Reviews with content warning for Chronic illness - Love on the Brain

Love on the Brain will be stuck in my brain for quite some time. I absolutely loved it!

If you like workplace romance, forced proximity, rivals to lovers, cats, STEM activism, You've Got Mail (or if you're me, In The Good Old Summertime and She Loves Me), Star Wars, and so much more, you'll love Love on the Brain. Ali Hazelwood is obviously so knowledgeable and passionate about neuroscience and grad school, and that shows in her writing!

The teasing, the spice, the science, the writing, the characters, and the story are all so well done! There are a couple of things here and there that I didn't love, but this is a romance novel and suspension of disbelief has to be part of the reading process. I will read anything this woman writes.

I love Bee, I love Levi, I love them together. 5 stars.

Content Warnings

madisonmcd's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

Content Warnings

lizgriffinwords's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

fivecatsinacoat's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny informative inspiring 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

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced review copy of this book.

4.5 stars! As a big fan of Marie Curie

and You've Got Mail

, I was in love with this title. The perfect amount of slow burn, emotion, and comedy. I do wish the next will have less of the misunderstanding trope, which felt too similar to her other works. And while I loved the character of Rocio, I do feel she was very immature, which seemed unrealistic to the plot (how did she not get fired????).

Content Warnings

More...