The Soulmate Equation
Ratings158
Average rating4
OMG I loved this book I loved that the characters were adults. I love that he was a single mom. I loved the science thing involved in their story. I adored the Sweet moments the sexy moments I love Juno I loved fizzy!! I understand now the hype about this book!!
How could I ever doubt Christina Lauren?
I didn't know what to expect when I bought it but I love this book :)
I really liked this, but I out-and-out LOVED [b:The True Love Experiment 62361081 The True Love Experiment Christina Lauren https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1677786623l/62361081.SY75.jpg 98186716], so I was expecting this one to be absolutely fantastic too. And it was good, but I just wanted more. The conflict was completely different than what I expected the conflict to be (People magazine figuring out that Jess was being paid to hang out with River, but nope that was never mentioned again; instead it was about two of the guys in the company forging River and Jess' genetic data so they'd be a Diamond Match), which was fine but the implications for the company were more serious than the implications for the relationship. More more more! More what? I don't know, but give me more!Fizzy continued to be the best character, and Juno was also pretty awesome, and it was neat to see a romance with a single mom.
Excellent, excellent book. I loved this story. I wanted to learn more about “online dating apps” when I picked up this book. However, what I did learn was what a great writer Christina Lauren is. Or should I say, what a great writing team Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings make.
I think the author(s) did an great job of creating deep and believable characters. I like that they didn't all have it all together in the beginning and tended to unravel from there. Sure, “Americano” River Pena was a bit too wonderful at times, but he had enough faults to make him real. And Jess was just your single mom who made mistakes, but one that is overall very intelligent.
The important factor here was the attraction between River and Jess, or in the beginning, the lack thereof. When they turn up to be a match via River's company's algorithm, neither one can believe it. In fact, the company has to offer Jess a reason to give the match a chance. (River already has a monetary reason for it to work out.) When Jess is offered a small stipend to give River a chance, she's just broke enough to take it.
I love all the interferences that make their match a struggle. It is definitely art imitating life in a perfect way. READ THIS BOOK! It sings.
“People who believe in soulmates commonly accept that one will feel ‘complete' once they have found their soulmate, as it is partially in the perceived definition that two souls are meant to unite.”(Wikipedia contributors. (2023, May 17). Soulmate. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 09:12, June 8, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Soulmate&oldid=1155215827)I don't believe in soulmates. I believe in compatibility; in growing together, in growing in parallel and, yes, in growing apart. In fact, I feel that looking for someone else to “complete” oneself is, in many ways, highly problematic: Is such an expectation of a soulmate even realistic? Is anyone “incomplete” until such a soulmate has somehow materialised?It is important to cultivate a sense of self-worth and fulfilment outside of a romantic relationship, and to recognize that a partner should complement, rather than complete, one's life.So, what even brought me to read a book that would, obviously, be about soulmates? The promise of a nerdy romance! Sadly, even that didn't really work out: Jess, our heroine, is a statistician but apart from earning her livelihood and at one important point in the novel, that hardly plays any role. River, her potential “soulmate”, is a geneticist - or so he says because that, too, is “established” by a lame Gregor Mendel pun... Thus, this is more of a romance novel with some light nods to the characters' professions rather than a ‘nerdy romance'. »He was most comfortable when facing the fume hood with his back to the room, just him and some tubes and billions and billions of paired-up nucleotides.«(Give me a computer any old day and I'll be out of your hair for any length of time!)The humour fluctuates between that of adolescents...»Listen to this tagline: ‘Your future is already inside you.' Wow.” She set the card down and leaned back, grinning. “‘Inside you'? Did anyone read that out loud first?”«(Keep in mind: Jess turns 30 during the narrated time, her best friend, Fizzy, is slightly older...)... and more subtle and witty, with a touch of irony...»She was flanked by an empty seat on each side, a little buffer zone to protect the other parents from the infection of singlehood.«What also annoyed me was the intense level of Jess insecurity, overthinking and the mental drama she creates at times...»If she could only make herself believe this result, learning to tolerate his face for the sake of science wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, would it?