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Love Is an Algorithm
“Joyful, generous and smart.”
—Holly Gramazio, New York Times bestselling author of The Husbands
Take the uncertainty out of love with Pattern, it's more than just a dating app!
Eve wants to make music that's fueled by love, passion, and rage (feelings!). She trusts her gut and her friends and in no way wants to rely on technology, let alone AI, to tell her how she feels. Danny is anxious—about his dad, his dating life, his coffee order (why is it twelve dollars?), and about the dating app he helped create, which seems determined to serve him terrible matches.
When Eve and Danny start dating, it feels like the solution to all of Danny’s worries—except when it doesn’t. Is she happy? Should he be doing more? Or less? This becomes the catalyst for a revolutionary new version of Danny’s app that promises to quantify relationship health and potential, helping users understand what's really going on. Problem solved!
As Pattern and Bug, the ever-so-friendly AI assistant, catch fire, users everywhere begin outsourcing major life decisions to Danny’s algorithms. But as Danny reckons with his newfound success, Eve—whose career relies on her ability to write her emotions into song—grows increasingly skeptical of the app’s impact on genuine connection. Their relationship becomes the ultimate modern experiment: How do you fall and stay in love in the digital age?
—Holly Gramazio, New York Times bestselling author of The Husbands
Take the uncertainty out of love with Pattern, it's more than just a dating app!
Eve wants to make music that's fueled by love, passion, and rage (feelings!). She trusts her gut and her friends and in no way wants to rely on technology, let alone AI, to tell her how she feels. Danny is anxious—about his dad, his dating life, his coffee order (why is it twelve dollars?), and about the dating app he helped create, which seems determined to serve him terrible matches.
When Eve and Danny start dating, it feels like the solution to all of Danny’s worries—except when it doesn’t. Is she happy? Should he be doing more? Or less? This becomes the catalyst for a revolutionary new version of Danny’s app that promises to quantify relationship health and potential, helping users understand what's really going on. Problem solved!
As Pattern and Bug, the ever-so-friendly AI assistant, catch fire, users everywhere begin outsourcing major life decisions to Danny’s algorithms. But as Danny reckons with his newfound success, Eve—whose career relies on her ability to write her emotions into song—grows increasingly skeptical of the app’s impact on genuine connection. Their relationship becomes the ultimate modern experiment: How do you fall and stay in love in the digital age?
400 pages, Hardcover
First published March 31, 2026
About the author
Laura Brooke Robson
4 books218 followersLaura Brooke Robson is the author of Love Is an Algorithm and A Curse for the Homesick. She lives in New York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 431 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
⭐️ 3.75 ⭐️ Why are relationships so hard? Imagine we had an AI generated app or a bot that tells you the chances of your relationship surviving, would you be interested in that type of service? An app that tells you your compatibility, probability, chemistry? If you perhaps love someone deeply but the app will state that your relationship only has 70% of survival, would you leave or stay?
Love Is an Algorithm is one quirky ride. It's not exactly a romance story, albeit there is some romance in it, it's more of a great work of fiction that is explorative and compulsive. Relationships are complicated as it is and when two people come together, the gap doesn't just bridge it self. It takes work, time, effort. That bridging comes with a lot of hope, drive, complexities and perhaps frustration too. So I really enjoyed how this books explores the friction and uncertainties of relationships and real-life romance. It was emotionally relatable and well nuanced.
Eve and Danny are childhood friends and two peas in a pod. Eve is a musician/song writer and wants to make music that is fueled by love and feelings. She has great supportive friends but not so much as parents. They are unsupportive (horrible and cruel!) of her music career and don't share the same dreams and aspirations for her as she does for herself. Danny is a bright young man but a little bit anxious about his dad, his life and his dating app that he helped create. When they begin dating, Danny begins to worry that he isn't doing enough. Is Eve really happy? Should he be doing more? Their relationship becomes a modern love experiment. The idea of being truly seen essentially becomes the emotional core of the book and explores relationships through the lens of a dating app.
The book poses a great question--can love be measured? Is it quantifiable? In the world where everything is already so tech-advanced and AI-driven, we are starting to lose the connection with people and rely so much on all the technological advances. This impact us on a daily basis without us even realizing it. How do we fall and stay in love in the digital age?
I've never really thought too much about the intersection of love and technology but this book made me think about how much easier or harder finding love has become. I see the positives and negatives of both sides but my real worry is that sometimes I think we rely too much on technology and don't give ourselves enough credit that we can do things just as well without it.
I've never done audiobooks before so this was my first ALC and I was very happy with my first experience albeit it took me longer to finish a book. Karissa Vacker did an excellent job narrating both characters!
Narrator: Karissa Vacker
Duration: 8 hours 56 min
Many thanks to Netgalley, Harlequin Audio and the author, Laura Brooke Robson for an early ALC.
Publication date: March 31, 2026
Love Is an Algorithm is one quirky ride. It's not exactly a romance story, albeit there is some romance in it, it's more of a great work of fiction that is explorative and compulsive. Relationships are complicated as it is and when two people come together, the gap doesn't just bridge it self. It takes work, time, effort. That bridging comes with a lot of hope, drive, complexities and perhaps frustration too. So I really enjoyed how this books explores the friction and uncertainties of relationships and real-life romance. It was emotionally relatable and well nuanced.
