Scan barcode
rose_88's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was pretty good, I loved the development of the science and stuff, I loved how all the women were just so smart and not ready to take any shit or to not get credit for their work. I LOVED how Levi actually went to therapy and worked out his issues with communication and how he took full responsibility for being an ass to Bee in grad school. I also loved how both him and Bee actually apologised to each other and understood that at times they were in the wrong. The whole thing with Guy at the end, basically everything to do with BLINK’s presentation and the @WhatWouldMarieDo twitter account/movement felt a bit rushed but overall I think it was cool that they realised that everything going wrong was the same guy (pun intended) I ALSO LOVED ALL THE CAT PUNS, plus just all the realisations (about them being twitter friends, him liking her for years, her not actually being married). Ali Hazelwood is very good at writing good and healthy relationships, obviously seem both here and with ‘The Love Hypothesis’. Overall, a pretty decent book with a relationship that makes me love them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexual content
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Animal death and Gun violence
sami_leigh's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5
🌶️🌶️.5/5
‘There’s someone in my corner. A guy who loves Star Wars, and is too tall for space, and will take care of a kitten for half his life.’
🧠 First Person POV
🧠 Enemies to lovers
🧠 Forced Proximity
🧠 Workplace romance
🧠 Misunderstanding
🧠 Online identities
🧠 Women in STEM 🙌🏻
🧠 Feminism
🧠 BANTER! 🔥
🧠 He falls first
🧠 Well established - and quirky! - secondary characters (Rocío. She’s such a weirdo. I equally adore and fear her.) 🖤
🧠 Growth for our MC 👌🏻
🧠 Cat lovers 🐱
⚠️ Childhood trauma, death of a parent, gun violence, fainting disorder, seizures, emotional abuse, infidelity, gaslighting and toxic relationships.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Sexism
Minor: Animal death, Gun violence, Death, and Emotional abuse
thatswhatshanread's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
First and foremost: Ali Hazelwood knows cute and quirky to a very tall, dark and handsome T. “Love on the Brain” was science + cuteness, encapsulated. You don’t have to know anything about neuroscience or space to understand the workplace romance fleshed out amongst these pages. It’s quite endearing, if a little repetitive. As many have pointed out, the plot and characters are very similar to Ali’s first steminist romcom and one of my personal favorites of all time, “The Love Hypothesis”. Forgive me for comparing them, but it absolutely happened!! I had no control over it!!
I love Levi, and I love Adam. But Olive >>> Bee for sure. Moving on.
For a neuroscientist working on a NASA-funded project, Dr. Bee Königswasser is quite the oblivious Damsel in Distress™ when it comes to her supposed grad school nemesis, Dr. Levi Ward. She is Tiny and Clumsy and Alternative Hair. He is Massive and Closed Off and Beautiful Green Eyes. Levi avoided her in grad school at all costs because He Hated Her So Much And There Is No Other Explanation.
It’s your typical enemies-to-lovers romance, but I appreciated that the “enemies” part didn’t fester long. We all know the “enemies” trope is never that accurate considering at least one party is secretly in love the entire time. In this case, it’s glaringly obvious to everyone except our stubborn MC.
I enjoyed this novel, but it didn’t give me all of the swooning and butterflies that TLH gave me. Which, understandably, is hard to achieve. Still, I think it has long been a dream of mine to score a NASA scientist who named his cat Schrödinger.
Extra points for the extra steam in this one, though 🔥
I love Levi, and I love Adam. But Olive >>> Bee for sure. Moving on.
For a neuroscientist working on a NASA-funded project, Dr. Bee Königswasser is quite the oblivious Damsel in Distress™ when it comes to her supposed grad school nemesis, Dr. Levi Ward. She is Tiny and Clumsy and Alternative Hair. He is Massive and Closed Off and Beautiful Green Eyes. Levi avoided her in grad school at all costs because He Hated Her So Much And There Is No Other Explanation.
