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abby_can_read's review against another edition
funny
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
4.0
📖
I had a good time reading this book. Hazelwood is a talented author. The characters were fun and their relationships were good. I liked the pacing and the plot held my attention.
I had a good time reading this book. Hazelwood is a talented author. The characters were fun and their relationships were good. I liked the pacing and the plot held my attention.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual content, and Sexism
Moderate: Gun violence, Death of parent, and Infidelity
koistyfishy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
3 Imaginary Cat Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️/5
Ummmm being a woman in STEM ... I am offended.
Now, don't get me wrong — I deliberated on this internally for a while, and I believe there's a Catch-22 tied to this issue. So, I'm not sure if there was a way to avoid offending some people.
This is my first Ali Hazelwood and overall, I can't say I'm impressed. I didn't hate the book, nor did I love it. Without anything to compare it to, I can't say if my issues with the book are inherent to all her STEM novels or if it's just this one.
Now, onto why I say it's a Catch-22: this book can be both praised and criticized for its portrayal of science and people in STEM. On one hand, it's commendable as it initiates a conversation with readers who may not necessarily be familiar with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. It makes these subjects accessible to everyone and provides insight into the layers within a research laboratory. Some may even argue that this book could serve as a positive influence in inspiring women and girls to pursue careers in the STEM field.
However, on the other hand, the overly stereotyped characters in this book completely undermine all the good it was trying to achieve. I do not believe one woman was NOT either overly quirky, awkward or had some unusual characteristic about her or they are absolute perfect snowflakes. Bee (who is named after a Bee, Buzz Buzz, has an unhealthy obsession with veganism and Marie Curie and is obviously "not like the other girls" as she has a septum piercing and purple hair).
My main issue with her character is that Ali Hazelwood gave her this annoying habit of thought vomit in her internal monologue, trying too hard to be funny by throwing random cliché references or puns about cocks and hoping that something might stick with the reader. Bee felt immature, childish, and seriously like she had just finished high school and was not almost thirty.
Then we have the portrayal that NO MAN IN STEM (besides apparently Levi Ward) is not a misogynistic Neanderthal who believes a woman's place is in the kitchen and not in a laboratory. Every single man in this book except Levi objectifies women, has something against women or women in STEM or just Bee. I don't know, but this stereotype of what men are like in the STEM field is entirely incorrect. While some aspects are true and historically STEM is mostly male-dominated, the constant reinforcement of "this is actually what they are like in STEM" is appalling and annoying.
Levi Ward? There's not much to say about the man as mostly he just grunts or speaks in one-liners, and we are told he had issues but is over them now. And the fact that he's been in love with Bee since seeing her the first time (talk about a little worrisome) — I just have no read on the guy! Good for him; he is perfect for Bee. I did dislike that their entire relationship was built on miscommunication or lack of communication though.
Overall, nothing in this book from a romance side stood out — it wasn't groundbreaking, novel, or worth a Nobel Prize in discovery. I am most likely going to forget about it. In the end, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't amazing... just meh.
Trope Summary:
▶ Enemies to Lovers
▶ STEM Setting
▶ Secret Pen Pals
▶ He is SOOOO BIG and she is so smol
▶ Workplace Romance
▶ Grumpy X Sunshine
▶ Cats
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️/5
Ummmm being a woman in STEM ... I am offended.
Now, don't get me wrong — I deliberated on this internally for a while, and I believe there's a Catch-22 tied to this issue. So, I'm not sure if there was a way to avoid offending some people.
This is my first Ali Hazelwood and overall, I can't say I'm impressed. I didn't hate the book, nor did I love it. Without anything to compare it to, I can't say if my issues with the book are inherent to all her STEM novels or if it's just this one.
Now, onto why I say it's a Catch-22: this book can be both praised and criticized for its portrayal of science and people in STEM. On one hand, it's commendable as it initiates a conversation with readers who may not necessarily be familiar with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. It makes these subjects accessible to everyone and provides insight into the layers within a research laboratory. Some may even argue that this book could serve as a positive influence in inspiring women and girls to pursue careers in the STEM field.
However, on the other hand, the overly stereotyped characters in this book completely undermine all the good it was trying to achieve. I do not believe one woman was NOT either overly quirky, awkward or had some unusual characteristic about her or they are absolute perfect snowflakes. Bee (who is named after a Bee, Buzz Buzz, has an unhealthy obsession with veganism and Marie Curie and is obviously "not like the other girls" as she has a septum piercing and purple hair).
My main issue with her character is that Ali Hazelwood gave her this annoying habit of thought vomit in her internal monologue, trying too hard to be funny by throwing random cliché references or puns about cocks and hoping that something might stick with the reader. Bee felt immature, childish, and seriously like she had just finished high school and was not almost thirty.
