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Hot Mess Trilogy #1
The Unbalanced Equation
What do a bad landlord, a family wedding and a rogue Bunsen burner all have in common?
After suffering four years of scrutiny from her PhD assessor, Elizabeth Maclean believes she’s finally free of Dr Thomas Henderson’s tyranny when she begins her postdoc. But when a fire goes off in Tom’s lab (stupid undergrads) he ends up working in the same lab as Liz.
On the same bench, no less.
For three whole months.
To make matters worse – and much to their mutual surprise – Tom’s mum and Liz’s dad announce their impending marriage after a whirlwind romance. So when Liz’s landlord tells her to move out, pronto, it tips her over the edge. Desperate for a place to stay and in need of a saviour, the last person Liz expects to offer her a temporary home is Tom himself.
Now stuck working together, living together and planning their parents’ Christmas wedding together, will Liz discover that Tom’s attitude over the last four years was all a ruse to hide his true feelings? Or are the two doomed to fail in their co-existence experiment?
A smart, sexy enemies-to-lovers story perfect for fans of The Hating Game and The Love Hypothesis, The Unbalanced Equation is H. L. Macfarlane’s first foray into contemporary rom-com territory. She swears there are no faeries this time.
After suffering four years of scrutiny from her PhD assessor, Elizabeth Maclean believes she’s finally free of Dr Thomas Henderson’s tyranny when she begins her postdoc. But when a fire goes off in Tom’s lab (stupid undergrads) he ends up working in the same lab as Liz.
On the same bench, no less.
For three whole months.
To make matters worse – and much to their mutual surprise – Tom’s mum and Liz’s dad announce their impending marriage after a whirlwind romance. So when Liz’s landlord tells her to move out, pronto, it tips her over the edge. Desperate for a place to stay and in need of a saviour, the last person Liz expects to offer her a temporary home is Tom himself.
Now stuck working together, living together and planning their parents’ Christmas wedding together, will Liz discover that Tom’s attitude over the last four years was all a ruse to hide his true feelings? Or are the two doomed to fail in their co-existence experiment?
A smart, sexy enemies-to-lovers story perfect for fans of The Hating Game and The Love Hypothesis, The Unbalanced Equation is H. L. Macfarlane’s first foray into contemporary rom-com territory. She swears there are no faeries this time.
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 15, 2022
177 people are currently reading
6202 people want to read
About the author
H.L. Macfarlane
25 books235 followersFollow me on Bookbub! https://bit.ly/HLBookb
NOTE: H. L. Macfarlane is currently on a publishing hiatus to focus on her mental health. She hopes to return with new titles in early 2026 and appreciates your understanding in the meantime.
Hayley Louise Macfarlane hails from the very tiny hamlet of Balmaha on the shores of Loch Lomond in Scotland. After graduating with a PhD in molecular genetics she did a complete 180 and moved into writing fiction. Though she loves writing multiple genres (fantasy, romance, sci-fi, psychological fiction and horror so far!) she is most widely known for her enemies-to-lovers STEM rom-com, The Unbalanced Equation, and her Gothic, Scottish fairy tale, Prince of Foxes – book one of the Bright Spear trilogy.
NOTE: H. L. Macfarlane is currently on a publishing hiatus to focus on her mental health. She hopes to return with new titles in early 2026 and appreciates your understanding in the meantime.
Hayley Louise Macfarlane hails from the very tiny hamlet of Balmaha on the shores of Loch Lomond in Scotland. After graduating with a PhD in molecular genetics she did a complete 180 and moved into writing fiction. Though she loves writing multiple genres (fantasy, romance, sci-fi, psychological fiction and horror so far!) she is most widely known for her enemies-to-lovers STEM rom-com, The Unbalanced Equation, and her Gothic, Scottish fairy tale, Prince of Foxes – book one of the Bright Spear trilogy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 875 reviews
August 11, 2022
What do you do with a book that you devoured almost holding your breath? I know, you give it five stars. But what if the mmc deserves a smack on the head or even a kick in the nuts? 🤷🏻♀️
Tom and Liz first met on a department social. The attraction was instant, but they were interrupted and nothing happened. They were both hoping to meet again but the next day Tom found out he would be Liz’s PhD assessor. So no dating. And the total moron that he was, he figured the best course of action would be to be a total dick cause otherwise there would be flirting. 🤦♀️
Fast forward four years, Liz finished her PhD despite Tom’s best efforts and she is more than happy to be done with him. But life has a few surprises: it turns out they are now working together. Then Liz’s dad announces that he is marrying Tom’s mom. That’s not all! The final blow: Liz is being kicked out of her apartment. So she is temporarily moving in with her dad and his fiancée. Who are - yes you guessed correctly- temporarily moving in with Tom. Yaaaay, all four of them under one roof!
Sounds insane and contrived and all, but don’t let it deceive you, this book is amazing! Liz and Tom were great; their dynamic was just pure pent up sexual tension and I loved it 😍🌶🥰. The chemistry and banter were so well done!
What I didn’t love was all the manipulative moves, especially on Tom’s end. Like dude!! Not sure I would even want to talk to you after that shit show! Liz wasn’t without a fault either, but Tom really overdid it big time.
But then he melted my heart completely when Liz was on her period and he took care of her 🫠
I was about to rate it five stars but there’s this thing I’m allergic to. I can’t read public love declarations cause I cringe so hard I spill my drinks. So four stars it is. Four and a half maybe?
Anyway, read this book people, it’s so much fun!
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Tom and Liz first met on a department social. The attraction was instant, but they were interrupted and nothing happened. They were both hoping to meet again but the next day Tom found out he would be Liz’s PhD assessor. So no dating. And the total moron that he was, he figured the best course of action would be to be a total dick cause otherwise there would be flirting. 🤦♀️
Fast forward four years, Liz finished her PhD despite Tom’s best efforts and she is more than happy to be done with him. But life has a few surprises: it turns out they are now working together. Then Liz’s dad announces that he is marrying Tom’s mom. That’s not all! The final blow: Liz is being kicked out of her apartment. So she is temporarily moving in with her dad and his fiancée. Who are - yes you guessed correctly- temporarily moving in with Tom. Yaaaay, all four of them under one roof!
Sounds insane and contrived and all, but don’t let it deceive you, this book is amazing! Liz and Tom were great; their dynamic was just pure pent up sexual tension and I loved it 😍🌶🥰. The chemistry and banter were so well done!
What I didn’t love was all the manipulative moves, especially on Tom’s end. Like dude!! Not sure I would even want to talk to you after that shit show! Liz wasn’t without a fault either, but Tom really overdid it big time.
But then he melted my heart completely when Liz was on her period and he took care of her 🫠
I was about to rate it five stars but there’s this thing I’m allergic to. I can’t read public love declarations cause I cringe so hard I spill my drinks. So four stars it is. Four and a half maybe?
Anyway, read this book people, it’s so much fun!
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 6, 2022
4✨
I actually adored this. The Unbalanced Equation follows Liz, a postdoc, and her grumpy and possessive former PhD assessor, Tom, who has been pining for her for YEARS. It has all my favorite tropes, including
Enemies to lovers
Age gap
Forced proximity
STEM workplace
HE FALLS FIRST
Tom is oh so hot and Liz was such a fun female main character. Their banter was top tier and the tension was SO. GOOD.
My only complaint was the conflict, but the resolution was super cute.
If you loved The Love Hypothesis and want another fun, steamy academic workplace rom com, pick this up when it comes out on September 15th.
I actually adored this. The Unbalanced Equation follows Liz, a postdoc, and her grumpy and possessive former PhD assessor, Tom, who has been pining for her for YEARS. It has all my favorite tropes, including
Enemies to lovers
Age gap
Forced proximity
STEM workplace
HE FALLS FIRST
Tom is oh so hot and Liz was such a fun female main character. Their banter was top tier and the tension was SO. GOOD.
My only complaint was the conflict, but the resolution was super cute.
If you loved The Love Hypothesis and want another fun, steamy academic workplace rom com, pick this up when it comes out on September 15th.
August 10, 2022
"That’s the thing about hindsight: nobody has it when they actually need it."
