The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
itsgabbytorres's review against another edition
4.0
We get it. He’s big. Knocked off a star from this otherwise cute book cause he was so big I couldn’t click the 5th star. He was blocking it with his huge d—
krisandthesea's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
aesthvr's review against another edition
4.0
Ali’s books are not lacking in any second-hand-embarrassment-inducing moments that i have a love hate relationship with (i am not complaining). Even though i can nitpick this book regarding its pacing at the beginning, the sometimes brimming neuroscience lexicon, its predictability and the fmc incompetence in picking up people’s emotions, i still think this is a solid rom com that empowers women, especially women in stem.
We all know the drill by now, her book has to contain a mmc who is this hunky man with a cold exterior but, surprise surprise, he has a soft spot for our fmc that he is bewitched by (and I’m once again not complaining, keep it coming Ali 💅) Speaking of bewitchment, Levi and his incompetence of acting on his crush reminded me a lot of Mr Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. Instead of being a friendly and civilised, he decided to avoid conversing with her and put on a haughty and entitled facade especially towards HER. On the contrary of showing how much he likes her, he somehow lets her come to the conclusion that he hated her with all his might. Yup, just like in Pride and Prejudice, when Mr Darcy basically called Elizabeth not at all attractive to him. And it is absolutely hilarious to me.
Coming back to the topic of buff and towering dudes, Levi is another prime example of this category of men. An another illustration of the embodiment of this type of men is Adam Carlson from the Love Hypothesis, and you can’t compare me that Levi isn’t the extension of him. So, i implore you Ali, please don’t cease your churning of books with gentle giants, whom are occasionally violent in protection of the fmc.
*insert Kylo steps into view without a shirt
Is this Levi or Adam or the other Adam or Kylo, we may never know
We all know the drill by now, her book has to contain a mmc who is this hunky man with a cold exterior but, surprise surprise, he has a soft spot for our fmc that he is bewitched by (and I’m once again not complaining, keep it coming Ali 💅) Speaking of bewitchment, Levi and his incompetence of acting on his crush reminded me a lot of Mr Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. Instead of being a friendly and civilised, he decided to avoid conversing with her and put on a haughty and entitled facade especially towards HER. On the contrary of showing how much he likes her, he somehow lets her come to the conclusion that he hated her with all his might. Yup, just like in Pride and Prejudice, when Mr Darcy basically called Elizabeth not at all attractive to him. And it is absolutely hilarious to me.
Coming back to the topic of buff and towering dudes, Levi is another prime example of this category of men. An another illustration of the embodiment of this type of men is Adam Carlson from the Love Hypothesis, and you can’t compare me that Levi isn’t the extension of him. So, i implore you Ali, please don’t cease your churning of books with gentle giants, whom are occasionally violent in protection of the fmc.
*insert Kylo steps into view without a shirt
Is this Levi or Adam or the other Adam or Kylo, we may never know
albloomy's review
4.0
4.25 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
This was delightful but the thing that tipped it over the top was ‘Sausage Referencing’ - men getting the credit in academia over women even if the women did most of the work. The story was fun and the addition of the social media elements kept it interesting.
This was delightful but the thing that tipped it over the top was ‘Sausage Referencing’ - men getting the credit in academia over women even if the women did most of the work. The story was fun and the addition of the social media elements kept it interesting.
paintyxuwings's review against another edition
4.0
Pleasant and witty with a good plot twist.
I might not be a Woman in STEM but I am a young woman who works with both specialists and lawyers and deal with ageism and sexism on a daily basis so I can relate to the protagonist’s struggles.
The love story wasn’t my absolute favourite, although I do love the fun little twist that Hazlewood added to it just to spice up the plot.
I don’t think it was as amazing as The Love Hypothesis, but was still such a great read, and I think highlights the struggles that young women face in male dominated careers a little better than the Love Hypothesis.
Can’t wait to read her next book, as they always make me laugh and feel warm and gooey on the inside.
