The Science of Revenge

by Marceline Addams

Amery Bryan practically runs CellTheraGene as Dr. Novak's administrative assistant. She's a total badass, a goth poet with RBF who doesn't take shit from anyone, especially not from Zack Andrews, the arrogant and entitled scientist who made her shit list for making fun of her poetry.

She's ready to hold her grudge forever, but when Zack unexpectedly saves her in a lab accident, she can't help but feel she owes him a favor.

Zack, who's been questioning his life decisions and reflecting on his past behavior, has come to a realization: literally everyone hates him. He might be good-looking, brilliant, and athletic, but none of that is helping him move from first dates to second ones. To fix that, he's come up with a genius plan: find a fake girlfriend to teach him exactly what he's been doing wrong. And Amery, who's never been shy about hurting his feelings, is the perfect person to do it.

He can't believe it when she agrees to help him, but little does he know Amery has a genius plan of her own… revenge.

Genres: Stem, Rom Com, Romance

349 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 9, 2023

About the author

Marceline Addams is a half-goth, half-Haitian romance fan working in a STEM-related field that she'd love to quit. Fueled entirely by workplace gossip, she channels her penchant for mischief and genetic predisposition for drama into writing romance novels instead of destroying careers.

She hates sitting still and when not pacing the room, she can be found booking flights she can’t afford, singing to herself in bathrooms, and daydreaming about getting rich. She enjoys spicy workplace romances, enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, forbidden love, historical, and paranormal romances as well as fantasy and romantasy. Please help her stop herself from accidentally forming a cult by checking out her romcoms!

Marceline can be found on Instagram and Tiktok @writermarceline

Reviews

[Resh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zack is a scientist and Amery is a poet. Amery loves dark makeup, crystals, witchy vibes, tarot cards and rituals while Zack is the handsome, smart, rich blonde guy. Zack is shunned at the workplace they both work because of his vile attitude and his entitled parents want him to lie low to recover the family image. They already hate each other since Zack made fun of Amery’s poetry publicly. What happens when they start fake dating to appease Zack’s parents? Is Zack the same vile guy with no remorse or respect or is he really in need of a friend to help him be a better person? Will Amery get her revenge on Zack by destroying his family’s reputation?

This was a fun read. The banter between the leads is funny and I loved the dual POV which helped me to understand the thoughts of both MCs especially regarding their chemistry and attraction. Sir Didymus the cat is cute and I wish he made more appearances. I was attracted to this book because of the MMC being in STEM as I love science and would have loved if there was more content in STEM. But I enjoyed the story overall where their relationship gradually builds with the tension being palpable. Initially both the characters have some toxic traits which they both understand and accept later on which allows them to be better for each other.

You’d enjoy this book if you love,
~Enemies to lovers
~Dual POV
~Spice
~Badass goth FMC
~Family drama
~Opposites attract

I received an ARC of this book for an honest review and all thoughts are of my own.

[Emily | EMVZ.woodandbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

“ɪ ᴘᴜᴛ ᴄʏᴀɴɪᴅᴇ ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄᴏꜰꜰᴇᴇ,” ꜱʜᴇ ꜱᴀɪᴅ, ʀᴇᴀᴄʜɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴜᴘꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴅ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛᴇʀ. “ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ꜱᴀʏ ɪᴛ ᴛᴀꜱᴛᴇꜱ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀʟᴍᴏɴᴅꜱ. ꜱʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴀɴᴛ.”

🧬 Opposites Attract
🧬 Reverse Grumpy Sunshine
🧬 Enemies to Lovers
🧬 Fake Dating
🧬 He Falls First
🧬 Slow Burn
🧬 Open Door Spice Scenes
🧬 Banter and Nicknames
🧬 Dual POV/Third person
🧬 Interconnected standalone

Such a great read! I loved the first book in the series, and this was an interesting character choice for continuing the series. However, it was nicely done, and I'm glad he got his redemption!