°•*⁀➷
He falls first, and make it nerdy.
This was your typical semi-cringey, mostly funny rom-com that follow (for me) two very relatable nerds. Whether it be their shared love for anime, very entertaining bander, or their shared passion for science, none of it let me down.
I haven't been able to sit down and read a book in a while because of how busy the summer has been (audiobooks are my bread and butter), but I was happy to get into bed with this every night. To hang out with Liz and Tom and see what they came up with next.
I also just adored that it didn't push the normalcy of everyone (WOMEN!!!) wanting only marriage and a baby out of life. Liz and Tom are both so passionate about their life in academia and science and aren't looking for more than that. They're both so filled up on that part of their life that they just don't want the rest, and they talk about it many times throughout the book. It's one of the reasons why the ending is oh, so sweet. Family is what you choose to define it as, and seeing them love life outside of the expectations of others... it's inspiring. And not something you see in books a lot.
The only thing I didn't love was the parents addition to the storyline. It made both of them feel much younger than they were to have their parents around all the time, especially since so much of it revolved around them planning a wedding for them.
Make room on your TBR for a romcom perfect to start you back into school for the semester on September 15. I hope it's a nice little escape, just like it was for me. And thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
- Paige
°•*⁀➷
He falls first, and make it nerdy.
This was your typical semi-cringey, mostly funny rom-com that follow (for me) two very relatable nerds. Whether it be their shared love for anime, very entertaining bander, or their shared passion for science, none of it let me down.
I haven't been able to sit down and read a book in a while because of how busy the summer has been (audiobooks are my bread and butter), but I was happy to get into bed with this every night. To hang out with Liz and Tom and see what they came up with next.
I also just adored that it didn't push the normalcy of everyone (WOMEN!!!) wanting only marriage and a baby out of life. Liz and Tom are both so passionate about their life in academia and science and aren't looking for more than that. They're both so filled up on that part of their life that they just don't want the rest, and they talk about it many times throughout the book. It's one of the reasons why the ending is oh, so sweet. Family is what you choose to define it as, and seeing them love life outside of the expectations of others... it's inspiring. And not something you see in books a lot.
The only thing I didn't love was the parents addition to the storyline. It made both of them feel much younger than they were to have their parents around all the time, especially since so much of it revolved around them planning a wedding for them.
Make room on your TBR for a romcom perfect to start you back into school for the semester on September 15. I hope it's a nice little escape, just like it was for me. And thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
- Paige
February 10, 2023
Enemies to lovers. I knew this when I picked up the book. However, I couldn't like the characters (again, I know it's an ememies to lovers romance and there would be all the angst and the initial discomfort/hatred) and the writing in some parts made me uncomfortable.
I hope the characters reached my heart and soul with something to adore about them. They seem a little too distant for me.
Thank you, BooksGoSocial, for the advance reading copy.
I hope the characters reached my heart and soul with something to adore about them. They seem a little too distant for me.
Thank you, BooksGoSocial, for the advance reading copy.
dnf
October 2, 2022i can’t do this to myself. dnf at 35%
August 18, 2022
Plot ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
1st person POV - switches between MCs (Liz & Tom)
"Have you tried shutting the fuck up?"
"Not yet."
"Then add it to your list of things to do today."
The Unbalanced Equation by HL Macfarlane will likely be in my top 10 books of 2022 (for reference, I'm almost at 300 books, that's how much I enjoyed this book). This was my first read from this author and I am obsessed. At first glance, one may think this is overly similar to The Love Hypothesis, but really the only similarities are more broad strokes rather than fine details. Yes, they both take place in an academic research dynamic with a slightly forbidden power imbalance, but the characters and storyline are vastly different. And as much as I liked TLH, I enjoyed this one so much more. And the cover art is super cute and actually very deceptive with how steamy this ended up being.....
Here's what you need to know: adversaries-to-lovers, forced proximity (in a couple different ways), mild OM drama w Liz's ex (nothing too emotionally distressful & no outright cheating), slight forbidden aspect since they are soon to be "step" siblings (I mean, does it even count if Liz is 28 and Tom is 38?? Not in my book), MCs living in denial of feelings until forced to come to terms with them, witty and entertaining exchanges, and more!
Here's what I LOVED:
-3.5 🌶️ for spice because while there were only a handful of detailed steamy scenes, half of the banter between Liz and Tom was practically foreplay. The chemistry between them had me sweating. Tom calling out potential kinks for Liz when they weren't even together yet had me dying from laughter and 🔥heat🔥 exhaustion.
"Ugh. Don't go all parental on me."
"Insinuate I'm a dad again and I swear to god I'm going to assume you have a kink you don't want me knowing about." 🥵
-While Tom displayed somepetty
toxic
JUVENILE behaviors, he did it in the name of love and I secretly was here for it. Yes, it eventually blew up in his face but derailing Liz's dates and chances to move out of his house was kind of endearing.
-Liz and Tom's inner monologues were both so cheeky and relatable throughout the entire book. I loved that we got both POVs so we could see just how much they each were in denial and pining after the other while trying to play it cool. The emotional groundwork laid in this book is positively incredible. At the same time, they are both so human and hold themselves (somewhat) accountable when they know they are acting out of habit rather than based on their growing feelings.
-The PINING and the ANGST and the BANTER! Need I say more!!! 🥵
-He takes care of her when she's on her period?! After she pulled an unpleasant... stunt on him, he was very much pissed at her but he still went out of his way to buy her favorite snacks and watched anime with her while she was in pain? Swoon.
-Liz's dad, Jim, was grouchy and protective over her in the beginning (well, throughout the entire book really) and reminded me of Charlie from Twilight and I loved it. Liz and her dad's relationship was so sweet and wholesome.
As you can see, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be thinking about it for a long time. If you're looking for a book that doesn't flaunt the traditional HEA ending with a ring and babies, this is for you. Liz and Tom vehemently mention many times that they are not looking to be married or have babies or a family vacation to Tenerife. They find happiness and fulfillment through each other, their family, friends, work, pets, and hobbies. If you're looking for male BFFs who have annual couples Halloween costumes and sing karaoke together, this book is for you. If you're looking for a surprisingly sweet romance that gets you in your feels, this book is for you.
"I never knew how much I was waiting for you until I met you."
Seriously, I cannot recommend this enough.
*I received an ARC and these are my honest to god feelings/thoughts*
Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
1st person POV - switches between MCs (Liz & Tom)
"Have you tried shutting the fuck up?"
"Not yet."
"Then add it to your list of things to do today."
The Unbalanced Equation by HL Macfarlane will likely be in my top 10 books of 2022 (for reference, I'm almost at 300 books, that's how much I enjoyed this book). This was my first read from this author and I am obsessed. At first glance, one may think this is overly similar to The Love Hypothesis, but really the only similarities are more broad strokes rather than fine details. Yes, they both take place in an academic research dynamic with a slightly forbidden power imbalance, but the characters and storyline are vastly different. And as much as I liked TLH, I enjoyed this one so much more. And the cover art is super cute and actually very deceptive with how steamy this ended up being.....
Here's what you need to know: adversaries-to-lovers, forced proximity (in a couple different ways), mild OM drama w Liz's ex (nothing too emotionally distressful & no outright cheating), slight forbidden aspect since they are soon to be "step" siblings (I mean, does it even count if Liz is 28 and Tom is 38?? Not in my book), MCs living in denial of feelings until forced to come to terms with them, witty and entertaining exchanges, and more!
Here's what I LOVED:
-3.5 🌶️ for spice because while there were only a handful of detailed steamy scenes, half of the banter between Liz and Tom was practically foreplay. The chemistry between them had me sweating. Tom calling out potential kinks for Liz when they weren't even together yet had me dying from laughter and 🔥heat🔥 exhaustion.
"Ugh. Don't go all parental on me."
"Insinuate I'm a dad again and I swear to god I'm going to assume you have a kink you don't want me knowing about." 🥵
-While Tom displayed some
-Liz and Tom's inner monologues were both so cheeky and relatable throughout the entire book. I loved that we got both POVs so we could see just how much they each were in denial and pining after the other while trying to play it cool. The emotional groundwork laid in this book is positively incredible. At the same time, they are both so human and hold themselves (somewhat) accountable when they know they are acting out of habit rather than based on their growing feelings.