Eve and Danny are childhood friends and two peas in a pod. Eve is a musician/song writer and wants to make music that is fueled by love and feelings. She has great supportive friends but not so much as parents. They are unsupportive (horrible and cruel!) of her music career and don't share the same dreams and aspirations for her as she does for herself. Danny is a bright young man but a little bit anxious about his dad, his life and his dating app that he helped create. When they begin dating, Danny begins to worry that he isn't doing enough. Is Eve really happy? Should he be doing more? Their relationship becomes a modern love experiment. The idea of being truly seen essentially becomes the emotional core of the book and explores relationships through the lens of a dating app.
The book poses a great question--can love be measured? Is it quantifiable? In the world where everything is already so tech-advanced and AI-driven, we are starting to lose the connection with people and rely so much on all the technological advances. This impact us on a daily basis without us even realizing it. How do we fall and stay in love in the digital age?
I've never really thought too much about the intersection of love and technology but this book made me think about how much easier or harder finding love has become. I see the positives and negatives of both sides but my real worry is that sometimes I think we rely too much on technology and don't give ourselves enough credit that we can do things just as well without it.
I've never done audiobooks before so this was my first ALC and I was very happy with my first experience albeit it took me longer to finish a book. Karissa Vacker did an excellent job narrating both characters!
Narrator: Karissa Vacker
Duration: 8 hours 56 min
Many thanks to Netgalley, Harlequin Audio and the author, Laura Brooke Robson for an early ALC.
Publication date: March 31, 2026
April 7, 2026
Fine, unique…but kind of made me feel weird?
February 10, 2026
4.5 stars rounded down. Thank you NetGalley & HarperCollins!
This book explores love in all forms: familial, platonic, & romantic. What effect does AI have on our interpersonal relationships? Does AI hurt or help us in the long run? The AI in the book, Bug, is essentially ChatGPT, so the underlying messages are extremely relevant and current.
I loved our FMC, Eve. Her character was so realistic, dynamic, and relatable. Her fears and wounds were so real. Her growth and evolution were so fun to read, I was rooting for her. Our MMC, Danny, was great in his own way but I didn't feel as close to him as I did Eve. I think his personality rubbed me the wrong way but in the end it all made sense why he was the way he was.
This book is hilarious, sweet, inspiring, and thought-provoking. There is a love story, but there is also a warning about the rise of artificial intelligence. I found this book hard to put down and I wanted to keep reading. I very much enjoyed it!
This book explores love in all forms: familial, platonic, & romantic. What effect does AI have on our interpersonal relationships? Does AI hurt or help us in the long run? The AI in the book, Bug, is essentially ChatGPT, so the underlying messages are extremely relevant and current.
I loved our FMC, Eve. Her character was so realistic, dynamic, and relatable. Her fears and wounds were so real. Her growth and evolution were so fun to read, I was rooting for her. Our MMC, Danny, was great in his own way but I didn't feel as close to him as I did Eve. I think his personality rubbed me the wrong way but in the end it all made sense why he was the way he was.
This book is hilarious, sweet, inspiring, and thought-provoking. There is a love story, but there is also a warning about the rise of artificial intelligence. I found this book hard to put down and I wanted to keep reading. I very much enjoyed it!
March 16, 2026
Love is an Algorithm by Laura Brooke Robson was an interesting and unique love story where the couple’s relationship is centered around and evaluated by AI. The concept felt very modern, especially in a time when so many people rely on technology and apps to help guide their relationships.
The narrator did an excellent job bringing the story to life and really kept me engaged while listening. The performance made the characters and their emotions feel very real, which added a lot to the overall experience.
I really enjoyed following the love story and seeing how technology played such a large role in the relationship. I would highly recommend this book, especially to readers who use or are curious about online dating and how technology influences modern romance.
The narrator did an excellent job bringing the story to life and really kept me engaged while listening. The performance made the characters and their emotions feel very real, which added a lot to the overall experience.
I really enjoyed following the love story and seeing how technology played such a large role in the relationship. I would highly recommend this book, especially to readers who use or are curious about online dating and how technology influences modern romance.
January 14, 2026
4.5 stars *
This might be a work of fiction, but it feels uncomfortably close to the reality we’re already living in and the trajectory we’re clearly heading toward.
‘Love Is an Algorithm’ is a beautiful yet deeply unnerving exploration of love in the age of AI. It imagines a world where artificial intelligence sits at the center of everything: how we date, how we communicate, how we maintain relationships, and even how we create art.
At the heart of the story are Eve and Danny, who have existed on the edges of each other’s lives since college. After their respective relationships end, they finally take a tentative step toward something romantic. But their connection doesn’t exist in a vacuum—especially since Danny and Eve’s brother, Julian, are co-founders of a wildly successful dating and relationship app. The app promises to predict compatibility before you even go on a date and helps couples maintain a “healthy relationship score.” You can even chat with its built-in AI, “Bug,” for relationship advice…think ChatGPT, but as your couples therapist.