It was a HEA ending, but I wasn't a huge fan of how easy everything came together to make that happen.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book/series to others! ✨️

[Tay_is_reading_again · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this contemporary romance book! It is an enemies to friends to lovers read with an element of forced proximity/fake relationship. THE BANTER was the highlight of the book for me. The FMC is a grungy, witchy, gothic girly, and the MMC is a silver spoon and traditionally handsome guy. At first glance, Zack, the MMC is a douche bag/jerk; however his character growth in this book is fantastic.

I do wish there was more groveling on Amery, the FMC’s, part when Zack forgives her. It seemed a bit TOO easy. Additionally, I wish we found out some more information about what happened to Zack’s family after Amery had her big reveal. I did not read the first book, so it is very possible I’m missing vital information.

Overall, I enjoyed this well-written romance and I would recommend it!

[Amy (wildbookstagram) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes a little palette cleanser is needed imbetween fantasy books and this one was certainly different!

I enjoyed the pop culture and film references dotted throughout this book, and the fact cats were basically God tier.

I found Amery’s character a little too stereotypical for my liking, and not particularly likeable in all honesty, but that being said the premise was fun - I’ve never read a STEM-esque book before.

AD/Gifted

[leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*
-Enemies to friends to lovers
-Reverse grumpy x sunshine
-Fake dating
-Workplace romance
-REVENGE
-spiceeeee

Follow goth girl poet Amery and rich jerk scientist Zack as she agrees to be his fake girlfriend and give him advice on how to be a better person in exchange for $$$ (good for her) and agreeing to be his date to his family's gala.

While this book had so many of my favorite tropes, the beginning fell flat for me and made it hard for the second half, which was so compelling, to hold as much weight as it absolutely could have. I found both Amery and Zack hard to like and while their back and forth exchanges were hilarious, they often dragged on far too long.

ALSO *spoilers* I'm actually glad Amery went through with her revenge plot, Zack's family deserved it, but she put way too little thought into how it would affect her AND ZACK. I hate what she did right before he found out about the accusations and I also think he forgave her way too easily.

HOWEVER, I love me a happy ending and I really did end up rooting for them in the end!

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️
--------------------------------
Thank you to Marceline and her team for granting me an ARC in exchange to publish a review of my honest opinion! Once again, it's an honour!
--------------------------------

I really enjoyed the first 80% of this book. It was well written, very cute, the pacing was excellent and the characters (who are in their 30s, yeesss!) felt like real people with real problems. I found Amery to be very relatable. The plot was very cute and the side characters were interesting, they actually add to the story without taking away from the main characters, which is great!

However, the book started to lose me near the ending because I think things got taken WAY to far and had poor conflict resolution. How anyone could bounce back from something like that so quickly I really don't know. Amery was a hurt person, who hurt people but how she tried to resolve things came off extremely selfish and totally changed my opinion of her. I wish those events took place earlier in the book so we could have more conflict resolution because it just came off as really toxic and unfair.

Plot aside, I think Marceline is a wonderful writer. I enjoyed her first book and I enjoyed this one even more. The only reason it took me so long to get through it was because life got in the way.

[K T S · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review
I was over the moon to dive into The Science Of Revenge and wowza, Marceline Addams knocked it out of the park with this Grumpy x Sunshine tale! The characters, each with their own quirks and charms kept me hooked from start to finish. Amery's snarky humor and Zack's cheerful spirit were the perfect recipe for a romance that melted my heart. The story itself was a masterpiece, with just the right amount of drama and tension to keep me on edge.
Trust me, if you're a fan of feel-good stories with a dash of wit, this one's for you.
Hats off to you Marceline for a job well done - I'm already itching for your next creation!

[M.K. Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a super cute read! I love the revenge angle and all the goth/emo style and references! Goth girls read romance too! Well done

[Sou · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love Marceline Addams’ writing style. It is very light and reads really smoothly.
Reading this book, I felt myself smiling through the whole of it, which is weird, because I’m an Amery in real life and smiling is definitely not what we do.
I loved the relationship between Zack and Amery, and I really appreciated how it developed. The banter between the two was absolutely delightful.
The story has enough details to walk you through the plot without it being overwritten.
It is a definite 5🌟 rating for a rivals to lovers romcom, and I definitely recommend it!