-The PINING and the ANGST and the BANTER! Need I say more!!! 🥵
-He takes care of her when she's on her period?! After she pulled an unpleasant... stunt on him, he was very much pissed at her but he still went out of his way to buy her favorite snacks and watched anime with her while she was in pain? Swoon.
-Liz's dad, Jim, was grouchy and protective over her in the beginning (well, throughout the entire book really) and reminded me of Charlie from Twilight and I loved it. Liz and her dad's relationship was so sweet and wholesome.
As you can see, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be thinking about it for a long time. If you're looking for a book that doesn't flaunt the traditional HEA ending with a ring and babies, this is for you. Liz and Tom vehemently mention many times that they are not looking to be married or have babies or a family vacation to Tenerife. They find happiness and fulfillment through each other, their family, friends, work, pets, and hobbies. If you're looking for male BFFs who have annual couples Halloween costumes and sing karaoke together, this book is for you. If you're looking for a surprisingly sweet romance that gets you in your feels, this book is for you.
"I never knew how much I was waiting for you until I met you."
Seriously, I cannot recommend this enough.
*I received an ARC and these are my honest to god feelings/thoughts*
August 8, 2022
This was so entertaining and kind of ridiculous in the best way. I could not put this down!!!I liked how the trajectory of Tom and Liz's relationship was not predictable from the start. I am an absolute fan of books centered around scientists and it was evident that the author has a background in science, which I appreciate, since I am a scientist myself. Also, the banter and tension were fantastic. (Netgalley ARC)
August 7, 2022
First of all, I‘m thankful that I recieved this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review..anyway this book so cute. I haven‘t been able to put this book down at all. Honestly it kind of reminded me of „the love hypothesis“ BUT I have to admit that I like this one more. This book is such a cute love story that has so many good tropes in the book. But not only the main love story is amazing, also the side stories are amazing as well. I don‘t think that there is even one character I didn‘t like in this book, apart from Eli…fuck Eli. This book is so good and I can only recommend this one, everyone should read this once it‘s released.
August 11, 2022
Firstly I would like to thank NetGalley for this ARC.
Tropes:
*Forced proximity
*Workplace romance
*Enemies to lovers
*Second chance love
*Age gap
*Guy falls first
I had heard that this was similar to The Love Hypothesis. While there are a few similarities, they are definitely not the same. I feel like this book was more about how their relationship affected everyone around them and I did not hate it.
When Tom and Liz meet at a work mixer, they are instantly attracted to each other. But when Tom finds out after meeting her that he would be her professor for the following four years, he knew he had to back off and he acted like he hated her. But when Liz is no more his student but now in his best friend's lab they are bound to see more of each other. When they find out that their widow parents were engaged to each other and Liz's landlord kicking her out, concluding with them living together, they start to wonder if maybe they can make it work.
I give this book 3.5⭐ . It was definitely not a horrible book but I still feel like there could have been more added in parts of the book. I enjoyed how all the side characters had to do with the story and not just there for their relationship and their relationship only. I feel like the cover is a bit of a turn - off. It makes Tom look way too old for the age of 38 in my opinion, making him look like one of those awkward uncles. I really liked Liz's character. She was a strong alpha female that wasn't shy or scared to share her opinions and she knew what she wanted.
I would definitely recommend for people to read this since it is a good book. It does have some spice in it (ok maybe a lot more than a bit).
Favorite Quotes:
"Whatever else I could say about my life right now, I certainly couldn’t call it boring"
"Standing there alone, looking at the door, I was faced with an inevitable conclusion that had been chasing me for four years. I was stupidly crazy about this woman. It wasn’t simply a crush."
"Have you tried shutting the f*ck up?"
"Not yet."
"Then add it to your list of things to do today"
Tropes:
*Forced proximity
*Workplace romance
*Enemies to lovers
*Second chance love
*Age gap
*Guy falls first
I had heard that this was similar to The Love Hypothesis. While there are a few similarities, they are definitely not the same. I feel like this book was more about how their relationship affected everyone around them and I did not hate it.
When Tom and Liz meet at a work mixer, they are instantly attracted to each other. But when Tom finds out after meeting her that he would be her professor for the following four years, he knew he had to back off and he acted like he hated her. But when Liz is no more his student but now in his best friend's lab they are bound to see more of each other. When they find out that their widow parents were engaged to each other and Liz's landlord kicking her out, concluding with them living together, they start to wonder if maybe they can make it work.
I give this book 3.5⭐ . It was definitely not a horrible book but I still feel like there could have been more added in parts of the book. I enjoyed how all the side characters had to do with the story and not just there for their relationship and their relationship only. I feel like the cover is a bit of a turn - off. It makes Tom look way too old for the age of 38 in my opinion, making him look like one of those awkward uncles. I really liked Liz's character. She was a strong alpha female that wasn't shy or scared to share her opinions and she knew what she wanted.
I would definitely recommend for people to read this since it is a good book. It does have some spice in it (ok maybe a lot more than a bit).
Favorite Quotes:
"Whatever else I could say about my life right now, I certainly couldn’t call it boring"
"Standing there alone, looking at the door, I was faced with an inevitable conclusion that had been chasing me for four years. I was stupidly crazy about this woman. It wasn’t simply a crush."
"Have you tried shutting the f*ck up?"
"Not yet."
"Then add it to your list of things to do today"
September 7, 2022
i can’t stomach another 5 minutes of this shit
dnf @41%
dnf @41%
September 10, 2022
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Unbalanced Equation is a standalone book being billed for fans of The Hating Game and The Love Hypothesis. I wanted to love this book and I had extremely high hopes for it especially since I'm a huge fan of stories of women in STEM. Sometimes I've found you just don't like characters which taints the entire book for you. For me, both Tom and Liz were ridiculously flawed and while they probably deserve each other I didn't enjoy reading about them as much as I like most stories in this genre. I should have loved so many of the tropes in this. It has enemies to lovers (sort of), age differences, women in science and forced proximity are the main focuses of the story and I like a lot of those things but couldn't seem to really grow attached to the characters.
Tom and Liz met at a mixer for the students and faculty when Liz was coning in to start her Doctorate. Their intro meet is cute enough, even if it did have a lot of anime references that I didn't get. But immediately after that, Tom learns due to some events he will be her advisor, so he had to keep his hands off. His very grown up solution to this is to decide to treat Liz poorly and be mean to her for the next four years so he won't forget he can't cross that advisor/student line. Maybe if I'd seen how he treated her badly I could get on the enemy to lovers trope but it is four years later and we never see one interaction between them in those years we just know he is a jerk.
Tom and Liz are thrown together in the same lab to work when Tom's lab burns down, they are thrown together even more when they find out their parents are getting married. In preparation for the wedding and having a blended family all of them end up living in the same very large house to amplify the amount of time Liz and Tom will be spending together. It was a bit coincidental that Tom and Liz would be both working and living together but *shrugs* I was willing to go with that part of the story at least.
The science part of the story was pretty strong. As someone who has worked in labs for 17 years of my career I found most of that stuff well researched. There are moments in this book that are really cute and made me think well these characters are growing on me. But then one of the characters would do something so childish and silly that I'd be mad at them again. Tom specifically crossed some pretty big lines in the book for me when he broke into Liz's phone and started declining her Tinder dates. But both characters have some red-flag issues for me. If you can get past the red-flag issues though there is a pretty cute ending pay off.
Really this wasn't for me. The characters were far too childish and this isn't YA so I thought their emotions and reasoning should be more complex. Tom is 34 and 38 in the story with Liz ten years younger than him. We would expect him to be a bit more mature but I found he and Liz both struggled with maturity in emotional decisions. So they were perfect for each other but not my favorite couple to follow through a romantic journey.
