If you've been missing early Ali Hazelwood… you’re in for a treat, mates.

Love and Other Brain Experiments is such a binge-worthy STEM fake-dating rivals-to-lovers debut romance novel.
Honestly, it's as stunning as the cover.

Set in NYC, this story is everything you expect from a STEM romance: real academia struggles and drama, terms you mostly understand, and… well, intimacy for scientific purposes, right?
Did I mention they somehow always end up holding hands, from the moment they meet? Yeah, that.

Dr. Lewis North? Let's say he'll talk you through it...
Also, he’ll clean your glasses for you—preferably with the hem of his shirt?

4.25 ⭐️

I loveeeee a good women in stem book! This was so cute and had me giggling the entire time. I am a sucker for the whole fake dating trope and the plot line was fun. I thought the build up and chemistry between the main characters was really well written and th spacing made a lot of sense.

My only complaints are with the main characters themselves. I didn’t really care for either one. They both got on my nerves at times and while I get that people have flaws, it was just a little too much. I though Lewis hiding information was really shady considering their past, and Francis’s insecurities surrounding her work was just too much.

Also what was the whole point of the lost notebook if nobody even read it?????

This book was everything I want in a romcom. I love STEM romance, I love fake dating, & I loved how real, raw, and genuine these characters were. The writing style was the perfect light-heartedness I look for in these sort of romance novels and it had just the right amount of academic, swooning, and sweet sweet love confessions. I loved the progression of their relationship and how the main characters' were so intertwined. The grand plot finale was a little predictable, but Brohm was able to execute in a way that felt unique and much more exciting. Absolutely adored and so excited for its release.

This book was a really fun stem romance. Stem isn’t always my favorite genre because I feel like I don’t understand what’s going on but that was the case here. It was easily digestible! Frances and Lewis were hot and had so much chemistry! Fake dating is so much and I enjoyed reading about these two together but also their science and work journey.

Oh my gosh this had me smiling and kicking my feet on multiple occasions. Cutest academic romance I’ve read in a while!

So I liked this a lot. Interesting conflict with actual stakes, good setting, nice and likeable characters. Just a solid modern romance with good chemistry and storyline. Probably 4.5 but rounded up.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this one, but I've been a fan of other rivals to lovers romance books with STEM related jobs/academia, so not too surprising. If you like an academic affair or the love hypothesis I'd recommend this one. I really liked where the main character wound up at the end career wise(and relationship wise!). I think this was a debut and I'm excited to read whatever the author writes next!

A delightful rom-com with everyone's favorite tropes: rivals-to-lovers, fake dating, and plenty of banter. There's so much backstory depth, which made the characters feel real and fleshed out, and I especially loved that the characters often talked and made jokes in ways that you'd really expect from actual scientists. Watching Frances and Lewis grow together was so satisfying, and overall it's a smart, heartwarming read.

omg this was absolutely perfect for those of us who were missing ali hazelwoods stem romances!! this was full of depth, laughs, swoon-worthy moments, and was all around so well written!! it also had me aggressively giddy from the beginning and 100% exceeded my expectations- yall keep your eyes out for this one!

This was a wonderfully done romantic comedy and worked well with the genre, I was engaged from start to finish and was invested in what was happening with the characters and their world. I was enjoying the way Dr. Frances Silberstein & Dr. Lewis North was written and thought this was realistic and had that element that I wanted. Hannah Brohm has a strong writing style and was glad I got to read this. It had that enemy to lover concept that I was looking for and glad it was a part of this.

I told myself I had to wait to read this book until I’d been productive, mostly because it comes out in February and it is only August. But boy was it worth the wait and then some. Love and Other Brain Experiments was the sweetest combination of two brilliant people being complicated with dating. Lewis and Frances completely jumped off the pages, and I was so immediately invested in their love story.

The love story between Lewis and Frances is so much more than the embodiment of my ever-faithful fake dating trope. They’re so funny in their intellectual banter. It was wonderful to see them fight for one another even before they realized what was truly there between them. Once again: this trope slapped!!!

As a non-STEM girly (longtime humanities girly!), sometimes the science behind these kind of books gets confusing. I appreciated how Hannah Brohm made it clear how incredibly intelligent Lewis and Frances were in their field, but she did so in a way that made sense in my brain. I love a good intellectual love story and I really felt that this book scratched my brain in this way.

Thank you to Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review this book! I received a free advance copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

have once again found another academic rivals to lovers book I am obsessed with!!!! and their scientists!!! and researchers!! who have to fake date!!!!!!!!!!!! my dream book 🫶🏼🫶🏼

life has been SO busy so I was not able to devour it as fast as I wanted, but that just means I was able to draw out my time with Lewis and Frances 🤍🤍🤍

I will be talking about this book for the foreseeable future so get ready for my yapping!! I absolutely loved these characters, and I was hooked from page 1. I cannot wait to read it again!

Wow, I absolutely devoured this!!!! First and foremost, incredible tension between the two leads. They had me in a chokehold. The writing was smart and interesting, without being overly flowery. All of the side characters felt real and fleshed out. I’m not a STEM girl, but I loved the references and that the author didn’t waste time explaining it, but just let the characters talk. I loved that there was a storyline outside of the relationship storyline, and the character’s growth was anchored in both lines. Just a really wonderful debut. Can’t wait to read more from this author!

