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cobaltbookshelf's review
2.0
This book was obviously going for The Love Hypothesis vibes so I wanted to check-in to see if better then that book, it didn't have to do a lot to achieve that. But it still failed, this book has one my least favorite tropes older man acting like teen boys. Anyways, it wasn't good rom-com for me but better then The Love Hypothesis because everything is.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
hajarreads_'s review
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
fatimareadsbooks's review
2.0
I dove into this book expecting a fun, cute STEM-based enemies-to-lovers, but unfortunately this didn’t hit the spot. Let’s be honest, this book could’ve been shorter… there really wasn’t much going on. I thought this was enemies-to-lovers, but they both liked each other from the beginning? They were never really enemies - just lots of annoying pining.
Most importantly, the male lead, Tom, gave off major red flags. He was so mercilessly cruel to Liz as her PhD assessor. It gets to the point that she even considers lodging a complaint with the Postgrad Convenor. He was also SO manipulative, i.e. sabotaging her flat hunt so she’d continue living with him, going through her phone without her knowledge, and so on.
I understand that perhaps he was written to be flawed and that this is a fictional rom-com, but I just couldn’t bring myself to like him. His behaviour was so atrocious throughout the entirety of book, which sucked considering he’s like 38.
In terms of their relationship, the banter was so lacklustre. I couldn’t feel the sparks; there was something missing. Not to mention the frustrating lack of communication between these two 27 and 38 year old adults. I also thought the whole step-sibling plot was unnecessary and weird.
I usually love alternating dual POVs, but this one was a miss for me. In my opinion, it took away from the the allure of everything. This book might have benefited from being single POV.
Overall, this was a tedious, slow-paced read with lots of cringe-worthy moments and immature protagonists. If you hate the miscommunication trope, I’d advise you stay away from this.
Most importantly, the male lead, Tom, gave off major red flags. He was so mercilessly cruel to Liz as her PhD assessor. It gets to the point that she even considers lodging a complaint with the Postgrad Convenor. He was also SO manipulative, i.e. sabotaging her flat hunt so she’d continue living with him, going through her phone without her knowledge, and so on.
I understand that perhaps he was written to be flawed and that this is a fictional rom-com, but I just couldn’t bring myself to like him. His behaviour was so atrocious throughout the entirety of book, which sucked considering he’s like 38.
In terms of their relationship, the banter was so lacklustre. I couldn’t feel the sparks; there was something missing. Not to mention the frustrating lack of communication between these two 27 and 38 year old adults. I also thought the whole step-sibling plot was unnecessary and weird.
I usually love alternating dual POVs, but this one was a miss for me. In my opinion, it took away from the the allure of everything. This book might have benefited from being single POV.
Overall, this was a tedious, slow-paced read with lots of cringe-worthy moments and immature protagonists. If you hate the miscommunication trope, I’d advise you stay away from this.
baileeanngublerloe's review
4.0
My review of The Unbalanced Equation by H.L. Macfarlane ♡︎
The Unbalanced Equation is a STEM romantic comedy that will have you turning every page to see what happens next.
Dr. Elizabeth Maclean is excited to finally be away from her rude PhD assessor, Dr. Thomas Henderson. Or so she thinks. When a fire goes off in Tom’s lab, they end up working in the same place, even on the same bench for three months. To make things even worse, Tom’s mom and Liz’s dad tell them they are engaged and having a Christmas wedding. Then, Liz’s landlord tells her she has days to move out. Now, they are forced to be around each other by both working together and living together while helping their parents plan the wedding. Will they be able to get to the same level they had when they first met?
Some things I loved:
The Unbalanced Equation is a STEM romantic comedy that will have you turning every page to see what happens next.
Dr. Elizabeth Maclean is excited to finally be away from her rude PhD assessor, Dr. Thomas Henderson. Or so she thinks. When a fire goes off in Tom’s lab, they end up working in the same place, even on the same bench for three months. To make things even worse, Tom’s mom and Liz’s dad tell them they are engaged and having a Christmas wedding. Then, Liz’s landlord tells her she has days to move out. Now, they are forced to be around each other by both working together and living together while helping their parents plan the wedding. Will they be able to get to the same level they had when they first met?