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Unbalanced Equation is a standalone book being billed for fans of The Hating Game and The Love Hypothesis. I wanted to love this book and I had extremely high hopes for it especially since I'm a huge fan of stories of women in STEM. Sometimes I've found you just don't like characters which taints the entire book for you. For me, both Tom and Liz were ridiculously flawed and while they probably deserve each other I didn't enjoy reading about them as much as I like most stories in this genre. I should have loved so many of the tropes in this. It has enemies to lovers (sort of), age differences, women in science and forced proximity are the main focuses of the story and I like a lot of those things but couldn't seem to really grow attached to the characters.
Tom and Liz met at a mixer for the students and faculty when Liz was coning in to start her Doctorate. Their intro meet is cute enough, even if it did have a lot of anime references that I didn't get. But immediately after that, Tom learns due to some events he will be her advisor, so he had to keep his hands off. His very grown up solution to this is to decide to treat Liz poorly and be mean to her for the next four years so he won't forget he can't cross that advisor/student line. Maybe if I'd seen how he treated her badly I could get on the enemy to lovers trope but it is four years later and we never see one interaction between them in those years we just know he is a jerk.
Tom and Liz are thrown together in the same lab to work when Tom's lab burns down, they are thrown together even more when they find out their parents are getting married. In preparation for the wedding and having a blended family all of them end up living in the same very large house to amplify the amount of time Liz and Tom will be spending together. It was a bit coincidental that Tom and Liz would be both working and living together but *shrugs* I was willing to go with that part of the story at least.
The science part of the story was pretty strong. As someone who has worked in labs for 17 years of my career I found most of that stuff well researched. There are moments in this book that are really cute and made me think well these characters are growing on me. But then one of the characters would do something so childish and silly that I'd be mad at them again. Tom specifically crossed some pretty big lines in the book for me when he broke into Liz's phone and started declining her Tinder dates. But both characters have some red-flag issues for me. If you can get past the red-flag issues though there is a pretty cute ending pay off.
Really this wasn't for me. The characters were far too childish and this isn't YA so I thought their emotions and reasoning should be more complex. Tom is 34 and 38 in the story with Liz ten years younger than him. We would expect him to be a bit more mature but I found he and Liz both struggled with maturity in emotional decisions. So they were perfect for each other but not my favorite couple to follow through a romantic journey.
January 5, 2023
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Unbalanced Equation was pretty easy to devour. The only problem for me was finally finding the time to sit down and write the actual review. Did I have to skim through it for a little bit just to get the creative juices flowing? Yes, yes, I did, and I have zero regrets about it.
In this, you will meet Tom and Liz. At first glance, I guess you could say that they were enemies. It truly doesn't help that he ignored her email years ago or that she held a teeny tiny grudge for it either. So, when they finally cross paths, no one knew what to expect. Well, other than the mimosas that is.
Sure, they were attracted to one another but it kind of felt like right person wrong time. All the time. They just clicked and had this vibe that I couldn't help but get along with either. Yet, they would mess up by saying or doing something wrong. It completely frustrated me, but it also made them a bit more realistic.
In the wise words of Hannah Montana, nobody's perfect.
It didn't take long for sparks to finally fly between these two. Then the drama came right around the corner and smacked me. Some of it was okay and interesting, but the snark, sarcasm and banter are what I came here for. It didn't disappoint me one bit and I'm so happy with what I read.
In the end, I really enjoyed these two doing a slow awkward dance around one another. I also hope that she does go with Jerry for the kitten's name.
The Unbalanced Equation was pretty easy to devour. The only problem for me was finally finding the time to sit down and write the actual review. Did I have to skim through it for a little bit just to get the creative juices flowing? Yes, yes, I did, and I have zero regrets about it.
In this, you will meet Tom and Liz. At first glance, I guess you could say that they were enemies. It truly doesn't help that he ignored her email years ago or that she held a teeny tiny grudge for it either. So, when they finally cross paths, no one knew what to expect. Well, other than the mimosas that is.
Sure, they were attracted to one another but it kind of felt like right person wrong time. All the time. They just clicked and had this vibe that I couldn't help but get along with either. Yet, they would mess up by saying or doing something wrong. It completely frustrated me, but it also made them a bit more realistic.
In the wise words of Hannah Montana, nobody's perfect.
It didn't take long for sparks to finally fly between these two. Then the drama came right around the corner and smacked me. Some of it was okay and interesting, but the snark, sarcasm and banter are what I came here for. It didn't disappoint me one bit and I'm so happy with what I read.
In the end, I really enjoyed these two doing a slow awkward dance around one another. I also hope that she does go with Jerry for the kitten's name.
September 21, 2022
-Enemies to Lovers
-Forced Proximity
-Age Gap
Evidentemente tiene parecidos con The Love Hypothesis, así que si te gustó ese, seguramente te gustará The Unbalanced Equation.
Liz y Tom se conocen y se gustan, pero como Tom es nombrado su Asesor para el doctorado, tiene la brillante idea de tratarla mal y así evitar que se forje una relación amorosa. Cuatro años después, descubren que trabajaran juntos en un laboratorio, y que sus padres (mamá de Tom y papá de Liz) son novios y se van a casar. Lo que provoca que tengan que estar viéndose las caras 24/7.
En general la historia se lee rápido y engancha. Hay unas situaciones a lo largo de la historia que no me gustaron. Cosas que hacen Liz y Tom, en diferentes puntos, que me parecieron idiotas y hacen que el conflicto sea 😒 Pero para mi lo compensa que se arreglen de manera linda, aunque pudieron haberlo hablado antes. 👀😅
📖
“You really have no idea how much I like you, do you?”
_
“The only thing I want is for you to be serious about whatever we are.”
_
“You literally held all the cards and still cheated at the damn game. How am I supposed to feel like your equal given all of that? The answer is that I’m not. You never gave me the chance to be. And that’s your fucking loss.”
-Forced Proximity
-Age Gap
Evidentemente tiene parecidos con The Love Hypothesis, así que si te gustó ese, seguramente te gustará The Unbalanced Equation.
Liz y Tom se conocen y se gustan, pero como Tom es nombrado su Asesor para el doctorado, tiene la brillante idea de tratarla mal y así evitar que se forje una relación amorosa. Cuatro años después, descubren que trabajaran juntos en un laboratorio, y que sus padres (mamá de Tom y papá de Liz) son novios y se van a casar. Lo que provoca que tengan que estar viéndose las caras 24/7.
En general la historia se lee rápido y engancha. Hay unas situaciones a lo largo de la historia que no me gustaron. Cosas que hacen Liz y Tom, en diferentes puntos, que me parecieron idiotas y hacen que el conflicto sea 😒 Pero para mi lo compensa que se arreglen de manera linda, aunque pudieron haberlo hablado antes. 👀😅
📖
“You really have no idea how much I like you, do you?”
_
“The only thing I want is for you to be serious about whatever we are.”
_
“You literally held all the cards and still cheated at the damn game. How am I supposed to feel like your equal given all of that? The answer is that I’m not. You never gave me the chance to be. And that’s your fucking loss.”
August 15, 2022
This book is so easily to read and it has a cute moment that made me laugh.
I was really interested at first few chapters until they both find their parent planning to get married.
Unfortunately, the downside of this book for me is that both male & female main characters are very annoying to me especially with the male, Tom. He is 38 years old something but act very immature. I found he is too manipulative, love to breaking into her privacy and being creeps whole time.
Same goes with Liz. She knows what she's doing with Tom is actually wrong but she keep insisting being with him all the time and not too help Tom being so obsessed with her. I have to say she's one of character that easily very impressionable and has no fixed stance.
As sometimes their interaction I found adorable but mostly there's a huge red flags that I found it will be disturbing in real life and I don't see that kind of relationship is healthy.
Overall like plot, setting and other side characters I really like it and this book actually quite entertaining too. it's just that if the two main characters could act more like age and there wasn't an element of both parents getting married, I would really like this story.
Thank you for Netgalley & Publisher for providing ARC in exchange for honest review.
I was really interested at first few chapters until they both find their parent planning to get married.
Unfortunately, the downside of this book for me is that both male & female main characters are very annoying to me especially with the male, Tom. He is 38 years old something but act very immature. I found he is too manipulative, love to breaking into her privacy and being creeps whole time.
