A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

The E.M.M.A. Effect was a fun crossover STEM/sports romance between a tech genius, Harriet and her best friend's younger brother,Gale. Gale is a player in the NHL who has been going through some lows during this hockey season. E.M.M.A. is an AI software that is supposed to be able to utilize athletes stats etc and give them advice on how to improve their game. Gale agrees to be one of the beta testers for Harriet. E.M.M.A. identifies that a relationship with Harriet is what would help Gale improve, but what if Harriet is scared about the complications that could cause both personally and professionally?

This book was a happy surprise for me! It was a quick read and it was interesting to read about the coding and tech stuff from a romance book. I really appreciated Harriet's character and appreciated how strong she was. Gale was sweet and hot, but it was hard witnessing him live in his head a lot of the time. I really just wanted him to go to therapy! There are some darker themes in this book including grief of parents, drunk driving and abandonment. I appreciated the darker, but at times the discussion of them felt too succinct. Overall, between the STEM jargon, sports talk and romance it was a fun read!

If you love reading about smart independent women this one is for you!

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was okay. I enjoyed Puck and Prejudice much more, honestly. But this was still a cute book and a cute addition to the series.

Cute, Cute. More cute! Adored this story about AI, hockey, and romantic relationships. I think the STEM inclusion was a good intention. The book flowed well, and it was written in a fun way. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I had high hopes for this stem romance, but sadly it fell flat. This book was such a mess I would've thought it was this author's debut novel. My favorite characters were the two kittens!

Harriet's pieces are written in first person and Gabe's are written in third person, which made no sense. Plus we hear from the EMMA AI machine, so there are many conflicting people speaking throughout the book. I skimmed Gabe's parts with his father because honestly, they were terribly written and cringe. Harriet's work conflicts are shallow and while they had potential to draw attention to the sexism in stem, they took fell flat. Don't even get me started with the 50 shades-esque sex scenes.

This was just a bad book.

Ok this was cute!! The storyline was a little silly at some points (the AI going rogue and insisting on matchmaking when its job is athlete performance lol), but that kind of added to the charm! Finished in 2 days - quick and easy romance. Would recommend if you like STEM or hockey romance! Such a fun combo of the two.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager publishers for the advanced reader copy!!

Thank you for this advanced reader copy. The EMMA effect was cute and easy to read, but it was missing some character and plot development. There were some storylines like the father and the sister that were incredibly complex but then not really explored. Overall, I enjoyed it.

Cute concept, uneven execution
I really wanted to love this one—an AI-powered matchmaking twist on the classic friends-to-lovers trope, with some STEM flair? Sign me up. And there were definitely moments that worked: Harriet’s internal struggle between logic and emotion felt relatable, and her dynamic with Gale had some genuinely sweet and steamy scenes. Gale, in particular, was a great blend of cocky and caring.
That said, the pacing dragged in parts, especially during the middle when the AI matchmaking detours started to feel a little repetitive. Also, I never quite bought the stakes around the research program—it was hard to believe Harriet would risk everything for a romantic experiment, even one as charming as Gale. The writing was fun, but sometimes leaned a little too heavy on banter instead of moving the story forward.
Overall, it's a fun read if you're in the mood for a light rom-com.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this ARC.

Second in this series, and another Jane Austen referenced gem from Lia Riley. This modern day Emma with an AI twist was fun to read. An Interfering AI took the place of the Butler or Dowager Duchess to bring together two young lovers perfect for one another. Dr. Harriet Smythe, creator of E.M.M.A. (Empirical Machine for Maximizing Athletics), the tool for enhancing an athletes training and performance and Gale Knight, an, Austin Regals hockey player in a professional slump with a ton of emotional baggage. The timing for them to get tother is perfect; Harriet gets dumped via text in SWOT fashion and according to E.M.M.A. Gale needs his perfect mate to improve his game.

E.M.M.A. takes on a life of her own and plays the matchmaker with an attitude to perfection. A weather anomaly may have affected EMMA to give her more insight than Harriet intended. A few twists and evil work mates add to the fun.