Meanwhile, Eve is finding her footing as a singer-songwriter. She believes in creating art that moves people: raw, emotional, unfiltered. But in a world increasingly optimized by algorithms, she feels mounting pressure to use AI to refine her music, to make it more polished, more marketable, more guaranteed to succeed.
Beyond the love story (which is there, I promise), this book carries a much larger message. AI becomes unavoidable, embedded into every corner of life, to the point where humans start to believe the solution to every problem is simply more technology. It’s unsettling to watch characters turn to a bot for relationship guidance instead of talking to the person they love. Even more unsettling is how easily the definition of “reality” begins to blur.
Thought-provoking, emotional, and quietly alarming, this was a story that I enjoyed in its entirety.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
This might be a work of fiction, but it feels uncomfortably close to the reality we’re already living in and the trajectory we’re clearly heading toward.
‘Love Is an Algorithm’ is a beautiful yet deeply unnerving exploration of love in the age of AI. It imagines a world where artificial intelligence sits at the center of everything: how we date, how we communicate, how we maintain relationships, and even how we create art.
At the heart of the story are Eve and Danny, who have existed on the edges of each other’s lives since college. After their respective relationships end, they finally take a tentative step toward something romantic. But their connection doesn’t exist in a vacuum—especially since Danny and Eve’s brother, Julian, are co-founders of a wildly successful dating and relationship app. The app promises to predict compatibility before you even go on a date and helps couples maintain a “healthy relationship score.” You can even chat with its built-in AI, “Bug,” for relationship advice…think ChatGPT, but as your couples therapist.
Meanwhile, Eve is finding her footing as a singer-songwriter. She believes in creating art that moves people: raw, emotional, unfiltered. But in a world increasingly optimized by algorithms, she feels mounting pressure to use AI to refine her music, to make it more polished, more marketable, more guaranteed to succeed.
Beyond the love story (which is there, I promise), this book carries a much larger message. AI becomes unavoidable, embedded into every corner of life, to the point where humans start to believe the solution to every problem is simply more technology. It’s unsettling to watch characters turn to a bot for relationship guidance instead of talking to the person they love. Even more unsettling is how easily the definition of “reality” begins to blur.
Thought-provoking, emotional, and quietly alarming, this was a story that I enjoyed in its entirety.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
Did Not Finish
March 31, 2026DNF at 23%
The pacing, the back-and-forth timelines, the storyline…when you know you know, and I just know this one is not for me
The pacing, the back-and-forth timelines, the storyline…when you know you know, and I just know this one is not for me
March 9, 2026
This story was so unusual, and had so much going on—I’m not sure where to start.
What I liked:
* Eve—she was kind, smart, and caring. She tried to be genuine with her music in a social media world that became very unreal.
* Danny—he was kind and very smart, too. His anxiety and self doubt were tiresome, but we know why he felt unlovable. His drive to create through writing code for clever new apps was impressive.
* Julian-he was a great brother to Eve and friend to Danny, despite being considered “the first pancake” by his dad. His depth of character went deeper than I expected, and his girlfriend, Gigi, turned out to be likable, too.
* Descriptions of their lives in New York—the good and the ugly.
* Honest portrayal of AI—it can start small but quickly become a monster. (Hal’s line from Space Odyssey 2001 was going through my mind as the book progressed: “I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.”)
What I didn’t care for:
* The jumpy timeline of both Eve and Danny’s chapters. It’s not past-present type jumps, but the significant moments of their lives told in seemingly random order. It wasexactly the order in which the author wanted to reveal new details, though. Once I got used to it, I had to admire the skillful way she did it.
* Danny’s dad, Cal—his behavior and inability to be honest were irritating and sad.
* Eve & Julian’s parents— we were meant to dislike them, though.
There were also some good quotes about AI:
👉🏻“she is so mad right now. So mad at all the ones and zeroes cannibalizing real people’s thoughts and faces and ideas and spitting out literally anything. She is mad at technology for being so good at what it does. She is mad that there is no going back.”
Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.
What I liked:
* Eve—she was kind, smart, and caring. She tried to be genuine with her music in a social media world that became very unreal.
* Danny—he was kind and very smart, too. His anxiety and self doubt were tiresome, but we know why he felt unlovable. His drive to create through writing code for clever new apps was impressive.
* Julian-he was a great brother to Eve and friend to Danny, despite being considered “the first pancake” by his dad. His depth of character went deeper than I expected, and his girlfriend, Gigi, turned out to be likable, too.
* Descriptions of their lives in New York—the good and the ugly.
* Honest portrayal of AI—it can start small but quickly become a monster. (Hal’s line from Space Odyssey 2001 was going through my mind as the book progressed: “I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.”)
What I didn’t care for:
* The jumpy timeline of both Eve and Danny’s chapters. It’s not past-present type jumps, but the significant moments of their lives told in seemingly random order. It wasexactly the order in which the author wanted to reveal new details, though. Once I got used to it, I had to admire the skillful way she did it.
* Danny’s dad, Cal—his behavior and inability to be honest were irritating and sad.
* Eve & Julian’s parents— we were meant to dislike them, though.
