I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I e joked the first round of stem romance books but they all became pretty formulaic (ali hazelwood always having misunderstood enemies to lovers vibe). This was partially that, partially textbook, not enough plot and character development. It wasn't for me unfortunately.

I did DNF this title at 22%. I did want it to work after seeing the other reviews and not agreeing about how technical it was, but it is very dry in that it still seems to be more about the job instead of plot or character development. I am a STEM girly and there was some nostalgia there, and the competition and bad feelings are 100% a thing, but otherwise I just wasn’t seeing the vision.

If you enjoyed The Love Hypothesis you might enjoy this. It's an academic rivals with tension very obvious from their first interaction battling it out... for now.

This book was a love letter to physics and sci-fi as much as it was a romance of it's own. If you love those things, that would be a huge bonus but as more of a jack of all trades nerd, I was lost at times in the level of detail and reference.

I also think the book would have been better to lose 100 pages. I enjoyed the start and loved the end but the middle was middling, and I was close to giving up at points.

In the end, I was very glad I didn't, and I think others could love this a lot more than me. But it is definitely for people who love some science facts alongside the kissing.

This was a speed read of sexual tension. one minute they're enemies and the next they're having sex in the office desk. it sped through the plot, only to slow down when the author very passionately explained lots of science that was so well researched and detailed that i had to google a lot of the information. Love supporting STEM authors. it just took me out of the story a little. and made me feel very stupid. but the rest of the book was great and their romance had me smiling.

I LOVE stem romances. But this. This fell flat. Most of the book the main characters are just obnoxious. Not in an enemies to lovers way, but in a childish annoying way. The romance had no build forcing the entire book to just feel rushed despite it also feeling like it dragged.

This is one of those books where I should have paid attention to the reviews. if you are a STEM person and like lots of details , this is the book for you. If you are not a STEM person and do not feel like everything deserves a paragraph when it could have been a sentence, this is probably not the book for you. It was not my jam but, I think that is just my reading preferences and brain and nothing bad towards the author. My brain fog just wasn't compatible with this book.

Pre thoughts
- rivals to lovers

Overall
This was a feel good STEM romance novel. It had a good amount of physics references and shed light into the complexities of academia. While also including general shenanigans outside the lab.
As a woman in stem i appreciate the science jargon and the growth of the main characters was lovely. This book reminded me of you’ve got mail with a modern science twist.
The characters worked out their feelings and communicated with each other in a healthy manner (After some initial rivalry) . There is also a good amount of tension and slow burn that builds over the development of the book.
If you liked Ali Hazelwood books,with a good amount of science terminology or you've got mail this may be your jam.

Stars 4
Spice 2

Tropes
Slow burn
Forced proximity
STEMinsit themes!! (Love representation of women in STEM!)
Found family
STEM Romance
Rivals to lovers

This review is my own thoughts and opinions. Thank you to netgalley, Atlantic books and Rose McGee for the opportunity to review this ARC xxx

DNF unfortunately- the writing style felt very chaotic to me and I had trouble following. This was unfortunately just not for me. Maybe someone more interested in science would like it more.

This is an intriguing idea. I’m a nerd myself, so I love this type of story. This one, however, relies on science and nerdishness to a fault. I found it difficult to wade through the content.

I thought the characters would be the lovable nerds such as in Ali Hazlewood’s stories. Alas, they demonstrate boorish and boring behaviors that made me dislike them.

Three stars for having a good idea and for all the research that went into to this, but this needs an infusion of charm.

Talk Data to Me is such a fun, fresh take on romance — it’s smart, flirty, and packed with banter you can’t help but smile at. Rose McGee gives us a data‑loving heroine and a swoony hero with chemistry that sparks from the very first scene.

It’s the perfect mix of laugh‑out‑loud moments, genuine emotion, and slow‑burn tension that’ll have you hooked from page one. If you’re looking for a witty, feel‑good romance that doesn’t take itself too seriously, this one’s an easy pick!

I love enemies to lovers romances, and I love Ali Hazelwood, so I was excited to read this book. It was quite a let down.

First of all, the amount of science jargon makes it almost unreadable. I don't need pages and pages of information on black holes and quarks to follow the plot of the story.