[k8 · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an emotional journey! Amery and Zack are on a journey, and I am here for it! Zack is the villain of the first book in this series, and it was amazing to watch him figure out who he wanted to be. He was putting in the work: therapy, making new friends, trying to be a better person. Amery was struggling, too, and found someone in Zack who could lift her up.

Enemies to Lovers is my catnip. I cannot resist it. The transition from enemies to friends???? to lovers was so well done, moving the characters together in ways that made them both better people.

Love Boston in winter, golden retriever/goth girl, STEM and poetry. I will definitely be reading more by this author.


I was given an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Gillian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Never would have guessed the next book was about the guy who had to leave work from harassing the main character in the previous book. That's all you need to know. Any step they try to take to redeem this character is crazy and was never convincing. I will not believe he's changed and even if he has, I don't want him to be the main character of this book omg

[Carolyn]

dnf’d.
mmc makes book 1 fmc’s life awful, then gets his own book? hell no.

[Meu-Lan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5⭐️

I can see why the note says fans of Ali Hazelwood would like this author because they absolutely would. Very STEM and similar to the books of hers I read in many ways.

The plot was very easy to follow, and it definitely didn't matter that I hadn't read the first book (though I will go back and read it soon). I like that for the most part, it wasn't driven by undeniable attraction or the characters sleeping together even though *spoiler* they do end up doing so. A true enemies to lovers where they ACTUALLY hate each other, which is definitely nice. Their mutual banter is fun, and the slow falling for each other and hating it is even better. I do feel there were some loose ends/holes and the story wrapped up really quickly, like: did Amery get out of being sued by Martin? How did her raise come through so quickly that she was able to pay her brother's tuition? Why was Zack allowed to pursue the new job despite everything? Did Emily forgive him?
Honestly, I'm not too pressed about the answers, though.

I was pretty surprised by my impressions of the characters. For Zack, I thought he was going to be a rich pretentious dudebro. Which he was. But also, he really was never. Right from the get-go, he is surprisingly deep and emotional, just incredibly repressed due to his terrible parents. Even through Amery's POV, he never really does anything bad that should make her hate him so much (I know it's supposed to tie back to the first book). He really didn't need lessons on how to be nice, and I was so prepared to hate him, but it lasted all of like three chapters. He was honestly a super nice LI and kind of a saint for just going along and constantly letting Amery run him over. I do have to say I don't understand his backsliding when it came to not understanding the word "no" about sleeping together. It temporarily lowered my opinion of him, but also seemed out of character in his POV.

Amery, on the other hand, I am surprised how much I disliked her. For pretty much the first half of the book, I couldn't find any redeeming qualities for her. She's supposed to be grumpy, quirky, and weird, but she's just flat out rude and selfish. I understand she is also emotionally repressed due to terrible parents, but as she keeps calling Zack out for that, I find her quite the hypocrite. She did have her ups and downs through the book, but overall, my opinion of her is negative.

Also, who the heck demands $10,000 plus probably at least another $1,000 for fake dating and WHO THE HECK AGREES TO THAT?? Very selfish on one part and stupid on the other. Also, Amery pretty much never holds up her end of the deal, giving Zack advice or telling him how to change his mentality. He pretty much figures it all out himself while she complains and makes him pay for things. And when she royally messes up at the end, he forgives her sooo easily. I know part of it is him trying to reframe his toxic mentality and talking to his brother again, but she gets off with no consequences, a higher paying job, and a new group of friends and wonderful boyfriend. Ngl, I wish life was that nice.

Ignore all the negativity though, because this was still a fun read. I read it in one day! I liked the style and pacing more than Ali Hazelwood books, and overall found it to be a good book.

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC review

This book is basically about two a-holes who hate each other, start fake dating, and begrudgingly fall in love. And it’s glorious in every way.
So, I didn’t read the first book in the series yet, and I’m both happy and sad about that. Sad because I always want the history of characters, but happy because I love Zack in all his dipsh*t glory and don’t want to think of him as a villain. He’s trying to be a better person. He knows he’s a pretty boy jerkface a-hole and isn’t happy about it anymore. So he asks a girl from work to be his fake girlfriend for a couple of months, sure the blunt and kinda mean emo goth chick he’s an ass to will tell it like it is and help him figure out how to be a better person.
Except Amery really hates Zack’s guts. For good reason. Seriously, he’s a jerkface a-hole. I don’t know how I’m going to edit this review for Amazon… anyway, that’s a future me problem! She agrees to fake date him and rate him, in exchange for some cash, and plans a healthy dose of revenge against him while she’s at it. Their general disdain for each other doesn’t disappear or even diminish slightly overnight. They continue verbally sparring and busting each other’s balls for quite a while. But the berating and roasting starts to change to something more like teasing and joking, and soon they’re not sure there’s any hate there at all. But of course, life’s not that easy and a few roadblocks get in their way before they really figure their shiz out.

