You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
A review by ashley_mcfadden
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Okay, all I've heard on BookTok and in any comment section about this book are negative reviews. I'm learning that Ali Hazelwood is my guilty pleasure author because between "Love on the Brain" and "The Love Hypothesis" I've immensely enjoyed both. I don't know if it's because I've happened to read them the weekend I should be studying for an exam or if I just love them so much. Like I wrote in my TLH review, I have not, nor plan to watch any of the Star Wars movies, so I don't really pick up on any possibly weird nods to the franchise outside of obvious comparisons/mentions. Also, Hazelwood having started as a fanfic writer, in my opinion, only makes these books so much better because as many of us readers know, there are some writers out there who should be publishing their own series instead of typing away on AO3.
Anyway, that rant has been building up in me over the last few days and I needed to put it somewhere.
Specifically about "Love on the Brain": I think I liked this one more than TLH because it was set in a post-PHD, real-world scenario, and it having more actual science in it made me appreciate the entirety of the plot line even more. I was totally enthralled in the helmet problem as much as I was with the romance, whereas in TLH, I really only cared for the romance. There were so many predictable plot points that I had correctly guessed ahead of time and although I usually see this as a downfall, I was enjoying myself far too much to care. In fact, I think I was more excited that I had gotten it right than anything else!
I found that Bee was an extremely fun character to read about and explore her mind because not only was she witty, but I found it ironic that although she's a doctor of neuroscience she is still gaslighting herself into believing certain scenarios, which was frustrating at times, but also when it turns out she was wrong, it was so rewarding to see her reactions. And Levi! I loved him as a character and as the love interest. It was so obvious from the start that Bee was just oblivious to everything he thought about her, and watching him work through that was, at times, hilarious. He also was so much more complex I feel like than Adam was in TLH, which to me, just shows Hazelwood's growth from book one to book two.
Also, I would find I was doing a disservice to anyone who reads this nonsense review if I didn't mention Rocio. I literally loved her character. She brought so much comedic relief to the heavier chapters and although I feel like maybe she could have gotten a little more character-building, I really enjoyed it every time she was on the page.
Finally, I know that Hazelwood includes a message at the end about standardized testing for college and graduate programs, but that is such an issue still today, and after seeing that these tests aren't all that necessary because of COVID and schools dropping that requirement, I really liked that she included that as being a pretty good sized problem in the novel. Plus, the STEM aspect of it, as always, was fascinating to read about (it helps that I also am in STEM so the problems feel more relatable).
Okay, I could probably rant about this book for the next year, but I will leave it there for future me to reference. I am sooo looking forward to Love Theoretically (and anyone who says TLH was better, in my opinion, doesn't know what they're talking about).
Anyway, that rant has been building up in me over the last few days and I needed to put it somewhere.
Specifically about "Love on the Brain": I think I liked this one more than TLH because it was set in a post-PHD, real-world scenario, and it having more actual science in it made me appreciate the entirety of the plot line even more. I was totally enthralled in the helmet problem as much as I was with the romance, whereas in TLH, I really only cared for the romance. There were so many predictable plot points that I had correctly guessed ahead of time and although I usually see this as a downfall, I was enjoying myself far too much to care. In fact, I think I was more excited that I had gotten it right than anything else!
I found that Bee was an extremely fun character to read about and explore her mind because not only was she witty, but I found it ironic that although she's a doctor of neuroscience she is still gaslighting herself into believing certain scenarios, which was frustrating at times, but also when it turns out she was wrong, it was so rewarding to see her reactions. And Levi! I loved him as a character and as the love interest. It was so obvious from the start that Bee was just oblivious to everything he thought about her, and watching him work through that was, at times, hilarious. He also was so much more complex I feel like than Adam was in TLH, which to me, just shows Hazelwood's growth from book one to book two.
Also, I would find I was doing a disservice to anyone who reads this nonsense review if I didn't mention Rocio. I literally loved her character. She brought so much comedic relief to the heavier chapters and although I feel like maybe she could have gotten a little more character-building, I really enjoyed it every time she was on the page.
Finally, I know that Hazelwood includes a message at the end about standardized testing for college and graduate programs, but that is such an issue still today, and after seeing that these tests aren't all that necessary because of COVID and schools dropping that requirement, I really liked that she included that as being a pretty good sized problem in the novel. Plus, the STEM aspect of it, as always, was fascinating to read about (it helps that I also am in STEM so the problems feel more relatable).
Okay, I could probably rant about this book for the next year, but I will leave it there for future me to reference. I am sooo looking forward to Love Theoretically (and anyone who says TLH was better, in my opinion, doesn't know what they're talking about).