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cady_sass's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
3.75
What can I say, I’m a sucker for Ali Hazelwood and her “STEMinist” novels. This is thoroughly cute and enjoyable. We do fall into the typical Hazelwood trap of “he’s SO HUGE” and “she’s so small” but at this point I’m used to it, it’s clearly her thing. The characters are quirky and I love them all, but Rocio stole my heart. I imagine her to be a scientist version of Aubrey Plaza.
Now, I’ll say my same critique that I’ve said about nearly everything she’s written: I do not and will not ever understand why she feels the need to write about choosing unsafe sex. And this is in EVERY BOOK she writes. Not a single condom in sight. Not a single conversation about being tested. These people are scientists! It’s fiction, so whatever, but normalizing the “it’s okay, I’m on birth control” narrative is harmful. I’ll get off my soapbox now.
Now, I’ll say my same critique that I’ve said about nearly everything she’s written: I do not and will not ever understand why she feels the need to write about choosing unsafe sex. And this is in EVERY BOOK she writes. Not a single condom in sight. Not a single conversation about being tested. These people are scientists! It’s fiction, so whatever, but normalizing the “it’s okay, I’m on birth control” narrative is harmful. I’ll get off my soapbox now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Medical content, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Sexual content, Car accident, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
kaykanate's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying
diana_raquel's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.0
"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a community of women trying to mind their own business must be in want of a random man’s opinion."
After loving "The Love Hypothesis", I decided to read this book. Imagine my surprise when I discover that this book has the same structure that the previous one. Really, its the same story with differente character names.
In other book, I might give a bad rating because its the exact same story and this book made me waste my time. However, I can't. Not in this book.
Why? Because it's so damn entertaining. I had fun reading this book! Never a boring moment.
So, I'll give a 3 stars rating, but if you're considering reading this book, just know that this is a repetition of the previous romance.
After loving "The Love Hypothesis", I decided to read this book. Imagine my surprise when I discover that this book has the same structure that the previous one. Really, its the same story with differente character names.
In other book, I might give a bad rating because its the exact same story and this book made me waste my time. However, I can't. Not in this book.
Why? Because it's so damn entertaining. I had fun reading this book! Never a boring moment.
So, I'll give a 3 stars rating, but if you're considering reading this book, just know that this is a repetition of the previous romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Cursing, and Death
Moderate: Medical content, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, and Bullying
Minor: Death of parent
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
jbookly's review
funny
inspiring
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Sexism
Minor: Violence and Stalking
lovelymisanthrope's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year because I read "The Love Hypothesis" last year and loved it. I am a sucker for a nerdy romcom that takes place in higher education. I was really into this book until the end, which kind of ruined it for me.
"Love on the Brain" follows Bee, a young woman who has been struggling to make a name for herself in her academic field, neuroengineering. When she gets offered her dream job to work with NASA she is elated...until she finds out her co lead is Levi, a man who has hated her since grad school, seemingly for no reason. Bee relocates to Texas to start her new job and is frustrated not only to see that Levi is the same guy, but that she still has to deal with the sexist politics she has always had to face. Can Bee succeed with her project and finally prove to everyone that women are just as capable as men, and can her and Levi resolve their differences?
I think it is pretty obvious that this story centralizes as a love story between Bee and Levi. I am normally not a big fan of enemies to lovers, but their story overall did work for me. I loved seeing their love story, and I really enjoyed that they already had a past together, so it kind of felt like a second chance romance. I did think Bee was incredibly annoying at times. I understand an empathize that she is going through a difficult time and trying to heal from her past trainwreck of a relationship, but she is entirely convinced that Levi is the enemy and will not even give him a chance. I also understand that woman, especially in the science fields, have to work twice as hard because of their sexist male counterparts, and I love to see Ali Hazelwood's characters kickass and show how smart and capable they are, but I am getting a little bored that all of her characters seem to have the same jaded outlook. I would love to see her write a woman character who is a little less jaded by the struggles woman face. Again, I get it, and it sucks that we still live in a world where women are seen as inferior, just from a fictional standpoint, I would love to see a variety.
The ending of this book is CRAZY. The story takes a dramatic, Hollywood -like turn and becomes a high action, higher stakes adventure for a hot second, which I did not see coming. This is where the story lost me. I did not need that intense scene, and it seemed way too over the time to be plausible.
I will definitely read from Ali Hazelwood again, but I do hope she writes a different story in the future!
