This was so sweet and fun. I was smiling throughout reading this book. The characters were fantastic, there wasn't any unnecessary drama and I absolutely loved the chemistry between the two main characters. They balanced out each other so well and I loved seeing their relationship grow into something so beautiful and wholesome.

Plus, the family dynamic and friendship in the book was top notch!

One of the best romances that I have read in a while. Very enjoyable 🥰

I have been wanting to read from Christina Lauren for a while, so when I got the chance to read this one I was so excited. The Soulmate Equation is the story of Jess, a single mother who unexpectedly finds a match using the new dating app GeneticALLY, that finds you a match based on your DNA.

There has been a lot of stories on this kind of thing lately, and I am living for it. The One, Soulmates, and now this, all have a similar premise; finding your true match through your genetics. But this one felt more lighthearted and more like a rom-com than those other ones. It was a bit predictable in places, but I enjoyed it despite this.

Jess was a wonderful lead, a hard-working single mother who loves her child more than anything in the world and doesn't let anything come between them. Her best friend was fun, and typical. The love interest was interesting enough (not enough substance, but he was just eye-candy for the story). It took a while to get into things, but once the romance started it went quickly. It was fun, steamy and sweet all at once.

It's harmless and fun and I think its just the right kind of book to read if you just want an easy, happy time.

Thank you to the authors, publishers and NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sweet romance plus some science geekery ... as far as I'm concerned, what's not to love?

I have an almost love/hate relationship with a lot of contemporary romance - either it gives me all the emotional feels and I race through it, or I just can't get into it at all and it puts me off reading anything at all for a while. Fortunately, The Soulmate Equation fell into the love column. Admittedly, it took me a couple of tries to get into it at the start, but once I did I couldn't put it down.

Our heroine is Jess Davis, freelance statistician and single mum to 7-year-old (I think!) Juno. Our hero is Dr River Pena, geneticist and founder of a company that matches people to potential partners based on complimentary DNA sequences. The romance takes a little while to get going, but once it does it gives all the feels - and River and Juno are so cute together! This is more of an emotional romance than a particularly steamy one, which I liked - some of us aren't into that and that's ok.

Overall, if you're looking for a sweet, lighter summer read with a lovable band of characters then I would definitely recommend this.

I have only read The Unhoneymooners before and really enjoyed it so I was excited to pick up this new book by Christina Lauren.
I liked the main characters but didn't really feel the chemistry between them until quite late. However all the other characters were so adorable, from Juno to Fizzy, Pops and Nana Jo, I loved reading about them and would definitely read a book focusing on Fizzy!
The sudden turn of events was predictable but I liked how it was solved.

All in all a good romance for the summer or anytime of the year!

Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars!

I always go to Christina Lauren to find fas paced, heartwarming, fun reads and this one hit just the right spot as well.

The Soulmate Equation follows Jess Davis and River Pena as they discover that they are a 98% match on River's DNA based matchmaking test. Neither of them believes it, simply because their encounters so far have not been promising but both of them decide to explore this result for different reasons.

This book was funny and cute and just such an easy read. It's one of those books that's like a warm hug whenever you sit down to read it.

Overall, this storyline and characters were really interesting and well crafted and you will not be disappointed if you pick this book up!

River Pena is a scientist that has set up a dating agency based off of DNA compatibility - not DNA as in shared DNA coz that would be euggghhhh but DNA that matches another's DNA making it more likely that you are a match romantically. The higher the match the more of a true love story you make. Jess is a 30 year old single mum to 7 year old Juno and lives next to her grandparents. On a whim she submits her DNA to the company and, surprise surprise, it comes back as a very high match - 98% in fact - with the one and only Dr Pena. Should be smooth sailing from theron you would expect? Not quite.

Having read and loved The Unhoneymooners, I was delighted to receive an ARC of Christina Lauren's new romance, The Soulmate Equation.

Unfortunately this book lacks what The Unhoneymooners had - charm, warmth, excitement, laughs and likeable characters. It was a slow read - the couple only got to their first date at the 40% mark of the book, and dare I say it, I found it a tad boring - it just didn't move fast enough for me to become invested in the romance between River and Jess - they just weren't the most exciting of characters.

