Christina Lauren - The Soulmate Equation
4⭐
Genre: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fiction
Pages: 355
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Piatkus Books
Date Published: 18th May 2021
Book Blurb:
Jess is a numbers genius, but when it comes to love she’s had to accept there is no magic formula. Juggling a career with raising her daughter, it’s not surprising that her love life is. . . non-existent. When yet another date ends in disaster, she’s prepared to give up on love for good.
But then she hears about a buzzy new matchmaking company that claims to find you the One using a DNA equation. Suddenly, love doesn’t seem quite so far out of reach . . .
Until her test shows an unheard-of 98% compatibility with the company’s founder, Dr River Pena. Jess already knows Dr Pena, and this man is 100%, not her soulmate. Yet as the pair are dragged from one event to the next as the ultimate ‘Diamond’ pairing, Jess begins to realise that there might be more to the scientist – and to the science behind a soulmate – than she thought.
My Review:
This is my first Christina Lauren book and it was just
adorable! I was so attracted by the scientific premise of this book, that I had
to read it, especially as it reminded me so much of The Love Hypothesis. I
mean, they both have fake dating tropes and features science…That means I will
love it!
The story follows a single mum Jess, who just gave up dating
because she is not only busy raising her young daughter but is also working
hard to make sure both of them don’t struggle with money. One day her best
friend suggests that they both should try this new dating app that is created
by one of the regulars in the café, Americano, who Jess always sees getting
coffee in the morning. The app is not your regular dating app, it analyses your
DNA and pairs you with your perfect biological match- your soulmate. Jess
reluctantly agrees to sign up, whilst not expecting much from it. To her
surprise, she gets matched with Americano, better known as Dr River Pena. Although
Jess doesn’t know him well, apart from a few encounters in the café, she
instantly dislikes him and he is not particularly fond of her either…However,
the app says that they are 98% biologically compatible. Jess doesn’t believe
that River is her soulmate, however, River’s company offers Jess money if
she agrees to date River for marketing and publicity reasons to make the app
even more popular before its launch, which is just a few months away. Jess agrees
but doesn’t realise that she might start believing in those numbers…
It is such a cute idea for a romance and of course, it
featured my favourite trope, fake dating, which was a bonus. I liked how Jess
was reluctant at first but once she got to know River then she realised that he
is not that bad of a person. It just shows that sometimes we shouldn’t judge
the book by its cover. The only thing that I felt was missing, was more of River’s
personality and growth in this book. All of the chapters were from Jess’s POV
and I felt that the story of how River felt about Jess and how his feelings
changed for the most part just wasn’t featured as much. I wished there was also more about him so that
I was able to learn about him and get to know him as a character.
I really liked Jess as she is such a hardworking parent, who
wants the best for her daughter. She always puts herself first and she always puts
the people she loves first before herself. I was rooting for her to get her
happily ever after. Her daughter is so adorable too, as well as all the other
side characters like Jess's grandparents and her best friend. They all were
written so well into the story and added so much to the plotline, making this
book such a cosy, funny and adorable read.
Overall: It is such a cute and adorable romance, that is
just filled fully with good vibes. I felt that it was a quite slow burn when it
came to the main characters' romance but it was interesting to read as other
things that were happening in both character's life made the story more real. I
liked how both River and Jess are nerds and scientists, as I love characters
who are in STEM, especially in romances. Also, the concept and premise of this
book are just perfect for me who loves science and STEM. I really hope there is going to be a sequel but from River’s
POV as that would be so interesting to read.
About the Author:
Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of long-time writing partners/best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. The coauthor duo writes both Young Adult and Adult Fiction and together has produced eighteen New York Times bestselling novels. Their books have been translated into 30+ languages. (Some of these books have kissing. Some of these books have A LOT of kissing.)
Lauren Billings has a PhD in neuroscience and before she made writing her full-time job, would spend her days doing nerdy research-type things wearing a lab coat and goggles. She is a silly Mommy to two littles, wife to one mountain biking homebrewing scientist, and an unabashed lover of YA and romance.
Christina Hobbs used to spend her days in a junior high counselling office surrounded by teenagers. These days you can find her at her desk, writing, or watching BTS videos. She lives in Utah with her husband and daughter, thinks she’s the luckiest person in the world to write books with her best friend and is an unapologetic lover of boy bands and glitter.
https://christinalaurenbooks.com/bio/
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