«Enough of the negative, though, and let's move to the positive aspects that made me finish this. First and foremost: I liked the realistic portrayal of Jess as a parent: She tries to do her best, fails, tries again, and does it better. Shockingly much of parenthood is trial and error and the results often aren't less than ideal and even much less than what one tried to achieve. You can read books, you can try to prepare, you can make plans - you might not make the same mistakes your parents made but you will mess up. You can only take responsibility for said messes and keep trying your best with all the love you can give. And a little help sometimes...»Pink? Purple? Polka dot? Knock yourself out, kid. Jess had never had the luxury of being frivolous before; it felt strange but also wonderful. She watched Juno finish her dinner and pull out the iPad again, humming as she added art supplies to her cart.Whoever said money couldn't buy happiness had never seen this.«That said, I really liked how River interacted with Juno: treating her as an equal, never condescending, always empathetic - his behaviour in this regard is a real highlight. (Although it's always easier when it's not your own child that you spend 24 hours a day with.)I also very much enjoyed the friendship between Jess and Fizzy. The chemistry those two had eclipsed that of Jess and River at times. I have a feeling that this might not be a coincidence...»And, finally, to each other we say: You are my best, and here you are my only. And look ... we just wrote a book about soulmates. Funny thing, that.«(From the acknowledgements.)The communication between Jess and River was both enjoyable and frustrating: Jess recognizes a lot of good in River - and doesn't tell him. Even after situations that would have caused other relationships to fail, but not theirs, Jess still can't express her growing feelings. On the other hand, River shows his feelings and communicates non-verbally quite successfully. However, he makes significant mistakes towards the end, which Jess is able to compensate for.All in all, this would have been a three-star reading experience for me, if it weren't for this one thing...»“I haven't been home in years, but I feel that way with you.”«I too have found my home in a person. Unexpected, atypical, and head over heels. That was almost a quarter of a century ago. It wasn't always easy. We have grown, and grown together, raised three children. I don't believe in soulmates. I believe in you, C., and I love you.Four stars out of five!Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam
4.5 Stars
I loved loved it. River and Jess. River is so sweet. I loved him. There first kiss was intense and in-front a room of people.
“Surely he could feel her heart scaling her windpipe. He didn't seem to remember there was anyone else in the room.”
I found Jess so relatable, worrying about missing out on experiences because of her age. Caring for her grandparents and daughter. Juno, her daughter is adorable and I love all the child interactions.
Lots of science talk but a great forced proximity romance.
I actually quite enjoyed this. Was it a bit cliche? Yeah, there were the typical tropes, like the hot, tall, smart, socially awkward male love interest who comes off very cold but is quite gentle and nice to the female protagonist. And of course, our protagonist fits with the trope too. Jess is a bit insecure about herself, thinks of herself as a hot chaotic mess unworthy of love, not super financially secure, typically spews the “my hair and outfits are so ugly today but omg!! The hottie is checking me out, what do I do??”. I'm a bit tired of this dynamic (I just finished The Love Hypothesis which I hated), but The Soulmate Equation gets a slighhhhtt pass from me because Jess strays just a bit from this trope. Her insecurities are rooted from an anxiety about welcoming people into her life, a fear that people will run away from commitment like her mother and her daughter's biological father. However, she has a very strong support system around her, and I'm glad to see how supportive River becomes that it has me rooting for them so much. Had me giggling over how cute, respectful, and nice he was to her. Men, this is the standard.
One of my issues with Jess though is her characterization is so... bland at the beginning. I wasn't completely sure who she was as a person. I thought of her as kind of plain and “average” (in contrast to our resident hottie, River), who was not very confident or had high self-esteem, an easy pushover people-pleaser. I never imagined her as someone charming until she bought an expensive dress for that house party - suddenly she's extremely pretty? She socializes well? She's willing to stand her ground? She's confident? I guess this is perhaps Jess's character development, as she grows more confident and self-assured, but I'd hate to think it's from male validation. Love can improve who we are, but I feel like this book vaguely tells that (mostly through what River has to say about her) rather than showing it. I do appreciate the commentary about how she can and is allowed to shift her priorities of being a mom to her being an individual.