There were also some good quotes about AI:
👉🏻“she is so mad right now. So mad at all the ones and zeroes cannibalizing real people’s thoughts and faces and ideas and spitting out literally anything. She is mad at technology for being so good at what it does. She is mad that there is no going back.”
Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.
March 28, 2026
LOVED. everyone should be talking about this book
and by everyone i mean everyone.
a reminder that beneath ai fatigue and internet relationships with strangers, nothing matters more than our humanity, real connection and our own thoughts.
a gorgeous story of love, friendship, family, and creating. it was effortless to read with no over-explaining (my pet hate), and i was swooning, touched, invested, and couldn’t put it down.
highly recommended!
and by everyone i mean everyone.
a reminder that beneath ai fatigue and internet relationships with strangers, nothing matters more than our humanity, real connection and our own thoughts.
a gorgeous story of love, friendship, family, and creating. it was effortless to read with no over-explaining (my pet hate), and i was swooning, touched, invested, and couldn’t put it down.
highly recommended!
March 12, 2026
Phenomenal. The pacing is great, it was genuinely hard to set down and the characters are so engaging. I loved the insight about all the complexities of managing relationships and the fears surrounding love and relationships.
March 17, 2026
I am a sucker for any romance set around tech, apps, and STEM, so I jumped at the chance to read this one and was not let down in the slightest. I actually took breaks from reading it because I wasn’t ready for the story to end! 😭
Thank you to @htphive and @htpbooks for the ARC via NetGalley! All opinions are very much my own, as always.
Eve is a struggling musician who is not supported by her uppity parents. She has an amazing brother, Julian, and great friendships, but despite her on-again, off-again success with her music, her parents just do not respect her career choice.
Danny and Julian are co-founders of a dating app that morphs into a “dating & relationship” app that scores how you and your partner are as a couple. The story starts out with some of Eve and Danny’s dating experiences, before they inevitably start dating each other. I loved Danny’s analytical brain. I related closely to his relationship anxiety, but I am more of an over-communicator versus his tendency to keep things to himself. I over-analyze everything like he does, and I liked being able to get his POV as well as Eve’s in this story! The dating app has a cute little AI assistant, Bug, that you can communicate with about your feelings and thoughts about the relationship, and Bug will give you advice and encourage you. As fun as AI can be sometimes, it can also cause problems. Environmental issues aside (don’t worry, the book addresses those), voicing your worries and thoughts to an AI bot instead of your partner will cause it’s own damage, which is funny considering that is the reason Danny starts doing it in the first place. He is trying to AVOID ruining his relationship with Eve, and instead doesn’t open up to her and only turns to the app to pour out his thoughts and feelings. On the other side of their communication issues, they also have extremely sweet and raw moments of deep communication, and are madly in love… completely smitten with one another… which was apparent in their inner thoughts. I was swooning often!
I loved how they sought each other out when they were crumbling, and just held each other. They never talked down to each other, which was refreshing. Their banter was top notch and adorable as well!
The story wraps up exactly as it should, and leaves you smiling. My heart was so full after that last page. I hope you enjoy it too!
Eve is a struggling musician who is not supported by her uppity parents. She has an amazing brother, Julian, and great friendships, but despite her on-again, off-again success with her music, her parents just do not respect her career choice.
Danny and Julian are co-founders of a dating app that morphs into a “dating & relationship” app that scores how you and your partner are as a couple. The story starts out with some of Eve and Danny’s dating experiences, before they inevitably start dating each other. I loved Danny’s analytical brain. I related closely to his relationship anxiety, but I am more of an over-communicator versus his tendency to keep things to himself. I over-analyze everything like he does, and I liked being able to get his POV as well as Eve’s in this story! The dating app has a cute little AI assistant, Bug, that you can communicate with about your feelings and thoughts about the relationship, and Bug will give you advice and encourage you. As fun as AI can be sometimes, it can also cause problems. Environmental issues aside (don’t worry, the book addresses those), voicing your worries and thoughts to an AI bot instead of your partner will cause it’s own damage, which is funny considering that is the reason Danny starts doing it in the first place. He is trying to AVOID ruining his relationship with Eve, and instead doesn’t open up to her and only turns to the app to pour out his thoughts and feelings. On the other side of their communication issues, they also have extremely sweet and raw moments of deep communication, and are madly in love… completely smitten with one another… which was apparent in their inner thoughts. I was swooning often!
I loved how they sought each other out when they were crumbling, and just held each other. They never talked down to each other, which was refreshing. Their banter was top notch and adorable as well!
The story wraps up exactly as it should, and leaves you smiling. My heart was so full after that last page. I hope you enjoy it too!
March 29, 2026
4.5!
Quick read, short chapters, interesting concept.
Quick read, short chapters, interesting concept.
March 8, 2026
I loved this book. It made me terrified of AI and yet somehow, it also really beautifully highlighted humanity.
However, I could not shake the feeling that the author had to have been a big tumblr girlie. Don’t ask me why.
However, I could not shake the feeling that the author had to have been a big tumblr girlie. Don’t ask me why.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
•𝐀𝐋𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝘄•
[Love Is An Algorithm]
🔥 Release Date: Mar 31 2026 🔥
Thank you to Harlequin Audio and Netgalley for the advanced copy!