Gosh, what to say? I liked the idea of this story and was interested in the plot and the resolution. But the writing was just so tedious. The sentence structure was confusing… at times too simple and at others just oddly developed. The dialogue is stilted and unnatural (can’t imagine people speaking this way and, no, it’s not because the characters are academics!). It’s a beginner novel with beginner writing, so it would have really benefited from a snappier, sharper edit. Some humor would have also helped the story along. The characters overall feel wooden and bland.

It suffers from being similar in plot to Ali Hazelwood but without the seasoned writing.

Love and Other Brain Experiments is a fun enemies to lovers romance with mistaken identities and fake dating thrown in! I really enjoyed this STEM romance with a background of neuroscience. Frances and Lewis are both post docs studying neuroscience. Frances and Lewis have a past online friendship that blew up after he did not credit her on a paper that he used her intellectual property on. They unknowingly sit together on a flight from Berlin to NYC where they are both headed to a conference. They are instantly attracted to each other, but the claws come out once their identities are revealed!

I really enjoyed the banter between these two and the way that they couldn't help but open up to each other. Sometimes Frances was a bit much and overreacted, but I feel like her mental health was addressed as well. Loved their passion for their work as well as their admiration for each other. Reading about Frances and Lewis falling in love was a blast! Recommend if you enjoy a STEM romance or are a fan of enemies to lovers!

Thank you Atria and NetGalley for the ARC!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a lovely debut from Hannah Brohm and I enjoyed the STEM element in this love story of two "rivals" from the same neuroscience field. Frances and Lewis are two academics who are competing for the same grants, jobs, publications, and so on. When they meet on a plane, sparks fly until they realize they are fierce competitors. For no good reason (you must suspend your disbelief in a romance, of course), Frances convinces Lewis to fake date her for two weeks while they're at a work conference in the States. He owes her because he took credit for her ideas in a journal article years ago. Of course, both parties don't want to confess that they are attracted to the other, until they finally do and the game is on. (spoilers ahead) Then a wrench gets thrown in the scientists' best laid plans, there is misunderstanding and miscommunication, and a third-act breakup happens that leads to a "what am I doing with my career?" moment. Finally our beloved couple gets together. This book is not bad, but it's very formulaic. The writing was good but also not terribly memorable. I give it 3.8 stars out of 5. Thank you for this ARC.

As someone who hasn’t yet dipped into Ali Hazelwood’s *The Love Hypothesis* (yes, I’m that rare unicorn) my venture into STEM romances is still fresh. But 'Love and Other Brain Experiments' shows this niche genre is growing. It’s scientifically scintillating. But for me also spotlights gender disparities that persist in STEM especially in academia, where women still fight for rightful credit in journals, speaking opportunities, lab positions, and recognition that often gets erased. The gains are slow but the tide is changing.

Frances and Lewis are academic rivals, constantly critiquing each other’s work from afar. But when a shared flight to a New York conference forces them side by side, sparks (and research notes/ideas) start to fly and a fake relationship unfolds.

Yes, the book leans heavy on the science. Sometimes, maybe a little too heavy. Hannah’s passion for neuroscience lives in every chapter, and while it adds depth, it can pull readers out. But I insist that you hold on, because there's beauty in everything that unfolds.

However, what lingered most, was the early accusation that Lewis stole Frances’ work and left her uncredited. There’s an apology, yes but in academia, the damage from that kind of breach of trust has consequences. An “I’m sorry” doesn’t fix lost credibility, lost time, or lost professional momentum and made me seriously doubt Lewis for a large part of the book. That part of the story felt too neatly wrapped. In some realities, love doesn’t conquer all and I wish the narrative explored that tension more.

Still, I’ll let it slide. This book is smart, passionate, and doesn’t shy away from tough truths about women in science.

Thank you Atria Books for the digital arc!

Oh boy, do I love academic rivals-to-lovers with all my heart. There is just something about the banter, the chemistry and the wittiness dripping off the pages. I adore Lewis. I love that he was always supporting Frances, even when she thought that he was her biggest hater, LOL. A fake dating plot felt like the cherry on top of the cake. I just love smart people dating smart people. There’s nothing hotter than a stimulating debate?

It honestly ponder a lot about memory and the brain in general, which is so cool and unexpected for me! I am not a STEM person but I enjoyed finding out this little tidbit about myself. Maybe I am interested in figuring out how my brain works.

Thank you so much to Atria and Netgalley for the ARC!

What an utter delight! Hannah Brohm's debut is brimming with things to adore: flawed but lovable characters, STEM themes, fake dating, delicious chemistry between the two leads and a satisfying growth arc that will have you clutching your copy to your chest after you finish the last page. I will be eagerly awaiting more from this author!

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for an eARC!

If there is one I can guarantee its that if an author writes a STEM romance I am going to read said romance. I think this book is perfectly marketed as a book for fans of Ali Hazelwood.

I wish I could be friends with Frances and Lewis in real life. Ugh they were just so real. Frances struggles with her mental health and putting too much of her self-worth in her job was painfully (in a good way) relatable at times, and Lewis' reconnecting with a much younger sibling after going pretty much no contact with his parents was heartfelt and raw. There was so much depth to each of them plus I was a sucker for some of the side characters (Brady you were and icon and Vivianne you surprised me).


Anyways to wrap this up if you are looking for a book where the man is down bad for the main woman then look no further. Lewis is a man obsessed and he uses his skills he's honed in research to gather all the data on Frances to love and care for her as she deserves.

Hannah Broam consider me a fan and a girl who will be on the lookout for future books from you!