Secondly, the main characters are unlikable. They are both unforgivably mean and petty to one another. It was hard to be invested in their love story. They both kind of sucked.

Thank you to Atlantic Books and NetGally for the eARC.

This is a debut contemporary romance book for fans of STEMisnist fiction. Our two leads have a work-place rivalry but find a common connection over a side project and a case of cute mistaken-identity follows.

I really liked the idea of this book and thought the cover was cute too. However, whilst I do expect some STEM aspects, this books was about 80% STEM with all the technical lingo to boot and only 20% romance. It was so very dry and very heavy on theoretical physics that I ended up skimming those parts. The romance itself didn't really kick off in earnest until about 60% through and then when it did it was 0-60mph and gave me whiplash. A redeeming feature was no 3rd act breakup which was a relief but by this point I was just ready for the book to end. A real shame as I had high hopes for this one. Maybe the authors next book will focus more on the characters and less on the science. But then again, those who work in STEM themselves might really enjoy that!

The concept to this book was great. Everyone loved a STEM romance, with enemies to lovers, the rivalry set up a great potential plot.

Unfortunately, it ended up being half a physics textbook. I do get that it has to be realistic but the level of scientific language used made the books a little hard to follow give I haven’t done anything science related since I was 16.

I also did not like the childish nature of the MCs. When they suddenly get over all the horrible things they did to each other… it was almost giving bully romance which I’m not really a fan of. They could have ruined the others lives very easily which Ethan admits to how dangerous it got in the book.

I think this would be a great read for some. However it just wasn’t for me. I may have finished it but that’s because I thought it would get better…

This romance novel is a heartwarming and emotional journey filled with chemistry, charm, and relatable characters. The story beautifully balances tender moments with just the right amount of drama, making it an engaging and satisfying read for fans of the genre.

Love the premise of the book - I’m all about STEM romance! I didn’t love that there was a miscommunication trope on page very early in the book, and it was spelled out pretty blatantly. I know it was there to establish a rivalry, but it could have unfolded a little at a time to make it more engaging. Overall it was okay.

I like the idea of the book but there was something about it that didn't really make it a 5 stars for me. It was still a fun light read.

One of my favourite types of romance book is two people in a STEM career, ideally with a hate-to-love trope. So this one should’ve been an no-brainer, instant like for me. Unfortunately this read more as a science manual than a romance. Don’t get me wrong, I love science and reading a bit of it in STEM themed romance books usually makes me want to research the topics covered a bit more when I’m not reading the book but this had too much disparity between the amount of science centric parts and the amount of romance focused parts. I was just waiting for the romance to kick in. When the romance parts appeared they were good so I would’ve liked some more scenes between the characters. The big reveal fell a bit flat and felt lacklustre because there was a lack of build-up and tension between the characters. I was a bit frustrated as this book was almost there. With some tweaking of the amount of physics talk and an addition of more romantic scenes it could’ve been perfect.

Sadly I had to DNF halfway through chapter 2. This didn’t feel like a STEM romance at all, it felt like a quantum physics textbook. Every other line was scientific research and no character development or introduction. I love STEM romances but this just felt like it was shoving education down my throat instead of an intellectual romance. I’m thankful for the opportunity to read and review

3.75⭐️

Have you ever been reading an Ali Hazelwood novel and thought “this needs MORE science?” Well, do I have great news for you!

Talk Data To Me is a rivals-to-lovers STEM workplace romance between two physicists in competing fields. After a misunderstanding on Erin’s first day at work, she and Ethan begin a very public feud to the annoyance (or enjoyment?!) of their co-workers. Little do they know, they have been communicating with each other through their secret creative Sci-Fi identities and maybe even falling in love?

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I think STEM romances might be my favorite contemporary topic. However, the science talk was REALLY dense and I had a hard time following it all. I think the focus on the specifics of relativism vs quantum mechanics ultimately slowed down the pacing of the romance. Which is a shame, because I really enjoyed the times where Erin and Ethan were actually interacting. And I absolutely would never say no to more Bunsen.

This is Rose McGee’s debut novel and I’m very much looking forward to more of her work!

I am such a fan of rivals to lovers romance, and adding in the world of STEM, this book was enjoyable, from rivals to uniting to bring down someone who was sabotaging the work that they were doing. The teamwork was brilliant and I loved the development of their relationship.