Review: The Soulmate Equation

I knew May was going to be filled with a lot of rom coms and I kicked things off with the queens of the genre. The Soulmate Equation is Christina Lauren's latest novel and I found it to be absolutely delightful. I laughed and swooned and cringed and loved every second of it.

Here's the book's description:

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 Pena. This is one number she can't wrap her head around, because she already knows Dr. Pena. 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.

I never know exactly what I'm going to get with Lauren's novels. I always enjoy them but there's definitely a scale on my enjoyment level. The Soulmate Equation? It's joined Roomies and The Unhoneymooners right at the top of the scale. It might have been partly a case of "right book, right time" but mostly it was just because this was a damn good book. It doesn't take itself too seriously but it's not a mindless read, either. It hit the balance of what I love in a rom com and I was sad when it was all over.

The data and science in the novel seem a bit far fetched but if you just kind of roll with it, you'll be incredibly entertained. You can gloss over the science if you want or you can soak up every detail. Either way, you'll still get a lot out of the storyline. I mean, how can you not be intrigued by finding your soulmate through your DNA?

Speaking of soulmates, one River Pena is pretty damn swoonworthy. He's such a grump to start but I knew, a little before Jess did, that he probably wasn't the asshat he was appearing to be. The more Jess (and the reader) got to know him, the more you couldn't help but fall in love with him. The sexual attraction was real and I couldn't wait for them to finally give into that attraction. Fireworks! I've heard quite a few people already request a Dr. Pena of their very own. I totally get it.

The secondary characters in this story are great. Juno was an absolute delight and I, someone who is not a kid fan, would love to babysit her for a day and do all sorts of fun stuff with her. She'd probably ask me a million questions that I would not know the answer to (seriously, the kid is smart!) but we'd have a great time. Jess's grandparents are so solid and dependable and wonderful and there was a scary moment when I thought things would go so badly. Because I loved Jess so much, I was so glad that she had people like her grandparents in her life. And Fizzy! Oh my word, Jess's best friend was AMAZING. She needs her own book. She's a romance author and is so smart and funny and is searching for her own soulmate, one fling at a time. Having a main character with so many people around her is always great because it helps solidify their amazingness.

The Soulmate Equation was so fun to read. It had smarts and heart and those are two of the most important things I want in my romantic comedies. Christina Lauren have given readers yet another entertaining contemporary read that I think will be in many hands over the summer!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: In a Holidaze

Yes, I am aware the calendar just turned to November but the world of publishing cares not and SO MANY Christmassy titles have already been released. Including Christina Lauren's latest, In a Holidaze. I read it over Thanksgiving weekend (reminder: I'm in Canada and I celebrated Thanksgiving in mid-October...I'm not time traveling like the main character in this book) and was completely sucked into the story. It's festive, it's fun, and it's so heartwarming.

Here's the synopsis:

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.

But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.

The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe.

I have to admit I was a bit wary of Lauren's newest novel. The last few of theirs (another reminder: Christina Lauren is a pseudonym for author duo Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings) have been just...fine. Enjoyable but nothing groundbreaking. But In a Holidaze? Exactly what I wanted and needed. It was the type of Christina Lauren I expect and I'm so glad it held up to my (high) expectations.

I know I'm not alone with my tendency to not reread a synopsis before diving into a book. And, to be honest, I don't even think I read what this book was about before requesting it. Christina Lauren AND Christmas? Sign. Me. Up. Therefore, I had forgotten/not known that there was a really fun time loop element to the story. For those who don't like any whiff of fantasy or magic in their stories: fear not. Lauren works the time loop into the plot in such a way that it just...makes sense. You forget, sort of, that Mae has somehow been living the same week over and over and over again and you just roll with the story as she tries to figure out what exactly it is she wants out of life.

While this novel is billed as a rom com, there's also a hefty dose of real life drama that Mae is dealing with. It's less about the romantic Happily Ever After (though that is a part of the story) and more about her feeling settled in her life and doing what makes her happy. She's in her mid-twenties and I remember kind of feeling the same at that age. Hell, I still feel like that sometimes at 33. There was a really powerful scene right at the start of the book, before the first loop, where Mae wants to asks the universe for what she wants but she realizes she actually has no idea what she wants. So, she asks to be shown what will make her happy. Haven't we all wished for that a time or two?

There's a strong Christmas element to the novel. That's not always the case these days with Christmas books but In a Holidaze gets right to what many of us feel is the most important part of the holiday: family and traditions. And that family isn't just your blood relatives. It's your found family, those who are the most important people in your life. The group in this novel get together every Christmas and trim the tree and have snow sculpture competitions, and eat and drink far too much. You can feel the love, and the cheer, and that's what I loved about this story.

In a Holidaze was one of my favourite reads in October. Not only that, but I think all the holiday books I have yet to read will have a tough go ahead of them if they want to beat out Christina Lauren's for the top spot on my holiday reading list this year. 

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Twice in a Blue Moon

I think a few blue moons have passed since I read Christina Lauren's novel Twice in a Blue Moon. I read it back in October, just before it was published, and have even read (and reviewed!) their latest novel, The Honey-Don't List, since then. Somehow, I just missed talking about this novel that I devoured in one day.