★★☆☆☆
I requested this for the AI matchmaking and dystopian dating vibes. Unfortunately, it falls very flat. The pacing is so fast it gave me whiplash. Big emotional moments happen and we barely sit with them before jumping to the next thing. Because of that, I didn’t really care about anyone. And for a story about love and algorithms deciding connection, that part really matters. The writing style just isn’t for me, I fear. And while the ideas are interesting, I wish we had slowed down enough to explore them. I wanted to love it, and instead I spent the whole time trying to catch up.
[Love Is An Algorithm]
🔥 Release Date: Mar 31 2026 🔥
Thank you to Harlequin Audio and Netgalley for the advanced copy!
★★☆☆☆
I requested this for the AI matchmaking and dystopian dating vibes. Unfortunately, it falls very flat. The pacing is so fast it gave me whiplash. Big emotional moments happen and we barely sit with them before jumping to the next thing. Because of that, I didn’t really care about anyone. And for a story about love and algorithms deciding connection, that part really matters. The writing style just isn’t for me, I fear. And while the ideas are interesting, I wish we had slowed down enough to explore them. I wanted to love it, and instead I spent the whole time trying to catch up.
March 29, 2026
Perfect bookish serendipity. I love when I take a risk on an unknown author through BOTM and it pays off. This was delightful. The beginning had me laughing out loud as the two characters are dating or dealing with relationships that are not working for them. This is a romance but it is also an exploration of how we use dating apps and AI. Loved how the author starts the novel telling us about Eve and Danny's first date and then goes back in time in a very unique way to show us their separate lives and the connections. This was formatted in such a unique way. While it was past and present, it felt very different than a typical dual timeline and dual POV novel. There are sections: Buggy, Ski rat, the bug in the equation, etc and then each of the sections have very short chapters. Pay attention to title details. The plot moves very quickly due to the style.
The dating app that Danny and Julian create is critical to the plot. It becomes something that impacts Danny and Eve's relationship.
Both Eve and Danny have flaws because..shocker..they are humans! No relationship is perfect and we all bring baggage. Each of them has a rosier picture of the other persons upbringing. Eve's relationship with her parents is frustrating, but also so relatable. Struggling to understand another person's perspective is so hard! I completely understood her desire to pursue music but could also appreciate her parent's wanting her to have a financially successful life. How this comes together with some insight into the why behind her parents' beliefs is chef's kiss! The author expertly wove the two families lives together in ways that weren't readily visible at the beginning. She also showed how hard it is to be vulnerable with a partner. There was no steam (or low steam-- I might be forgetting something) on page and no traditional third act break-up. both of things worked great for me. While technology is part of this, much of this is about human emotions and love. It's about the connections between people. Technology really can't take that away.
I also really enjoyed the look at social media, AI and apps. These things are ubiquitous in current culture and shape how we interact with each other and the world. There are lots of challenges with AI in creative fields today and much controversy on what is right vs wrong. There is real potential for humans to lose jobs, opportunities etc. And so hard for us to know if a book, a song, etc is created by a human or not. And should it be?
I loved how unique this was. highly recommend!
The dating app that Danny and Julian create is critical to the plot. It becomes something that impacts Danny and Eve's relationship.
Both Eve and Danny have flaws because..shocker..they are humans! No relationship is perfect and we all bring baggage. Each of them has a rosier picture of the other persons upbringing. Eve's relationship with her parents is frustrating, but also so relatable. Struggling to understand another person's perspective is so hard! I completely understood her desire to pursue music but could also appreciate her parent's wanting her to have a financially successful life. How this comes together with some insight into the why behind her parents' beliefs is chef's kiss! The author expertly wove the two families lives together in ways that weren't readily visible at the beginning. She also showed how hard it is to be vulnerable with a partner. There was no steam (or low steam-- I might be forgetting something) on page and no traditional third act break-up. both of things worked great for me. While technology is part of this, much of this is about human emotions and love. It's about the connections between people. Technology really can't take that away.
I also really enjoyed the look at social media, AI and apps. These things are ubiquitous in current culture and shape how we interact with each other and the world. There are lots of challenges with AI in creative fields today and much controversy on what is right vs wrong. There is real potential for humans to lose jobs, opportunities etc. And so hard for us to know if a book, a song, etc is created by a human or not. And should it be?
I loved how unique this was. highly recommend!
April 11, 2026
Wow. I loved this one. I had a hard time putting it down and I'll reread it again in days to come. It’s a brilliant examination of human relationships (romantic love, close friendships, complicated families) and a fascinating look at the impact of AI on those relationships, as well as on art, psychology, commerce, language, social power structures, and how we’re evolving in the wake of AI’s swift and unavoidable integration into every part of daily life. The story is so sharply written, showing how insidious technology is in disrupting everything that defines us as humans, inching in as a useful tool or suggestive nudge in a positive direction, but soon allowing us to outsource all that once made us individuals—our creativity, our vocal and cognitive idiosyncrasies, our growth, our memories, our mistakes—while presenting a compelling illusion that it's possible to avoid the discomfort of uncertainty, and blurring the lines between what’s real and what’s fake, until what people believe supersedes what's true. The story never gets pedantic or preachy, but damn, it packs a punch. I’m astonished people are classifying it as sci-fi, when all of it feels so real and so now and so NOT speculative. It’s acutely observant of this moment in time. It’s also funny and warm. It celebrates meaningful friendships and artistic creation. It centers complicated characters with relatable flaws and insecurities. It illustrates the complex network of cause and effect that brings people together or pushes them apart. It gives voice to some of the thoughts I’ve been wrestling with, while also being the kind of love story I like best (messy, realistic, and also triumphant) and I’ll be recommending it to everyone I know.