"Love on the Brain" follows Bee, a young woman who has been struggling to make a name for herself in her academic field, neuroengineering. When she gets offered her dream job to work with NASA she is elated...until she finds out her co lead is Levi, a man who has hated her since grad school, seemingly for no reason. Bee relocates to Texas to start her new job and is frustrated not only to see that Levi is the same guy, but that she still has to deal with the sexist politics she has always had to face. Can Bee succeed with her project and finally prove to everyone that women are just as capable as men, and can her and Levi resolve their differences?
I think it is pretty obvious that this story centralizes as a love story between Bee and Levi. I am normally not a big fan of enemies to lovers, but their story overall did work for me. I loved seeing their love story, and I really enjoyed that they already had a past together, so it kind of felt like a second chance romance. I did think Bee was incredibly annoying at times. I understand an empathize that she is going through a difficult time and trying to heal from her past trainwreck of a relationship, but she is entirely convinced that Levi is the enemy and will not even give him a chance. I also understand that woman, especially in the science fields, have to work twice as hard because of their sexist male counterparts, and I love to see Ali Hazelwood's characters kickass and show how smart and capable they are, but I am getting a little bored that all of her characters seem to have the same jaded outlook. I would love to see her write a woman character who is a little less jaded by the struggles woman face. Again, I get it, and it sucks that we still live in a world where women are seen as inferior, just from a fictional standpoint, I would love to see a variety.
The ending of this book is CRAZY. The story takes a dramatic, Hollywood -like turn and becomes a high action, higher stakes adventure for a hot second, which I did not see coming. This is where the story lost me. I did not need that intense scene, and it seemed way too over the time to be plausible.
I will definitely read from Ali Hazelwood again, but I do hope she writes a different story in the future!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Gun violence, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Bullying, and Physical abuse
Minor: Death of parent and Death
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
ojb276's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Gaslighting, Bullying, Toxic relationship, and Gun violence
Moderate: Death of parent
somebooksomewhere's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This book releases 23 August 2022 in Canada.
I like Neapolitan ice cream. I love mint chip, but Neapolitan is very good too and sometimes I even prefer it. Which is largely how I feel about Love on the Brain compared to The Love Hypothesis.
In LotB, neuroscientist Dr Bee Konigswasser has been selected to help research and develop a type of anti-brain fog helmet for NASA. She's absolutely ecstatic about getting out from under her creepy boss' thumb and working on such a monumental project, until she finds out who her co-lead is: Dr Levi Ward(ass). Levi was finishing his PhD in the same lab that Bee was starting hers, and despite Bee's efforts to be an absolutely delightful human thank you very much, Dr Ward(ass) immediately formed the No Bees Allowed club. But whatever, she can avoid him and his vile personality. Or not.
Ward(ha!)ing herself against Levi's evil, Bee begins her work, only to find she's been brain-blocked by the higher ups. She reluctantly teams up with Levi to get her own half of the project underway, when revelations occur and sparks fly. After all, they say that there's a very fine line between love and hate. Maybe only as fine as a single neural pathway.
LotB has a lot of similar tropes to TLH: grumpy+sunshine, miscommunication (so much miscommunication), men being generally awkward and also sometimes terrible (why are men??), quirky side characters, etc etc. In some ways, it felt almost too alike. But you know what, I don't care. It's my Neapolitan ice cream. Good, reliable, enough going on to keep me interested.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I like Neapolitan ice cream. I love mint chip, but Neapolitan is very good too and sometimes I even prefer it. Which is largely how I feel about Love on the Brain compared to The Love Hypothesis.
In LotB, neuroscientist Dr Bee Konigswasser has been selected to help research and develop a type of anti-brain fog helmet for NASA. She's absolutely ecstatic about getting out from under her creepy boss' thumb and working on such a monumental project, until she finds out who her co-lead is: Dr Levi Ward(ass). Levi was finishing his PhD in the same lab that Bee was starting hers, and despite Bee's efforts to be an absolutely delightful human thank you very much, Dr Ward(ass) immediately formed the No Bees Allowed club. But whatever, she can avoid him and his vile personality. Or not.
Ward(ha!)ing herself against Levi's evil, Bee begins her work, only to find she's been brain-blocked by the higher ups. She reluctantly teams up with Levi to get her own half of the project underway, when revelations occur and sparks fly. After all, they say that there's a very fine line between love and hate. Maybe only as fine as a single neural pathway.
LotB has a lot of similar tropes to TLH: grumpy+sunshine, miscommunication (so much miscommunication), men being generally awkward and also sometimes terrible (why are men??), quirky side characters, etc etc. In some ways, it felt almost too alike. But you know what, I don't care. It's my Neapolitan ice cream. Good, reliable, enough going on to keep me interested.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, and Kidnapping
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