I'd give this a 2.5 for me, as it really was just okay, but after having looked at the other reviews, I decided to round up because I don't believe a book's quality should be assessed based on the moral judgements of its readers. It's one thing to say a book is poorly written, constructed, plotted, or its characters are one dimensional, etc. But to say 'this book is not good because I disagree with the morality of the characters, choosing to use a love potion', is silly. Not that I think the Love Bug story points add to the quality of the book as a whole; in fact, I actually think the book could've done without that bit entirely, and would've perhaps been stronger, as that whole back and forth was ultimately a bit pointless, and the characters and relationships were interesting enough on their own. Also, characters are meant to be flawed-- and sure, maybe *you* are the kind of person who maintains utmost integrity, even in the face of heartbreak, and you would never succumb to your own desperate misery. But I'm not going to pretend for one single second that I couldn't be led down a 'dark path', or that I'd label someone who did resort to something like a magic love pill as a 'bad person'. Yeah, there are ethical issues with that-- that's precisely why we have Science Fiction (or, in this case, Romantic Comedies with Sci-Fi-Light elements), to extrapolate and tease out the potential pitfalls of such medical and technological advancements.
Outside of all that, The Love Solution is truly mediocre. It's the kind of thing you pick up because you've exhausted everything other option, or because there's a secondhand copy on sale for $1.99. It feels like it has been churned out, a bottom of the barrel tale that the author spruced up so she could make that next mortgage payment. It all feels very dated, in its language and domesticity, as if it was either created twenty years ago, or else is intended for an audience of senior citizens who prefer a more tame story. And, by the way, I don't mean that as a cut down; I think it could be successful in assisted living book circles, and there's not a ton geared towards that demographic.

This book was so fun! This was the first book I've read from this author and I really enjoyed it. The story was different from anything I've read recently and really captured my attention. It was so well written and the characters were fantastic.

The prologue really interested me, but unfortunately I didn’t grew to like the book. I wasn’t much of a fan of Molly’s perspective, and I didn’t feel that much attached to the characters...

Hmmm, I was pretty much drawn to the book for the cover and description. I keep doing this to myself, where I think a book with a "scientist female character" will be something a bit more than a trope, but no. They always end up being a trope, which is totally fine, but not my cup of tea. I mean, the actual project she's working on is a love potion, so maybe I was just fooling myself to begin with. Maybe if the book was written by a real woman scientist would I ever be completely happy with how that character comes out?? Anyways, the book was fine, but Molly just put me off so much that I couldn't give it a higher rating. I did love her and Sarah's sister relationship.

"The Love Solution" follows sisters Sarah and Molly. The two of them are close after losing their parents in a car accident when they were younger. Sarah is trying to start a new business while happily in love with her boyfriend Niall. Molly is working in her lab with her hot boss Ewan trying to create something called "The Love Bug." Molly is attracted to Ewan, but he has a strict rule about not getting involved with coworkers after his ex-wife had an affair with a colleague. You follow all that? Well when Molly has a break through with developing the "The Love Bug" she has to deal with her sister wanting to use it after she gets dumped by Niall.

I have to say that science is a major plot of this book but I am really aggravated by how it was used. So you all remember the movie "Love Potion No. 9?"

As a kid even I thought the movie was messed up. You have two scientists that put together a potion that makes them unresistible to whoever they speak to. Yeah....let's not even get into the messed up actions of the two leads in the movie and how they were advocating for rape. Someone being forced to respond to you due to "science" is not great. So with "The Love Solution" after Sarah is dumped by Niall she demands her sister help her get him back by using what she is developing in her lab.

So Sarah is just plain awful through this book. She also gets involved in a love triangle and I maybe threw my hands up. The fact that she wants her sister to use something that she developed to force a guy who dumped her to get back with her? I just could not. And then Croft tries to instill some "comedy" into things when they do a whole well did we use the actual love bug or was it a placebo. I can't believe that the author didn't even have one of these two fools talk about consent and how they shouldn't be doing this and wasn't this a form of rape. If I had known more about this book I would have passed on getting it via NetGalley. The synopsis made it seem like it was a fun romance with two sisters possibly doing something involving science but not with something that would actually involve forcing men to be with you if they don't want to be.

Molly is a dingbat and it takes her freaking boss telling her how far she overstepped for her to even get it. But of course he has done something she can point to and be all ethics in gaming and I wanted to throttle her too.

