieces along the way. You know, like tension and banter. It builds the relationship along the way and makes me really root for them to get together. I think the romance fell a little short for me. There wasn’t enough between the MCs for me to die hard root for them to get together.

I still hope to read more from Etta Easton in the future🫶🏾😃. I absolutely adored The Kiss Countdown and it seems that Etta has a talent for coming up with unique storylines.

Brianna joins a Mars simulation team to win prize money for her school’s library. She clashes with Roman, the principal’s son, who’s also on the team. Their rivalry turns to romance, but Brianna suspects Roman is hiding something—forcing her to choose between the school and her growing feelings for him.

I really enjoy this author’s writing style. The plot is interesting if a little slow-paced. The characters are likeable and well-developed.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.