Same goes with Liz. She knows what she's doing with Tom is actually wrong but she keep insisting being with him all the time and not too help Tom being so obsessed with her. I have to say she's one of character that easily very impressionable and has no fixed stance.
As sometimes their interaction I found adorable but mostly there's a huge red flags that I found it will be disturbing in real life and I don't see that kind of relationship is healthy.
Overall like plot, setting and other side characters I really like it and this book actually quite entertaining too. it's just that if the two main characters could act more like age and there wasn't an element of both parents getting married, I would really like this story.
Thank you for Netgalley & Publisher for providing ARC in exchange for honest review.
![Profile Image for Andrea ☾ [is inconsistently consistant].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1642113904i%2F116166019._UY200_CR2%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
October 5, 2022
*Thank you so much Net Galley for providing this ARC*
3.5⭐️
Liz & Tom meet 4 years ago and hit it off right away… then life happened, and Tom handled it in the most horrible way possible. Now, all those feelings are buried beneath years of animosity and forced professionalism. Can Tom fix his mistakes without making it worse? Will Liz give Tom a real chance to do it?
Things I liked:
- The spicy scenes are *chef’s kiss*- The spice is mild at best, but I had never before seen a hero that liked a little pain with they’re pleasure in a book with a cover like this one. To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement.
- New fav trope alert? - I feel like this book, instead of being grumpy/sunshine, they were grumpy/grumpy, and I LOVED IT! They were perfect for each other to the point of stupidity, and I mean that in the nicest way possible. As in, how stupid do you have to be to NOT see that you have found your soulmate? They are basically you! With just tiny differences here and there!
- Finally! A couple that doesn’t want the 2.5 kids and white picket fenced future. - I think, mainly in younger generations, people are in search for a happy future suited to what their dreams are, aside of what’s societally expected of them. In turn, many people do not what a wedding, or children, or to settle down and grow roots somewhere. They’re all lovely options, but it’s not all that there is. I have hardly ever read a romance where both MCs are aware that they do not what their future family to include children, or marriage, without some tragic/traumatic backstory that impedes them from being able to have children or to view marriage as nothing but assured horribleness. There’s nothing like that. Tom and Liz are both aware that they could do all those things, they just CHOOSE not to – It’s a choice just as valid as the opposite one, but romance literature is truly lacking in these stories. These two characters wanted to find their person to enjoy them for as long as they were allowed to, and nothing more. And we love to see it.
Things I didn’t like:
- How absolutely toxic Tom was, throughout the entire book. - In my opinion, he got off easy. I don’t know if I could have ever forgiven him. Especially the phone thing - It gave me the creeps instantly, with every alarm in my mind screaming ‘WHAT ARE YOU DOINNGGG?’
- The whole ‘step-sibling thing’ is not my fav, but I liked the rest of it so much that it was manageable.
Is it slightly problematic and toxic? Mmmmaybe…
Is it still better than any dark romance out there? Yes.
So, although I believe the cover is a bit too cutesy and fluffy for the mental games that this couple gets into, I enjoyed it. I mean, was it entertaining to me? Absolutely. Would I have also yeeted Tom out of my life so hard and fast that he would turn into a shooting star if this happened irl? Also, yes.
In summary, I adored this book, and I don’t really know how. I’m very aware that I probably would have hated it based on the shit the MCs get into, but I loved that they were both game for each other’s shit – Soulmate stuff, I tell you.
3.5⭐️
Liz & Tom meet 4 years ago and hit it off right away… then life happened, and Tom handled it in the most horrible way possible. Now, all those feelings are buried beneath years of animosity and forced professionalism. Can Tom fix his mistakes without making it worse? Will Liz give Tom a real chance to do it?
Things I liked:
- The spicy scenes are *chef’s kiss*- The spice is mild at best, but I had never before seen a hero that liked a little pain with they’re pleasure in a book with a cover like this one. To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement.
- New fav trope alert? - I feel like this book, instead of being grumpy/sunshine, they were grumpy/grumpy, and I LOVED IT! They were perfect for each other to the point of stupidity, and I mean that in the nicest way possible. As in, how stupid do you have to be to NOT see that you have found your soulmate? They are basically you! With just tiny differences here and there!
- Finally! A couple that doesn’t want the 2.5 kids and white picket fenced future. - I think, mainly in younger generations, people are in search for a happy future suited to what their dreams are, aside of what’s societally expected of them. In turn, many people do not what a wedding, or children, or to settle down and grow roots somewhere. They’re all lovely options, but it’s not all that there is. I have hardly ever read a romance where both MCs are aware that they do not what their future family to include children, or marriage, without some tragic/traumatic backstory that impedes them from being able to have children or to view marriage as nothing but assured horribleness. There’s nothing like that. Tom and Liz are both aware that they could do all those things, they just CHOOSE not to – It’s a choice just as valid as the opposite one, but romance literature is truly lacking in these stories. These two characters wanted to find their person to enjoy them for as long as they were allowed to, and nothing more. And we love to see it.
Things I didn’t like:
- How absolutely toxic Tom was, throughout the entire book. - In my opinion, he got off easy. I don’t know if I could have ever forgiven him. Especially the phone thing - It gave me the creeps instantly, with every alarm in my mind screaming ‘WHAT ARE YOU DOINNGGG?’
- The whole ‘step-sibling thing’ is not my fav, but I liked the rest of it so much that it was manageable.
Is it slightly problematic and toxic? Mmmmaybe…
Is it still better than any dark romance out there? Yes.
So, although I believe the cover is a bit too cutesy and fluffy for the mental games that this couple gets into, I enjoyed it. I mean, was it entertaining to me? Absolutely. Would I have also yeeted Tom out of my life so hard and fast that he would turn into a shooting star if this happened irl? Also, yes.
In summary, I adored this book, and I don’t really know how. I’m very aware that I probably would have hated it based on the shit the MCs get into, but I loved that they were both game for each other’s shit – Soulmate stuff, I tell you.
August 18, 2022
This book was obviously going for The Love Hypothesis vibes so I wanted to check-in to see if better then that book, it didn't have to do a lot to achieve that. But it still failed, this book has one my least favorite tropes older man acting like teen boys. Anyways, it wasn't good rom-com for me but better then The Love Hypothesis because everything is.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 5, 2022
The Unbalanced Equation
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 9/15/22
Author: H.L. Macfarlane
Publisher: BooksGoSocial
Pages: 416
Goodreads Rating: 3.48
I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and BooksGoSocial and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.
Synopsis: After suffering four years of scrutiny from her PhD assessor, Elizabeth Maclean believes she’s finally free of Dr Thomas Henderson’s tyranny when she begins her postdoc. But when a fire goes off in Tom’s lab (stupid undergrads) he ends up working in the same lab as Liz. To make matters worse, Tom’s mum and Liz’s dad announce their impending marriage after a whirlwind romance. So when Liz’s landlord tells her to move out, pronto, it tips her over the edge. Desperate for a place to stay and in need of a saviour, the last person Liz expects to offer her a temporary home is Tom himself.
My Thoughts: My favorite trope is the enemies to lovers trope and this one is 100% with STEM and forced proximity splashed in. This was a feel good romcom that I devoured pretty quickly. The story is narrated by Liz and Tom, in a dual POV. I love when you get both sides of the romance, it gives you the full story. The characters were well developed with depth, witty banter, chemistry, tension, and creatively written. The author’s writing style was complex, had steamy tension, created that wonderful banter, and kept me engaged. If you love The Love Hypothesis or The Hating Game, this is the book for you! I absolutely adored this book. This book releases on 9/15/22 and I would suggest preordering!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 9/15/22
Author: H.L. Macfarlane
Publisher: BooksGoSocial
Pages: 416
Goodreads Rating: 3.48
I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and BooksGoSocial and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.
