Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Love on the Brain

Very unrealistic but very entertaining! Definitely Ali Hazelwood’s best work yet, the writing was a glimpse of what goes on in her head and I loved it! What sets her apart from other authors is the amount of personal references in her books. They may only apply to niche audiences but I love them, it makes the main character much more down to earth. The smut was pretty good, about on-par with The Love Hypothesis. I loved the plot! Though a bit rushed at the end, I was on the edge of my seat! Of course we all knew who was behind Schmac, I loved how it was played out. The main characters were also even more likable, and I fell in love with the side characters, in TLH I disliked most of them. Overall, I loved seeing how Hazelwood’s writing has improved since her debut novel, and hope this gets as much publicity as the first!

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deluna's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-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

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tristaesque's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.5

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madisonmcd's review

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-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

4.0

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lizgriffinwords's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring 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

This is perfect. Perfect. Perfect. Perfect.

I’ll admit my expectations were HIGH. Love Hypothesis was one of my favorite 2021 books, and I’ve adored the Loathe to Love You novellas. When close friends who had ARCs of Love on the Brain said it was even better… I was skeptical.

But it truly was astonishingly good, sailing right to the top 5 of my 2022 favorites list. Bee is a take-no-prisoners protagonist, competent in her field and sick of dealing with the BS of men who think they know better. One element I loved is that the unavoidable “conflict via misunderstanding trope” came BEFORE the actual relationship, instead of being the reason for the 85% breakup plot point common to all rom coms. Also the side characters were a hoot, especially Bee’s graduate assistant.

I listened to the audiobook in 1 day (well done, Brooke Bloomingdale!) and now I can’t wait to have the paperback in my hands so I can underline every relatable line about loneliness. I agree with Bee on this stance, and there’s no fictional-character-come-to-life who can get me out of it.

Also, Bee’s fainting spells sound a lot like some form of POTS, so there’s chronic illness rep as well.

And for all you thirsty babes, there’s WAY more spice than in Love Hypothesis.

Content warnings: death of parents (in past), dysfunctional/emotionally abusive family, child illness/seizures, realistic workplace/academia sexism, brief workplace violence. Check Ali’s website for an extensive list.

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dianaschmidty's review

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

Content Warnings

freydawreviews's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense 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

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