STEM romances are usually a hit or miss for me, but I did like the Unbalanced Equation because it brought something new to the genre. I particularly liked the enemies to lovers and age gap tropes in the novel. However, the cover makes Tom look a lot more older than he actually is. I also think he acted younger than 38, in almost an immature way at times. A few scenes came off as more toxic than grumpy too. The spice was perfect and I think it carried the book to a solid 3.5 stars for me.

i absolutely adored this book. im a sucker for romance that involves anything sciency so this book was right up my ally. it took me a little while to get into just because i constantly got distracted but once i started i couldn't stop reading. it is seriously one of the best books that ive read and i intend to buy it when it comes out for sure.

This book is a must read if you love books with enemies to lovers, age gap, forced proximity, STEM workplace, and he falls first. Tom and Liz have wonderful banter and are super cute together. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good STEM romcom.

Plot: .5
Writing: 1
World building: 1
Characters: .5
Themes: .5
3.5/5

Spice: 2.5/5

What you can expect:
- Forced proximity
- Step-siblings to-be
- Nerdy references: books, tv, and anime
- Slow burn
- Angst
- Hate to love

READ THIS IF YOU ENJOYED THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS!!

This is a cute, nerdy romcom where the MCs work in STEM. Very reminiscent of The Love Hypothesis. I think both books do different things better than the other. The romance and angst is better in this one and it's not a Reylo fanfic.

The first chapter talked about anime so I was hooked. I love it when book characters have the same hobbies as me.

This one was a fun read, nothing too serious. I would recommend it for anyone looking for a new romcom, focusing on STEM.

**SPOILERS***
One thing I'm not a fan of is the lack of communication. It's not quite miscommunication but it's just as frustrating. For grown adults who have proven to be able to effectively communicate, holding back information seems immature. It seems like it was all just done for the 3rd act break-up and doesn't necessarily add to either of the character's development (and c'mon, the man is almost 40 years old acting like a teenager). What makes it worse is that it wasn't just he MC's break-up, but the parents too!

First off, thank you to netgalley for providing a review copy! ☺️

I give this a solid 4 stars. While the initial circumstances of the story seem contrived, cliche and "what, really?"-ish, don't be fooled! This book shows neatly that you don't need an enticing, page-turning plot when your characters (or more like their chemistry) are good. And booooyyy are they good. Truly, the chemistry and sexual tension between the heroes is on point and sometimes plain funny or "awwww" inducing.

However, I do have to pick a bone with the MMC at times for him being a total jerk in the beginning and manipulative at points throughout. But, the sweetness is there if you stick through, and by the end, they deserve each other and a HEA.

Amazing book, and I think a must for STEM-romance fans.

Enemies to lovers is ultimately my favourite romance trope and when it’s done well I fly through books! I always love the academia setting that seems to be more common nowadays as it makes the romances feel a little less cheesy and a bit more real world for me. I enjoyed the Scottish setting and did like the characters but with some of the toxicity displayed in actions I found it hard to get a grip on Tom.
Similar to the love hypothesis so if you loved that you should read this!

4/5⭐️
2.5/5🌶️
thank you netgalley and macfarlane lantern publishing for this arc! this book was released on september 15th, 2022.

this book was such a pleasant surprise. this rom com follows two nerds, liz and tom, who i found really relatable because of their love for science and anime. it did have similar vibes to the love hypothesis, so if that’s a book you enjoyed, this is definitely one to check out!! it had some tropes i really loved (forced proximity, enemies to lovers, guy falls first) that really hooked me from the beginning. my only complaint with this book was that i felt like the second half of the book dragged on a bit it terms of plot. besides that, i found the banter between liz and tom very entertaining and i definitely did not expect the spice to be what is what, so both were a nice surprise! if you’re looking for a rom-com with characters who are in STEM, this is definitely a good one to pick up!

“i never knew how much i was waiting on you until i met you”

This book has a fun, compelling reading. I loved the Scottish setting, and honestly want to move into Tom's house. Even though this story had some tropes, I thought they worked well!

Stayed for the drama. He was super immature and toxic. She was just as bad. It was entertaining enough to keep me to the end. Their parents also married. Crazy read. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for a review.

I was unable to finish this book - apologies to the publisher and to #Netgalley - I found the characters unlikable and the writing very hard to get through ; unfortunately I could not continue - 41% DNF

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of “The Unbalanced Equation” in exchange for my honest review! Some people compared this novel to The Love Hypothesis and The Hating Game so I requested right away! This book was similar in some areas but also unique enough that it didn’t read like a rip off.

The book had good chemistry between the two leads however they did act a lot younger than their ages which threw me off a little.

It was an fun read however it didn’t stand out to me like some other books did so for that reason I am giving it three stars.

Thankyou for allowing me a copy of this book. I enjoyed this, i liked the plot and the way everything played out, i liked the writing style, it was so easy to read i flew through it. And i loved Liz and Tom and their relationship. I will definately be reading more from this author.

