Love on the Brain

After finishing The Love Hypothesis I knew I wanted to read this one immediately. Let me rephrase. After finishing The Love Hypothesis I immediately knew I wanted to read everything Ali Hazelwood has written.

Bee was quirky and at times endearing. I enjoyed reading her perspective even when I didn’t always agree with her mode of thinking.

That being said, Levi stole the show for me. I want Ali Hazelwood to just start scientifically developing men in a lab and sending them out into the world. I think we deserve to run into tall, sensitive men with six packs who are willing to put women first. Is that possible? Can we do that?

The Marie Curie references were so fun (things I’d never thought I would type for $500) and I’m recommending this one to anyone who loves romcoms!

Tropes to love in this one: 🔬Enemies to lover 💕Second chance 🔬Workplace romance 💕Women in STEM

Rating: 4.5/5

So I didn’t realize I was reading the books out of publishing order (not that it matters until you get to the acknowledgement section!) BUT I think is one is my favorite Hazelwood so far. Which is saying something since I think I AM Elsie in many ways (Theoretically) and just CANNOT get enough of Adam (Hypothesis) and Ian (Below Zero). I am a nurse, so I feel about anatomy and physiology and pharmacokinetics the way Hazelwood’s book characters feel about their fields of science. I am currently working on my masters degree, and dream of joining academia teaching someday and maybe publishing before I die (dreams). These books feel like the world I wish I lived in, and are very real comfort blankets for my brain and emotions. So why is this one my favorite?

First, can we just acknowledge that in a world where women are often required to the emotional heavy lifting for their partners and everyone else around them, Hazelwood’s stellar leading ladies are often lacking in that department yet have male partners that are grounded and capable of doing and holding emotional space where they can’t? It’s a running theme now, and I AM HERE FOR IT! It’s not just that they aren’t sexist or are willing to give women credit for their work. They go to therapy. They own up to mistakes, take perspective from others, and are often more open and capable of being emotionally available and vulnerable while the ladies have more work to do, make more errors, and are less capable in this arena. That is just spectacular and not always seen in romance. Second, Bee is such a believable character because she is so honest about how she loves studying the brain and neuroscience, yet reluctantly admits that exercise is good for the brain. It’s so human to be so dedicated to the science and yet resist or even ignore evidence because of fear, experiences, and more. In some ways, she has the shortest lag time for realizing she wants her happy ending, though, which is nice to see. The consistency with some variation of Hazelwood’s leads being afraid of commitment, love, and romance are interesting. A flow chart may be needed at some point. Third, I like that in a short span, Bee gets to see so much of Levi’s life. It’s nice to give context to him and round him out in a way that does more than just clear up misunderstandings. He has a world before she gets there. It’s always more interesting when the characters have more of a world than just the two of them in bed. My only real criticism is that while we all love the fantasy of tall, built men who also are geniuses at NASA or running research labs, in reality…I don’t know. I want there to be a way for average men who are not 6’ 4” to also be emotionally mature, get the girl, and be amazing? If I could write myself I would. But I can’t, so I need other amazing people to help me out, ya know? Anyway, it’s another rock-solid story from Ali Hazelwood. I really need to just pre-order her stuff. I have yet to be disappointed.

No sophomore slump here! Love on the Brain is as deliciously swoony and addictive as The Love Hypothesis, with characters who are equally compelling. I devoured it in one sitting and LOVED it the whole way through. It's quirky and science-filled, with a relationship that's layered and nuanced. I loved trying to figure out our hero's thoughts and feelings, and I loved that it has a similar vibe to The Love Hypothesis (both standalones) while also feeling distinct and original. This heroine takes the quirkiness up a level, and there's also a LOT of scientific fun to go along with the romance. And it is definitely a romance. Told exclusively from the heroine's point of view, one of my favorite parts was intensely analyzing the hero's every thought and action. I kinda felt like a love detective, puzzling out his feelings every step of the way. Both characters are exceedingly likable, even when I was frustrated with the heroine's cluelessness - or reluctance? - at times. It held my attention with ease, and is without a doubt one of my favorite books of the year.

