Sadly I had to DNF halfway through chapter 2. This didn’t feel like a STEM romance at all, it felt like a quantum physics textbook. Every other line was scientific research and no character development or introduction. I love STEM romances but this just felt like it was shoving education down my throat instead of an intellectual romance. I’m thankful for the opportunity to read and review

3.75⭐️

Have you ever been reading an Ali Hazelwood novel and thought “this needs MORE science?” Well, do I have great news for you!

Talk Data To Me is a rivals-to-lovers STEM workplace romance between two physicists in competing fields. After a misunderstanding on Erin’s first day at work, she and Ethan begin a very public feud to the annoyance (or enjoyment?!) of their co-workers. Little do they know, they have been communicating with each other through their secret creative Sci-Fi identities and maybe even falling in love?

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I think STEM romances might be my favorite contemporary topic. However, the science talk was REALLY dense and I had a hard time following it all. I think the focus on the specifics of relativism vs quantum mechanics ultimately slowed down the pacing of the romance. Which is a shame, because I really enjoyed the times where Erin and Ethan were actually interacting. And I absolutely would never say no to more Bunsen.

This is Rose McGee’s debut novel and I’m very much looking forward to more of her work!

I am such a fan of rivals to lovers romance, and adding in the world of STEM, this book was enjoyable, from rivals to uniting to bring down someone who was sabotaging the work that they were doing. The teamwork was brilliant and I loved the development of their relationship.

3.5 stars. I found this book very interesting. I went into it thinking that it was going to be a fun, enemies to lovers romance book. And while it kind of it, it also has a lot more depth in it. I appreciate the authors attention to detail, but I am not going into a romance book assuming I am going to be learning about black holes and physics. It made it hard to track what was going on sometimes.

This STEMinist novel is perfect for fans of Ali Hazelwood. It’s an enemies-to-lovers story between Erin and Ethan, both PhDs and experts in their respective fields of physics. Early mistakes in their working relationship led to hostility between them until they’re put on a government project together. As they work together, the chemistry that the rest of the department notices comes to the forefront. They figure out how to peacefully work together and act on their feelings. There’s also a fun subplot of them being anonymous online pen pals. This book is open-door with low-mid spice. It’s very technical on the physics story, so if that makes your eyes gloss over, you may struggle with this one. Otherwise, I recommend checking it out.

Thank you, Atlantic Books | Corvus, for providing this book for review consideration through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Please don’t talk data to me.

This book was SO bizarre. I went in hoping for a cute, nerdy romance, and what I got was MCs acting like toddlers, the most awkward and forced attempts at diversity I’ve ever seen, and so much pretentious physics jargon that it was hard to comb through it and find the actual story.

Erin and Ethan spent most of the book being obnoxious and petty, until — all of a sudden — it turned out that it was all foreplay. (Really? If a boy deflates your bike tires, it means he likes you? It’s 2025!!!). It was cute for a moment when they started chatting anonymously, but then everything moved too fast and instead of romantic it felt rushed and confusing.

And the diversity — jeez. So many names! A true masterclass in name-dropping. No context, no backstories, no relevance, NOTHING. But they sound international, the DEI box can be ticked. One guy showed up 42 times and left no trace of a personality.

The physics lingo made this book almost unreadable. I skimmed most of it because it was irrelevant anyway, and since the author is not an astrophysicist, I’m not sure how much academic value any of it actually has. Even if it does — I honestly don’t care. If I wanted a physics textbook, I’d read a physics textbook.

All in all, I’d suggest having this book checked by a good editor before publication. There were a few cute moments, and the You’ve Got Mail trope combined with a woman in STEM is a solid concept, but the execution still needs a lot of work.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

If you liked Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood, you might like this one: Industry enemies to lovers in overlapping fields of study with a side of secret identities and a Steminist FMC that wants to see nothing more than equality for her fellow female scientists. This book read a little more like fiction with a side of romance than just a romance novel to me, but it was so good! It is very heavy in technical jargon, so if you’re not familiar with physics, this may feel dense. Just know that you don’t actually need to know the jargon to understand what’s happening in the story, I promise… all you need to know is that they are rivals in the same company working on different focuses in the same field of study. I did have a hard time believing the snafu that caused the rivalry in the first place, and if you’ve ever published academically, you might also find it odd, but the author does explain it later in the book. That being said, the first part of the book is mostly technical set up and may feel a little slow, but once you get past that, it’s a lot of fun! This FMC is such a badass! I want to be her when I grow up and have the confidence and backbone to speak to authority like she does. Extra bonus for me: there’s a pet named Bunsen!!!! Best pet name ever for a scientist! This book had a good plot and light spice. I can’t wait for the next one that follows one of the FMC’s brothers! Thank you for the ARC, NetGalley!

3.5⭐️

La historia comienza con la llegada de Erin al SVLAC, una joven doctora idealista que busca desentrañar los secretos del universo desde la óptica de la relatividad. Su entusiasmo se estrella, literal y emocionalmente, contra Ethan Meyer, un enigmático y agotado investigador con una brillantez tan abrasadora como su arrogancia. Un malentendido catastrófico los coloca en bandos opuestos, iniciando una guerra fría llena de sabotajes técnicos, competencias por horas de laboratorio y duelos de publicaciones científicas. A lo largo de tres años de rencillas crecientes, la enemistad entre Erin y Ethan se convierte en una danza cargada de tensión, rivalidad feroz y una obsesión mutua que ni la física cuántica puede explicar del todo. Cuando ambos compiten por una beca vital para sus investigaciones y sus egos, las chispas entre ellos amenazan con convertirse en algo más que estático. --- Me gustó la historia, pero hay demasiado lenguaje técnico que me costó mucho trabajo seguirlo. Gracias a NetGalley, el editor y el autor del ARC a cambio de un honesto.

In this engaging and witty romance, physicists Dr. Erin Monaghan and Dr. Ethan Meyer are fierce competitors who can’t stand each other—until an online sci-fi publication unexpectedly brings them together. As their secret virtual personas grow closer, they’re forced to work side by side on a high-stakes government project, and their simmering online chemistry threatens to ignite in the real world. With sharp banter, irresistible tension, and plenty of heart, this story perfectly captures the magic of rivals falling in love.

Star rating 3.5 ⭐️
There's few things I like more than a STEM romance. "Talk Data to Me" fulfilled the brief perfectly. Erin and Ethan are work rivals. The reasons for this are, I would suggest, tenuous but their relationship builds in the slowest of slow burns. I found them both likeable and some of Ethan's storyline particularly really broke my heart. Rose McGee doesn't speak down to the reader and whilst I know very little about science, the descriptions of the main characters' research was comprehensive. At times, this felt dense and I just wanted to get to the building of the relationship, but I'm sure this will work better for plenty of others. The change in perspective between Erin and Ethan in the narrative is choppy and I'm not sure this is always successful. Erin's family were very charming and I wasn't surprised to see that the author's next book will focus on one of Erin's brothers. I will definitely be reading!