Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - The True Love Experiment

Steam level: 🌶

Fizzy as a main character, and the premise of her being on a reality TV dating show where all the bachelors are based on romance tropes, combine to make this an incredibly fun read. I found myself laughing a couple of times, especially during the first part, when Connor and Fizzy are still sort of getting to know each other, and Connor makes some choices when casting the bachelors purely because he expected a reaction out of Fizzy. Their dynamic is fun to follow, and the trajectory of their relationship feels satisfying.

The conflict is a mix of internal and external, and I think the way it was done made sense for the story and the characters. Connor tells Fizzy something he expects she will deal with badly, and tries to make her acknowledge that she is acting weird because of it, and then tries to convince her to talk to him. I appreciated the maturity this showed, and I think the way Fizzy reacted to that made sense for where she was in her personal journey.

One gripe I do have is the way Fizzy constantly objectified/sexualized Connor. This is a romance, and part of that can be the physical attraction, but I lost track of how many times Fizzy mentions and admires his dick, even after they've both caught feelings. I get that she has always been a sex positive character, and I have absolutely no issues with that, it just felt over the top at some point. I got it the first few times she mentioned it. This is obviously personal preference, however, and probably not something most people will notice.

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kaydeedickins's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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thatswhatshanread's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

While I really enjoyed The Soulmate Equation and the BFF side character of Fizzy, I didn’t find this book with Fizzy as the MC on the same level.

Some reasons being:
• Fizzy being 37. She acts and talks much more like the typical CLo heroine who is usually in the 26-30 age range. Gave serious Clare from The Bachelorette vibes. Maybe that was the point idk.
• The premise was intriguing, another take on the buzzy reality TV dating show. I felt like it was misleading in its plot as, really, the actual contestants on the show aren’t given much to do in the story. They have little to actually do with Fizzy. As the show itself is what brings Connor and Fizzy together, I expected there to be more tension and back-and-forth with the other men to up the ante with Connor.
• WHERE WAS THE BUILDUP, THE PROLONGED JEALOUSY, THE TENSIONNNNN?!?! It irked me that there never really was much struggle between Connor and the contestants, and that it honestly didn’t take much for him and Fizzy to get together. It made the story less fulfilling and passionate to me. I wanted more from the contestants vs Connor. Instead it’s like the contestants are there for no reason. Like what was the point of having the show if the other men weren’t gonna add much to the “who will she choose” aspect.

It was cute and I liked the ending. Just found the chemistry and magic wasn’t there.

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stephmcoakley's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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kirareadssometimes's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This book was so sweet and so easy to love. Fizzy and Connor are wonderful and lovable main characters with great chemistry. While parts of this book were predictable there were still surprises I wasn’t expecting which I always appreciate. It lies just a bit higher than middle of the pack of CL books but just as entertaining as all their others.

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