The story follows Bee, a neuroscientist whose last relationship almost tanked her career before it even started. The bright, bubbly woman is now a little more closed off, though she's incredibly excited about the career opportunity that has come her way. The temporary assignment is the kind of project that could change her entire career trajectory, and Bee can't wait to get started... until she discovers who her co-lead on the project will be. Bee met Levi back in grad school, and his attitude couldn't have made it clearer how much he despised her. She hasn't forgotten about her grad school nemesis in the years since, and seeing him again makes all of those old feelings come rushing back. Her hatred and resentment towards him, of course. As the two start work together, their old issues rise to the surface, and it doesn't take long to realize that their project won't be successful if they can't get along.

Bee is quite the character, and she makes this story feel even more vibrant than anticipated. It felt like everything was turned up a notch - the personality, the science, the chemistry, the pop culture references. Oh, and the HEAT! This is steamier than The Love Hypothesis, but it's still got the slow burn goodness that I was hoping for. Bee and Levi are FANTASTIC together, and it was easy to see all of the ways they're perfect for each other... even if Bee is oblivious. The whole book is low angst but friction-filled, with enemies to lovers vibes and tons of sexual tension. It really felt like a rom com, and the tone is upbeat throughout. I loved Bee and Levi's rich history, how they are in so much of the book together, and how everything just felt so unique. I loved the whole thing, let's be honest here. This exceeded my (very high) expectations, and made for one incredibly memorable read.

What does Ms. Ali put in her books that makes them so addicting??? This is my second book by her and I devoured it as quickly as I did the first one. At first, I was put off by how similar the plot was to her other book that I’ve read. On top of it, Levi was also just like Jack Smith. But I kept reading on as her words continued to draw me in.

LOVE ON THE BRAIN was loaded with cliche’s, was completely predictable, the FMC was work smart but romance dense and it was overly quirky……yet I loved every second of it. I’ve had a lot of people tell me recently that her books are very similar , yet no one cares about that. Everyone seems to crave the comfort given in that similarity. At first, I wasn’t buying into this being true. But now, it’s true for me too. I plan on reading all of her books. Ali has a formula for her works and it’s a formula that doesn’t seem to fail us readers.

Give me all the romances with women in STEM with a man who’s secretly loved her for a while because I am here for that grand love reveal that’s been building up over time.

I loved the inner monologue of Bee as well as the banter between her and all the side characters. I especially loved Rocio’s morbid personality 🖤💀. They kept me laughing through all my frustration with the miscommunications between Levi and Bee. Though, while frustrated with them, when all their trauma’s came up it made more sense. It doesn’t come up until well passed halfway through the book so just be aware that there is a reason.

It was definitely predictable but engaging enough that I was ok with that.

I really loved Levi and Bee. The history, the past they shared and his adoration for her. I will admit I don’t know anything about women in STEM and how hard it is for them but, to me, it just seemed WAY too man-hating. Too much focus on the misogyny of that environment that it seemed to be the main plot of the story. I really enjoyed the book and the correct portrayal of the emotional damage that their pasts caused, I just wish there was less focus on the misogyny and more focus on their project and relationship.

Rating: 4 stars Spice: 🌶️🌶️.5

Let’s start with the characters! Bee was a fun, intelligent women determined to make her way in the world of STEM. For the most part, I found her charming and her inner monologue to be endearing and entertaining. BUT there were times when she was a bit too quirky. For instance, it may just be the country girl in me, but I highly doubt that people cry over road kill. That was a bit over the top…. Also I could have done without the weird little sayings with the ™️. And the incessant Marie Curie facts. Sorry not sorry. As a whole, she was a fun loving main character who had a pretty good character arc!

Let’s talk about Levi! I loved his character! Did I picture Henry Cavill? Maybe…. Levi was the perfect amount of moody broody mixed with sweet, nerdy, and thoughtful. I loved seeing the transition from Bee’s arch-nemesis to friendly coworker to lover. Everything about him was 10/10. I love a take charge alpha male that has a softer side for those he loves!

As far as the plot goes, it was delightful if a bit predictable. Possible spoilers ahead so read at your own risk. The big reveal was pretty much spelled out and spoon fed to the reader from the get go. Also, I call BS on ALL the things that Bee and Levi had in common. It got to the point that I just had to roll my eyes. May just be me but I don’t want to date a carbon copy of myself. Did I still find the storyline to be engaging and the relationship endearing? Absolutely! I loved the tension between Bee and Levi at the beginning. I’m a big sucker for gut clenching, heart rending angst and this book had it! The drama between Bee and Tim/Annie was *chefs kiss! I loved seeing Levi support Bee through it and put Tim and their other old coworkers in their place! All in all, it was an enjoyable read that I devoured! A great enemies to lovers storyline. For the most part, I thought this book had the perfect amount of sweet and spice without be nauseating.

