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jen1804's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
An enjoyable read. It follows the classic grumpy/sunshine & miscommunication tropes, the latter of which I have to say is not one of my faves. But I found the two main characters likeable which is always a plus, and even though the story heavily involves science, it wasn’t written in a way where I had no idea what was happening or lost interest. There’s also a nice amount of feminist undertones throughout the story, always a positive.
I really liked the twitter conversations between the two MCs, speaking to each other under their internet aliases and not realising the other’s true identity. Whilst it is easy to guess the identity of Shmacademic from the first time he’s introduced, I didn’t think this mattered and found that those twitter conversations were the bits I looked forward to the most throughout the book.
The book is fast paced and doesn’t stop very long in places to actually develop the characters much or build on their relationship with each other. For example, there’s a scene late in the book when Bee is reflecting on her time spent in Houston with Levi, reminiscing and listing things that the two of them have done together, and as the reader it is the first time we’re hearing about a lot of these things, and I don’t really rate that. Like why did we not get to read about more of those scenes in depth as they happened to help with the development of the characters and their relationship?
I did find some of the sex scenes a bit strange, like I don’t think they were always well written/well explained so I was sometimes confused about what a character was doing or how a character got to a certain place etc. but some of it was good.
There were some laugh out loud funny parts, and whilst the miscommunication trope can be v annoying at times, I did also enjoy Bee’s inner monologue and found her fairly relatable as a main character.
I also really enjoyed the light sub plot of the mystery and the twist towards the end which I can honestly say I wasn’t expecting. One of my favourite scenes was Bee attending dinner with Levi’s parents and royally shutting Levi’s dad up. And I also really liked how often Levi sticks up for Bee, i.e. in front of bosses, their old grad school mates and his family.
Some of the side characters are quite well developed and that’s always good to see.
It was all wrapped up pretty nicely at the end and I didn’t feel that there were any loose ends which I like!
Satisfactory ending? Yes.
I really liked the twitter conversations between the two MCs, speaking to each other under their internet aliases and not realising the other’s true identity. Whilst it is easy to guess the identity of Shmacademic from the first time he’s introduced, I didn’t think this mattered and found that those twitter conversations were the bits I looked forward to the most throughout the book.
The book is fast paced and doesn’t stop very long in places to actually develop the characters much or build on their relationship with each other. For example, there’s a scene late in the book when Bee is reflecting on her time spent in Houston with Levi, reminiscing and listing things that the two of them have done together, and as the reader it is the first time we’re hearing about a lot of these things, and I don’t really rate that. Like why did we not get to read about more of those scenes in depth as they happened to help with the development of the characters and their relationship?
I did find some of the sex scenes a bit strange, like I don’t think they were always well written/well explained so I was sometimes confused about what a character was doing or how a character got to a certain place etc. but some of it was good.
There were some laugh out loud funny parts, and whilst the miscommunication trope can be v annoying at times, I did also enjoy Bee’s inner monologue and found her fairly relatable as a main character.
I also really enjoyed the light sub plot of the mystery and the twist towards the end which I can honestly say I wasn’t expecting. One of my favourite scenes was Bee attending dinner with Levi’s parents and royally shutting Levi’s dad up. And I also really liked how often Levi sticks up for Bee, i.e. in front of bosses, their old grad school mates and his family.
Some of the side characters are quite well developed and that’s always good to see.
It was all wrapped up pretty nicely at the end and I didn’t feel that there were any loose ends which I like!