Then we have the portrayal that NO MAN IN STEM (besides apparently Levi Ward) is not a misogynistic Neanderthal who believes a woman's place is in the kitchen and not in a laboratory. Every single man in this book except Levi objectifies women, has something against women or women in STEM or just Bee. I don't know, but this stereotype of what men are like in the STEM field is entirely incorrect. While some aspects are true and historically STEM is mostly male-dominated, the constant reinforcement of "this is actually what they are like in STEM" is appalling and annoying.
Levi Ward? There's not much to say about the man as mostly he just grunts or speaks in one-liners, and we are told he had issues but is over them now. And the fact that he's been in love with Bee since seeing her the first time (talk about a little worrisome) — I just have no read on the guy! Good for him; he is perfect for Bee. I did dislike that their entire relationship was built on miscommunication or lack of communication though.
Overall, nothing in this book from a romance side stood out — it wasn't groundbreaking, novel, or worth a Nobel Prize in discovery. I am most likely going to forget about it. In the end, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't amazing... just meh.
Trope Summary:
▶ Enemies to Lovers
▶ STEM Setting
▶ Secret Pen Pals
▶ He is SOOOO BIG and she is so smol
▶ Workplace Romance
▶ Grumpy X Sunshine
▶ Cats
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, and Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity, Gun violence, and Death of parent
bethanystone13's review
informative
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Misogyny
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent, Infidelity, and Excrement
witcheep's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.5
This book is very predictable: from the begining alone I could guess the ending for Bee and Levi (and the knotting of their present, past and online identities ) accurately, though there were a few unexpected twists along the way.
"If nice means being alone, then so be it."
"I can give you nice. I can give you better than nice. I can give you everything."
This doesn't mean that I wouldn't have enjoyed the book — the opposite is true, actually. I wanted to know how the truth would unfold and how the relationship would gradually evolve from assumed hatred to something much warmer. I had to consume this book as fast as possible, it fit my current mood for reading perfectly: the book offers such a warm and fuzzy romance read with just the right amount of turmoil.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Misogyny
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Infidelity
vaguelyredhead's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, and Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity, Gun violence, and Death of parent
bellebookcorner's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
- 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
3.5
Love on the Brain was a fun and sweet read for me, it’s an enjoyable read for me even though some parts of this book feels very similar to the previous book – The Love Hypothesis.
It’s like a different story but the characters are pretty much the same with different names.
This book is very well written about women’s place in STEM, I can relate to some of them. The humor is also on point and I find myself smile and laugh throughout the story.
I really like the blooming romance of Bee and Levi, their chemistry is really good, they have a lot of things in common.
I kinda wish Levi has his own POV cause I’d love to know his thoughts, instead of only seeing from Bee’s POV. Not that I mind that but some of Bee’s inner monologue can be slightly annoying and frustrating.
Overall, this is a pretty good lighthearted reading to pass the time that comes with a happy ending and a small twist that really surprised me.
If you want more from The Love Hypothesis then I think you’ll like this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Infidelity and Gun violence
jessversteeg's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? No
4.0
Read it in one sitting. Loved the girl-power STEM perspective. The plot was mostly predictable but I enjoyed the ride anyway
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Death of parent and Animal death
niamhstorme's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Medical content, Misogyny, Bullying, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Grief
merenguita's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Once again, this book has so many cliches done so well. I loved it.
Not sure about the plot twist in the end but I actually didn't see it coming, so I'm ok with it.
Levi had me melting
Not sure about the plot twist in the end but I actually didn't see it coming, so I'm ok with it.
Levi had me melting
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent and Infidelity
takarakei'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
3.5
Ok the thing I appreciate about Hazelwood's books is they're not insta-love. This one actually brought me to a realization that the reason I probably enjoy enemies/rivals to lovers is because I prefer a slower burn and those plots take longer for the romance to solidify. The romance/relationship plot of this one is a bit predictable, but that didn't really detract from my interest in seeing how it played out. Levi has some great passages, despite this being one pov. I was a bit indifferent about Bee our main character though. Hazelwood also is good at the third act 'break ups' not being too over the top or drawn out. I was quite surprised by the other plotline (her science career) ending tho and that did feel a bit out of left field.
I was told to read this book because it has two vegan MCs, and I probably have only read a handful of other fiction books with a vegan character ever in my life. But I could tell that Hazelwood is likely not vegan herself, so some things seemed a bit stereotypical to me.
Queer side character rep. Bee's lab assistant Rosio (sp? I did audio) was honestly my fav character.
🌶️3.5/5 (this spice wasn't my fav)
I was told to read this book because it has two vegan MCs, and I probably have only read a handful of other fiction books with a vegan character ever in my life. But I could tell that Hazelwood is likely not vegan herself, so some things seemed a bit stereotypical to me.
Queer side character rep. Bee's lab assistant Rosio (sp? I did audio) was honestly my fav character.
🌶️3.5/5 (this spice wasn't my fav)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Gun violence, Infidelity, and Death of parent