April 6, 2026
This was such an interesting insight into what the future of dating in the age of AI might look like. We are already seeing people using Chat as a therapist that just validates all they do and feel which only serves their egocenticity without challenging them. But what if AI became a couples therapist that has access to every text conversation, not only for this relationship, but for the past ones as well, and is available at any given moment for advice on what should i say to them/how should i act in this situation. A therapist that is always with you, telling you how to act so your relationship score can be as close to 100% as possible. Its concerning to think about how we are outsourcing our opinions, our creativity, our thinking, out decision making and completely abandoning our intuition, our self trust, our humanity. Is it because we are lazy or because we dont want to make mistakes and be seen making them? Are we ashamed of our needs being to much and want to hide our vulnerability? Is it the symptom of an individualistic society?
I absolutely loved this story, the questions it posed around dating and forgiveness and true love. Eve and Danny were so well thought out, their anxieties and fears around loving and letting be loved were so real and human. Reading this made me want to set my phone on fire and throw it out the window, but it also made me hopeful.
I absolutely loved this story, the questions it posed around dating and forgiveness and true love. Eve and Danny were so well thought out, their anxieties and fears around loving and letting be loved were so real and human. Reading this made me want to set my phone on fire and throw it out the window, but it also made me hopeful.
April 11, 2026
This book was incredible. Such an apt description of the age we’re living in and our dependence on technology. I chose this as one of my BOTM because I hate AI and it sounded like at least one of the characters did too. But this book was so much more than that. It was a reflection on how lonely we all are, how we don’t know how to talk to each other anymore when it’s so easier to look at our phones. It was a reflection on anxiety. It was a reflection on family relationships.
I really felt connected to Eve and how disappointing her parents were. I felt seen. But I also felt connected to Danny and his constant anxiety and pivoting to make people love him more.
Just so good.
I really felt connected to Eve and how disappointing her parents were. I felt seen. But I also felt connected to Danny and his constant anxiety and pivoting to make people love him more.
Just so good.
March 8, 2026
I read this book in a weekend. The book begins with Eve feeling stuck in her current relationship. She has what can only be described as a no good very bad day. Being attacked by a mountain lion and then in a major car crash en route home after her wild encounter; ultimately, leading her to make some major life changes. Danny the cocreator of a dating app goes a series of dates that had me laugh out loud. Love is Algorithm explores love of various kinds; romantic, friendship, familial and even creative. I did not expect to love a book about a dating app. Laura Brooke Robson has some compelling observations about the impact AI and social media on how we live. This quote will stick with me “And through their discomfort they became wiser. They gained the ability, not just to retain information, but to grow. I can give you information, but I cannot give you the wisdom of being alive” spoken by the dating apps chatbot Bug. At the heart of this story there is love story worth rooting for. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC
March 27, 2026
3.5 stars rounded up, because this one was SO easy to read - the chapters are short and it does read really quickly. I’m going to categorize this as more general fiction with romance adjacent subplots because while there’s relationships in the book, the central themes are more around characters and how they interact. The timelines jump around a LOT and if I wasn’t reading in print, I know I would’ve gotten lost.
March 19, 2026
i knew as soon as i opened this book it was going to change me. this felt like people watching through an apartment window in a crowded city. each character was so full of life yet the story was so grounded that even as we moved in out of their lives through the years, i felt so connected. i think in this day and age with technology and AI fatigue, as we all are more connected yet less connected than ever, this book felt so relevant and relatable. all of danny and eve’s anxieties, while so different, were something i could feel so deeply. i loved the connecting thread throughout the story and the way it shows how love exists and shows up in so many different ways even when we try to shut it out. ultimately all we want is to be seen and to be loved for exactly who we are. life doesn’t have to be a performance and every response doesn’t have to be curated. sometimes things can just be.
i loved the writing style and the creativity of this book overall. any author that takes that risk with book format has my heart like i love a short chapter, i love whimsical additions that just enrich the reading experience. these characters felt like real twenty somethings going through it in nyc (my exact demographic so could not love it more).
i recommend this to anyone needing the introspective and explorative vibe of a nonfiction commentary on internet culture and AI ethics but wanting the fun dynamics and storylines that come with a fiction.
i loved the writing style and the creativity of this book overall. any author that takes that risk with book format has my heart like i love a short chapter, i love whimsical additions that just enrich the reading experience. these characters felt like real twenty somethings going through it in nyc (my exact demographic so could not love it more).
i recommend this to anyone needing the introspective and explorative vibe of a nonfiction commentary on internet culture and AI ethics but wanting the fun dynamics and storylines that come with a fiction.