I love that Zack calls Amery a bunch of other names that start with A, then a bunch of evil nicknames. And I love that the nicknames stick and become terms of endearment. Seriously, these a-holes are adorable. Amery’s heart is bigger than she realizes and her pain runs deep. Zack is loyal to a ridiculous fault, to people who don’t even kind of deserve it. They help each other grow, sometimes without even realizing it. These two a-holes have very little in common, but somehow, they’re a perfect match. I didn’t want this book to end.


Things you’ll find in this book:
Hate to love - like really, they hate each other
Cult classic movie references
Fake dating
Revenge plot
Book buying
Graveyard visits and ghost hunting
Cat people
Nicknames
A-hole sunshiny scientist
A-hole grumpy goth girl poet
Banter
Redemption
Open door spice
Opposites attract
He falls first
Once he falls, he’s a simp for her
Slow burn
The third act 🥺

[claudia reads it all · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Science of Revenge is the second in a series of rom-coms set in the world of STEM by Marceline Addams. You don't have to have read the first book, which is good, because I haven't. Amery is a goth poet who has her days, including weekends, full, working for the nasty piece of shit that is Dr. Novak. There are some people on her enemies list, and one of the mid-level enemies is Zack Andrews, the arrogant asshole who made fun of her poetry and read it aloud to a bunch of other mouth breathers when she forgot it in the lunch room one day. But then Zack saves her life during a lab accident and she owes him a favor.
Meanwhile, Zack can do nothing right by his family, especially his asshole father, and granted, he is a jerk, but he has done some personal growth. When he is ordered to show up at an event with someone on his arm, he calls in that favor, not only to have Amery there as his date, but to help him figure out how to be a better person and not have everyone despise him. Amery agrees, but has much more than that on her mind. She wants revenge, and as she begins to discover some facts about Zack's family, she plots her revenge.
It was here that the book lost some of its potential - Amery goes way too far and doesn't seem to care at first that she is hurting Zack in the process. Her revenge is brutal and I feel there should have been more consequences for her - Zack forgives her and they move on and that is that. Also, she's still doing the same thing for Dr Novak at the end that she was doing at the beginning? Really? All in all it was enjoyable enough for a weekend read.

[Darkling · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will admit that I’m not much of an enemies to lovers fan but I trusted Ms.Addams to be one of the authors to introduce me to the concept and I do not regret it. I loved her previous book : You can’t Fight Molecular Attraction and from that book I can see the growth Ms.Addams had as an author when writing this. Her characters had a deeper sense of depth and emotion in The Science of Revenge. Avery and Zack are written in a way that doesn’t feel stiff or inhuman. There were many times where I was on the edge of my seat or wanting to strangle one character or another 😂 but there were also times where my heart melted and I was just full of happiness. This book was a welcomed distraction during this busy section of my life that has prevented me from reading as much as I usually would. But as well as adding more character depth don’t think I didn’t notice the increase in spice Ms.Addams 😏, this is definitely the spicer of the two, and hopefully more to come, of Ms.Addams books if that is what you want when choosing any of her books. Overall this book is a testament to Ms.Addams growth as an author and her ability to keep me engaged and excited for a genre I don’t really enjoy as shown in my reviews. My last promo for this book is the BANTER. Do you feel your normal enemies to lovers books doesn’t have enough banter? Look no further, if banter were a book it would be this one. At some points I questioned whether or not the lovers part was going to happen but it did! And guess what? After that you unlock premium : Loving Banter! So the fun never stops!
Lol promo over but seriously it’ll feed your banter needs.