Some things I loved:
karareads2024's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
“The Unbalanced Equation" offers a captivating dual POV romance that explores love, trust, and redemption. While Tom's actions may initially unsettle readers, the dual perspective provides insight into his motivations, leading to a heartwarming conclusion that highlights the transformative power of love.
ninabyte's review
3.0
Another STEM rom-com? Count me in! Macfarlane delivers in this enemies-to-lovers workplace romance. I enjoyed this read and appreciated the conflicts between the main characters, even if I thought that Tom deserved more ire from Liz for all of the manipulation that he imposed upon her, among other things. A delightful read that I hope is just the start of another STEM rom-com trilogy - but one that is hopefully less repetitive and cookie cutter than its other mainstream contemporary.
gulaabo's review against another edition
3.0
The Unbalanced Equation is a STEM enemies-to-lovers story about a post-doc and her former PhD being thrown together in both personal and professional settings that force them to confront their feelings for each other (which include a classic strong dislike mixed with mutual physical attraction).
MacFarlane’s writing is excellent. I polished this book off within hours - and that’s saying something since I’ve been in a relative reading slump these last few weeks. I felt invested in each of the characters. The two main characters - Tom and Liz - have excellent chemistry. I also particularly appreciated the deliberate emphasis away from marriage and children.
That being said, let’s discuss the main male protagonist’s character. Tom was written well enough that I didn’t hate him. However, he had clearly been atrocious and unsupportive as a supervisor. He let the personal affect his professional responsibilities. Then, when he and Liz are actually building a tenuous platonic relationship, he continues to invade her privacy and sabotage her personal life. The dual-POV style of the novel actually hurts Tom’s character in this case. We keep seeing that he knows what he’s doing is wrong, but he never gains the courage to be honest about what he’s doing or feeling. That seems like a not-so-solid start to a long-term romantic relationship. Miscommunication can be so central to developing drama in a story. However, deliberate lack of communication just feels frustrating.
Liz also makes a handful of references to Tom’s privilege throughout the book, noting specifically that he gains these as a rich white man. But nothing significant seems to come out of this - nor is there more of a discussion of this. If there wasn’t going to be a discussion or deeper critique of this, I’m not sure that it needs to mentioned at all. White male and economic privilege isn’t something to just be tossed around lightly as a characteristic of a main character without acknowledgement that there is something that’s going to be done about it. (And this means more than what the epilogue covers too, without going into spoiler territory.)
Overall, though I focus a lot on my frustrations with Tom’s characterization, I did enjoy the book quite a bit and am still rating it three stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC!
MacFarlane’s writing is excellent. I polished this book off within hours - and that’s saying something since I’ve been in a relative reading slump these last few weeks. I felt invested in each of the characters. The two main characters - Tom and Liz - have excellent chemistry. I also particularly appreciated the deliberate emphasis away from marriage and children.
That being said, let’s discuss the main male protagonist’s character. Tom was written well enough that I didn’t hate him. However, he had clearly been atrocious and unsupportive as a supervisor. He let the personal affect his professional responsibilities. Then, when he and Liz are actually building a tenuous platonic relationship, he continues to invade her privacy and sabotage her personal life. The dual-POV style of the novel actually hurts Tom’s character in this case. We keep seeing that he knows what he’s doing is wrong, but he never gains the courage to be honest about what he’s doing or feeling. That seems like a not-so-solid start to a long-term romantic relationship. Miscommunication can be so central to developing drama in a story. However, deliberate lack of communication just feels frustrating.
Liz also makes a handful of references to Tom’s privilege throughout the book, noting specifically that he gains these as a rich white man. But nothing significant seems to come out of this - nor is there more of a discussion of this. If there wasn’t going to be a discussion or deeper critique of this, I’m not sure that it needs to mentioned at all. White male and economic privilege isn’t something to just be tossed around lightly as a characteristic of a main character without acknowledgement that there is something that’s going to be done about it. (And this means more than what the epilogue covers too, without going into spoiler territory.)
Overall, though I focus a lot on my frustrations with Tom’s characterization, I did enjoy the book quite a bit and am still rating it three stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC!
rekams's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75