Synopsis: After suffering four years of scrutiny from her PhD assessor, Elizabeth Maclean believes she’s finally free of Dr Thomas Henderson’s tyranny when she begins her postdoc. But when a fire goes off in Tom’s lab (stupid undergrads) he ends up working in the same lab as Liz. To make matters worse, Tom’s mum and Liz’s dad announce their impending marriage after a whirlwind romance. So when Liz’s landlord tells her to move out, pronto, it tips her over the edge. Desperate for a place to stay and in need of a saviour, the last person Liz expects to offer her a temporary home is Tom himself.
My Thoughts: My favorite trope is the enemies to lovers trope and this one is 100% with STEM and forced proximity splashed in. This was a feel good romcom that I devoured pretty quickly. The story is narrated by Liz and Tom, in a dual POV. I love when you get both sides of the romance, it gives you the full story. The characters were well developed with depth, witty banter, chemistry, tension, and creatively written. The author’s writing style was complex, had steamy tension, created that wonderful banter, and kept me engaged. If you love The Love Hypothesis or The Hating Game, this is the book for you! I absolutely adored this book. This book releases on 9/15/22 and I would suggest preordering!
February 26, 2023
IS NO ONE COMMENTING ON THE FACT THAT THEY'RE BASICALLY STEP SIBLINGS?????
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2023
3.75/5
Не розумію, чому ця книга отримує такі низькі оцінки. Мені здається, що це просто фанати "Гіпотези кохання" мстяться за те, що тут головні герої — професор і аспірантка, що нагадує їм персонажів з книги Ейлі. Але це не так, сюжет книги зовсім інший. Так, тут є елементи наукової сфери, але вони використовуються як допоміжний елемент (як пролог) і лише допомагають персонажам познайомитися та почати ворогувати один з одним.
Але саме зближення та глибоки почуття між Ліз і Томом починають зʼявлятися через несподівану подію — це весілля батька та мати. Це було шокуюче для обох, і далі ми стаємо свідками історії, яка розвивається від ненависті до палаючої любові. Книга цікава і варта того, щоб її помітили та прочитали.
Не розумію, чому ця книга отримує такі низькі оцінки. Мені здається, що це просто фанати "Гіпотези кохання" мстяться за те, що тут головні герої — професор і аспірантка, що нагадує їм персонажів з книги Ейлі. Але це не так, сюжет книги зовсім інший. Так, тут є елементи наукової сфери, але вони використовуються як допоміжний елемент (як пролог) і лише допомагають персонажам познайомитися та почати ворогувати один з одним.
Але саме зближення та глибоки почуття між Ліз і Томом починають зʼявлятися через несподівану подію — це весілля батька та мати. Це було шокуюче для обох, і далі ми стаємо свідками історії, яка розвивається від ненависті до палаючої любові. Книга цікава і варта того, щоб її помітили та прочитали.
January 18, 2023
4/5⭐️
2.5/5🌶️
thank you netgalley and macfarlane lantern publishing for this arc! this book was released on september 15th, 2022.
this book was such a pleasant surprise. this rom com follows two nerds, liz and tom, who i found really relatable because of their love for science and anime. it did have similar vibes to the love hypothesis, so if that’s a book you enjoyed, this is definitely one to check out!! it had some tropes i really loved (forced proximity, enemies to lovers, guy falls first) that really hooked me from the beginning. my only complaint with this book was that i felt like the second half of the book dragged on a bit it terms of plot. besides that, i found the banter between liz and tom very entertaining and i definitely did not expect the spice to be what is what, so both were a nice surprise! if you’re looking for a rom-com with characters who are in STEM, this is definitely a good one to pick up!
“i never knew how much i was waiting on you until i met you”
2.5/5🌶️
thank you netgalley and macfarlane lantern publishing for this arc! this book was released on september 15th, 2022.
this book was such a pleasant surprise. this rom com follows two nerds, liz and tom, who i found really relatable because of their love for science and anime. it did have similar vibes to the love hypothesis, so if that’s a book you enjoyed, this is definitely one to check out!! it had some tropes i really loved (forced proximity, enemies to lovers, guy falls first) that really hooked me from the beginning. my only complaint with this book was that i felt like the second half of the book dragged on a bit it terms of plot. besides that, i found the banter between liz and tom very entertaining and i definitely did not expect the spice to be what is what, so both were a nice surprise! if you’re looking for a rom-com with characters who are in STEM, this is definitely a good one to pick up!
“i never knew how much i was waiting on you until i met you”
August 7, 2022
Look, I tried not to dnf this one, I really tried. At one point I came to read the reviews, saw that people liked it, and decided that I needed to give it a better chance. However, the FMC is just too juvenile, and getting me riled up, so I am dnf'ing at 80% (with a lot of skimming through to this point).
First of all, this is NOTHING like The Hating Game and The Love Hypothesis.
Second, "enemies-to-lovers" can someone explain how? We're told he's horrible to her, but nowhere we're shown that. And also, so this "enemies-to-lovers" thing does not really work. Plus, when I'm not shown how they're enemies, and she (apparently rightfully) is always angry towards him, she comes across as bitchy for no reason.
Third, all the anime references? Especially when it goes on for pages? For someone who is not the least bit interested in anime, this took me out of pages of the story. A casual reference would have been okay, but here it's more than that.
Another point, his invasion of her privacy! Big red flag!
Also, I hate it when one character rages against the other for something, while they have been doing the same thing to them! SPOILER:
Sorry, I tried, but it's just not for me.
Thank you to the publisher and author for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
First of all, this is NOTHING like The Hating Game and The Love Hypothesis.
Second, "enemies-to-lovers" can someone explain how? We're told he's horrible to her, but nowhere we're shown that. And also, so this "enemies-to-lovers" thing does not really work. Plus, when I'm not shown how they're enemies, and she (apparently rightfully) is always angry towards him, she comes across as bitchy for no reason.
Third, all the anime references? Especially when it goes on for pages? For someone who is not the least bit interested in anime, this took me out of pages of the story. A casual reference would have been okay, but here it's more than that.
Another point, his invasion of her privacy! Big red flag!
Also, I hate it when one character rages against the other for something, while they have been doing the same thing to them! SPOILER:
Sorry, I tried, but it's just not for me.
Thank you to the publisher and author for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
August 15, 2022
This book is so easily to read and it has a cute moment that made me laugh.
I was really interested at first few chapters until they both find their parent planning to get married.
Unfortunately, the downside of this book for me is that both male & female main characters are very annoying to me especially with the male, Tom. He is 38 years old something but act very immature. I found he is too manipulative, love to breaking into her privacy and being creeps whole time.
Same goes with Liz. She knows what she's doing with Tom is actually wrong but she keep insisting being with him all the time and not too help Tom being so obsessed with her. I have to say she's one of character that easily very impressionable and has no fixed stance.
As sometimes their interaction I found adorable but mostly there's a huge red flags that I found it will be disturbing in real life and I don't see that kind of relationship is healthy.
Overall like plot, setting and other side characters I really like it and this book actually quite entertaining too. it's just that if the two main characters could act more like age and there wasn't an element of both parents getting married, I would really like this story.
Thank you for Netgalley & Publisher for providing ARC in exchange for honest review.
I was really interested at first few chapters until they both find their parent planning to get married.
Unfortunately, the downside of this book for me is that both male & female main characters are very annoying to me especially with the male, Tom. He is 38 years old something but act very immature. I found he is too manipulative, love to breaking into her privacy and being creeps whole time.
Same goes with Liz. She knows what she's doing with Tom is actually wrong but she keep insisting being with him all the time and not too help Tom being so obsessed with her. I have to say she's one of character that easily very impressionable and has no fixed stance.
As sometimes their interaction I found adorable but mostly there's a huge red flags that I found it will be disturbing in real life and I don't see that kind of relationship is healthy.
Overall like plot, setting and other side characters I really like it and this book actually quite entertaining too. it's just that if the two main characters could act more like age and there wasn't an element of both parents getting married, I would really like this story.
Thank you for Netgalley & Publisher for providing ARC in exchange for honest review.
August 13, 2022
Did I just become a fan of the age-gap trope? Because I'm pretty sure I am after devouring this book.
