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kelly_e's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Title: The Soulmate Equation
Author: Christina Lauren
Genre: Romance
Rating: 2
Pub Date: May 18 2021
T H R E E • W O R D S
Predictable • Fluffy • Underwhelming
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Jess is a single mom and freelance statistician who's completely focused on raising her daughter with the help of her grandparents who raised her. From time to time she certainly wishes she had someone else, but dating is definitely not her priority. One night when feeling particularly vulnerable, on a whim Jess submits here DNA through a new dating app. When a 98% match comes back, she couldn't be more shocked. Enter River, a geneticist and one of the founders of GeneticAlly, who Jess already knows and thinks is rude and full of himself. The company has a proposition for Jess she cannot refuse; they'll pay her to get to know River and see if there is any chemistry between them.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I'll start about by saying that after reading the synopsis I thought this book had the potential to be a great read. And while there were aspects I did like, on the whole it didn't work for me. I know I'm in the minority here but the whole time I felt as though the synopsis gave away pretty much the entire story. I set it aside at 40%, eventually coming back to it, not because I really wanted to but because I felt I should give it another chance. For me the concept was there but the execution was not.
I enjoy STEM inclusion in books, but here I felt as though the scientific aspect of this one went a little too far. I didn't feel immersed in the story, probably because it was so predictable where it was going. Yes, it was a quick and easy read so I'll give it that, but the cast of characters and plot line are 100% forgettable. I did like the single mom with a wonderful support system aspect of the plot, and the secondary cast of characters, especially Fizzy. Maybe it's just me being tired of the enemies to lovers/fake dating trope, but this one certainly fell flat. It took me two tries to make it through, and to be honest I probably should have simply DNFed it because I didn't get a whole lot of satisfaction out of the reading experience. I keep giving this author duo another chance because I really did enjoy The Unhoneymooners, but I've yet to find another hit.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Christina Lauren fans
• Anyone looking for a fast, beachy read
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Destiny could also be a choice, she realized. To believe or not, to be vulnerable or not, to go all in or not."
"Statistics can't tell us what will happen, they can only tell us what might happen."
Author: Christina Lauren
Genre: Romance
Rating: 2
Pub Date: May 18 2021
T H R E E • W O R D S
Predictable • Fluffy • Underwhelming
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Jess is a single mom and freelance statistician who's completely focused on raising her daughter with the help of her grandparents who raised her. From time to time she certainly wishes she had someone else, but dating is definitely not her priority. One night when feeling particularly vulnerable, on a whim Jess submits here DNA through a new dating app. When a 98% match comes back, she couldn't be more shocked. Enter River, a geneticist and one of the founders of GeneticAlly, who Jess already knows and thinks is rude and full of himself. The company has a proposition for Jess she cannot refuse; they'll pay her to get to know River and see if there is any chemistry between them.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I'll start about by saying that after reading the synopsis I thought this book had the potential to be a great read. And while there were aspects I did like, on the whole it didn't work for me. I know I'm in the minority here but the whole time I felt as though the synopsis gave away pretty much the entire story. I set it aside at 40%, eventually coming back to it, not because I really wanted to but because I felt I should give it another chance. For me the concept was there but the execution was not.
I enjoy STEM inclusion in books, but here I felt as though the scientific aspect of this one went a little too far. I didn't feel immersed in the story, probably because it was so predictable where it was going. Yes, it was a quick and easy read so I'll give it that, but the cast of characters and plot line are 100% forgettable. I did like the single mom with a wonderful support system aspect of the plot, and the secondary cast of characters, especially Fizzy. Maybe it's just me being tired of the enemies to lovers/fake dating trope, but this one certainly fell flat. It took me two tries to make it through, and to be honest I probably should have simply DNFed it because I didn't get a whole lot of satisfaction out of the reading experience. I keep giving this author duo another chance because I really did enjoy The Unhoneymooners, but I've yet to find another hit.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Christina Lauren fans
• Anyone looking for a fast, beachy read
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Destiny could also be a choice, she realized. To believe or not, to be vulnerable or not, to go all in or not."
"Statistics can't tell us what will happen, they can only tell us what might happen."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Body shaming
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
substance misusecaseythereader's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Thanks to Gallery Books for the free advance copy of this book.
📚 THE SOULMATE EQUATION is sweet, heartfelt, and loving. If you're looking for a gentle romance between two thoughtful people, this is it.
📚 I will admit, as a sci-fi reader I couldn't help but keep imagining the potential alternate, darker universes this story could be set in, but I'm really glad there's this version with Jess and River.
📚 I really did find myself wavering with the characters - they're perfect for each other! No, they're just primed to think so because of the match! No, they're actually perfect!
📚 There is some heavy stuff in the plot, too, it's not all rainbows. But I think it all plays well into showing us who these people are and why they make the choices they do.
📚 THE SOULMATE EQUATION is sweet, heartfelt, and loving. If you're looking for a gentle romance between two thoughtful people, this is it.
📚 I will admit, as a sci-fi reader I couldn't help but keep imagining the potential alternate, darker universes this story could be set in, but I'm really glad there's this version with Jess and River.
📚 I really did find myself wavering with the characters - they're perfect for each other! No, they're just primed to think so because of the match! No, they're actually perfect!
📚 There is some heavy stuff in the plot, too, it's not all rainbows. But I think it all plays well into showing us who these people are and why they make the choices they do.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Drug abuse, and Medical content
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