Random, but midway I started imagining Jess as Daisy Edgar-Jones and now I just need this to happen if it ever became a movie.
I'm glad the miscommunication wasn't the worst it could've been in these fake dating stories. I'm glad these adults acted like mature adults, who ask for mutual communication and support, and it wasn't dragged on for so long.
I'm not around 7-8 year old kids that much but do they really talk the way Juno talks? She talks like a much older kid in some parts, so the dialogue took me out. Also, while I think Jess is doing well for a single-mom, reading about constant chaotic mornings was tiring. Just get your kid up earlier PLEASE.
Single mom Jess Davis is a data and statistics wizard, but no amount of number crunching can convince her to step back into the dating world. Her ex decided he wasn't “father material” before her daughter was even born. But then Jess hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company that's predicted to change dating forever. Finding a soulmate through DNA? The reliability of numbers: This Jess understands.
At least she thought she did, until her test shows an unheard-of 98 percent compatibility with another subject in the database: GeneticAlly's founder, Dr. River Peña. This is one number she can't wrap her head around, because she already knows Dr. Peña. The stuck-up, stubborn man is without a doubt not her soulmate. But GeneticAlly has a proposition: Get to know him and we'll pay you. Jess—who is barely making ends meet—is in no position to turn it down, despite her skepticism about the project and her dislike for River. As the pair are dragged from one event to the next as the “Diamond” pairing that could launch GeneticAlly's valuation sky-high, Jess begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist—and the science behind a soulmate—than she thought.
This is second book by author Christina Lauren. I really want to like this one, I really do. But there's something I just can't click with CL and I can't put my finger on. Either the storyline, or the characters. I still enjoy Dr River Peña talking nerd stuffs anytime though.
The story and writing feels very mature and calming in a way, even though I don't usually like 3rd person, this isn't as bad. I do feel like, from a PR stand point, the way they are going at this contract is very much reckless. They should've never done the interview without training. There should've been a clause saying they cannot “break-up” for a few months after going public. As much as a successful story can make the company, an unsuccessful one can break it. Buuuut I completely fell in love with Jess, River, Juno, Fizzy, Nana Jo and Pops. All of their relationships were amazing in their own way. River is the ultimate book boyfriend.
3,5⭐️
Not satisfied with the 90% breakup situation
The reunion after it did not feel true at all
The epilogue was not a sufficient closure for me
Not their best work for me
it bothers me that they didn't tell the real score at the end sue me im too curious.
The best part about Christina and Lauren's writing is all the squee moments. This one sucked me in and held me the whole way through. I love their books. I genuinely liked and understood all of the characters. Every scene where Jess and River were together was so electric and believable. Definitely pictured River as William Levy. ;) They are my favorite fluffy romance authors, for sure.
The Soulmate Equation is a little bit of science with a whole lot of heart. There are enough characters to flesh out the world around Jess while still allowing time for you to get to know them and their personalities.
The written is very satisfying with no detail feeling unimportant and things come together nicely by the end.
