🌊💙 5/5 “Mateo Alvarez is by far my greatest discovery.” 💙🌊

Basically, this book is what would happen if Ali Hazelwood and Chloe Liese had a baby… and I am SO here for it.

First of all, the cover? Adorable. Perfectly matched to the story’s vibe. And the story itself? A STEM romance dream, complete with academic rivals to lovers and the chef’s kiss of tropes: a secret, years long crush (on Mateo’s end).

Mateo Alvarez. Oh. My. Heart. This man is the blueprint. The way he pined for Charlie for two years, quietly making sure she had chocolate every single day (two chocolates on her bad days!), tracking her cycle in the most caring, non-creepy way imaginable, and literally applying her medicine balm for her… this is prime romance novel MMC energy. Someone check on me because I am still swooning.

And Charlie Bowen? An absolute standout FMC. She’s been through so much: chronic illness, facial scars, years of hiding from the world, and watching her journey from shy and reserved to open, joyful, and fully seen was beautiful. The chronic illness rep felt so thoughtful was really well done, and I loved that Mateo always loved her exactly as she was. He saw her, scars and all, and adored every part.

The slow burn tension was perfection. Being stuck together for three weeks at sea on the SeaStar research vessel gave us endless close proximity moments (hello, one bed trope), bickering, longing, and stolen glances. The fact that these two are both scientists added so much charm and nerdy banter, but then Nicole Cubba had the audacity to hit me with that line:

“Mateo Alvarez is by far my greatest discovery.”

I actually had to set the book down and collect myself. It’s profound, it’s romantic, and it sums up their entire relationship in one perfect sentence.

In short: This book gave me every single thing I want from a STEM romance, like humor, longing, heartfelt representation, and a love story that feels earned and deep. Nicole Cubba, you have my whole heart after this. No notes. Absolute perfection.

Thank you to NetGalley, Nicole Cubba, and Victory Editing for the eARC of this book.

4.5 ⭐️
🌶️.5

"𝙔𝙤𝙪'𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙚?" 𝙄 𝙖𝙨𝙠, 𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙪𝙥 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩.
"𝙄'𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙚."

You guyyyyyyys this books was absolutely precious I can't 😭
I loved Charlie's character so so much and watching her slowly overcome her traumas thanks to finding such a loving partner that sees her for her, and not her scars was such a tear jerker at times.

MATEOOOOOOOOO MY GOD!?!??! This man??? He is so damn fine I cannot blame Charlie for taking less than three weeks to fall in love with this man because I would've in one 🤣
This man truly deserves the absolute world and then some and I truly believe Charlie is his person with the way these two just get each other.

This was such a cute book. Genuinely a funny, cozy, fluffy romance with the cutest of cutie pie main characters. If it’s a STEM romance, I’m going to read it thanks to my Queen Ali Hazelwood. I loved the plot, the goofy side characters, and the unique research adventure Mateo and Charlie got to go on. Mateo and Charlie’s chemistry can definitely be felt and I loved seeing their relationship grow. Mateo is a YEARNER. The way he pines after her and is so in tune with her emotions is the sweetest most purest thing. Charlie has a very strong inner dialogue, which helps us as readers feel close to her as she battles through inner and outer traumas.

There’s only two reasons why I didn’t give this a higher rating: I would’ve loved seeing more push and pull between Charlie and Mateo in the beginning. I feel like it would’ve been better if we didn’t get a Mateo POV, and we got to see more of his feelings through his actions and through the banter between the two. The 2nd, I wish Charlie would’ve realized that her scars don’t make her unworthy on her own in a way, instead of it seeming like she didn’t start seeing herself differently until a man told her to.

Overall, this was a sweet read. I’m very appreciative of receiving an eARC for this!!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me early access. All opinions are my own.

As a woman in STEM, any romance book with a STEM setting is particularly special to me. This one, specifically, hit close to the heart. Don’t get me wrong, I am very far from the marine biology field, but there was a time when I considered it myself, as I feel so at home by the sea. Regardless, life toke another rote, but it was good to live this life throughout this book.

“Deep in love” gets us to Charlie and Mateo’s relationship. The book is more focused on their relationship rather than on the science, but it was so so cute I don’t even have words. It is a light read (I found myself laughing throughout the first half) but with an amazing character development (specially Charlie). I found the whole relationship adorable and loved the fact that since they got together, there was no problems among them, only growth and exploration of the new relationship. I don’t want to give too much of the plot away, but go and read it if you want a cute romance with some spice and the most adorable man ever (fictional men written by women are another level!).

This review is available on my Goodreads account and will be available in my instagram (@cat.literary.world) closer to release date.

