Author: Christina Lauren
Publication Date: 18 May 2021
Publisher: Gallery Books
Page Count: 368
Reading Method: Digital Arc [ Thank you to the publisher ]
Dates Read: May 29 – 30
Synopsis:
Single mom Jessica 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 was never 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 percent compatibility with another subject in the database: one of GeneticAlly’s founders, 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 Match” that could launch GeneticAlly’s valuation sky-high, Jess begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist—and the science behind a soulmate—than she thought.
Review:
Do you believe you believe in soulmates? If someone told you they could find your soulmate based on your DNA, would you believe them? I don’t really believe in ~soulmates~ but I do absolutely think there is some scientific basis for attraction and compatibility. When I saw the premise of The Soulmate Equation, I knew I needed to get my hands on it!
Plot:
Jess is a single mother who has sworn off dating. Americano is a scientist who has put all of his time into discovering the connection between DNA and love. Okay, his name isn’t Americano – but it works for him. There is so much to love about this story. Fake dating, a best friend with no filter, steamy romance, need I continue?
Characters:
I don’t think there was a single character in this book that I didn’t like – which almost never happens! The story is told from Jess’s perspective. I loved her. She is tough, doesn’t back down, and is a smarty pants. There were times she would be talking to the room of scientists and totally holding her own and I would just be in awe. She’s also an excellent mother, daughter, and granddaughter. The swoony scientist, River Peña, is brilliant and kind and obviously too good to be true. Jess and River start off on the wrong foot and I loved their back and forth banter. I would be remiss to leave out Fizzy – Jess’s best friend, inappropriate cheerleader, and one of my favorite book characters of the year.
Writing:
I’ve only read one other Christina Lauren (The Unhoneymooners) but I think it’s safe to say that they’ve become an auto-buy duo for me. I love their writing style. The books are impossible to put down, you fall in love with the characters, there’s tension and heat. I need to order a big stack of their books because I need more immediately.
