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A review by readingwithalexis
The Love Simulation by Etta Easton

funny hopeful medium-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

3.5

Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐.5/5

This was my first novel from Etta Easton, though I am excited to read The Kiss Countdown from here as well. I thought this was a very cute, quick read! 

The story follows Brianna Rogers as she is finishing up her first year as vice principal. She has been trying to follow strict boundaries between her and the other teachers to prevent any scandals. The only problem is that she has a massive crush on the science teacher and principal’s son, Roman. She is trying to stay professional, but wants to get close to him. His father on the other hand has been trying to make her workplace a living hell and pushing against any of her ideas. She has been promised funds to renovate the school’s library and before the end of the school year, the principal announced that the funds has been reallocated to building a football field. In order to secure more funding, she decided to use her summer to compete in a simulation to ‘live’ on Mars for 6 weeks with three other teachers. She battles how she can stay in close quarters with fellow teachers and not break her boundaries…little did she know that Roman would also join the simulation. Will she be able to stick to her goals or will she become distracted by Roman’s presence? 

I enjoyed this novel overall. Brianna was very critical of her self and constantly compared to herself to her siblings and their accomplishments. She was following the guidance of her mentor to distance herself from her colleagues and it created a very lonely life for herself. I wished she had learned to balance her professional life versus her personal life better. Roman was an interesting character and it was great that we were able to explore his stoicism and motivations for his career. I enjoyed the found family aspect towards the end of the novel and she was able to open to her own family. 

The romance was sweet. She did take a while to realize he was interested when it seemed pretty obvious from the outside perspective, which did get frustrating. Overall, I’d recommend this book if you want a cute, humorous romance that flows well and has low stakes!