And I can't with the love interests because they are void of any type of personality and should be called Beige 1 and Beige 2. Neither sister deserves happiness and should be forced into therapy and get it through their tiny heads that being with a man is not the end all be all and if you have to "game" a dude to being with you you are a messed up person. And of course they learn some lessons, yadda yadda yadda. You both still suck.

The writing wasn't great either. There were some awkward sentence structures that gave me pause here and there. The flow was awful too. I don't think Croft was able to juggle two characters and their story-lines. I will pass on her in the future.

The ending made me roll my eyes. That's all I got.

The Love Solution is a charming and enjoyable read.

I loved the relationship between Sarah and Molly. They had a deep sisterly bond that was believable in all of its fun, uncomfortable and complicated moments. They are complete opposites in so many ways but clearly care for each other.

Ashley Croft spoiled us with this book by telling it from both sisters perspectives so we get not one but two romance stories at once. Molly is obsessed with her boss who is completely off limits while Sarah is determined to get her ex to come beg her to get back together. There were a few plot points that felt predictable but the writing style and a few surprises kept me engaged and wanting to read more.

"The Love Solution" was a quirky book about two sisters with a strong bond, Molly and Sarah. Sarah is a craft business owner and Molly is a scientist. When Sarah breaks up with her long-term boyfriend, she turns to Molly to help her take a more scientific approach to dealing with the heartbreak.
Initially, the cover and the STEM theme are what drew me to the book. While I enjoyed following the sisters perspectives on navigating love, I struggled in the middle of novel. The sisters make a choice that really made no sense to me and almost made me not want to finish the book. I felt like it was introduced as a pretty serious issue, but no one actually acted like it was serious. It's hard to sum up without giving away too many spoilers! All was resolved eventually.
While I enjoyed the story, I didn't really connect with the characters and felt as if Molly and Sarah were telling two different stories. Yes the stories did have some overlap, but it felt like there was a lack of connection between the sisters besides the dialogue between them.

2.5/5 stars from me, but I would recommend this to readers looking for an easy romance!


*I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading Ashley Croft’s latest novel, The Love Solution, which focuses on the love lives of two sisters. I was a particular fan of Molly’s story. Her passions for science and for her sexy, brooding boss, Ewan, were fun to read about and it was interesting to learn more about the challenges of tandem bicycling. I liked reading about Sarah’s tiara business and her friendship with Liam, but I struggled a lot with her character. I understand that both pregnancy and love can make one particularly emotional, but her behavior was truly melodramatic in some parts of the book.

This book was more cute than steamy, so it’s safe for public spaces. It was predictable, but most romances are, so I didn’t really mind. Overall, it was an entertaining and quick read that would be perfect for the beach.

I am usually pretty good at selecting books to read, that are to my taste and I enjoy and review them highly. This unfortunately isn't the case with this book. I have read some of this author's previous books (published under a different name) and I loved them, so I thought for sure that this new book would also be enjoyable. I requested this book from NetGalley.com and starting reading it as soon as I finished the book I was reading. I had high hopes for it. I was wrong this time.

This book is written in a different style than her other books. One that I do not care for. The "F" word is used 24 times (if I counted correctly), mostly in the first 1/3 of the book. I do not mind that word being used, sparingly, if the story needs it to express itself, but when it is used constantly or just for the shock value, I am turned off. There are so many words in the English language that an intelligent person can use instead. A book I tried to read in the past used the "F" word 3 times in the first page. I closed the book and never looked back; at the author or that book. So yes, I do have strong feelings about this issue. I have to admit that this was something that put me on guard and from that point on, I was not really happy to be reading the book, but was still giving it a chance.

The story dragged to me. I was just pushing through it to get it finished. The plot did get my interest and toward the middle, I actually was enjoying it but then it seemed to drag on.

I think I am just too old for this story. (60yrs old). Three of the main characters are so immature and got on my nerves with their bad decisions and actions. The only character that I liked was Liam.

Honestly, I hate to write bad reviews. Authors are my Rock Stars and I appreciate their skill of creating a world that readers can escape to. This escape just wasn't for me. I am sure there is an audience out there for it. Probably younger people than me.

A really enjoyable story. I liked the relationship between the two sisters and how their two lives intertwined I did find that the romance aspect in here did suffer a bit and perhaps was a little bit of a let down. I possibly would have preferred the sisters to have their own books with their own stories and intertwine their lives that way so that we could have gotten a full look at their lives and loves etc.

Ashley Croft's The Love Solution is a solid rom com for those who enjoy the genre. I wavered on my rating, as there were parts of the book I really enjoyed with the sisters and their relationship to each other being as important (if not more) than their relationships with romantic partners, but there were also some elements that could have benefited from a tighter edit (in my opinion).

