This is a very hyped release, and for good reason: Ali Hazelwood’s first book was a really fun romance that ticked a lot of boxes for a wide variety of readers. This second book also has a great premise, featuring once again a woman in STEM as the MC, and more nerdy goodness.
Great news: it delivers on everything it promises and more: a scientist MC who is quirky and funny and 100% relatable, a scientist LI who is a marshmallow disguised as a grump, and a few unexpected bonuses in the side characters and plot details.

Bee is a strong MC: quirky and charmingly neurotic enough to be relatable, but also impossibly smart and a top scientist in a very cool field, so also someone to look up to. She deals with her fair share of mansplaining and gender bias in her work and comments on it all, both on page and as her alter-ego on Twitter, @WhatWouldMarieDo.

Levi is a great love interest and a strong MC of his own, defying expectations at every turn and charming us with his half-grumpy, half sweetheart ways (starting with his calling out sexist behavior in the workplace!)

What I also enjoyed was that this book has an actual plot that doesn’t entirely revolve around the romance (though of course we do focus on the latter as this is in fact a *romance* novel) — so we see it all develop gradually and organically: the characters, the plot, the relationship.
And let’s talk about that relationship: it was sweet without being sappy, with each character retaining their personality throughout, but finding a way to work together and balance each other out. I loved that they both made room for each other’s personal challenges but didn’t let them define the other person. Every detail contributed to create characters who were surprisingly realistic and relatable despite their very special circumstances, and I love that.

I had a few minor qualms with a couple of things that were taken slightly too far, like Bee’s insistence that Levi hates her even after plenty of evidence to the contrary, which felt almost like fishing on her part; and Bee’s obsession with Marie Curie, which while cool, fun, and informative for the most part, didn’t need to be mentioned at every turn as it was sometimes a bit distracting. Also as a European, Bee’s background felt a little like it was written by an American who feels like Europe is just a tiny America, with people easily moving back and forth between countries like it’s no big deal.

Other than that, a great romance novel to read and reread, particularly for those of us who love all things nerdy!

4 1/2 STARS.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of this year as The Love Hypothesis was one of my favourite books last year, and it really lived up to my expectations!

I loved Bee, she's such a great character and I love how driven she is with her work. Levi was also great and I loved seeing their relationship and the characters develop throughout the book. I did find them similar to Olive and Adam but I didn't mind at all! There were also so many moments that made me laugh as the banter was excellent!

While I did absolutely love the romance in this book, my favourite thing about it was actually the representation of women in STEM and academia. As a woman who's just beginning her career in academia, all of Bee's experiences felt so relatable and it was so good to read about similar experiences! I also really liked that this book addressed the biases and inequalities that are present in the graduate admissions process, as this is such an important issue. As I'm studying Psychology I also really enjoyed reading about all of the research and neuroscience that Bee was doing.

Overall, I loved everything about this book - I couldn't put it down and it's definitely a contender for my favourite book of the year!

I could not have loved this book any more if I tried! It was the perfect amount of witty, real and romantic to tick all of the boxes I was looking for.
I was not sure how it was going to hold up to the Love Hypothesis but I can confidently say I loved this just as much, the cats were an added bonus for me. Shedding light on an incredibly important issue through the book gave an interesting subplot that I was just as interested in! Levi is giving Adam and run for his money. I cannot wait for this book to come out so I can share it and is definitely a summer read. This is the perfect book to get you out of a reading slump and I am so grateful I got to read this in advance.

Fabulously written, witty, hilarious and utterly charming. A romance writer like no other, Hazelwood is an auto-buy author for me now! (Also hell yeah for women in STEM!)

I adored this!
After loving 'The Love Hypothesis', this was an instant read for me, and I ended up loving it even more!
There were so many moments where I was genuinely laughing out loud, or just generally shrieking (reading this at work is definitely not advisable, as I just completely fell in love with it, I just wanted to shout about it). I loved the cats, and the humour, and GOD Levi Ward. Levi, Levi, Levi. I'm not going to spoil anything, but truly, this man. Hazelwood has completely and utterly outdone herself with him.
I loved the similarities to her previous novel as well- I really do think this works in the book's favour. The gentle and adorable predictability was perfect and warm, and I just really really enjoyed how it was done.
I'm going to be screaming about this until August now.

(The biggest thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for this eARC!)

I never doubted Ali Hazelwood for a second. I knew she'd deliver, I devoured this so quickly and loved every second. Ali writes such fun characters with swoony romances and a good ol' reliable grumpy x sunshine trope. Can't go wrong really. And the feminist/women in STEM storylines are great, so inspiring and really interesting because the protagonists always have such interesting jobs, like Bee being a neuroscientist working at NASA.

If you like Love Hypothesis, you'll like this one. It has a similar vibe but it stands on it's own, These are the sort of books that'll get you out of a reading slump .It's just so easy to sit and read this in one sitting, it's such an enjoyable story and Ali's writing is just so effortless to read.

