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A review by symabee
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Ali Hazelwood blends romance, humor, and science in such a wonderful way. I've been in a huge reading slump for the past 4 months, but I flew through this book in two days.
Things I loved:
- Ali really shines a light on the struggles of women in STEM and academia. Her FMCs are intelligent, capable and determined while still being flawed and relatable humans.
- She also knows how to write a good MMC that is not only a hunk physically, but also devoted as hell (I'm talking YEARS of pining).
- There was a 'You've Got Mail' undertone, so it will appeal to the fans of 90s romcoms.
- Bee's assistant is basically a goth April from 'Parks and Rec' which I loved.
- Plenty of Star Wars references and Marie Curie fun facts for the nerds.
Things that I didn't love as much:
(Potential mild spoilers)
- If you read The Love Hypothesis, then you'll recognize that in a lot of ways, Levi is just Adam but in a different font. They're both tall, built and athletic scientists with dark hair. They both initially come off as gruff assholes. They both secretly carry a torch for years for a woman they can't have. As the book progresses their personality differences become more apparent though.
- Certain aspects of the plot were painfully predictable, within 25 pages I knew how the love story would unfold. But we don't really read romance for the shocking plot twists right?
- There's plenty of miscommunication and secrets in this book, which only mildly annoys me, but I know some people hate that.
- The third act breakup where the FMC has the love of her life but walks away because she's scared of getting hurt again 🙄
Final thoughts:
Ali Hazelwoods books aren't perfect, but at this point I plan on reading everything she writes because her books just make me plain happy, and that's all I need ❤️
Things I loved:
- Ali really shines a light on the struggles of women in STEM and academia. Her FMCs are intelligent, capable and determined while still being flawed and relatable humans.
- She also knows how to write a good MMC that is not only a hunk physically, but also devoted as hell (I'm talking YEARS of pining).
- There was a 'You've Got Mail' undertone, so it will appeal to the fans of 90s romcoms.
- Bee's assistant is basically a goth April from 'Parks and Rec' which I loved.
- Plenty of Star Wars references and Marie Curie fun facts for the nerds.
Things that I didn't love as much:
(Potential mild spoilers)
- If you read The Love Hypothesis, then you'll recognize that in a lot of ways, Levi is just Adam but in a different font. They're both tall, built and athletic scientists with dark hair. They both initially come off as gruff assholes. They both secretly carry a torch for years for a woman they can't have. As the book progresses their personality differences become more apparent though.
- Certain aspects of the plot were painfully predictable, within 25 pages I knew how the love story would unfold. But we don't really read romance for the shocking plot twists right?
- There's plenty of miscommunication and secrets in this book, which only mildly annoys me, but I know some people hate that.
- The third act breakup where the FMC has the love of her life but walks away because she's scared of getting hurt again 🙄
Final thoughts:
Ali Hazelwoods books aren't perfect, but at this point I plan on reading everything she writes because her books just make me plain happy, and that's all I need ❤️
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Sexism
Minor: Gun violence, Death, and Infidelity