Speaking to him is like having a conversation with a grouchy calculator.”rating-4/5{this review contains spoilers}okay, wow?? I did not expect to like this as much as I did? The premise sounded really cool and I immediately picked it up! A DNA based matchmaking app? fake dating? grumpy sunshine? guy falls first? (what's not to like?). More often than not, I'm let down by a promising blurb, hence the skepticism. Although I didn't really have anything to worry about, [b:The Soulmate Equation 55692620 The Soulmate Equation Christina Lauren https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1607349080l/55692620.SY75.jpg 86851393] has easily made it to my favorites:)Recently I've been reading a lot of contemporary romance, and pretty much all books with the fake dating trope have had a similar setting. This really made me appreciate the different and out-of-the-box plot of the soulmate equation. I love how science/data-oriented it was, which made it right up my alley.PREMISEJessica Davis is a single mother who hasn't had the best luck in relationships. River Peña is a geneticist working on an app that matches you with people based on your DNA. When Jess impulsively sends in her DNA sample and ends up getting a high genetic compatibility score of 98(!) with River, she's more than surprised because he's rude and quiet and there's no way they could be compatible.. right?PLOT AND CHARACTERSWhile the premise roped me in, the plot had me flying through the book. The whole concept of genetic compatibility is really fascinating and had me super interested from the get-go. Since this is a slightly futuristic theme, the book also dives into the problems such technology would create: like Jess's best friend Fizzy letting her compatibility score dictate the seriousness of the date, the discussion about the app score not being the ultimate criteria and also the themes of destiny vs. choice.“Statistics can't tell us what will happen, they can only tell us what might happen.” The writing draws you in from the very beginning making it a fast paced read while the fun characters were an added bonus. I think this might be the only book where I liked the side characters more than the main characters. Juno, Fizzy, Nana and Pops are an amazing support system to Jess and were super fun to read about! ◽ River- While he's definitely not up there in the list of fictional men I would die for. The quiet, shy geneticist is extremely endearing. His conversations with Juno (Jess's 7 year old daughter) were the cutest and had me smiling throughout:)))“Good night, Jessica Marie and Juno Merriam.” “Good night, River Nicolas.”The only problem I had, was a minor inconsistency with his characterisation, with the way he acted towards the end.◽ Jess- Jess isn't my favourite either but she stands out to me in a sea of female protagonists because she's not perfect and that is exactly how she's portrayed. She's overworked and tired, but still tries her best to be a good mother. The plot-arc with Jess's own mother also helps us get to know her character better, for example: why she tries so hard to be there for Juno, why she doesn't put herself first etc. This gives her more depth than River's character.SETBACKSI had a few minor problems that brought down my rating. The first being, the romance. Jess and River's relationship's pacing was a little off, in my opinion. I felt like it was extremely slow in the beginning, while they're still getting to know each other and kind of moved from the snarky-banter to the I'm in love with you stage a little too fast. For instance, Jess is very on the fence about actually dating River in the hospital, and like, the very next day she suddenly isn't? idk.Second, the conflict towards the end was not what I was expecting. I think what the author intended would've worked well for me if it was written better. For most of the book, my complaint was that their relationship relied too heavily on the 98, so when they found out about the manipulated results, I was surprised and interested to see how the author would make it work. However, I felt let down with the way it played out. River acts super weird when he finds out and they don't talk for like 8 days straight, which feels like unnecessary conflict merely to add a dramatic element to the story. Also like, what was with the new results and the envelope?? i was so confused by the way it was written. I get why the author wouldn't give us the score, although i really really wanna know but like they're still a diamond match??? isn't something along those lines said in the epilogue?? "And as much as he insisted it didn't matter, Jess knew that their new diamond score had confirmed that once upon a time he had discovered something authentic."why was this so vague.. like are they still a diamond match? because THAT'S extreeemelyyy likely. just tell us the score? or don't? why is it this weird in-between thing. OVERALLDespite the minor problems i had, [b:The Soulmate Equation 55692620 The Soulmate Equation Christina Lauren https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1607349080l/55692620.SY75.jpg 86851393] definitely stands out in the crowd due to its unique premise. I'm glad I decided to give this one a chance, because i've read other books by [a:Christina Lauren 6556689 Christina Lauren https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1554664497p2/6556689.jpg] and have somehow not connected with them.Check out my review of the [b:The Unhoneymooners 42201431 The Unhoneymooners Christina Lauren https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1548201335l/42201431.SY75.jpg 65813986] by them if you wanna see what i mean:) Anyways, I'm super excited to read other books by this author-bestie duo. Meanwhile, you should definitely add this to your tbr!
Oooh I foresee a marathon of Christina Lauren's books coming my way: so cute and uncomplicated rom com, as life sometimes needs to grant us.