Let me start by saying this: THIS IS THE BEST ROM-COM I’VE READ, LIKE, EVER. It was such a surprise! It has everything you can hope for: it’s funny, sweet, sexy and just AMAZING. If you’ve loved The Love Hypothesis, you HAVE to read this! It has a similar feel, but it’s (dare I say) even BETTER.

This book was a train wreck. The characters, especially the male love interest were just so out of pocket. And the author thought by calling him out on everything that it would just be okay, but I feel like he still messed up way too much in this book.

Also, once again the miscommunication in this book was really annoying. Although the author addressed how annoying this is through the side characters, it didn’t make it any better because I still had to read them act like idiots.

All that being said, this book was really entertaining. Although I’ve never read the love hypothesis, from what I’ve heard people who liked that book would probably like this one.

This book comes out September 15th!

Oh my goodness!! I am in love with H L Macfarlane's writing style in the Unbalanced Equation. For starters this book cover is absolutely adorable and it immediately gave me Love Hypothesis vibes. Because of how much I love and am obsessed with characters in STEM romance books, it was easy for me to jump right into a book that had the same vibes. Liz is this sweetheart character who is working on her postdoc and finally free of Tom, her assessor during her PhD. Obviously all hell breaks loose and the two of them are very much forced to be around each other ALL THE TIME. Not only is this an enemies to lovers romance book but it has my other favourite trope of forced proximity. Because of how much time they spend together, the readers get to see and experience their fire fuelling chemistry. Tom is definitely complex and you can't help but love his grumpy ruse when it comes to being around Liz. The two of them are addicting to read about, I cannot get enough of how much I really enjoyed their story. If your looking for a book that has STEM vibes with forced proximity trope this is definitely the book for you!

Really cute book. I didn't love it and I didn't hate it either. It was just middle of the road for me. I felt like it was trying to hard to be The Love Hypothesis. My favorite thing about the book was Tom. He was so attentive and adorable! I would recommend the book!

This was a really fun story about two complicated and flawed people who have to overcome their own issues to get their 'happily ever after'. It was refreshing to see a book that had characters who did not want children who can still have full and happy lives. It is not often seen in romance books so I appreciated the unique character perspectives.

If you’re a fan of the love hypothesis, you’ll want to read this.

A stem romance with a grumpy man that has lots of tension, chemistry and steam. I loved the dynamic between the couple. It was full of banter, quick wit, and hot chemistry. It has unlikely roommates, forced proximity, hate to love, opposites attract and it was so much fun to read, It’s enemies to lovers, former professor and PHD student unlikely to fall in love but they do. There is boy obsessed, pining for years and the slow burn tension between them kept me turning page after page. It’s a workplace romance in academia and it was so much fun to read. I loved Tom and his grumpiness. Such a great steamy and chemistry filled romance book with a STEM plot.

Solid rom com. I enjoyed the first 2/3 of the book and the buildup between the two love interests. The drama with their lives being intertwined because of their respective parents was interesting. A bit lacking for me when it came to the third act breakup.

I could not put this book down!!!! It was such a fun read for me. I devoured it in a day!!

The characters, Tom and Liz, were frustrating and loveable. Never has the miscommunication trope been something I enjoy, but this book changed my mind. All the feels with this one came out in this book. I laugh, I sighed, I got a bit teary-eyed, I got a lot frustrated, and all the eye rolls. It was perfect!
My only con about this book is that I felt like some background as to the why of the miscommunication was stated multiple times, at length, in a variety of ways, but like, I got it. I got it the first 2 dozen times in the first 4 chapters. That was a bit annoying. Sometimes the characters could be a bit whiney, but I blamed it on the UK writing standards, ha!
Highly recommend it, please do not pass this up. Especially if you are an Ali Hazelwood fan. STEM female MCs for the win!!

4.5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book!!