Tom and Liz first meet at a social gathering, where Tom definitely falls first for Liz and all her adorable anime-loving nerdiness. After a little too many drinks, and lots of flirting later, Tom and Liz end up in that "will they, won't they" type situation. You know the one where everyone is yelling "JUST DO IT ALREADY", but life happens, and Liz has to leave before we get our big moment. Very Cinderella style.
The next day it turns out that Tom has to become Liz's PhD Assessor, which means no freaking dating. For the next 4 years Tom secretly pines for Liz, while she hates him for being the worlds biggest dick to her out of nowhere.
This book has all the enemies to lovers, forced proximity, age gap romance, and lots of good and smutty freaking smut. There is a few things I didn't love, like Tom being overly possessive to the point of almost uncomfortable. Liz had her moments of "what the frick Liz" that made me roll my eyes. But somehow it all just fits in this book.
The banter and sass between Tom and Liz is hilarious, to the point where I was actually laughing out loud during some scenes. Liz's friendship between her soon to be step-mom Jenny was adorable. Jim hating Tom and all his snide comments and remarks towards him reminded me so much of my own dad, and I loved it.
Overall I really loved this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a good rom-com. It's a enemies to lovers, but make it nerdy AF type book.
Thank you NetGalley, Macfarlane Lantern Publishing & H.L. Macfarlane for letting me read the ARC of this book for an honest review. This book is expected to be published by September 15th 2022!
Tom and Liz first meet at a social gathering, where Tom definitely falls first for Liz and all her adorable anime-loving nerdiness. After a little too many drinks, and lots of flirting later, Tom and Liz end up in that "will they, won't they" type situation. You know the one where everyone is yelling "JUST DO IT ALREADY", but life happens, and Liz has to leave before we get our big moment. Very Cinderella style.
The next day it turns out that Tom has to become Liz's PhD Assessor, which means no freaking dating. For the next 4 years Tom secretly pines for Liz, while she hates him for being the worlds biggest dick to her out of nowhere.
This book has all the enemies to lovers, forced proximity, age gap romance, and lots of good and smutty freaking smut. There is a few things I didn't love, like Tom being overly possessive to the point of almost uncomfortable. Liz had her moments of "what the frick Liz" that made me roll my eyes. But somehow it all just fits in this book.
The banter and sass between Tom and Liz is hilarious, to the point where I was actually laughing out loud during some scenes. Liz's friendship between her soon to be step-mom Jenny was adorable. Jim hating Tom and all his snide comments and remarks towards him reminded me so much of my own dad, and I loved it.
Overall I really loved this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a good rom-com. It's a enemies to lovers, but make it nerdy AF type book.
Thank you NetGalley, Macfarlane Lantern Publishing & H.L. Macfarlane for letting me read the ARC of this book for an honest review. This book is expected to be published by September 15th 2022!
August 15, 2022
5⭐️
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! The Unbalanced Equation is coming September 15th 💚
This book was such a joy! I got “The Love Hypothesis” vibe immediately by reading the synopsis, and this story definitely did not disappoint. Plus…. it’s dual POV!! The one thing I missed in TLH was one of the things I loved the most in this book.
It was so nice to read the story of Liz and Tom, they vibed so well, I loved them. The banter was amazing and there definitely was a very pleasant amount of spice to enjoy 😏
I’m a huge fan of romance novels like this one, even though I have no talent for science whatsoever. That being said, the “scientific” parts of this book were very easy to understand and actually really nice to read.
A winner! Will be picking up more books from H. L. Macfarlane ♥️
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! The Unbalanced Equation is coming September 15th 💚
This book was such a joy! I got “The Love Hypothesis” vibe immediately by reading the synopsis, and this story definitely did not disappoint. Plus…. it’s dual POV!! The one thing I missed in TLH was one of the things I loved the most in this book.
It was so nice to read the story of Liz and Tom, they vibed so well, I loved them. The banter was amazing and there definitely was a very pleasant amount of spice to enjoy 😏
I’m a huge fan of romance novels like this one, even though I have no talent for science whatsoever. That being said, the “scientific” parts of this book were very easy to understand and actually really nice to read.
A winner! Will be picking up more books from H. L. Macfarlane ♥️
September 15, 2022
DNF at 32%.
Four years ago Liz and Tom met at at a university cocktail evening at Glasgow University and just clicked, right up until Tom discovered that he had been assigned Liz as one of his Phd mentees. Tom has to switch very quickly from lust to absolute impartiality, which he takes waaaay too far and subjects her to microscopic scrutiny and criticising her for the most miniscule errors. No surprise that Liz is thrilled to get her Phd and leave Tom's lab to work in another, more congenial atmosphere.
Coincidence 1. One of Tom's students is left alone in the lab late one night (no, it's not that song) and manages to burn it down, in order to finish his current thesis Tom needs access to a lab and his BFF offers to let him share a desk with his newest scientist ... Liz.
Then Liz and Tom find they are both heading to the same restaurant for dinner because ... coincidence 2, their parents have been secretly dating for months but haven't told them because they know that Liz hates her Phd assessor. So they choose now to announce they are getting married. I mean seriously, does anyone know anyone (other than psychopaths) who glibly announces that they are getting married to someone they have been dating for quite some time, without having introduced them to their offspring? I get the 'we met a week ago and now we're getting married because life's too short' scenario but to be dating seriously and not even mention it to your child, when you are close? Ridiculous.
Then coincidence 3, Liz loses her apartment (I forget why) and has to vacate within a week, her father has already given up his home to move in with Tom's mother (who lives with Tom), so the only option is for Liz to move into Tom's palatial Glasgow mansion/townhouse (because he inherited a lot of money from something).
Nothing about this feels authentic, I can't put my finger on it but this doesn't 'feel' like it is set in Glasgow it feels more like it should be set in Seattle or San Francisco, it just doesn't have any Scottish vibe (sorry I can't explain it better). Then the sheer number of coincidences, I read that the two of them will be 'forced' to plan their parents' wedding (I mean seriously just tell them to eff off - if you don't have the time to organise your own wedding either pay a professional or don't bother, don't go imposing on people who already have full-time jobs to organise it for you) - it was just too much and felt fake. Finally, these are two educated scientists why do they talk and act like my eleven year old niece?
There could have been a good romance here but I'm grumpy and I've had enough, I gave up at 32%.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
Four years ago Liz and Tom met at at a university cocktail evening at Glasgow University and just clicked, right up until Tom discovered that he had been assigned Liz as one of his Phd mentees. Tom has to switch very quickly from lust to absolute impartiality, which he takes waaaay too far and subjects her to microscopic scrutiny and criticising her for the most miniscule errors. No surprise that Liz is thrilled to get her Phd and leave Tom's lab to work in another, more congenial atmosphere.
Coincidence 1. One of Tom's students is left alone in the lab late one night (no, it's not that song) and manages to burn it down, in order to finish his current thesis Tom needs access to a lab and his BFF offers to let him share a desk with his newest scientist ... Liz.
Then Liz and Tom find they are both heading to the same restaurant for dinner because ... coincidence 2, their parents have been secretly dating for months but haven't told them because they know that Liz hates her Phd assessor. So they choose now to announce they are getting married. I mean seriously, does anyone know anyone (other than psychopaths) who glibly announces that they are getting married to someone they have been dating for quite some time, without having introduced them to their offspring? I get the 'we met a week ago and now we're getting married because life's too short' scenario but to be dating seriously and not even mention it to your child, when you are close? Ridiculous.
Then coincidence 3, Liz loses her apartment (I forget why) and has to vacate within a week, her father has already given up his home to move in with Tom's mother (who lives with Tom), so the only option is for Liz to move into Tom's palatial Glasgow mansion/townhouse (because he inherited a lot of money from something).
Nothing about this feels authentic, I can't put my finger on it but this doesn't 'feel' like it is set in Glasgow it feels more like it should be set in Seattle or San Francisco, it just doesn't have any Scottish vibe (sorry I can't explain it better). Then the sheer number of coincidences, I read that the two of them will be 'forced' to plan their parents' wedding (I mean seriously just tell them to eff off - if you don't have the time to organise your own wedding either pay a professional or don't bother, don't go imposing on people who already have full-time jobs to organise it for you) - it was just too much and felt fake. Finally, these are two educated scientists why do they talk and act like my eleven year old niece?
