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A review by bee_thebibliophile
The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
5.0
The Soulmate Equation is another sweet, hilarious, easy-to-read story from Christina Lauren, my go-to duo for books and characters that just make me smile. I don’t know how these two ladies keep coming up with interesting and new stories to tell, but I’m always here for them! This one was a little slow to start, but once it kicked into gear, it was on and I was totally invested.
Jess Davis is a single mom who also helps to take care of her grandparents and runs her own freelance business as a statistician. To say she has a lot on her plate is kind of an understatement. She’s been working to make ends meet and provide for her daughter, Juno, for the past seven years and is determined to be the best mom she can be after her own mother left her behind. But when her best friend Fizzy convinces her to sign up for a new DNA-based matchmaking service, she’s in for the surprise of a lifetime.
Dr. River Pena is one of the co-founders of DNADuo and is married to his work...he works 100 hours a week and is dedicated to making DNADuo’s IPO a success. He’s a nerd at heart and relies on advice from his two older sisters to help him maintain the suave exterior he portrays to the world. In reality, he’s intelligent, shy and reserved and doesn’t date much because all of his time and energy go into DNADuo. River’s client 000001 in the system, so there’s always been a chance that he could find his match...he just never expected it to happen.
After they find out that they’ve been matched by the DNADuo program, Jess and River both have to figure out what that means for them. River trusts the science that he’s poured so much of himself into, but he doesn’t know if he can trust his feelings. Jess is skeptical by nature and is hesitant to go all in on the idea of soulmates or if she should continue to guard her heart. Their story and relationship is far from typical but I loved watching it develop into something so sweet and genuine. My heart absolutely broke for River when everything started to unravel and seeing him struggle to bring it all back together personally and professionally killed me. But I do think that their struggles brought them closer together and helped to eliminate some of the doubt about the program they’d been carrying around with them since the match was made.
The Soulmate Equation features two of my new favorite CLo side characters: Juno and Fizzy. I think Juno is one of the best child characters I’ve read in a long time - she’s spunky and curious but so smart and observant that she calls Jess out on her shit then completely lets the subject drop/change, just like most 7-year-olds would. Her relationship with River is the sweetest and I loved seeing them connect. Fizzy is amazing. She’s hilarious and irreverent but also so supportive of Jess and her family - she just wants what’s best for her friend, to see her happy and a little bit selfish.
This story really was a delight to read. It was intelligent, funny and a concept I’ve never read before, which is always a treat. Keeping my fingers crossed for a Fizzy story in the future, but I’ll be smiling from this story and the wonderfulness that is River Pena for weeks to come!
Jess Davis is a single mom who also helps to take care of her grandparents and runs her own freelance business as a statistician. To say she has a lot on her plate is kind of an understatement. She’s been working to make ends meet and provide for her daughter, Juno, for the past seven years and is determined to be the best mom she can be after her own mother left her behind. But when her best friend Fizzy convinces her to sign up for a new DNA-based matchmaking service, she’s in for the surprise of a lifetime.
Dr. River Pena is one of the co-founders of DNADuo and is married to his work...he works 100 hours a week and is dedicated to making DNADuo’s IPO a success. He’s a nerd at heart and relies on advice from his two older sisters to help him maintain the suave exterior he portrays to the world. In reality, he’s intelligent, shy and reserved and doesn’t date much because all of his time and energy go into DNADuo. River’s client 000001 in the system, so there’s always been a chance that he could find his match...he just never expected it to happen.
After they find out that they’ve been matched by the DNADuo program, Jess and River both have to figure out what that means for them. River trusts the science that he’s poured so much of himself into, but he doesn’t know if he can trust his feelings. Jess is skeptical by nature and is hesitant to go all in on the idea of soulmates or if she should continue to guard her heart. Their story and relationship is far from typical but I loved watching it develop into something so sweet and genuine. My heart absolutely broke for River when everything started to unravel and seeing him struggle to bring it all back together personally and professionally killed me. But I do think that their struggles brought them closer together and helped to eliminate some of the doubt about the program they’d been carrying around with them since the match was made.
The Soulmate Equation features two of my new favorite CLo side characters: Juno and Fizzy. I think Juno is one of the best child characters I’ve read in a long time - she’s spunky and curious but so smart and observant that she calls Jess out on her shit then completely lets the subject drop/change, just like most 7-year-olds would. Her relationship with River is the sweetest and I loved seeing them connect. Fizzy is amazing. She’s hilarious and irreverent but also so supportive of Jess and her family - she just wants what’s best for her friend, to see her happy and a little bit selfish.
This story really was a delight to read. It was intelligent, funny and a concept I’ve never read before, which is always a treat. Keeping my fingers crossed for a Fizzy story in the future, but I’ll be smiling from this story and the wonderfulness that is River Pena for weeks to come!