Dr. Bee Konigswasser is a neuroscientist. She loves the brain but hates working for NIH under her male boss who doesn’t appreciate her or understand that she is so much smarter than he is. So when she gets offered a contract job at NASA, she is beyond thrilled. And then she finds out that her college nemesis Dr. Levi Ward will be her co-lead and is devastated but decides to grin and bear it. As long as they can behave like professionals, this could be the career boost she’s been hoping for. This book was really cute. Bee is incredibly smart, witty and makes lots of puns. She loves science, Marie Curie and cats, even though she hates the fact that science is still so male dominated. But she is going to keep working and with an unexpected ally in Dr. Ward, she is really kicking butt with this project. But of course all is fair in love and war and things end up going off the rails. I enjoyed this one. It was funny, it was steamy and it was interesting. I do know a little bit about the brain, but it was fun to learn more. And this book also points out how stupid standardized testing is at predicting future academic outcomes which was something I didn’t really know about. It’s a great vacation read and I’d recommend it!

I gave this novel (and its predecessor) a 4, with some difficulty (I didn’t write a review of the first for that reason). The overall quality of the writing, readability, humor, romance, (ahem) sex and HEA is excellent and worthy of a 5. However, the brilliant woman scientist protagonist in both novels is so annoyingly insecure and emotionally weak (and in this novel, physically compromised in an embarrassingly inconvenient way) that I found it nearly intolerable…and I’m a GUY! I couldn’t recommend this to my strong, powerful wife because even though she’d otherwise enjoy the books, she would find those traits (at the ridiculous levels in these novels) flatly unacceptable. The romance formula calls for a setback near the end which is often predictable and annoying, but in these novels the emotional stupidity/unbelievability is absolutely infuriating). Now, I want to read the next in the series because they’re mostly so enjoyable, but I don’t because the weaknesses of the protagonist will probably again make me CRINGE….

I wanted to love this book. I really did. It has all the elements to make it a great read: Fantastic writing skill by the author, a quirky heroine in a unique (to romance novels at least) career field, insight into true-to-life obstacles female scientists have to navigate every day, and a pining hero who thinks the heroine is a goddess (Who wouldn't want that?). The problem is that all these fresh ingredients, which have been thrown together and should develop into a tasty and nourishing read, have been cooked in an old, dirty pot and stirred by an equally dirty spoon. By this, I mean the author using the same tired crutch of misunderstandings-that-could-be-cleared-up-with-a-simple-conversation to further her plot along. Then, she compounds the problem by adding the surprise-villain-is-just-crazy-because-reasons as the "twist." SIGH. It's just lazy plotting, and I expect better from a traditionally-published author charging me over $10 for a Kindle version of her novel.

I like Bee, I love Levi, and I want to love their relationship. But how can I when I get to see so little of it? Them arguing? Check. Conversations that abruptly end and/or are interrupted (in a contrived manner) before any resolution happens? Check. Sex scenes? Check. (NOTE: I am not complaining about those.) Lots of dialogue about a cat's anal glands? Check.

What I didn't get was them having actual conversations with each other. Then, even after the third act is over and the big reveal is made? I still don't get it. There is no real resolution. Why? No clue. Between this and the lack of surprise over any of the "misunderstandings" in the first place, it left me skimming where I should have been savoring chapters.

If this were just one book where this happened, I would let it go. But these are issues this author has a lot. I only beg her to stop or this will be the last book I buy and/or read of hers. I need surprises, twists, and real resolution. I need a heroine who doesn't build herself up as a badass who then runs away bawling at the first sign of an issue. How am I supposed to believe that this is a woman who has survived academia? How am I supposed to cheer for her when she both ridicules the idea of a man having to fight for her (to get respect) and then later literally demands a man fight the battle so she can go home and cry? Huh? I understand she thought it was her fault, but you don't just run home crying. There IS crying in academia, but only after you've exhausted every other avenue first. Women in STEM don't have time for the nervous breakdowns they are owed. They fight. They persevere. They find another way to achieve their goal. This is what pioneers like Marie Curie did.

I just wish I could say the same for Bee.