Satisfactory ending? Yes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, and Misogyny
Moderate: Death of parent, Infidelity, Gun violence, and Death
Minor: Grief
nebraskanwriter's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
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
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Alcohol, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical content, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity
hannibanani29's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Sexism
Moderate: Animal death, Misogyny, Cursing, Toxic relationship, and Infidelity
Minor: Death of parent, Classism, Suicide, Grief, Death, Alcohol, Gun violence, and Car accident
readwithde's review against another edition
funny
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? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Sexism
Moderate: Death of parent, Cursing, Infidelity, Death, and Grief
Minor: Gun violence, Abandonment, Animal death, Misogyny, and Chronic illness
rose_88's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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
This book was pretty good, I loved the development of the science and stuff, I loved how all the women were just so smart and not ready to take any shit or to not get credit for their work. I LOVED how Levi actually went to therapy and worked out his issues with communication and how he took full responsibility for being an ass to Bee in grad school. I also loved how both him and Bee actually apologised to each other and understood that at times they were in the wrong. The whole thing with Guy at the end, basically everything to do with BLINK’s presentation and the @WhatWouldMarieDo twitter account/movement felt a bit rushed but overall I think it was cool that they realised that everything going wrong was the same guy (pun intended) I ALSO LOVED ALL THE CAT PUNS, plus just all the realisations (about them being twitter friends, him liking her for years, her not actually being married). Ali Hazelwood is very good at writing good and healthy relationships, obviously seem both here and with ‘The Love Hypothesis’. Overall, a pretty decent book with a relationship that makes me love them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexual content
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Animal death and Gun violence
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
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I've loved everything else I've read by her, but this was just not that good. It had me cringing in parts and not for the usual romance reasons. It didn't have enough depth into certain issues, and others were just trite and WAY too cliche. It was still hilarious at parts and mostly enjoyable. Also, I think she just tried to do too much with this one book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Misogyny, Abandonment, Sexism, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Infidelity and Medical content
bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, Infidelity, Sexism, Car accident, Gaslighting, Chronic illness, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Death, and Grief
Minor: Gun violence
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? No
5.0
Rating: 5/5 stars
Neuroscientist Bee Königswasser has just gotten the job of her dreams, when she finds out her new co-worker is none other than her grad school nemesis Levi Ward. Now Bee must learn to navigate the unique politics of a NASA position and, just maybe, learn that Levi’s feelings about her aren’t quite what she’s always assumed…
I’ll just say it, I’m obsessed with Ali Hazelwood. The Love Hypothesis is one of my all-time favorite books, and I adored the STEMinist novellas, so suffice to say my expectations for Love on the Brain were EXTREMELY high, and I’m pleased to report that I was not disappointed. If anything, I think I might like Love on the Brain *more* than The Love Hypothesis, which feels almost impossible even as I type it.
This is the kind of book that I couldn’t review for a few days after finishing it because I couldn’t find coherent words to summarize my thoughts (and couldn’t post the review for literal weeks because I wanted the photo to go with it to be just right). It’s the kind of book I desperately wanted to spend all my time reading but also never wanted to pick up because I was so devastated by the thought of it ending. It’s the kind of book I haven’t stopped thinking about and I’m not sure I ever will.
Ali Hazelwood novels are my happy place, and I’m so so glad they exist and that I found them.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: enemies-to-lovers; he-falls-first; unapologetic feminism and STEMinism
CW: Sexism/misogyny; infidelity; death of parent; gun violence.
Neuroscientist Bee Königswasser has just gotten the job of her dreams, when she finds out her new co-worker is none other than her grad school nemesis Levi Ward. Now Bee must learn to navigate the unique politics of a NASA position and, just maybe, learn that Levi’s feelings about her aren’t quite what she’s always assumed…
I’ll just say it, I’m obsessed with Ali Hazelwood. The Love Hypothesis is one of my all-time favorite books, and I adored the STEMinist novellas, so suffice to say my expectations for Love on the Brain were EXTREMELY high, and I’m pleased to report that I was not disappointed. If anything, I think I might like Love on the Brain *more* than The Love Hypothesis, which feels almost impossible even as I type it.
This is the kind of book that I couldn’t review for a few days after finishing it because I couldn’t find coherent words to summarize my thoughts (and couldn’t post the review for literal weeks because I wanted the photo to go with it to be just right). It’s the kind of book I desperately wanted to spend all my time reading but also never wanted to pick up because I was so devastated by the thought of it ending. It’s the kind of book I haven’t stopped thinking about and I’m not sure I ever will.
Ali Hazelwood novels are my happy place, and I’m so so glad they exist and that I found them.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: enemies-to-lovers; he-falls-first; unapologetic feminism and STEMinism
CW: Sexism/misogyny; infidelity; death of parent; gun violence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Gun violence, and Violence
Minor: Grief
lotte5322's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Gun violence, Death of parent, Medical content, Abandonment, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Minor: Car accident