Christina Lauren
May 18, 2021
Gallery Books
Blurb: The New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners returns with a witty and effervescent novel about what happens when two people with everything on the line are thrown together by science—or is it fate? Perfect for fans of The Rosie Project and One Plus One.
Single mom Jess Davis is a data and statistics wizard, but no amount of number crunching can convince her to step back into the dating world. Raised by her grandparents—who now help raise her seven-year-old daughter, Juno—Jess has been left behind too often to feel comfortable letting anyone in. After all, her father’s never been around, her hard-partying mother disappeared when she was six, and her ex decided he wasn’t “father material” before Juno was even born. Jess holds her loved ones close, but working constantly to stay afloat is hard…and lonely.
But then Jess hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company that’s predicted to change dating forever. Finding a soulmate through DNA? The reliability of numbers:This Jess understands.
At least she thought she did, until her test shows an unheard-of 98% compatibility with another subject in the database: GeneticAlly’s founder, Dr. River Peña. This is one number she can’t wrap her head around, because she already knows Dr. Peña. The stuck-up, stubborn man is without a doubt not her soulmate. But GeneticAlly has a proposition: Get to know him and we’ll pay you. Jess—who is barely making ends meet—is in no position to turn it down, despite her skepticism about the project and her dislike for River. As the pair are dragged from one event to the next as the “Diamond” pairing that could make GeneticAlly a mint in stock prices, Jess begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist—and the science behind a soulmate—than she thought.
Funny, warm, and full of heart, The Soulmate Equation proves that the delicate balance between fate and choice can never be calculated.
Purchase Links:
Amazon | Shop your local indie bookstore
We’ve all heard the comments or seen the memes about books being an escape, mood changers, and I have to say, yes, what a godsend books and authors have been in the past year. In the past few weeks when my mood has been fluctuating, I’d take a book by one of my favorite authors and become immersed in a rom-com or mystery and feel refreshed. Such a circumstance led me to reach for Christina Lauren’s The Soulmate Equation–and they didn’t let me down.
Jess is a single mom, freelance statistician who, with her best friend, romance writer Fizzy, claims a table at the local coffee house five days a week to work. Everyday at the same exact time for the past couple of years, the handsome hunk they’ve dubbed “Americano” because of his drink order, appears and then disappears. Until one morning when Jess grabs his arm and the world is disrupted.
Dr. River Peña aka Americano is a geneticist who along with his mentor has created GeneticAlly, a dating app of sorts based entirely on matching genetic makeup. He is the type of scientist who totally buries himself in his work, sometimes to the detriment of all else.
At their first couple of interactions, Jess and River have an instant dislike, but then his app links them as a 98% match, a match that had never happened before. Deciding to give this thing a try, River because he believes in his program and Jess because of an added incentive, they enter uncharted territory for both of them.
Christina Lauren has given us the best of both worlds, a seemingly plot-driven novel with characters that have depth and who the reader cares about. While I loved the cute, nerdy couple of Jess and River, I also loved Jess’ best friend, Fizzy, who is like every woman’s dream best friend. The one who is there when you need her, has no hidden agenda, and writes every embarrassing thing that happens in your life so that she can use it later in a novel. Jess’ daughter Juno adds the cute factor without launching into saccharine. And Jess’ grandparents are about as lovable as you can get. Christina Lauren always hits the family factor right on the nose, and here it is no different.
As usual, I laughed-out-loud, which was one reason why I reached for the novel. Sometimes you just need a laugh and heart. And this novels scores on both. Not to mention the chemistry between Jess and River that is off the charts.
While I’m not a huge fan of the enemies to more trope, I do like it in the hands of Christina Lauren, where it’s all rational and no one has a out-of-left-field temper tantrum. And, because like all good romances, we need a division near the end to test the couple, the one The Soulmate Equation provides makes sense and rises organically from the characters’ personalities.
If you’re looking for a lol book with all the feels, you might be looking for The Soulmate Equation.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Soulmate Equation goes on sale on May 18–plenty of time to pre-order and get a surprise in your mailbox on release day! 💖
rating:
5 out of 5 butterflies
I’m so glad the characters are mature! I’m a bit Christina Lauren fan but hit a rough patch with them so I took a break. It sounds like this might be a good time to return.
Sounds delicious