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A review by nikitanavalkar
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
If I haven’t said it enough times before, let me reiterate. Ali Hazelwood writes men of everyone’s (aka mine’s) dreams, and the task of writing real men should be handed over to her forevermore. And Levi Ward might be her best creation yet. Hold on, better than Adam you ask? To which I say Levi made me want to ask Adam who? JK I still love Adam too but I can hardly see beyond the Levi shaped stars in my eyes at the moment. He’s awkward yet alpha, mysterious and sweet, cold and considerate, brilliant, obvs, the quintessential Cute Hot Sexy guy, and the things he says will make you melt into a horny, emotional puddle. The thing is, he doesn’t have as much ✨ presence ✨ as say Adam did (idk how to explain it, maybe it’s that Bee thinks of Madam Curie as much as she does of Levi) but he’s as much, if not more swoonilicious. I mean, cook, nerd, cat dad. What else do you need?
Bee is also a quintessential Ali heroine, quirky, brilliant, funny, and adorably awkward. But she’s like the 2.0 version, in that she’s amazing and I love her. With her Marie Curie obsession and her useless autonomous system, and also her obsession with feral things like cats. And her assistant. And the secondary characters especially April Ludgate, I mean, Rocio, and Elle Woods, oh sorry Kaylee are a goddamn delight. These two are so different from each other and yet I’d die for either of them. Also Bee’s twin Reike even though she hardly even physically appears in the book.
The story of academic politics and intrigue as Levi and Bee reconnect as coworkers after a past as academic nemeses is crazy fun. Seemingly opposites but two people who have a surprising amount in common, they serve a bit of You’ve Got Mail too. Ms Ali has a way of taking tropes and making them her bitch, like you think this trope is obvious? Of course it is and we’re going to use it and laugh about it but we’re also going to swoon anyway. Rivals to lovers? Ridiculous size difference? Literal swooning in Bee’s case? Growling humans? GOOD GIRL? You’re gonna see it all and enjoy every minute. And you know a book with well written good girl placement is hot; don’t get me wrong it’s still a slow burn and not smut personified, but Levi’s horny pining for Bee will give you the good kind of tingles, and him saying sweetly dirty nothings to her when they get it on will restore your faith in science. Or scientists? Idk just go enjoy the treasure that is Levi Ward and Bee Koni—can’t even spell her name—being all adorable together.
Bee is also a quintessential Ali heroine, quirky, brilliant, funny, and adorably awkward. But she’s like the 2.0 version, in that she’s amazing and I love her. With her Marie Curie obsession and her useless autonomous system, and also her obsession with feral things like cats. And her assistant. And the secondary characters especially April Ludgate, I mean, Rocio, and Elle Woods, oh sorry Kaylee are a goddamn delight. These two are so different from each other and yet I’d die for either of them. Also Bee’s twin Reike even though she hardly even physically appears in the book.
The story of academic politics and intrigue as Levi and Bee reconnect as coworkers after a past as academic nemeses is crazy fun. Seemingly opposites but two people who have a surprising amount in common, they serve a bit of You’ve Got Mail too. Ms Ali has a way of taking tropes and making them her bitch, like you think this trope is obvious? Of course it is and we’re going to use it and laugh about it but we’re also going to swoon anyway. Rivals to lovers? Ridiculous size difference? Literal swooning in Bee’s case? Growling humans? GOOD GIRL? You’re gonna see it all and enjoy every minute. And you know a book with well written good girl placement is hot; don’t get me wrong it’s still a slow burn and not smut personified, but Levi’s horny pining for Bee will give you the good kind of tingles, and him saying sweetly dirty nothings to her when they get it on will restore your faith in science. Or scientists? Idk just go enjoy the treasure that is Levi Ward and Bee Koni—can’t even spell her name—being all adorable together.
Content Warnings
Minor: Gaslighting