Here's the synopsis:

Sam Brandis was Tate Jones’s first: Her first love. Her first everything. Including her first heartbreak.
During a whirlwind two-week vacation abroad, Sam and Tate fell for each other in only the way that first loves do: sharing all of their hopes, dreams, and deepest secrets along the way. Sam was the first, and only, person that Tate—the long-lost daughter of one of the world’s biggest film stars—ever revealed her identity to. So when it became clear her trust was misplaced, her world shattered for good.
Fourteen years later, Tate, now an up-and-coming actress, only thinks about her first love every once in a blue moon. When she steps onto the set of her first big break, he’s the last person she expects to see. Yet here Sam is, the same charming, confident man she knew, but even more alluring than she remembered. Forced to confront the man who betrayed her, Tate must ask herself if it’s possible to do the wrong thing for the right reason… and whether “once in a lifetime” can come around twice.

Now, a lot of people have said they didn't enjoy this one. There are various reasons, as there always are, but I really liked it. Maybe it was simply because I needed this kind of story at the time I was reading it.

One reason it could have appealed to me more is because I love a good second chance story. It's one of my favourite tropes and I enjoyed that this novel had the second chance happening way out in the middle of nowhere so they were kind of trapped with each other (but not totally alone, given they were on a film set).

I don't think I necessarily fell for the characters as hard as they fell for each other. Neither Tate nor Sam particularly stood out to me, especially when they were adults. I may have enjoyed their teenage love a bit more than their adult one. Perhaps because they were both so much...harder by the time they met again. I think I also just couldn't quite get over what Sam did to Tate.

I could, however, see that they still cared a lot for each other. There was a lot of hurt to get over on Tate's side but she was stubborn and didn't want to hear Sam's side of the story. Plus, she's a big star now and it was hard for her to look past that and focus on the movie they were making. Through all of that the reader can tell they belong together if they could just have an honest conversation about how scared they are and how much the other means to them.

While Twice in a Blue Moon won't stick with me forever, it was a delightful read. I'm still a big fan of Christina Lauren and am already looking forward to their next book.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: The Honey-Don't List

I'm a relatively new Christina Lauren reader. While they've been published for several years, I only read my first book by them (Christina Lauren is a pen name for Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings) in 2018 (it was Roomies and I thoroughly enjoyed it). Since then I've read a number of their novels and The Honey-Don't List is their latest. It was fun with a little sexy and a lot of depth but it didn't wow me as much as I expected.

Here's the synopsis:

Carey Douglas has worked for home remodeling and design gurus Melissa and Rusty Tripp for nearly a decade. A country girl at heart, Carey started in their first store at sixteen, and—more than anyone would suspect—has helped them build an empire. With a new show and a book about to launch, the Tripps are on the verge of superstardom. There’s only one problem: America’s favorite couple can’t stand each other.
James McCann, MIT graduate and engineering genius, was originally hired as a structural engineer, but the job isn’t all he thought it’d be. The last straw? Both he and Carey must go on book tour with the Tripps and keep the wheels from falling off the proverbial bus.
Unfortunately, neither of them is in any position to quit. Carey needs health insurance, and James has been promised the role of a lifetime if he can just keep the couple on track for a few more weeks. While road-tripping with the Tripps up the West Coast, Carey and James vow to work together to keep their bosses’ secrets hidden, and their own jobs secure. But if they stop playing along—and start playing for keeps—they may have the chance to build something beautiful together…

I thought the design/TV show aspect was a lot of fun and really enjoyed that it also showed the less than glamorous side of things. I mean, this story was an extreme example of the ugly that show business can create but it's a good reminder that those HGTV shows (which I adore) are made for entertainment purposes. (Although, do you watch Home Town? I find that show to be delightfully uncontrived and unscripted. Ben and Erin are the cutest and I just love the show.) If you're also a fan of these types of HGTV-esque stories, I would highly suggest Playing House by Laura Chapman, one of my favourite authors.

I really liked Carey and James. The romance between them seemed so great and believable too. It moved fast but they spent a lot of time together and were able to get to know each other on levels that it sometimes takes other couples weeks or months to achieve. They really seemed like opposites but the more they got to know each other, the more they realized a lot of their core values were the same. I also really liked that the story was told by both of them. Chapters changed perspective with whoever's chapter it was telling the story in first person. Sounds like it could be confusing but it really worked for me.

What didn't work? The transcripts with the police officers and the social media comments that were interspersed between chapters. The transcripts hinted at the climax of the novel which I didn't mind but it seemed like a weird way to do it. That said, I didn't mind the excerpts from Russ and Melly's book (because they related to whatever drama was currently happening in the story) or the articles about their tour.

While there's a romance at the heart of this book, Carey's personal journey (ugh sorry for the cliched term) is what stood out for me the most. From an outsider, like James originally was, she seems like she's been stuck in an assistant role for a decade. She's incredible reliant on her bosses and their lives are hopelessly intertwined. The authors make sure the reader knows Carey has already begun to work on herself before James came along - she had been going to therapy to try to help work through her issues - but since he was in a similar position, he was able to help her see a way out of the situation she was in. I rooted for her throughout the entire book and wanted all of the good things for her.

Special shout out for the authors to write Carey with a disability and one that presents in a pretty invisible way. Carey has dystonia, which is a movement disorder that can cause muscles to spasm and contract uncontrollably. They explain in the acknowledgements that Billings' family has a variant of the disease and that's why they wanted to include it in the storyline and shed a little bit of light on the disease (which I had never heard of so I'm happy to have had the education).

Did I have high expectations for The Honey-Don't List? Maybe. Was I stressed about the global pandemic blowing up the world around me? Perhaps. Is it worth a read? Yes, I think so but don't worry too much if it gets pushed down your reading list. Christina Lauren will always entertain and if you want an escape, their latest book could be what you're looking for.

*An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*