Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - The Soulmate Equation

Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren

89 reviews

memoirsofabooklover's review

funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

i liked the premise of this and the chemistry withe the characters was good. i liked the way that there was no miscommunication trope but

i did not like the ending. the way river completely disappeared and then all the traumatic shit that happened near the end just got brushed over and they got back together after a 5 minute conversation. i also didn’t like that we didn’t get to know the real number just that it wasn’t 98 and above 90; it wasn’t cute just irritatingly ambiguous.

apart from those issues i liked the characters and i liked the pairing, they were cute.

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bookish_leslie's review against another edition

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medium-paced

4.0

My rating scale, for reference:

1 Star: Hated it
2 Stars: Didn't like it
3 Stars: Meh
4 Stars: Liked it
5 Stars: Loved it

This book was an enjoyable feel-good read, even if it was a bit predictable.

Overall, Jess and River were cute together and had great chemistry. The physical attraction was obviously there for them both, but I’m glad a bit of depth came through in their relationship, too - for example,

in River’s developing relationship with Jess’ daughter, Juno, as well as in scenes where Jess and River shared vulnerably about their fears, childhoods, and so on

. I only wish we could have had River’s POV too so we knew what he was thinking.

Speaking of River, his characterization felt a little all over the place for me, and I could have done without the focus on how perfect he was. I can't say for certain whether he was straight-up objectively perfect or if that was just the way Jess viewed him, since she was the narrator, but I hate it when characters are depicted as having no flaws or as having/being it all.

Anyway, aside from the romance, I really enjoyed the relationships Jess had with her daughter, as well as with the other supporting characters. Her mom was totally shitty, and I was (spoiler)

relieved when Jess finally cut her out of her life

, but Fizzy, Nana Jo and Pop were all great. I loved the evident care and love that existed between Jess and her grandparents, as well as the banter and support Jess had with Fizzy. I liked, too, how they all pushed Jess to let them help her, especially with Juno.

Jess grew flustered. “She’s my kid. I want to see her.”

“Of course you do,” Fizzy said, “but she’s Jo’s and Pop’s and mine, too. She and I had a blast tonight, and I wish I could see her more. But you act like asking for help is selfish…” (pg. 238)

For a romance novel, I appreciated that the authors touched on more complex issues, like family dynamics (especially with the challenges Jess faced as a single mom, as well as the dysfunctional relationship she had with her own mom) or the exploration of destiny versus choice: how much of our compatibility with others could be genetically encoded into our DNA vs how much intention, choice, hard work and commitment factor into the success of our relationships.

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chelle22's review against another edition

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informative lighthearted

4.0

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kelseyfontaine's review against another edition

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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? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I absolutely loved this book! I read the spin-off featuring Fizzy as the main character first, so it was interesting to go back in time and see how Jess and River’s love story unfolded. Their chemistry was undeniable, and I couldn’t set this book down while reading! I loved the concept of finding your soulmate through DNA, but

I’m still wondering what Jess and River’s actual compatibility score was.

Either way, the enemies to lovers trope drew me in like it always does, and I loved the contemporary tie-ins to a realistic life, like making ends meet and having kids involved. I would highly recommend this book!

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annabananadel's review against another edition

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emotional fast-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

4.5

“I haven’t been home in years, but I feel that way with you.”

This was such a fast paced book that I devoured this in just two days. I honestly love the book and I wasn’t even expecting much from it. From an IE standpoint, it was so fun to find a FMC that is a statistician because after taking multiple Statistics class, I wanted to be one (although IE still uses Statistics a lot). The MMC was such a nerdy boy as well once you’ve gotten to know him eventhough he is somewhat of an asshole the first quarter of the book but can easily be forgiven after all the sweet things he’d done afterwards. I just love them both together so much. Soulmate really is the best term to use on them as a couple. Yes, it was a enemy to lovers but you can’t deny those attractions ever since the first date????

The only reason it’s not an outstanding 5 stars is because the ending seems anti-climactic in a way. But if you want some swoon-worthy scenes and willing to just go with the flow, I definitely recommend this book!

Let’s all swoon together every time he does something with Juno because who doesn’t love a man who is good with kids? I didn’t even want kids but I’m willing to have one with River.

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daylajane's review against another edition

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emotional funny relaxing 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

3.5

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tallard's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

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clareasday's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative 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? Yes

5.0

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luna_a's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

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

3.25

This was a weird one. The introduction to the plot seemed so slow but than,

once they "got together" it was a bit too insta-lovey for me.

It just feels like it had so much potential but the execution was a not that great.

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avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I laughed and cried rom-com about a single mom and a DNA dating app founder.
With fake dating, plenty of laughs, soulmates trope, grumpy/sunshine pairing, some tearful moments, and enemies-to-friends-to-lovers. This book was a fabulous romantic comedy. My only complaint is not enough on the page spice!
I enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek things that Fizzi said about romance writing. I also loved that there weren't characters who really mattered to the story and who weren't given enough depth.
Overall, I loved it!

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