The Unbalanced Equation is a romantic comedy about Elizabeth, "Liz" and Tom, who meet at a university mixer. Liz at the beginning of her career in STEM, and Tom who had recently been promoted to professor. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances and a whole lot of miscommunication, they quickly become enemies. The forced proximity begins when Tom's lab is accidentally set on fire, and he is required to work in his friends lab. Unfortunately for Liz, this means sharing a bench with Tom, and later on a house when she is evicted from her apartment, Did I mention the reason she has to live with Tom, is because his mom, and her dad are set to get married. All four of them end up living in the same house, which leads to some hilarious encounters.

This book did include some of the tropes I love to see in books; forced proximity and enemies to lovers. This book starts off similar to The Love Hypothesis, including both main characters involved in STEM, as well great first meeting, but takes a very different path once it gets going. I enjoyed the banter between Liz and Tom, and how well he took care of her was heart-warming. The side characters in this were great, and really added to the story. The writing flows really well, I felt the overall story kept me interested. I would rate the spice level in this book at about a 2.5/5.

The reason I rated this book three stars was as follows; Lack of consent, there is one scene when Liz repeatedly say no, and asks Tom to leave and he refuses. This made me feel very uncomfortable, and I didn't understand why it was necessary to include. This book also focuses on the premise of a revenge plot, which when done right can be hilarious, but when it includes sexual revenge it's something I can't 100% get behind, and not something I was expecting going into this book. Both characters are guilty of this sort of act in the book, and show remorse and guilt, but there were no real consequences or discussion around the topic. Finally, the lack of communication and sabotage in this book, really minimized my overall enjoyment.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, and these are my honest opinions.

Tom is a professor who is attracted to Liz, one of his new PhD students. This is the first time that the handsome, wealthy, eligible professor is attracted to his student. In an effort to discourage any relationship, Tom is really hard on his criticism of Liz’s work. She can’t wait to be rid of him. When Tom’s lab has a fire in it, he is given a place in his friend’s lab only to find he will be sharing the lab bench with Liz. It gets worse when Liz heads out to meet her dad for dinner, and Tom heads out to meet his mother. Both are shocked to find they are holding hands with each other and hearing about an impending wedding. Tom’s mother is having a property remodeled for her impending marriage and will be moving into Tom’s large house until it is ready. His mother suggests Liz move in there also to save money and give them all a chance to get to know each other. I loved the characters in this book. Tom is the perfect privileged man who has no clue on how to win over a woman. Liz is extremely independent and quick to get angry with Tom even though she cares for him. Their parents are great examples of love and patience. Great book, great romance.

I’m a science nerd and I’m loving the fact that there are more and more intelligent and ambitious heroines appearing in these books. While I must admit that the anime details in this story sailed right over my head, I really enjoyed the genetics aspects (and hello! Ms. Macfarlane apparently has a PhD in molecular genetics!). For a book that unfortunately turned me off immediately—having the man decide to treat the woman poorly because he likes her but can’t have her is…childish and off putting—the author mostly redeemed herself with the brilliant banter and spicy sexual tension between the two main characters.

⭐️
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Thanks to BooksGoSocial, the author, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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Honest, I will be. This book was so awful. I was wholly convinced it was written by a straight, cis man until I went to the author’s GoodReads page. The premise is almost cute if Tom wasn’t emotionally and mentally abusive… at one point he says “I almost felt bad for making Liz so self-conscious but, in all honesty, it was too entertaining watching her squirm because of me.” I almost DNFed the book right there but forced myself to finish so I could encourage everyone I know to never pick this book up, ever.
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All in all - it’s not hot, it’s not spicy, the tension is manipulated and fake, the FMC is supposed to be a freaking DOCTOR in her field and is so childish it hurts, not to mention that the MMC is literally 11 years older than her and her new step-brother?!?!? AHHHHHHH

The Unbalanced Equation was a lovely book. I enjoined reading it very much.,

Elizabeth (also Liz and Lizzie) Maclean has just completed her PhD studies under the tutelage of Dr Thomas (Tom) Henderson. She had a horrific time because he was a very harsh critic of her work. One evening, they are both invited to a family dinner and to their surprise, it is a whole family dinner because their parents, his mother and her father, are getting married, In a short tale of errors, Liz ends up staying with their parents at Tom’s apartment for a few months. While there, they discover their attraction for one another and have their HEA.