It’s your typical enemies-to-lovers romance, but I appreciated that the “enemies” part didn’t fester long. We all know the “enemies” trope is never that accurate considering at least one party is secretly in love the entire time. In this case, it’s glaringly obvious to everyone except our stubborn MC.
I enjoyed this novel, but it didn’t give me all of the swooning and butterflies that TLH gave me. Which, understandably, is hard to achieve. Still, I think it has long been a dream of mine to score a NASA scientist who named his cat Schrödinger.
Extra points for the extra steam in this one, though 🔥
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Animal death, Cursing, Death of parent, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Medical content, and Misogyny
Moderate: Abandonment, Stalking, Bullying, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Minor: Gun violence
kris386's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Minor: Animal death
litstyleguide's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Infidelity
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
Minor: Animal death
ardentlyandi's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I was so excited to read this after reading TLH when it came out but almost immediately, I was a little disappointed with this book. From the jump, you pretty much have an idea where it’s going. Shmac being Levi is blatantly obvious from the first time he’s introduced. I feel like everything was very predictable. I love the grumpy/sunshine trope but the misunderstanding trope is so obvious from the beginning. I don’t really understand how Bee is a neuroscientist but also can’t realize that Levi very obviously likes her or at the very least doesn’t hate her. Overall, I was just disappointed. Especially towards the end, things took a weird, random turn that I don’t think would be expected from a lighthearted romance book. Unexpected can be good, but I don’t think it made sense here. It went from super predictable to something so out of left field that you wouldn’t really ever see coming. On the other hand, I did enjoy the women in STEM aspects, discussions about the inequality facing groups of people who aren’t cis, white, straight men and I did enjoy Levi’s character for the most part and some of the supporting characters. I do love Ali Hazelwood’s writing style so I look forward to her next book, I’m just hoping for something a little less predictable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Gun violence and Misogyny
Minor: Animal death, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
lauramparis's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Bullying, Infidelity, Sexism, Animal death, Death of parent, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
readwithria's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Love on the Brain will be stuck in my brain for quite some time. I absolutely loved it!
If you like workplace romance, forced proximity, rivals to lovers, cats, STEM activism, You've Got Mail (or if you're me, In The Good Old Summertime and She Loves Me), Star Wars, and so much more, you'll love Love on the Brain. Ali Hazelwood is obviously so knowledgeable and passionate about neuroscience and grad school, and that shows in her writing!
The teasing, the spice, the science, the writing, the characters, and the story are all so well done! There are a couple of things here and there that I didn't love, but this is a romance novel and suspension of disbelief has to be part of the reading process. I will read anything this woman writes.
I love Bee, I love Levi, I love them together. 5 stars.
If you like workplace romance, forced proximity, rivals to lovers, cats, STEM activism, You've Got Mail (or if you're me, In The Good Old Summertime and She Loves Me), Star Wars, and so much more, you'll love Love on the Brain. Ali Hazelwood is obviously so knowledgeable and passionate about neuroscience and grad school, and that shows in her writing!
The teasing, the spice, the science, the writing, the characters, and the story are all so well done! There are a couple of things here and there that I didn't love, but this is a romance novel and suspension of disbelief has to be part of the reading process. I will read anything this woman writes.
I love Bee, I love Levi, I love them together. 5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Sexual content
Moderate: Gun violence, Animal death, Infidelity, and Gaslighting
Minor: Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Death
carmen2112's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What I love about Ali‘s books is that they are written in a way that never makes me feel like I have to take the plot seriously. I‘m supposed to laugh at how over the top ridiculous her plots are, while other authors make me feel like they’re deadly serious. That’s probably why I don’t mind the clichés she’s using. So this was an excellent rom-com. I loved all the characters and their little quirks, and the romance was cute. And I like how despite the light-heartedness of the overall plot, she handled more serious topics like discrimination in academic settings really well. Ali‘s books are all really similar to each other, but I don’t mind. I like that when I’m picking up one of her books I know exactly what to expect and that I’ll enjoy it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Misogyny, and Gun violence
cbrew's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexism, Infidelity, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Car accident and Animal death