Harriet - EMMA is her inside voice
Gale - his drunk/useless /former hockey pro father is his inside voice

Complaint - didn't deal with father's death, just a casual mention. For as much as it affected Gale, I felt it deserved more closure. I loved the play on the reverse tropes we typically see:

PHD / Hockey player
Age gap (she's older) / Best friend's little Brother
She craves control / he likes it when she takes control
She says ILY 1st
Long time friends to lovers

Favorite innermost thought from Harriet: "Gale doesn't complete me - he shows me I already am complete, just waiting to spread my wings and fly. "

I have to say... if you like Ali Hazelwood books, then I highly recommend this book! This was such a steamy self-exploration book, and it was definitely a fun romance. I didn't love the AI plot in the book, but it was also pretty funny at times! The characters in this book have such good backstories and character development I genuinely think these are some of my favorite characters I've read! Everything just flowed so nicely and the plot was fun and not only focused on the romance but other things as well which I liked. I really liked this book and I think I will definitely look at the other books from this author and give them a try!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC!

I haven't laughed a book in a long time.
I actually enjoyed E.M.M.A and enjoyed the story that went along with it. Although my heart broke for Gale the first time he sat down with it. This book had a little of off-limits, best friends brother, sports type of vibe and truly I loved it for the smile it put on my face.

Thank you, Netgalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager, for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Avon and Harper voyage and NetGalley for this arc.

This was such a sweet story. It was light rom com, brothers best friend, STEM. It was such a lovely book. It made me happy and I def needed that.

Don’t let the cover decieve you; this book has some incredibly steamy moments and a hell of a story about self exploration. I started this one a bit apprehensive given my distane for AI and it’s use in the world. For anyone who feels the same way, there is an easy way to avoid that part- though it does have a small point in the plot- by just skimming chapters where it exists.

AI aside, GAHHH! These characters go through individual hell and yet somehow make it back to one another, and to themselves become stronger. I appreciated the way hockey, badass women in male-dominated fields, and self discovery were intertwined EFFORTLESSLY throughout. Truly don’t know if I’ve ever seen it done in the way that Lia Riley did it here

Towards the end (i’d say the last 3 chapters), I felt like it was just repetitive and it coulf have easily ended after Chapter 21 or 22. Though that’s the case, I appreciated Riley’s attention to detail in finishing out each of the plotlines to the end.

I also understood E.M.M.A. (The AI) perspective in Chapter 26, but I could have done without it- it felt redundant compared to the storyline and what we learn from the characters.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the characters, and the outcomes. If you pick this up, have fun with it but also be aware of your own biases and feelings about AI because I could see where that could take away from your experience in reading it (just as it happened to me).

(p.s. if you love Ali Hazelwood this book WILL be of interest for you. It’s the perfect blend of science & sports. No notes.)

This was a fun read! I'm actually a STEM educator and I loved this book. It has a cute, romantic, silly vibe. I appreciate when the characters have a good character development. The plot was funny and kept me going. It's a quick and interesting read. The book does change POV and sometimes it throws you off, but you get a hang of it afterwards, and find it informative. Overall, for me, it's a 4 stars. I recommend for a fun read!

4.5 stars - The E.M.M.A. Effect is a friends to lovers romance that also checks the best friend’s brother box. It has all the great things you expect in a well-created romance — wit, charm, great chemistry, heart and some yummy heat. I thoroughly enjoyed this AI inspired read and can’t wait to check out more romances from Lia Riley.

3.5 stars! Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Okay this book is silly af!! A cute read that’s perfect for STEM folks and fans of Ali Hazelwood. While the whole AI-plot did make me giggle at times (actually many times), the book also would strike me out of the blue with great character development and plot. It has a great balance of emotional depth and cheesiness

I will say that the switch between first person and third person POV threw me off a bit. It wasn’t detrimental to my reading experience, but it did take me out of the story for a second every time the POV switched

This was a fun romantic comedy that felt different than other ones I have read! The AI aspect was so interesting since that is becoming more common in todays society and I like how the author incorporated AI into the story.

Harriet and Gale have known each other forever with Gale being Harriet’s best friends younger brother and the references back to their history are a fun addition to the story and really help develop their characters.

This book has unexpected plot twists and turns that keep you guessing what the characters are going to do next.