There could have been a good romance here but I'm grumpy and I've had enough, I gave up at 32%.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
December 29, 2022
5⭐️
2,5🌶
Thank you booksiren for the ARC. This review is 100% honest.
Tom and liz meet at a social gathering. Tom falls first in love with Liz and all her geek hobbies here. To too many drinks they get into a situation of going for it or not.
The day after the event, Tom hears that he will be Liz's PhD Assessor. This means no relationships and dates with Liz. For 4 years Tom pretends not to be in love and keeps his feelings hidden. This makes her really mean to Liz and she really hates him too. She thinks he's the biggest asshole there is and is finally happy to get rid of him when she goes to work in another lab. Which is not the case because Tom's lab goes up in flames and he has to work in the same lab as Liz.
Tom and Liz happen to both go to the same restaurant where they find out that Liz's father and Tom's mother are getting married. Is this karma for his behavior? Or a sign to try anyway?
Did I want to read this book just because it featured laboratory? Yes. Point out I study laboratory myself and because of this I like these books more.
When I read the synopsis I immediately felt The love hypothesis. And I loved this one so I couldn't resist diving right into this book. And I am not disappointed! The book is already better because of the dual POV! You also read from Tom which is always very nice. I thought it was really great and comical. Liz's lame jokes sometimes made me laugh so much that I even got the question at work: why are you laughing?
The friendship that slowly develops between Tom and Liz is so cute. In all her hatred for Tom she gave it a chance and they are so much fun together.
Even when Liz was on her period, Tom took care of it. A little before that she had pulled a stunt on him that he was really angry about, but despite that he got all kinds of nice things and went to watch anime with her. Who wouldn't want a Guy like that? I'm still waiting for one.
The bond that Liz develops with Tom's mother is so beautiful. They grow closer and Liz does so much for her.
Liz's father isn't too fond of Tom. Which isn't crazy after all he had heard from Liz about Tom. Despite everything, he gives Tom a chance to prove himself.
I also really like the fact that it was said in the book that not every woman wants to have children and get married. I understand this feeling very well and also thought it was nice to read it in a book
The spice was not too much and also fit well into the storyline. The scenes in it gave me butterflies and were real🥵
2,5🌶
Thank you booksiren for the ARC. This review is 100% honest.
Tom and liz meet at a social gathering. Tom falls first in love with Liz and all her geek hobbies here. To too many drinks they get into a situation of going for it or not.
The day after the event, Tom hears that he will be Liz's PhD Assessor. This means no relationships and dates with Liz. For 4 years Tom pretends not to be in love and keeps his feelings hidden. This makes her really mean to Liz and she really hates him too. She thinks he's the biggest asshole there is and is finally happy to get rid of him when she goes to work in another lab. Which is not the case because Tom's lab goes up in flames and he has to work in the same lab as Liz.
Tom and Liz happen to both go to the same restaurant where they find out that Liz's father and Tom's mother are getting married. Is this karma for his behavior? Or a sign to try anyway?
Did I want to read this book just because it featured laboratory? Yes. Point out I study laboratory myself and because of this I like these books more.
When I read the synopsis I immediately felt The love hypothesis. And I loved this one so I couldn't resist diving right into this book. And I am not disappointed! The book is already better because of the dual POV! You also read from Tom which is always very nice. I thought it was really great and comical. Liz's lame jokes sometimes made me laugh so much that I even got the question at work: why are you laughing?
The friendship that slowly develops between Tom and Liz is so cute. In all her hatred for Tom she gave it a chance and they are so much fun together.
Even when Liz was on her period, Tom took care of it. A little before that she had pulled a stunt on him that he was really angry about, but despite that he got all kinds of nice things and went to watch anime with her. Who wouldn't want a Guy like that? I'm still waiting for one.
The bond that Liz develops with Tom's mother is so beautiful. They grow closer and Liz does so much for her.
Liz's father isn't too fond of Tom. Which isn't crazy after all he had heard from Liz about Tom. Despite everything, he gives Tom a chance to prove himself.
I also really like the fact that it was said in the book that not every woman wants to have children and get married. I understand this feeling very well and also thought it was nice to read it in a book
The spice was not too much and also fit well into the storyline. The scenes in it gave me butterflies and were real🥵
August 24, 2022
I was initially looking forward to reading this book because I thought this would be fun and cute. The title is a little nod to chemistry: we balance equations with coefficients so that there are an equal number of atoms on both side of the equation in the end. So, I did really want to enjoy it. With regards to book content, there are some tropes in here that readers may enjoy, such as: dual POV, forced proximity, and other contemporary romance tropes. However, there were several things I didn’t enjoy. The warped power dynamics and how early they set as well as their results are something I can’t get behind. I was so thrown off from the Prologue and Chapter 1, things happened and decisions were made so I knew this would be a challenge for me to read. The relationship between their parents and how this is presented and executed, again, not into it. Plot didn’t maintain my interest. I felt that the main characters lacked maturity and I couldn’t root for them.
There are anime/manga references thrown in as well, so this may be appealing for some reader, as well as the tropes mentioned previously. Unfortunately, this ended up not being the book for me.
Thank you to the NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced release copy. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings: sexual content, swearing, cancer-related parental death prior to the events of the book, mistreatment, alcohol.
Where to find us:
Blog | Bookstagram | Twitter | Booktube | BookTok | Storygraph
There are anime/manga references thrown in as well, so this may be appealing for some reader, as well as the tropes mentioned previously. Unfortunately, this ended up not being the book for me.
Thank you to the NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced release copy. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings: sexual content, swearing, cancer-related parental death prior to the events of the book, mistreatment, alcohol.
Where to find us:
Blog | Bookstagram | Twitter | Booktube | BookTok | Storygraph
September 19, 2022
2.75 ⭐️.
A nicely written romance with flawed but ok protagonists. First of all, I loved the prologue. I was giddy when I read it and so happy that I got the ARC of this book. That feeling didn’t last.
Tom and Liz were so immature, I could never believe they were 27 and 37 respectively. I hated their manipulative ways with each other nor was I amused with Tom sabotaging Liz’s chances. I also didn’t like the reason Tom started being rude to Liz.
It was all too much.
Halfway through I started enjoying it again but then it went downhill again.
The other things enjoyed was the dialogues and drama. Overall ok read I guess.
A nicely written romance with flawed but ok protagonists. First of all, I loved the prologue. I was giddy when I read it and so happy that I got the ARC of this book. That feeling didn’t last.
Tom and Liz were so immature, I could never believe they were 27 and 37 respectively. I hated their manipulative ways with each other nor was I amused with Tom sabotaging Liz’s chances. I also didn’t like the reason Tom started being rude to Liz.
It was all too much.
Halfway through I started enjoying it again but then it went downhill again.
The other things enjoyed was the dialogues and drama. Overall ok read I guess.
Read
August 25, 2022“ To make matters worse – and much to their mutual surprise – Tom’s mum and Liz’s dad announce their impending marriage after a whirlwind romance. So when Liz’s landlord tells her to move out, pronto, it tips her over the edge. Desperate for a place to stay and in need of a saviour, the last person Liz expects to offer her a temporary home is Tom himself. ”
I’m sorry what? There in a romance and there parents are getting married? I was so excited for this bc WOMEN IN STEM but now I’m not so sure
I’m sorry what? There in a romance and there parents are getting married? I was so excited for this bc WOMEN IN STEM but now I’m not so sure
February 7, 2023
I wanted to like this book so much more than I did but I couldn't. Tom wasn't perfect and the way he went about trying to make her like him wasn't the best and he was a little immature, all of this is true, but at least he tried, he tried so hard for her but received nothing in return. Liz made it sound like she was the wronged party, no you weren't, she played with his feelings. After she realized he liked her, she played with him, that is not ok, he was mean to her that first year but so what? Plenty of people have their feelings hurt by professors but get over it. She was still holding that grudge 4 years later, like grow the f*ck up, God she annoyed me. They just didn't talk and their relationship just got messed up all the damn time. I just didn't like her and that was that
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