I do like a romance to have an element of real life to it and this was way far from that. There was also quite a bit of science, genetic and statistic garb for me to skim right past. Not as engaging as The Unhoneymooners but wouldn't put me off reading more of these authors' books

.

The Soulmate Equation is the latest standalone novel by Christina Lauren and it didn’t disappoint! I have read (and loved) most of their books and I think this is a return to some of their greats.
Set in San Diego, the story follows single mum statistician Jess, and founder of a DNA based dating service River. I won’t go into too much detail synopsis-wise, but following a diamond match Jess and River end up fake dating in the lead up to the service’s release. I love fake dating and grumpy heroes so this one was perfect for me. I also really liked the side characters too and would love a further book about Jess’ best friend (and romance author) Fizzy!
I will be honest and admit that I was disappointed in both In A Holidaze and The Honey Don’t List by CLo, so I was apprehensive when starting it. Fortunately my fears were unfounded and overall, the book was great. It is certainly up there vying for my favourite standalone. My only criticisms are that it was slightly too science-y for me and I would’ve liked more steam but they are certainly minor quibbles and a personal preference! I loved The Soulmate Equation and flew through it; and it certainly cemented my need to visit San Diego when I’m allowed to travel again!
[Thank you to Little Brown Book Group for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review- I actually purchased the ebook before I received the ARC].

It’s absolutely no secret I’m a Christina Lauren fan. I’ve read about 10 of their books now, I think, and loved every single one of them. They’re my favourite romance authors, period.

So I was super excited when hearing about the Soulmate Equation, and I absolutely devoured it.

I really loved our main character, Jess, as well as our love interest, River. Their relationship made me swooned and I just loved, loved reading about them. Moreover, I loved all our little side characters, especially Fizzy and Juno who own my heart.

The story is very cute and the premise is super interesting as dating apps have sort of taken over the world for the last few years - I met my partner through one so I can’t complain to be honest!

It was cute, endearing and very Christina Lauren and, ah, I really really love their work. They never disappoint.

4.5 stars
Over the years I’ve had a lot of hit and miss relationships with the authors books. I don’t know if it’s my moods or what’s happening but I loved this book so much.
From e beginning to the end, there wasn’t any dull moment for me while reading it.
I enjoyed the writing, the inner thoughts, the dialogue and interactions between all the characters and more than anything, the romance side. It’s not perfect as nothing is perfect in life, but it’s perfect for these characters and that’s why I love it so much.

Sweet, funny & steamy! I loved seeing a romance about a single mom and the this was packed full of swoon & steamy moments! Maybe my favourite Christina Lauren book yet!

This was so cute and fun! My first Christina Lauren book, and it won't be the last. There were nerdy science elements too, which I loved. If you're in the mood for a summer romance read, this is a great option.
Thanks a lot for the copy.

The Soulmate Equation, the New York Times Bestselling rom com, Christina Lauren

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Romance,

I loved this, it's a really fun, feelgood read. The characters feel so real, they're lovely but have flaws, and their lives aren't all plain sailing. That makes them feel like one of us. Even River, who on the face ( and what a face!!) seems to have it all, rich, gorgeous, fabulous home, is actually kind of shy, reserved and that comes over as rude and arrogant.
I'm not sure who's my favourite, I adored Jess and her grit, her determination to be a better mum to Juno that her own mum. Her parents were a wonderful pair, so supportive and loving. Fizzy, everyone deserves a best friend like her. River, who starts off cold and unlikable but actually is very different. Then there's Juno, old beyond her years adorable girl who was a scene stealer.

Its a great mix of long term events, and short term crises. I love how Fizzy and Jess both do their work in the cafe, laptops out, coffees to hand and chat breaks. What a great working environment.
The plots are perfect, lots going on but not confusing, and I love when a book has multi layers like this, not all in, one main plot style. The surprise of River and Jess matching – when neither had real plans to meet others. The gradual unfolding of River's true personality ( swoon) and the closeness and respect that grew between them. The other work colleagues with River, the interviews, it was all so easy to read.

