Reviews

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren

Only show reviews with written explanations

alexanicole04's review against another edition

3.0

3.75 ⭐️ the plot was a really interesting idea but it just felt like the characters flipped from disliking to loving each other so quickly and without a deep connection.. it was a cute book and I really liked the geneticAlly part, they just weren't my favorite couple

selfdeprikate's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

sosonja's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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? It's complicated

3.75

keen23's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Not my favorite Christina Lauren book, but still a good book. I just didn't buy into the DNA soul mate premise.

eknox93's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

hsecen's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

This was another wonderful romance from Christina Lauren, as usual! It was a super interesting plot, involving DNA and statistics. I loved the chemistry between Jess and River. Plus the addition of Jess’s daughter Juno was adorable. It has all the hallmarks of a great Christina Lauren book! The only thing I wasn’t crazy about was all the technical jargon. It confused me and took me out of the reading experience a little. But overall, a recommended read from me!

_audie's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

“Statistics can't tell us what will happen, they can only tell us what might happen.”

read_between_the_wines's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

zepeng's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

3 stars

The premise sounds exciting. I really want more STEM FMC out there, especially on data and statistics. But I was immediately let down because I felt that the representation was not enough (or as enough as the genetics part), and it felt fake to me. I cannot really connect with the characters, and the romance was a bit off in my opinion. The only thing that I like was that there is no miscommunication trope. Overall, just an okay read.

bookish_leslie's review against another edition

Go to review page

medium-paced

4.0

My rating scale, for reference:

1 Star: Hated it
2 Stars: Didn't like it
3 Stars: Meh
4 Stars: Liked it
5 Stars: Loved it

While this book wasn’t groundbreaking, it was a feel-good read that I thoroughly enjoyed, even if it was predictable.

Overall, Jess and River were cute together and had great chemistry. The physical attraction was obviously there for them both, but I’m glad a bit of depth came through in their relationship, too - for example,

in River’s developing relationship with Jess’ daughter, Juno, as well as in scenes where Jess and River shared vulnerably about their fears, childhoods, and so on.

I only wish we could have had River’s POV too so we knew what he was thinking.

Speaking of River, his characterization felt a little all over the place for me, and I could have done without the focus on how perfect he was. I can't say for certain whether he was straight-up objectively perfect or if that was just the way Jess viewed him, since she was the narrator, but I hate it when characters are depicted as having no flaws or as having/being it all.

Anyway, aside from the romance, I really enjoyed the relationships Jess had with her daughter, as well as with the other supporting characters. Her mom was totally shitty, and I was relieved when Jess finally (spoiler)

cut her out of her life

, but Fizzy, Nana Jo and Pop were all great. I loved the evident care and love that existed between Jess and her grandparents, as well as the banter and support Jess had with Fizzy. I liked, too, how they all pushed Jess to let them help her, especially with Juno.

Jess grew flustered. “She’s my kid. I want to see her.”

“Of course you do,” Fizzy said, “but she’s Jo’s and Pop’s and mine, too. She and I had a blast tonight, and I wish I could see her more. But you act like asking for help is selfish…” (pg. 238)

For a romance novel, I appreciated that the authors touched on more complex issues, like the exploration of family dynamics (especially with the challenges Jess faced as a single mom, as well as the dysfunctional relationship she had with her own mom) and destiny versus choice: how much of our compatibility with others could be genetically encoded into our DNA vs how much intention, choice, hard work and commitment factor into the success of our relationships.

Content Warnings

More...