[Tali Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

So Amery Bryan basically runs CellTheraGene, as the executive assistant to Dr. Novak, she's a goth poet( twinses!) with a RBF that will send you in the opposite direction, and she surely doesn't take flack from anyone for that matter, especially not Zack Andrews , an egotistical and entitled prick of a scientist who made his way onto her shit list for mocking her poetry.

Amery's ready to hold this grudge over him, when he unexpectedly saves her in a lab accident, she can't help but to feel indebted to him.

Zack Andrews, a disgraced scientist who's been reflecting on his past behaviors and life decisions, has made the pretty obvious realization that everyone hates him. Though he might be good looking, amazing at sports, and brilliant none of these help to land a second date. Looking to fix this he enlists the help of Amery, by coming up with an ingenious plan where he has her pretend to be his fake girlfriend. And Amery being the true queen she is sees this as a perfect opportunity to take her revenge on Zack.

I enjoyed this book a lot it was definitely so fun to read, I honestly couldn't put it down! Their banter was everything, like I honestly couldn't get over it. Also it was refreshing to read to a romance novel where the girl was the one that messed up big time and needed to fix things with the guy, its definitely a nice change of pace from the male always trying to right their wrongs. I also reccomend checking out her other book You Can't Fight Molecular Attraction.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoy
*Fake Dating
*Enemies to Lovers
*Spicy Scenes
*Banter
*Revenge and Redemption
*Jerky Scientist and Grumpy Goth Girl
Then this book is for you.

I really enjoyed The Science of Revenge. I felt that enough detail was put into scenes, and they were not dragged out. The relationship (fake and real) between Amery and Zack was cute and different. The way that you could start telling that they were each developing feeling was nice. The storyline went smoothly, and there was no confusion on what was happening, which was nice.

The only part of the book I didn't care for was towards the end, how Amery's revenge scene went.... I felt that it could have gone a little different (trying not to give any spoilers). The ending was very good, though. I felt the main part of the ending went a little quick, but overall, it had a nice closed ending no wondering what happened to the main characters.

Overall, I would recommend this book. I loved the main background theme, I felt it was different and unique (the science company). I enjoyed the sweet arguing/banter between the main characters and how they helped one another overall. The roommate was even a nice addition to the story. I am not a big spicy scene person, but I feel if you are like me or you enjoy spice, then it has just enough to go either way. Great storyline and writing all together.

*I received The Science of Revenge as an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Caitlin Horst · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 📚
The Science of Revenge by @writermarceline
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

𝙼𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜;
I received this ARC in return for a honest review. Do you love;

-Enemies to lovers
-Reverse grumpy x sunshine
-Fake dating
-Workplace romance
-revenge
-slow burn

If so you came to the right book! I’ll be honest the reason this is a 4 star book is the beginning was very hard to get into, the writing style was a lot different than what I’m used to and at times I wanted to strangle the FMC Amery. That being said it was a quick and easy read, once I got a quarter of the way in. Amery and Zack both had their faults at times you just did not like them but that made them perfect for one another. Amery was very blunt and bitter at times, but I kinda felt like Zack needed that at points. He felt like he deserved whatever he wanted and Amery just did not allow it. This book has trauma, revenge, spice, slow burn, drama and happy endings. So pretty much anything you could ask for in a novel. This book is dual POV which I love, and has witty banter between the characters which makes it feel like the book just flies by. I will also say, closer to the end I felt like the revenge was taken a little too far and the groveling should have lasted longer, but the happy ending is there and I suppose that’s all that matters!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read If You Enjoy
🧬 Fake Dating
🧬 Enemies To Lovers with Spice
🧬 Dual POV

This book made my metal music and science-loving heart so happy. Cover to cover, I loved every single page. Amery was personally very relatable for me, and I loved her character so much.

Amery, a badass goth poet with zero filter, and Zack, an arrogant and entitled scientist. After an accident in the lab, where Zack saves her life, Amery, feeling like she owes him a favour, agrees to fake date Zack and attend a gala with him as his fake girlfriend at his request.