I might not be a Woman in STEM but I am a young woman who works with both specialists and lawyers and deal with ageism and sexism on a daily basis so I can relate to the protagonist’s struggles.
The love story wasn’t my absolute favourite, although I do love the fun little twist that Hazlewood added to it just to spice up the plot.
I don’t think it was as amazing as The Love Hypothesis, but was still such a great read, and I think highlights the struggles that young women face in male dominated careers a little better than the Love Hypothesis.
Can’t wait to read her next book, as they always make me laugh and feel warm and gooey on the inside.
mirandab22's review against another edition
2.0
‘Love on the Brain’ is…fine. One thing I knew after reading a couple of pages was I am too old for a book with this style of writing. It definitely leans towards young adult and it’s not badly done if you're in the target audience, I just found it's humour cringey at times.
The second was that the protagonist Bee is written more like a 22 year old rather than 28 (a year younger than I am) - the only signs that pointed to her age seemed to be her music taste and some of her references. She came across pretty juvenile and I found her annoying to start off with until Ali Hazelwood dialed down Bee's jokes. What also frustrated me was how most of the other female characters were written with similar personalities to hers, all of them at least shared the same style of humour. Her twin sister Reike is the same character which could be the point as she is her twin but to have every single female character with the same one dimensional personalities became pretty tiring. The only one that stood out was her assistant Rocio but she is so clearly inspired by April Ludgate from Parks and Rec (as the book references The Office I imagine Hazelwood has seen it too) that it almost borders on being a copy of her and the only reason she isn't is because she makes similar jokes to Bee, so I don't feel like Hazelwood deserves much credit here.
The third was that I was able to predict exactly what was going to happen in the plot which is not uncommon in rom coms, the problem is you’re supposed to enjoy it despite knowing how it will end. Sometimes I did, Bee and Levi do have chemistry but if you’re under the impression this is an enemies to lovers romance (like I’d been from various recommendations) it definitely isn’t as it is only one sided. Despite this I did warm to their relationship around the middle of the book and I was fairly confident I’d be giving this 3 stars – like I said it’s just fine for me.
But then came the ending and this went from young adult to bad fanfiction style of writing in a matter of seconds. I won’t spoil it but it was enough to push this down to 2 stars.
I don’t think I’ll be reading any more of Ali Hazelwood’s other romances. If I’m going off of TikTok recommended romance writers, I think I’ll stick with Emily Henry.
The second was that the protagonist Bee is written more like a 22 year old rather than 28 (a year younger than I am) - the only signs that pointed to her age seemed to be her music taste and some of her references. She came across pretty juvenile and I found her annoying to start off with until Ali Hazelwood dialed down Bee's jokes. What also frustrated me was how most of the other female characters were written with similar personalities to hers, all of them at least shared the same style of humour. Her twin sister Reike is the same character which could be the point as she is her twin but to have every single female character with the same one dimensional personalities became pretty tiring. The only one that stood out was her assistant Rocio but she is so clearly inspired by April Ludgate from Parks and Rec (as the book references The Office I imagine Hazelwood has seen it too) that it almost borders on being a copy of her and the only reason she isn't is because she makes similar jokes to Bee, so I don't feel like Hazelwood deserves much credit here.
The third was that I was able to predict exactly what was going to happen in the plot which is not uncommon in rom coms, the problem is you’re supposed to enjoy it despite knowing how it will end. Sometimes I did, Bee and Levi do have chemistry but if you’re under the impression this is an enemies to lovers romance (like I’d been from various recommendations) it definitely isn’t as it is only one sided. Despite this I did warm to their relationship around the middle of the book and I was fairly confident I’d be giving this 3 stars – like I said it’s just fine for me.
But then came the ending and this went from young adult to bad fanfiction style of writing in a matter of seconds. I won’t spoil it but it was enough to push this down to 2 stars.
I don’t think I’ll be reading any more of Ali Hazelwood’s other romances. If I’m going off of TikTok recommended romance writers, I think I’ll stick with Emily Henry.
initial's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
devonjackson's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
bippityboppityboop24's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0