Pushing the ethical considerations to the side, the scenario of creating a "love bug" and using that to bridge the various characters together was a cute construct, and this is a book I'd certainly take on vacation with me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

This was an interesting book, and an interesting concept of combining science and love the way they do in this book. The book however fell a little bit flat for me. Because the book focused on two siblings, I felt like I didn't really connect to either them enough to truly root for them as well as they both really frustrated me at times. The science in this is also very unethical which I wasn't a huge fan of. Lastly I found it a little tame for a Romance book.

It was a very fun book however and one that I was happy about how it all ended up which is important in the Romance book.

*I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This was a cute light-hearted read, and I really liked the cover! I liked the relationship between the two sisters, Molly & Sarah and enjoyed their story. The ending was a little predictable but it was a fun read overall. Would recommend for a quick book to read on the beach.

I had a hard time getting into this book. As other reviewers suggested, had the author focused on one main character (Molly) instead of both, it may have been a better read. I did love how close the sisters were and how they did their best to support and take care of each other. I did not like how Molly continually called Sarah, hon. I am not sure why, but it became really noticeable as I was reading the book. I think there was a lot of potential in the 4 main characters, but just not enough time or story to expand on them enough to make the story whole. All in all, a quick, breezy read. Lots of good potential, just not quite met.

This is a very sweet romance (of the "fade to black" variety) about two sisters in the UK. There's a lot of great stuff here between the two sisters - they have a great dynamic - but I think the book suffered slightly by both sisters having love interests. The men aren't quite as well-developed, but all in all it's still a very fun read.

What a fun book! I am a huge fan of British romantic comedy books and this was well worth the read! Molly and Sarah both had quite interesting stories. But, as a scientist myself, I confess to enjoying Molly's story a bit more. I don't want to give too much away about the premise of the book, but following a few months of the sisters' lives make for a fun and interesting book. I learned a lot about tandem bicycles and tiara making! There is one loose end that I would have liked tied up, but that's my only quibble with this pleasant book.


Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I think this book just wasn't the right one for me, but I could see how others would find it really sweet! I personally just couldn't connect with the characters and found Sarah's character to especially be unlikeable. I really didn't understand how she wanted to use the Love Bug on Niall after he had been SO horrible to her and didn't understand her motivations at all.

I really appreciated the opportunity to read this book early, thank you!

Spoilers ahead! I found myself really liking Molly, and really disliking Sarah. For the first half of the book I was very irritated by the childish behavior Sarah was showing, and the fact that she was putting a child into an unhealthy, unstable situation purely out of jealousy. I liked Molly's personality, I loved her dry wit. But again, she was wishy washy. I didn't find this to be a book about strong, independent, adult women, until the end of the book. I almost gave up a few times, I almost said "I cant do it," but I followed through and it got better. But a "got better" book, isn't really my type of book. It was good, but I would have changed quite a few things if I could. Just wish I could have cut to the second half, and then added from there. 2.5 stars from me.

I was not a fan of this one. It started promisingly enough, but by 40% it was only okay and then my 70% I was over it. I think if the author had chosen one sister (cough Molly) then it could have been a better story. I felt both plot lines were rushed and the relationships were both slowly cultivated and then rushed. All the sex scenes are fade to black, which depending on preference can be a pro or a con.

Things that bothered me:
-Niall
-The ethically of the 'Love Bug' like...the author tries to have that discussion, but doesn't excuse it being a plot device
-Author uses 'miles', this takes place in UK (granted could be changed in final draft)
- a few of the jokes seem a *tad* problematic (putting on weight)
-uses the word "oriental" which is not good

Honestly, i was hoping for a meet-cute story but this definitely wasn't that.
I must say that i liked to have the stories of the two sisters and the points of view of both but i feel like the book could have been easily made in two different stories, one for Molly and a totally different one for Sarah as we get so much from her life.
I could only think about how can one woman get herself in so many troubles in a span of a few weeks? I totally approved her independence and wanting to give up at her relationship with Niall, her secrets kept till the last minute, her friendship with Liam and her relation with Molly and what they are planning. All of this had my head spinning around, because i really see them as a normal person with a normal life but not to that extend to get to a point of using a love formula.
As for Molly, i feel that she gave up to quick, and honestly, i haven't felt the chemistry between them.
Overall it's a well-written book for sure, the characters are okayish but i just couldn't connect with them.