I loved how well the enemies-to-lovers trope plays out in this story. I loved the heated exchanges and banter between Amery and Zack. Amery despises Zack for the way he has treated her and her poetry in the past and is hellbent on using their fake relationship to exact revenge. It really builds up the tension between them so well. The spice and the chemistry when they start falling for each other is just perfection.

I loved watching both of them grow throughout the story. Jack, atoning for the mistakes he has made in the past, and Amery, learning to trust and let people into her life.

Thank you, Marceline, for providing me with an ARC copy of The Science of Revenge in exchange for an honest review 🖤

[Kateryna Sternberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have received the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m so inexcusable late with this review simply because I’m chronic

A bit of a prequel, I’ve absolutely adored You Can’t Fight Molecular Attraction, it has similar vibes to Alie Hazelwood’s romcoms, which I devour within days of release. We need more STEM romcoms truly.

Okay, now back to the book at hand. I was quite sceptical when I learned who is going to be the ML in this book. Zach seemed like such an unforgivable douche and I expected to be thoroughly disappointed. How wrong I was, this book is even better than the first one.

The redemption arc was chef’s kiss, and it’s coming from a person who despises redemption arcs. This book showed us a whole new side to Zach, his softness and vulnerability.

And Amery, she is such a unique MC, grumpy goth queen, who is into tarot and crystals. Refreshing to have a character where being mean is not a character flaw but rather a facet of sharp and intelligent personality.

The premise was a new twist in fake dating, which I have not seen before. I’ve laughed so much while reading it.

Oh, THE BANTER. Exquisite.

This book was a perfect romcom and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

[EliseBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC review for The Science of Revenge by Marceline Addams

Dual POV. A little reverse grumpy sunshine. Funny, sarcastic banter. Fake dating.
This book follows Zack who we first met in ‘You Can’t Fight Molecular Attraction’ and Amery. I definitely recommend reading the first book before this one so you can truly appreciate Zack’s character improvement, but you don’t have to as it can technically be read as a stand alone.
I found this book fascinating as Zack was definitely the villain in the previous book. He was rude and a bully, so now getting his back story and seeing him slowly become self aware was such an interesting development. And seeing why he acted the way he did.
It really shows that as long as someone is willing to acknowledge their mistakes, they can become a better person. Amery isn’t without her faults too and they definitely both experience a lot of growth. I recommend this book and the previous one to anyone who likes Ali Hazelwood! The only thing that threw me off was the sometimes third person narration, but I got used to it.

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was difficult to get into this book after reading (and hating) Zack in You Can't Fight Molecular Attraction. He was awful in that book and it was hard to forget and forgive him even as we delved into his back story and his mind which explained (but did not excuse) his actions. Thankfully, he did grow, develop and see how wrong his actions were and it was good to see that by the end he was disgusted by who he was back then and wasn't recognisable as the same character. 

I liked Amery, she was different from the usual female main character but still definitely had her own flaws. She had a unique aesthetic and didn't take shit from people and I liked that also developed and grew and opened herself up by the end of the book. She was ruled by hate at one point and I loved seeing her soften and let that go. 

The plot took some twists and turns but ultimately I did feel like I know where it was going and when/how the conflict was going to occur. But it was a fairly easy read and I liked the writing style. 

[Kristianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

While this book had some of my favorite tropes (enemies to lovers, fake dating), it took a long time for me to push through and read. The bitter and blunt writing style of the FMC was funny at first, but felt way too dragged on throughout the read. On that same note, although the idea was to push how horrible the MMC’s family was, it felt out of place and forced instead of the writing making me agree that they were horrible.

The book picked up in the second half, but I’m a firm believer in books shouldn’t need to only redeem themselves at the end or in the second installment of a series. Without spoiling anything, even though I agree with Amery’s choices, I don’t like how inconsiderate she was of Zack. However, alls well that ends well and if he can see past her actions then so be it!

Overall, if you’re looking for a drama filled easy read with a happy ending, I think you’ll enjoy this book!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (I felt like this deserved a 3.5 star rating, but unfortunately you can't give half stars on here)
🌶️🌶️

I recieved an e-ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

The Science of Revenge was quite entertaining. I’m a sucker for the fake dating and enemies to lovers tropes so this book was right up my alley! I also loved the opposites attract aspect of the story.