Charming, fun, quirky and romantic. With plenty of spice, let's not forget the spice. This certainly was a step up from Love Hypothesis in that department.

Loved this.

Thank you for approving my request to read this :)

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

To say I was excited to read this book would be a massive understatement. I read The Love Hypothesis in one night, staying up until 4am because I just couldn't put it down, and I've since reread it three times because it's just such a comforting read. I know it's going to be impossible to review Love on the Brain without comparing it to The Love Hypothesis, and I was definitely hesitant within the first few chapters, wondering whether it would just be the Love Hypothesis 2.0. But Hazelwood manages to create another story and set of characters who, whilst retaining the shame charm and characteristics that made her first novel so popular, stand on their own merits and makes me even more excited for what she'll write next.

It was clear from The Love Hypothesis that Hazelwood understands well loved romance tropes and knows how to use them in unique and believable way, but Love on the Brain highlights this even more. Sure, there were moments where it was obvious Bee misunderstood Levi and I wanted to shake her shoulders and make her see sense, but unlike other rom-coms that use this trope, these moments were never drawn out, and Hazelwood left enough in the dark that I empathised with Bee and was shocked at the reveals just like her. Bee also felt very well rounded, I understood her reasons for making certain decisions and Hazelwood manages to go in depth into her character and emotional baggage without it weighing the story down or feeling forced.

I really liked Bee and Levi, whilst I can see how they're similar to Olive and Adam, they were distinctly their own. I thought the enemies to lovers trope worked perfectly with these characters, their history was nuanced and complicated but also incredibly easy to follow, I loved seeing their relationship develop and change and they felt so lifelike.

One thing I particularly loved in Love on the Brain was the academic setting and plotlines, I know nothing about the fields that Bee and Levi specialise in, but Hazelwood creates this rich narrative that explains everything really well without being patronising, and I adored the way Bee talked about science and her love for Marie Curie. Love on the Brain arguably has more substance to it than the beloved Love Hypothesis, and this really helped to immerse me in the world and relationships. The fact that Bee and Levi's relationship was so intertwined with the work they were doing and the fact that the plot of their project was just as important as the relationship made everything feel so believable and I just couldn't put it down.

Overall, I don't know how to talk about my love for this book without rambling. Ali Hazelwood knows her audience, and she knows how to craft lovable characters and storylines that I've not seen anywhere else in the genre (and trust me, I've read more than my fair share of romance). If you liked the Love Hypothesis and don't know if this will be as good, if you wanted more of a story behind the romance or if you just want a book that you can get sucked into and have a lovely time, then I couldn't recommend Love on the Brain enough.

This is not the first Ali Hazelwood novel I've read and for sure won't be the last! While this novel follows similar themes to the fantastic Love Hypothesis this follows a brand new set of characters - Bee and Levi - navigating working on a NASA project while dealing with the fallout from their previous meetings. As always the characters feel very real and relatable and I really enjoyed the storyline.

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood is just SO good. Too good, perhaps, because it has robbed me of sleep over the last few days, and lived in my head every waking moment. I finished it late last night and went to sleep grinning like an idiot.

I don’t want to overuse the word “perfect” so instead I’ll say that I would read anything that Ali writes, even if it’s a shopping list, and especially if that shopping list has one of her romantic heroes threaded throughout it.

This book has everything: a kickass, loveable heroine, women in STEM being brilliant at their jobs and strong in the face of inequality, yearning (so much yearning), Twitter and text chats (which I love in a book), so many funny moments, really great steam, heart-squeezing emotion, a LOT of drama and a romantic hero who is so insanely hot and lovely and - just everything, it is hard to put my love for him into words.

The main thing Ali does so well is create so many story threads, so many things that need sorting or explaining or resolving, and she lets the readers in on some of them - so you’re desperate for the characters to find out, and doesn’t let the readers in on others - so YOU’RE desperate to find out.
She. Is. Masterful. I am in awe.

If this book isn’t one of the biggest romcoms of the summer, and if you don’t all read it and fall hard - *so* hard - for Bee and Levi, then I will eat my hat.

LIKES
☀️ As you’d expect, Ali’s writing is once again so witty and fun. Her words truly feel feels like a warm hug.
☀️ Sunshine / grump trope returns and it is GOOD.
☀️ As a huge fan of the ‘it’s always been you’ trope, the romance got me right in the feels.
☀️ The underlying theme of feminism / girl power was brilliant.
☀️ I enjoyed the lab setting and hearing about the work they were doing! It was genuinely really interesting.

DISLIKES
🌙 I wasn’t a fan of all the trademarks. To me they read like editing errors and got a bit distracting!
🌙 The ending was a bit too over the top / comical for me. It felt massively out of place which was a real shame.

While I didn’t adore this one quite as much as The Love Hypothesis which is one of my all time favourite romance reads, I will forever be a fan of Ali and read anything she releases!

oh my god I absolutely ADORED this book. it was devoured in 2 hours, couldn't not stop reading! it gave me major Big Bang theory vibes (yes, I love the Big Bang theory).

anyone who read Ali's debut novel, the love hypothesis will LOVE t his book!