March 12, 2026
This was an interesting read. I really liked the perspective on AI dating apps and algorithms and how they can skew your view of your own relationship or cause you to ask an app instead of the person you’re dating about your relationship. I feel like Danny and Eve are interesting characters both with unique jobs and lifestyles. This book really explores dynamics between family members and relationships in general and I recommend if you’re looking for a relevant romance adjacent book about the impact of technology on current dating culture!
3 stars 🌟
3 stars 🌟
Review of advance copy
So insightful and also just almost refreshing. Eve and Danny and Julian and Gigi and Shannon all felt so real. It felt like they were my friends. And all the shit they dealt with was real in an interesting way, not too dystopian future but just enough.
April 10, 2026
Cute read
March 15, 2026
3.5/5 stars.
I enjoyed the storyline, although parts of it veered into Uncanny Valley territory for me. The writing style was vivid and easy to immerse yourself in. Certain plot points just didn’t hit for me, and some didn’t feel fully explored like they could’ve been.
I enjoyed the storyline, although parts of it veered into Uncanny Valley territory for me. The writing style was vivid and easy to immerse yourself in. Certain plot points just didn’t hit for me, and some didn’t feel fully explored like they could’ve been.
March 13, 2026
Basically… AI is going to ruin us.
March 8, 2026
I love this book. It’s so beautiful. You think it is going to be a fluffy rom com and it is so much more. This is a book about feelings and emotions but not in a treacly sentimental mushy kind of way. Real honest emotions, and fear and anxiety, and insecurity and happiness and overthinking and love between partners, and friends, and children and parents. And it’s written in the present tense which feels so just raw and immediate and real. I am not doing justice here but just read this book. You’ll understand once you do. Thank you BOTM for the early release.
October 11, 2025
Love Is an Algorithm is a thought-provoking look at life and love in the age of AI. Eve is a singer/songwriter who makes music driven by emotion. Danny is the co-founder of a dating app that uses an AI chatbot which analyzes and scores users’ relationships. The two begin dating and the book begs the question: does AI make connection easier or harder?
Laura Brooke Robson explores how much we rely on technology and how that dependence might make it more challenging to communicate in our relationships. Can technology quantify something messy and human as love? I found this book refreshing, insightful, and surprisingly human for a story about algorithms. It left me thinking about how connection and communication have evolved, and what we might be losing along the way.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Laura Brooke Robson explores how much we rely on technology and how that dependence might make it more challenging to communicate in our relationships. Can technology quantify something messy and human as love? I found this book refreshing, insightful, and surprisingly human for a story about algorithms. It left me thinking about how connection and communication have evolved, and what we might be losing along the way.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
March 8, 2026
Eve is unconventional and arty and passionate, bucking her wealthy New York family's wishes to become a songwriter and musician. Danny is her brother's best friend and dating app co-creator, a computer-minded kind of guy who is always a bit anxious about his relationships and his standing, having come from less means and experience, growing up with a single dad out west. While the fledgling app isn't making great dating matches for Danny, when he and Eve get together it just feels *right* - but he's still anxious about whether she's happy, whether he's enough, whether there's anything he can do to make sure she stays (unlike his mother... baggage!). This prompts a major change to the dating app's approach, and he develops it into something that can help users quantify and monitor their relationship health/potential, complete with a friendly AI assistant that can provide suggestions for how to handle situations in their relationships. At his heart he just wants to make Eve happy in their relationship, but does his his "outsourcing" to the AI end up making him feel more distant?
The narration goes back and forth between Danny and Eve's relationship with snippets of their past that show the baggage they bring into it, whether from how they were raised or from how past relationships went. I'd say it's more character-driven - the plot of the app development is more as a tool for exploring relationships and the idea of whether/how we can fully know someone, and how we handle the uncertainty of putting ourselves out there to love someone, when there's a possibility they may not love us back - but the dialogue and character development is smart and sharp while also being charming, so it moves along nicely.
This is definitely not a rom-com - I feel like I have actually read the rom-com version of this (The Love Experiment by Christina Lauren), and the tone/story is much more straightforward, the characters a bit more caricature, the plot predictable in terms of the normal arc of a rom-com. This book is a modern love story for the AI age, but just as much as romantic love its about the love and relationships friends and of family, and how to navigate those things in a world that's uncertain, and when our innermost selves can sometimes be impenetrable to others. It felt fresh so enjoyable to read, yet smart and thought-provoking and also kind of interesting in terms of structure/timeline (though occasionally this felt a tad gimmicky, I mostly loved how the structure choices propelled my reading experience in a mostly character-driven story). I would love to see it as a Netflix series, I imagine it would feel kind of like how I found Nobody Wants This to be current and fresh and great banter with characters who have real feeling insecurities about relationships, and a relationship I really rooted for without it seeming cheesily rom-commy.
Thoroughly enjoyed the reading experience and would be interested in other work by this author.
The narration goes back and forth between Danny and Eve's relationship with snippets of their past that show the baggage they bring into it, whether from how they were raised or from how past relationships went. I'd say it's more character-driven - the plot of the app development is more as a tool for exploring relationships and the idea of whether/how we can fully know someone, and how we handle the uncertainty of putting ourselves out there to love someone, when there's a possibility they may not love us back - but the dialogue and character development is smart and sharp while also being charming, so it moves along nicely.
