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A review by lovelymisanthrope
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
3.5
This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year because I read "The Love Hypothesis" last year and loved it. I am a sucker for a nerdy romcom that takes place in higher education. I was really into this book until the end, which kind of ruined it for me.
"Love on the Brain" follows Bee, a young woman who has been struggling to make a name for herself in her academic field, neuroengineering. When she gets offered her dream job to work with NASA she is elated...until she finds out her co lead is Levi, a man who has hated her since grad school, seemingly for no reason. Bee relocates to Texas to start her new job and is frustrated not only to see that Levi is the same guy, but that she still has to deal with the sexist politics she has always had to face. Can Bee succeed with her project and finally prove to everyone that women are just as capable as men, and can her and Levi resolve their differences?
I think it is pretty obvious that this story centralizes as a love story between Bee and Levi. I am normally not a big fan of enemies to lovers, but their story overall did work for me. I loved seeing their love story, and I really enjoyed that they already had a past together, so it kind of felt like a second chance romance. I did think Bee was incredibly annoying at times. I understand an empathize that she is going through a difficult time and trying to heal from her past trainwreck of a relationship, but she is entirely convinced that Levi is the enemy and will not even give him a chance. I also understand that woman, especially in the science fields, have to work twice as hard because of their sexist male counterparts, and I love to see Ali Hazelwood's characters kickass and show how smart and capable they are, but I am getting a little bored that all of her characters seem to have the same jaded outlook. I would love to see her write a woman character who is a little less jaded by the struggles woman face. Again, I get it, and it sucks that we still live in a world where women are seen as inferior, just from a fictional standpoint, I would love to see a variety.
The ending of this book is CRAZY. The story takes a dramatic, Hollywood -like turn and becomes a high action, higher stakes adventure for a hot second, which I did not see coming. This is where the story lost me. I did not need that intense scene, and it seemed way too over the time to be plausible.
I will definitely read from Ali Hazelwood again, but I do hope she writes a different story in the future!
"Love on the Brain" follows Bee, a young woman who has been struggling to make a name for herself in her academic field, neuroengineering. When she gets offered her dream job to work with NASA she is elated...until she finds out her co lead is Levi, a man who has hated her since grad school, seemingly for no reason. Bee relocates to Texas to start her new job and is frustrated not only to see that Levi is the same guy, but that she still has to deal with the sexist politics she has always had to face. Can Bee succeed with her project and finally prove to everyone that women are just as capable as men, and can her and Levi resolve their differences?
I think it is pretty obvious that this story centralizes as a love story between Bee and Levi. I am normally not a big fan of enemies to lovers, but their story overall did work for me. I loved seeing their love story, and I really enjoyed that they already had a past together, so it kind of felt like a second chance romance. I did think Bee was incredibly annoying at times. I understand an empathize that she is going through a difficult time and trying to heal from her past trainwreck of a relationship, but she is entirely convinced that Levi is the enemy and will not even give him a chance. I also understand that woman, especially in the science fields, have to work twice as hard because of their sexist male counterparts, and I love to see Ali Hazelwood's characters kickass and show how smart and capable they are, but I am getting a little bored that all of her characters seem to have the same jaded outlook. I would love to see her write a woman character who is a little less jaded by the struggles woman face. Again, I get it, and it sucks that we still live in a world where women are seen as inferior, just from a fictional standpoint, I would love to see a variety.
The ending of this book is CRAZY. The story takes a dramatic, Hollywood -like turn and becomes a high action, higher stakes adventure for a hot second, which I did not see coming. This is where the story lost me. I did not need that intense scene, and it seemed way too over the time to be plausible.
I will definitely read from Ali Hazelwood again, but I do hope she writes a different story in the future!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Death and Death of parent