Received an ARC via Netgalley

I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers book ,I will read anything with this trope so was looking forward to the reading this book .

However this was an okay read for me. I felt this book was lacking, I wasn't in love with the main character and felt they weren't well developed and book seemed rushed towards the end.

I do like the writing of the author and it had some great banter and side characters.

Overall was a decent read.

The male protagonist is extremely unlikeable and unhinge, I could not enjoy this. The girl protagonist deserved better.

I had heard that this was similar to The Love Hypothesis and The Hating Game. While there are a few similarities, but I wouldn’t say similar, more influenced.
It wasn’t a bad story, but it wasn’t my cup of tea. The author did a great job with the chemistry between the two characters and there were also some funny scenes. But the characters felt a bit childish and Tom especially behaved a bit toxic. It was also a bit more steamy than I anticipated, but that is more of a personal preference I guess…
The story idea is really great, but my expectations where a bit higher than the outcome. It was an entertaining read but that’s all it was for me.

But I really want to thank you for the e-arc!

For fans of Ali Hazelwood and The Love Hypothesis. Here's what you need to know: The Unbalanced Equation follows Liz, a postdoc, and her grumpy and possessive former PhD assessor and soon to be step sibling?!?!, Tom, who has been pining for her for years. Featuring tropes like enemies to lovers, age gap, STEM workplace, he falls first, and forced proximity. Don't worry it's not an inappropriate workplace romance or power dynamic.

Toms falls into instalove with Liz basically the moment he meets her, cheesy adaptation of a Jane Austen prologue included. The problem she runs out on him during a party and then the very next day he finds out he is now her Ph.D. assessor after her's retires. So obviously she is off-limits for the time being. Too bad Tom decides to be a dick to her rather than just telling her they have to be professional until she graduates. They are brought back together when their parents spring the news that, surprise, they are getting married. *bomb drop* And Tom ends up in the same lab as her. Liz decides to pay him back for making her Ph. D. hell with a series of pranks. Little does she know, Tom has been in love with her years and he's enjoying the games. Tom does some pretty juvenile meddling of his own to keep her close. Which leads us to the ultimate conflict. Given the juvenile behavior from them both, I found the conflict pretty meh. And I think Liz gets over it so quickly that it was just kind of an annoying couple of chapters. Also her dad really annoyed me. But oh well, overall it's a fun, easy, steamy read. Wit, games, pranks galore.

Thanks to Netgalley for a free early arc in exchange for my honest review.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Unbalanced Equation was pretty easy to devour. The only problem for me was finally finding the time to sit down and write the actual review. Did I have to skim through it for a little bit just to get the creative juices flowing? Yes, yes, I did, and I have zero regrets about it.

In this, you will meet Tom and Liz. At first glance, I guess you could say that they were enemies. It truly doesn't help that he ignored her email years ago or that she held a teeny tiny grudge for it either. So, when they finally cross paths, no one knew what to expect. Well, other than the mimosas that is.

Sure, they were attracted to one another but it kind of felt like right person wrong time. All the time. They just clicked and had this vibe that I couldn't help but get along with either. Yet, they would mess up by saying or doing something wrong. It completely frustrated me, but it also made them a bit more realistic.

In the wise words of Hannah Montana, nobody's perfect.

It didn't take long for sparks to finally fly between these two. Then the drama came right around the corner and smacked me. Some of it was okay and interesting, but the snark, sarcasm and banter are what I came here for. It didn't disappoint me one bit and I'm so happy with what I read.

In the end, I really enjoyed these two doing a slow awkward dance around one another. I also hope that she does go with Jerry for the kitten's name.

I'll start saying that, due to the physical appearance, the clothes and the name of the MMC, I awfully suspect this book was originally a Tom Hiddleston fanfiction, which could explain to a certain level the quality of this work. I like and respect fanfiction but some pieces should stay in the fanbase and not be published.

In the Unbalanced Equation by H.L. Macfarlane, Elizabeth has suffered under her PhD assessor, Tom, for four years and is finally free. When circumstances place them both in the same lab... at the same bench... for three months... Elizabeth is not even sure she can survive it.

If you love seeing both character's POV, this book takes care of that with both Liz and Tom's side of the story. Their banter and tension moves the story along, although the characters can be a bit manipulative.

This book was written for you if:
1) You love a good enemies to lovers romantic comedy
2) You liked The Hating Game or The Love Hypothesis
3) You're looking to start a trilogy of standalone but connected rom-coms

I really enjoyed TLH and was looking for more stem novels- this really fed my itch! Thank you for the arc!
I found myself jumping up and down when the characters looked at each other, the tension was well drawn out, plus the main character was incredible likeable.
Definitely recommend if you were/are a fan of Ali Hazlewood and you’re looking for more tension filled, science packed romance books!