This book was well written and I liked getting to know the main characters. There was just enough of a side cast to know Tom and Liz had active lives.

Thank you to NetGalley, H. L. Macfarlane, and BooksGoSocial for allowing me to read this book in advance of official publishing.

This book had NO RIGHT being this good! At first I though there were going to be too many typical romance genre tropes (grumpy/sunshine, workplace, forced proximity) but they all played together masterfully!

Lizzie. Tom. These two are so incredibly SMART, yet so simple minded when it comes to the heart. Life could have been so much easier for them to just work together, but no - they had to have feelings for each other! And then their parents drop the bombshell! It was an entertaining ride. I enjoyed it very much. Even when I wanted to slap either of them! haha
You know the story - meet cute, hate, like, love, hate and love again. It's just a new setting, one that I haven't read before.
Rom-coms. Such great entertainment. I highly recommend "The Unbalanced Equation".

Thank you allowing me to read an advanced copy.

=^.^=

The Unbalanced Equation

3.5 ⭐️

The Unbalanced Equation is an academic romcom set in Glasgow and it took me right back to visiting! I liked the setting and the back and forth chapters between Liz and Tom.

Although it’s a little long, I thought there was good character development and growth through it. The third act breakup was a little predictable but I enjoyed the ending.

Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC of The Unbalanced Equation

The description of this book, and the cover pulled me in and reminded me a bit of, The Love Hypothesis so I wanted to read it.

I will say, quick trigger warning, both of the main characters have lost a parent to cancer, and it is briefly

Short summary: This book follows Liz and Tom, who have a complicated, and mostly professional relationship. They are both in science and Tom gets assigned to be the assessor for Liz as she completes her postdoc. The early part of this book skips a bit around time-wise. Liz and Tom already have a strange and weird relationship but it gets even weirder after Liz completes are postdoc and Tom is no longer her assessor.

Overall review: I would call this an enemies to lovers book, with a miscommunication trope (which is not my favorite, unfortunately). I would also venture to say there is some forced proximity also.

Beyond Liz and Tom, there were some fun side characters that brought in some humor, and pointed out their miscommunication and issues.

There is a specific plot point that really forces these characters together. I don’t want to give away any spoilers as to this, but this particular turn of events definitely made me cringe for a lot of the book.

I enjoyed much of the banter, and some of the side characters provided some good comic relief. On the flip side, I spent a lot of the book aggravated by the miscommunication and some ridiculous choices by main characters.

I will say, if you like enemies to lovers, some science goodness thrown in, plus some steamy and descriptive scenes, you will likely enjoy this book.

Overall, I thought it was a well-done book, but I really struggled with one particular plot point, and I really couldn’t get past it.

I loved this! It was a super easy read, and a good break from fantasy—which is what I usually read.
Anyone who loved the Love Hypothesis will definitely love this book. The characters are fun, realistically-flawed, and the tension between them is *chefs kiss.*
I felt that it was very well-paced with just the right amount of spice. Ironically, unlike the title, it was perfectly balanced in my opinion.

I wish the plot had been less contrived, with the parents meeting and falling in love. without their kids having any idea or inkling ahead of time. The lab setting in the beginning of the book is also so not romantic.

I also found the open door sex scenes a bit over the top.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing me with and eARC of this book in return for my honest review.
I am a big fan of The Love Hypothesis and this had very similar vibes so I really enjoyed this book! The Unbalanced Equation is a dual pov between Liz a post and her former PHD professor Tom, who has been in love with Liz for four years. This book covers several tropes, from enemies to lovers, forced proximity, he falls first and an age gap (10.5 years). I wasn't the biggest fan of the parents storyline, it felt a little odd that Liz and Tom's parents were getting married and would therefore make them stepsiblings, but I also understand that this storyline is the backstory to the whole force proximity storyline. Overall a really good read and a great love story, with a good amount of spice!