I was really worried about the sea setting and the two researchers. But I ended up really loving it. It reminded me in part of the feeling I get when reading an Ali Hazelwood book. The delightful writing made me devour this book in the wee hours of the morning. It was a delight to follow these protagonists.
Thank you NetGalley and the author for the eARC.

I am very conflicted about this one. The setting and spice was very nice, but the chemistry between the maincharcters did'nt really work for me. And I loved and hated Charlie - so a bit conflicted there too ;)

However the story was fine, you get some banter and great popcultura references.

Steamy spicy STEM romance with the forced proximity of being stuck in a deep ocean exploratory mission. It was equal parts creepy sea creatures and delicious enemies-to-lovers tension.

Add in a self-acceptance sub plot, it was character driven with no third act break up.

Read if you like:
🧪Ali Hazelwood
🌊The ocean
⚓️Forced proximity
🤭She hates him, he loves her
☀️Your sunshine best friend
🛏️One bed

ARC Review
4/5⭐️

“But you made it so easy to fall, because I knew you would be there to catch me.”

This book features two PhD candidates studying marine biology. In this STEM romance, she is the black cat and obsessed with Charles Darwin and he’s the golden retriever with hidden tattoos and a sexy accent.

This is my first book by Nicole and I can confidently say this will not be the last time. I enjoyed this book so much. It had me giggling and kicking my feet.

The book had a nice pace and I was never bored. I thought the writing style was also great and it made everything flow nicely. Between the banter and the tension I was entertained the whole read.

I loved both of the MCs and their witty banter, it was fun, hot, and sexy. I loved watching their relationship grow throughout the story and watching how they both learned to trust, and figure out together what it is to truly love someone.

I also enjoyed all the side characters as well. They were all easy to love and thought they had a good role with supporting the MC’s.

Thank you so much Victory Editing, Nicole Cubba, and NetGalley for sending me this arc for an honest review❤️

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC 🫶

Charlie is a PHD student and can’t stand her co-researcher, Mateo. Mateo has been obsessed with Charlie for 2 years and he’s never made his move. Now, when the two are sent on a 3 week research trip at sea, he’s determined to get her to see him. Oh and there’s only one bed to share!

Charlie thinks they’re rivals, but finds out he’s been leaving her little signs that he’s interested. Once she finally figures it out, Charlie and Mateo are endgame! Mateo loves his bruja with all of her scars and insecurities.

I really enjoyed the STEM aspect of this one. It was reminiscent of an Ali Hazelwood Steminist romance with dual POV.🔬🧪🐋 There was no third act break up, which I’m always thankful for!

I cannot resist a STEM romance and had the best time with this one. It was so sweet and romantic and nerdy in the best way. Charlie was an incredibly well-crafted character and Mateo was her perfect match. We love a man who falls first and falls harder. He was all green flags, from the very beginning (the chocolates!!! I swoon).

Their relationship was the perfect mix of hilarious banter, serious moments as she grew to trust him, and beautiful romance (plus some truly excellent spice). The STEM angle was perfectly done in my eyes. Just the right amount of substance to feel realistic and meaningful—but not so much to take away from the emotional development between Charlie and Mateo. The only part that didn’t super resonate with me (scientifically-speaking) were the crystals, but I did understand what drew Charlie to them.

Overall this was such a fun time! I haven’t read any of Nicole’s previous books but I’ll definitely be checking them out.

STEM MCs: PhD candidates in marine biology! Y'all, this book is so freakin good! I was cackling half the time from the shenanigans: there's a dildo debacle that you have got to read, there's a whole thing about pavlov'ing a human, and the banter between the cast of characters is excellent... that even surprisingly includes their advisors! I don't know about you, but my PhD advisor was terrifying and definitely not my friend, so seeing a PI as not a bad guy was refreshing.
What I love most about STEM romance authors who write about their field of expertise is that I get to learn new things about a subject that I didn't study in school without getting overwhelmed with jargon. Marine biology is very clearly Nicole's passion outside of writing, and I loved learning about new creatures and the different layers within the ocean. The science does not overpower the story, and you really don't need to love science to enjoy this book, but it's a huge bonus for me as a fellow scientist and lover of nerdy things to read all of the goodies she sprinkled in here.
If you have read any of Nicole's previous books, I would say that this one compares a lot to Love on the Line, which is my favorite book of hers (although that's now tied with this one). You have a strong-willed, organized FMC with anxiety and low self-confidence who feels like a real flawed person, especially since she is so snack and praise motivated. She's paired with a high EQ king who falls first for her and does nothing but show her how beautiful and strong she is. Just like all of Nicole's books, there is no third act breakup, which is always appreciated, and it's a slow burn. The wait is so worth it though! Although it's a slow burn, once it catches fire, it just keeps on burning!
This book is a stand alone, so you don't need to have read any of her previous books to get into this one. It's well written, has a good plot, and has excellent spice.