Then after everything is built up comes the crash. I didn't see that coming, I knew of course something would put its spoke in, I read a lot of romance, you know the way it works after a while, but that disaster came as a shock. I love that it wasn't a quickly sorted issue, that it covered a time period and several pages. I love the downside part of drama, want it to last, not be over by next page. And it felt right, the reactions matched what I knew of the characters, felt true, realistic. After that sort of shock you would want a time out, and after things were explained I understood just why they acted that way, heartbreaking though it was.

Stars: Five, I really enjoyed this, fun to read, great humour but with a serious side too.

ARC supplied by Netgally and publishers

4.5 Stars I have to say that while this isn't as steamy as I would like, I've made peace with the fact that this isn't how CL write anymore and that's growth. All that to say this might be my favourite CL book since with Wild Seasons series. It was cute, it was fun it had nerdy stuff which I'm always here for and a kid that I didn't hate. So happy I read this. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to review an early copy.

Christina Lauren books are usually a hit or miss for me. Either I absolutely adore them, or I really don’t care, and I stop after a few pages. The Soulmate Equation was an ohmygod I completely fell in love with it and didn’t want to put it down book. Yeah, that’s much I adored it. This is a sciencey romance book, and it was so much fun.

Jess is a statistician, a single mother and on the verge of giving up on love. It’s hard to date when you have a seven-year-old to look after, and after a bad date, she decides she didn’t have the time. Best friend Fizzy is not happy with that, and after a gorgeous regular in the coffee shop they frequent turns out to be one of the head scientists on a project where they hope to study your DNA and find your true love? Fizzy drags her along with her. But when Jess matches up with the scientist himself, River, she can’t believe it as this guy can’t be her soulmate.

This book was so damn fun. Once I started reading it, I really didn’t want to stop. I loved so many of the characters so much. Juno was such a sweet kid; Fizzy was a fun best friend; Jess’s grandparents were the kindest, and River could be difficult, but he had a heart of gold under the hard layers. There were just so many times where I was awwing and laughing.

I’m sure you all want to hear about the romance too, and you know what? I genuinely loved it. Their banter, the sweet moments and the chemistry…it was everything. I’m with Fizzy in that they could totally have more romance novels inspired by them. There were some sex scenes, but they weren’t all that explicit, and there weren’t too many. A personal preference though I know many will disagree. I mostly loved how River was immediately willing to help out when Jess needed him. Even if she tried to be polite and brush him off. He insisted as it was obvious she was a mess and wasn’t going to help herself. His relationship with Juno was adorable, and it was sweet seeing some father-daughter moments among the romance.

That being said, there are some sad moments too. Jess hasn’t always had the best family life. Her mum is terrible, and when something happens to one of her grandparents, it’s a nightmare. I just wanted to hug Jess and tell her she didn’t have to give everything up for them. That she deserved to be happy, And ugh, I’m so glad that she came to that realisation too.

I will say this book is rather predictable. In the scene where things start to go wrong, it’s really obvious what’s going to happen. And I did roll my eyes a little. But romance is a very formulaic genre, so that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You kind of expect things to be at least a little obvious.

This book has definitely made it onto my list of best books of the year. I enjoyed it so much, and it’s definitely one I’ll be rereading in the future when I need a fluffy fix.

This book sucked me in right from the very start and I loved every minute of it! I’ve read a few other Christina Lauren books and I have to say they’ve done it again!

There was so many things to love about this book:
- Enemies to lovers, I always love enemies to lovers and although they weren’t enemies for a lot of the book it still worked really well.
- Fake dating! fake dating is always fun especially when real feeling start to get mixed in which is what happened between Jess and River.
- Unique concept, I’ve never read a book with a concept like this that you’re soulmate can be calculated from your DNA so it was really interesting!
- Lots of romance between the main characters, there were loads of moments that gave me butterflies which is what makes a great romance book in my opinion.
- So much chemistry between Jess and River
- River was just a perfect love interest! He comes across as a bit of a dick at first but he’s actually a total sweetheart.
- Supportive and slightly crazy author best friend which is, let’s be honest, what we all need in our lives!

I absolutely adored this book, I flew through it in two sittings and would 100% recommend if you love romance!

