Scan barcode
readwithria's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
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.
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
Graphic: Sexism and Sexual content
Moderate: Animal death, Gun violence, Infidelity, and Gaslighting
Minor: Chronic illness, Death, and Death of parent
carmen2112's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What I love about Ali‘s books is that they are written in a way that never makes me feel like I have to take the plot seriously. I‘m supposed to laugh at how over the top ridiculous her plots are, while other authors make me feel like they’re deadly serious. That’s probably why I don’t mind the clichés she’s using. So this was an excellent rom-com. I loved all the characters and their little quirks, and the romance was cute. And I like how despite the light-heartedness of the overall plot, she handled more serious topics like discrimination in academic settings really well. Ali‘s books are all really similar to each other, but I don’t mind. I like that when I’m picking up one of her books I know exactly what to expect and that I’ll enjoy it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, and Misogyny
cbrew's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death and Car accident
zanazy's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Another quick, feel good, romance read. Lots of the story is predictable but it’s done in a way I did not mind it. Bee is a great lead, I lover her imperfections and comparing her to Olive from Love Hypothesis, she’s much more relatable because she’s so imperfect. I’m not sure why both main leads are orphans, but Bee having a twin sister as an outlet was a welcome add. Levi is great. He’s similar yet more approachable than Adam, and I liked him right away. My favorite character was Rocio… she was the best thing about this story.
Bee had a lot of baggage… too much, in addition to being an orphan, she was engaged and ultimately called off her wedding weeks before because her fiancée was cheating on her with her bff. This meant she could not go to the lab she planned to go to (since they were going there too), and yeah. She also had serious fears of being left alone and heartbreak so she’s really in a bad spot to love anyone. Levi was too perfect and as it’s said in the book… to “hate” someone that much it’s like love. He was clearly head over heels with Bee… with her being a neuro science expert, her obliviousness to this was not funny, it was sad.
Plot wise, of course the guy friend if Levi was the bad guy… of course Rocio falls for Kaylee… basically a rehash of Love Hypothesis. Huge lack of originality. The girl power moments become a joke when I’m the end Levi is the savior. That NASA would have such crap security… completely unrealistic.
For a cute easy read, it’s comparable to Love Hypothesis… but be warned… you may just want to read that again as this is much too similar a story. Rocio aside, no originality in this one.
Bee had a lot of baggage… too much, in addition to being an orphan, she was engaged and ultimately called off her wedding weeks before because her fiancée was cheating on her with her bff. This meant she could not go to the lab she planned to go to (since they were going there too), and yeah. She also had serious fears of being left alone and heartbreak so she’s really in a bad spot to love anyone. Levi was too perfect and as it’s said in the book… to “hate” someone that much it’s like love. He was clearly head over heels with Bee… with her being a neuro science expert, her obliviousness to this was not funny, it was sad.
Plot wise, of course the guy friend if Levi was the bad guy… of course Rocio falls for Kaylee… basically a rehash of Love Hypothesis. Huge lack of originality. The girl power moments become a joke when I’m the end Levi is the savior. That NASA would have such crap security… completely unrealistic.
For a cute easy read, it’s comparable to Love Hypothesis… but be warned… you may just want to read that again as this is much too similar a story. Rocio aside, no originality in this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Grief and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
lizgriffinwords's review against another edition
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.
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
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Chronic illness, and Death of parent