This wasn't a bad book, but it took me ages to get into it – a lot of it felt flat and paint-by-numbers, and the dialogue wasn't always convincing! It did grow on me a little as it went on but it didn't really deliver on the friends-to-lovers as much as I would have wanted.

The Dating Equation follows a 26 year old who has never had a boyfriend! Penny is going to be launching a new dating app called 'Level' with her best friend that has been made to make dating about the person and not their looks. Turns out, everyone loves the app!
Penny decided that she wanted to give her app. Penny goes on a few dates which turn out to be horrible and then she realises that love has always been right in front of her.

I found that this story had such great potential but there was just something missing! I didn't particularly like Penny through most of the book which is a shame as she could have been such a lovable character. Rory grew on me for sure. By the end of the book, I ended up liking him! It depicts what it is actually like to be out in the dating world in the 21st century! It is a bit of a slow burn so if that is what you are looking for, definitely give it a read!

It is a classic romcom and It would be a great holiday read!

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperNorth for my ARC in exchange for an honest review. Views are my own.

The Dating Equation
3.5⭐️

•Single POV
•Workplace romance
•Friends to lovers
•Slow Burn

Penny and her best friend, Rory have launched a new dating app with a difference. The app focuses more on the person and not on looks. But can Penny make the app successful if she’s never been in love herself?

This is such a fun and sweet story about how two friends manage to find love (with a little help from their friends) while trying to juggle life and running their own business.

The book shows the highs and lows of dating in real life and finding love on dating apps.
The characters are all very relatable in their own way and it is enjoyable to see how they interact together as friends.

I recommend reading The Dating Equation if you are looking for a lighthearted easy read with lots of laughs.

Thank you @harpernorthuk & @netgalley for sending me a copy of this book.

The story has all the right ingredients for a great romcom and was a fun read but it just wasn’t hitting the right spot for me… I wasn’t loving Rory and found Penny to be annoying a big chunk of the time. So as much as I can see how this is a good read and people will love it I know I am not one of those people and it’s through no fault of the book or the author

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and provide my honest review

The Dating Equation by Emily Merrill
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5


This my first time reading a book by Emily Merrill and thankfully it did not disappoint.

Penny and best friend, Rory have created a dating app with a difference called Level. A app that was created to make dating more about the person, than what the person looks like. Alongside launching this app and testing it out for herself, Penny has to a juggle a lot of balls in her day-to-day life.

This was a pleasant and enjoyable romcom. The author did a great job with developing the main characters as well as the secondary characters, all of which were very relatable.

I would recommend The Dating Equation if you’re looking for an easy read filled with lots of laughter.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperNorth for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Only a few pages in, I began falling in love with Penny and Rory, especially from the little insights we get about them - I mean, I can fully believe that Rory’s karaoke song is ‘Copacabana’! It’s mentioned that they studied in Edinburgh which gives ‘One Day’ vibes but as I noted while reading “hopefully with a happier ending”! They, along with their circle of colleagues / friends / family were so lovable but also relatable - I mean who also hasn’t tried to max out their Pret subscription?!

For me, as a huge fan of romcom movies, this book moved at the perfect pace and followed a formula similar to all the greats - in fact, I wish it were also a movie because I know it would immediately become one of my favorites!

At first I found the sheer amount of pop culture references a bit jarring but by the end it became something I loved the most about the book as it made me feel like I was in a London version of Gilmore Girls which is one of my favourite series ever!

Overall, this was a 4 star read for me and I had a great time reading it! This was my first Emily Merrill book and it won’t be my last!

Thank you so much Harper North & Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book! ✨