I floved this book. He’s called Dr River Peña; that name alone is pure hotness, but the guy himself is gorgeous. Olive skin, whiskey coloured eyes, dark hair, that’s a little bit too long. I bet he has butt dimples too. Butt dimples are my favourite thing and even if Christina Lauren didn’t write that he has butt dimples, I’ve decided he has them.

The Soulmate Equation is like proper old school romance. Grumpy Americano aka River buys his coffee at the same time every day watched by Jess and her best friend Fizzy. He’s a brainiac and gorgeous, did I say he has butt dimples? Because butt dimples are everything.

Yes, there’s a dating app that matches people by DNA analysis ( I know there is another book/tv series with that theme) and Jess and River together have the highest ever recorded score. Swoooooon! They are off the charts compatible. I could feel the sizzle. Goosebumps on goosebumps.

If there wasn’t a character in the book called Fizzy, I would say this book was fizzy. Fizzy like champagne fizzing out of the bottle. I swear when River and Jess had their first kiss, the corks were popping all over the world and angels were singing.

The supporting characters are cool too. Juno and Fizzy are cute, hilarious and utterly adorable. I would love to have Fizzy as my bestie. I just loved her quirkiness.

A fab, feel good read.

Dnf @ 51% // Ch 14

Sadly I never managed to connect with this story, while the concept was interesting and the writing easy to read. I spend the first half hating the main guy River, as all got to see was him being rude and disrespectful towards Jess.

While Jess came across boring and i just didnt care what happened next, it took too long to start the romance and by the time got to it any chance of gripping me was gone. I tried to get into this a few times across two weeks and couldn't get any further, decided its simply not for me.

I will say that the best friend Fizzy is stunning though and if had been her pov/story i may have fallen in love. Also if you like enemies to lovers vibes there's plenty of that to start and i did enjoy the start to their fake dating, it was a rather sweet moment.

Still their overall romance doesn't have me invested and so im going to dnf, its definitely me though as im sure many will adore for the reasons i didnt.

If you could find your soulmate by a DNA sample would you do it? Jess, a single mother edging towards 30, thinks she’s at a dead end in her love life. After having no successful relationships post giving birth, she’s tempted to give up until her 7to daughter is a teenager. When her and her friend Fizzy meet the founder of a new genetic based matchmaking business, she finds it hard to believe she matches with him at 98% compatible (a company first!). Can this stubborn and robotic man be her match? Jess finds herself being paid to get to know Dr River Pena and see if there’s some truth behind the statistics.

I absolutely adored this book! Once again Christina Lauren have blown me away. The characters were so fun and well developed (Fizzy being one of my favourites). I’d definitely say this book is up there in my favourites of the standalones and I’d rate it 5 stars ⭐️ I think the premises of the book being around data and statistics put a unique edge to this contemp romance and even though I didn’t have a clue what half the words meant, it didn’t need to make sense cause it’s supposed to be fun!!! And it was, it was such an enjoyable read

4.5 stars
This is the first book that I've read from Christina Lauren but it certainly won't be the last.
I really enjoyed this and found myself racing through it to see how it would all turn out.
First of all, the concept was a really interesting one.
I also liked that Jess wasn't just some aimless twenty-something. She has a young daughter, an unconventional family unit, a job (and a freelance one at that) and isn't actively pining for love/to be in a relationship.
That in particular I really identified with.
I also felt some serious sparks from River and Jess.
As soon as River puts his coat around Jess I was 100% on board with their relationship. I mean, the heat from them in that one moment sold me on them as a couple.
The supporting characters in this are also well written. I loved Fizzy and Juno might just be the cutest and most adorable kid ever!
The sense of humour in this is great too.
I can't wait to see what Christina Lauren does next and I've already got The Unhoneymooners on my list of books to read next.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Christina Lauren have done it again, I had to take a few days to actually let this one sink in. I loved every second of it, which I didn’t doubt at all because every Christina Lauren book has had exactly the same reaction from me.

Jess and Rivers relationship is just *chefs kiss*. I loved Jess being a single mom, I think the direction they took that in is one that many women face and how do you handle a new relationship whilst your child is still your main priority? This book managed to wrench my heart and put it back together again.

It was a light and funny read with relatable characters which made it quick to immerse yourself in their world.