This is the first book of Abi Hazelwoods I have read. It will not be my last. This is a sweet, Charming, open door romance. Highly recommend.

I really love Bee, and I really love Levi, but I really really love how many cats there are. Love on the brain was full of so many loveable and memorable characters. It was also quite 🌶️spicy🌶️ which I very much enjoyed. I loved the space theme in this one, and whilst I didn't understand a lot of the big words it didn't take away from the story at all. Once again another great book by Ali Hazelwood. 😊

I was a big...BIG fan of The Love Hypothesis and so I was ofcourse very excited to see what Ali Hazelwood put out next..

This book was good, I certainly enjoyed it and I thought the humour was chef's kiss and the chemistry between our two main characters was sensational.

What I do think stops this from being a 5 or even 4 star books for me is the set up of the enemies part of our enemies to lovers trope that plays out here. While I think enemies to lovers can be fabulous when executed well, I don't think it was set up quite well in the first instance.

My thoughts on the matter are as such. If it's obvious that one-half of the enemies to lover duo has been in love with the other half the entire time before their character is even properly introduced then I am likely not to be entertained to watch our heroine scramble to the realisation that is painfully obvious to me. It doesn't allow tension to build and robs us of a deeper exploration into the characters... at least in my humble opinion.

While this did bother me for maybe the first 20%, it wasn't bad enough for me to stop reading and thank goodness because the rest of the books was so much more brilliant in execution, particularly the third act plot twist which took me (which I thoroughly enjoyed). It was so good that I was more than happy to overlook a plot of romance I tend to hate - the lead character with utterly extreme views on love (more specifically on why love doesn't exist - which I think can be very valid, it's just not something I particularly enjoy reading about)..

SO yes this was a 3.5 rounded down to a 3 but I did seriously have a think on whether I wanted to round u but I thnk I'll only be sure on my 2nd read.

Thank you so much for the publisher Little Brown Group UK for providing an e-galley! All thoughts are mine.

I try to be spoiler free! :)
Oh my gosh! This book right here is magic, pure masterpiece! When you thought that nothing is gonna top The Love Hypothesis, I have to confirm: LOVE ON THE BRAIN is everything that TLH, but so much more.
More nerdy, more scientist-y, more gut punching and more sexier. Smart, hilarious and uplifting!
I loved that it got more diverse featuring a super cute and funny f/f relationship and bipoc character.

We follow Bee who is a neuroscientist (PhD) and here life consists of constant attempts to find some stability, until the point where she does not care anymore about love and putting down roots (disastrous Ex).
She lands a co-leading job at NASA ( how cool is this??) and everything seems to turn better career-wise until… yupp you guessed it right: the co-leader is no one but her ARCHENEMY Levi Ward. I do not have to mention what goes down from here, but you can expect:

-Hilarious banter
-Lots of cat scenes
-Veganism
-Nerdy talk, SO MUCH nerding! :)
-Enemies to Lovers
-astronauts and brain puns
-fuzzy vibes, laughing out loud moments
-Feminist vibes

I really loved this book! Not only because of the romance aspect, but the value it holds: a statement for women and marginalized individuals (BIPOC ALSO) in STEM. It stands up for those who deserve a place in STEM majors, PhD for their knowledge and skills — and not because of their privilege.
As a scientist , It was so good to see myself through Bee and her struggles — it was encouraging and a warm hug for my little sad scientist heart.

ALL the STARS!

I cannot wait for reading more nerdy romcom from Ali Hazelwood and secretly rooting she will do a story with a geologist! :)

What an absolute delight.

I absolutely love the way this author writes characters, the male characters are always men I feel I need in my life and the woman are so relatable. The chemistry is always absolutely spot on to, I can almost feel the pages sizzling!!

My only small criticism is that it was so obvious where this was going, as in I knew from 8% exactly how this was going to play out and I was right but I didn’t mind because the characters were so well written and the story was fun.

An excellent romance novel. Funny, hot, with a brilliant heroine. It has everything that I loved about the Love Hypothesis and cements Ali Hazelwood as an autobuy author for me. Also brill STEM content obviously.

As wonderful as I hoped it would be. I definitely saw where things were going but loved it for that. Another brilliant read from Ali

Oh man, I loved this so much. Ali Hazelwood has firmly become one of those insta-buy authors as I know whatever she writes is going to be *chefs kiss*

This book was addictive, swoon-worthy, spicy, cute. Basically, just imagine everything you loved about The Love Hypothesis and add even more.

Bee was a fierce and brilliant character. I loved the scientific aspects of the book, and I especially loved Bee fighting for women to be taken seriously in STEM especially when that space is male dominated. This for me added another layer to the brilliance.

But hello - the romance. THE ROMANCE. I am 100% in love with Levi, and that is all I'm going to say.

Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the ARC!

I read this in a oner - sexy, funny (the fainting!) and really heartwarming. Ali's got another hit on her hands.