This is definitely not a rom-com - I feel like I have actually read the rom-com version of this (The Love Experiment by Christina Lauren), and the tone/story is much more straightforward, the characters a bit more caricature, the plot predictable in terms of the normal arc of a rom-com. This book is a modern love story for the AI age, but just as much as romantic love its about the love and relationships friends and of family, and how to navigate those things in a world that's uncertain, and when our innermost selves can sometimes be impenetrable to others. It felt fresh so enjoyable to read, yet smart and thought-provoking and also kind of interesting in terms of structure/timeline (though occasionally this felt a tad gimmicky, I mostly loved how the structure choices propelled my reading experience in a mostly character-driven story). I would love to see it as a Netflix series, I imagine it would feel kind of like how I found Nobody Wants This to be current and fresh and great banter with characters who have real feeling insecurities about relationships, and a relationship I really rooted for without it seeming cheesily rom-commy.
Thoroughly enjoyed the reading experience and would be interested in other work by this author.
April 20, 2026
The topic of AI is basically inescapable anymore, and it’s been popping up more in books as a theme as well. I’ve only read two books this year with the topic of AI and romance and I think they have been well done - this one included. It brings into light a new kind of obstacle to daily life, including relationships, that wasn’t there before. This book in particular follows Danny, who co created a new AI relationship program, and Eve, an aspiring singer/songwriter, their relationship and individual lives. Overall I think this book was good. The relationships, both romantic and friendly were all explored. Obviously the highlight of this book was the topic of AI, how it is more prevalent now and the difficulties that can bring in. I actually appreciated how the characters found themselves reaching to the AI program for more than the relationships which is was intended for because it showed how easy it can be to rely on something like that. They began to turn to it for any question they had and lost their own ability to discern. Which is such a big issue today with AI - people are losing the ability to think on their own. There was a part in the book where one character willingly had to set their phone aside and avoid the AI and Choose to live their life…which alluded to the idea that AI was bad. My critiques of the book in general would be the timeline jumps and chapters often felt jarring and confusing. I started to get more invested in characters then would lose that momentum trying to figure out what was happening. Secondly, while I think you can gather from a lot of clues that the insinuation is that AI is bad, destructive and harmful for human reliance and use… it almost wasn’t clear enough? A part of me wondered if I read that into the storyline because I don’t like AI and the dangers it poses, personally, mentally, relationally, and environmentally. But there were a few times in the book I felt like the danger wasn’t addressed enough. Eve at one point uses AI to write a song and for the most part this was glossed over. She worried about it for a second but then nothing was really done as a consequence for that. At the end of the day this book makes you think about life, and the stage of life we’re in now where AI is everywhere - and that I think, is what can make a good book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the advanced audio for my honest review.
This book was a unique and timely reading experience, especially in how it explores the role of AI in modern relationships. We follow Eve, an aspiring musician, and Danny, an app developer, as they navigate both their long-standing friendship and a new romantic connection. Along the way, the story dives into the insecurities shaped by their pasts and asks an interesting question: if AI could monitor and guide your relationship, would that ultimately help or hurt it?
I appreciated that the book doesn’t push a heavy agenda, instead leaving space for readers to form their own opinions about the impact of technology on human connection. It’s a fresh and thought-provoking concept, blending romance with a broader commentary on our increasingly digital world.
That said, the pacing felt uneven for me. The middle section dragged at times, and the ending left me with a sense that something was missing, which ultimately brought this to a 3.5-star read. While the premise had strong potential to balance both the love story and the AI-driven themes, it leaned more heavily into the technological aspects, which occasionally pulled focus from the emotional core.
I listened to this on audio, and the narration by Karissa Vacker truly elevated the experience. The narrator delivered a strong, engaging performance that kept me invested even during the slower moments.
Overall, I would recommend this to readers looking for a socially relevant, thought-provoking story with a touch of romance and a modern, tech-focused lens.
This book was a unique and timely reading experience, especially in how it explores the role of AI in modern relationships. We follow Eve, an aspiring musician, and Danny, an app developer, as they navigate both their long-standing friendship and a new romantic connection. Along the way, the story dives into the insecurities shaped by their pasts and asks an interesting question: if AI could monitor and guide your relationship, would that ultimately help or hurt it?
I appreciated that the book doesn’t push a heavy agenda, instead leaving space for readers to form their own opinions about the impact of technology on human connection. It’s a fresh and thought-provoking concept, blending romance with a broader commentary on our increasingly digital world.
That said, the pacing felt uneven for me. The middle section dragged at times, and the ending left me with a sense that something was missing, which ultimately brought this to a 3.5-star read. While the premise had strong potential to balance both the love story and the AI-driven themes, it leaned more heavily into the technological aspects, which occasionally pulled focus from the emotional core.
I listened to this on audio, and the narration by Karissa Vacker truly elevated the experience. The narrator delivered a strong, engaging performance that kept me invested even during the slower moments.
Overall, I would recommend this to readers looking for a socially relevant, thought-provoking story with a touch of romance and a modern, tech-focused lens.
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