The chemistry between Zack and Amery was really well written! I loved seeing both of them grow throughout the story. They had quite a ways to come since both their families were trash.

I dropped it from 4 to 3.5 stars because I struggled with Amery a little. She couldn’t seem to get out of her own way and just let herself be happy and it was a little exhausting to me. Also, I was a little disappointed in her choices towards the end of the book.

Overall though, this was a fun read. If you like enemies to lover, fake dating, and opposites attract then definitely check out this book.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVED this STEM-based workplace romance. I loved that the grump was the FMC, Amery, and the MC, Zack fell just ever so slightly first and it was adorable. 🥰 Their chemistry was off the charts right from the beginning and their banter/name-calling/picking at each other was so perfect and such a big part of their chemistry. The spice was definitely ALLLLLL there, but it didn't detract from this being such a layered, complex romance and story. The best and more unique parts of this book were the character growth from both FMC and MMC and the family drama backstories for both characters. It added layers of complexity and reality that was super interesting and different. I loved seeing Amery and Zack struggle through their issues and come out better because of each other ❤️

Thank you to the author, Marceline Addams, for the ARC. It was truly a pleasure.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A binge-able, fake dating romance! I’ll admit, I liked none of the characters except for the roommate, Mariah, at the beginning of this book. The fact that I ended up loving this book and the characters just goes to show the character development that occurred! I love a good fake-dating trope, and this was a great one. Fake-dating, but make it weird? Check! The spice level was up there, but if you’re someone that’s not into it, it’s easily skippable and doesn’t take away from the plot. While this is a STEM romance, it’s not filled with a lot of science terms, so don’t be intimidated by that if it’s not your thing. Beware of the third act breakup 😅 That was a hard one for me just because you totally see it coming. It was totally worth it though! Read if you love fake-dating, STEM romance, character growth/redemption, and The Love Hypothesis.

[Morgan Alwardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review!

🥀 “The Science of Revenge” by Marceline Addams 🥀

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m a sucker for fake dating, especially when they keep fighting their attraction. The banter in this book was SO good and you could tell that there was a lot of chemistry between the main characters. Their fake dates were so cute and fun and I enjoyed seeing the character growth throughout the book where they learned from past mistakes. I liked how the FMC followed through with her revenge plot in the end, but there were a lot of consequences as a result that affected both her and the MMC. I felt the ending was a bit rushed and tied up too quickly, but I did enjoy the family reunion scene at the end, so that kinda made up for it!

Tropes:
•fake dating
•opposites attract
•banter
•enemies to lovers

This book is now available in paperback and on Kindle Unlimited!

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! The banter between the MMC and FMC was the best. Oh, and the spice? Amazing!

I don’t quite understand why Zack (MMC) forgave Amery (FMC) so easily after she dragged his family through the mud (rightfully so, but still). I also didn’t like that for most their fake dates she didn’t contribute much to her side of the deal, only really picked apart his personality and criticized it instead of really helping him fix it.

All in all, a great book! The witty banter, fake dating, and enemies to lover was the selling point for me!

**I received an arc of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review**

[Austeja Proofreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

First and foremost, I want to extend a big thank you to the author for sending me an ARC📚🔬 It’s always a treat to get a sneak peek into a book before its official release, and this one did not disappoint!

Marceline takes us on a wild ride with “The Science of Revenge”🎢 It’s an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story with a twist of forced proximity and a fake relationship thrown into the mix.

Amery Bryan, a grungy, witchy, and gothic girl, works as Dr. Novak’s administrative assistant at CellTheraGene🖤 Then there’s Zack Andrews, the quintessential heartthrob who once made the grave mistake of poking fun at Amery’s poetry📝💔 But destiny has a funny way of bringing opposites together, and when they find themselves in a lab mishap, Amery finds herself owning Zack a favor. He’s good-looking, intelligent, and athletic, yet he’s stuck in a first-date rut. Who better than Amery, with her no-nonsense approach, to be his fake girlfriend and teach him the ropes?👩‍❤️‍👨 Their transition from foes to lovers feels genuine and heartwarming💙 What’s particularly engaging is the dual point of view, which allows us to step into both characters’ minds.