A review by chronicallybookish
The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Quick Stats
Age Rating: 18+
Spice Level: 2.25/5
Over All: 4.25
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 4.5/5
This is my third Christina Lauren book, and let me just say it was significantly spicier than I was expecting based on the other two I’ve read (The Unhoneymooners and In a Holidaze), so if you’re looking for that level of low spice, this book might not be for you. But if you like or don’t mind a bit more, then you should definitely pick up this book.
Fizzy is tons of fun. She’s spunky and funny and honest. Connor is lovable and swoony. Though I wished it was a little stronger, I enjoyed their emotional connection as well as their chemistry. Though Connor and Fizzy were both fun to read about and easy to love, there were some times and aspects where they felt a little bit flat, like there was just a small amount of depth missing that would have taken this book all the way to five stars.
Similarly, I didn’t love the way that the third act crisis played out. It felt a little too fast and too discombobulated. Connor’s reaction of “It’s okay to need time to process; I’m going to give her time to process” seemed right for his character and the situation… but then it turned out “time to process” meant one hour and that’s it? His immediate reaction vs his next few days reaction felt very disconnected from each other, and I never really understood his point of view in those early conversations. I don’t think it was well articulated or well developed.
That said, the majority of this book was fun and easy to read. I loved the discussions on romance books and reality dating shows and how media directed at women is so easily snubbed—and how it shouldn’t be.
I love reality TV based books, and this was no exception. In this one, the reality show doesn’t start until about halfway through. As I started the book and realized it was going to be a while before we got into that part of the plot, I was a little uncertain, but I ended up really enjoying the fact that we got to know our MCs before all the chaos of the show started. The show was fun, but it was unique, too. I really enjoyed the plot development on that front.
This is technically the spin off/sequel to Christina Lauren’s other book The Soulmate Equation, but I haven’t read TSE and I still found this easy to understand and easy to fall into. It isn’t my favorite Christina Lauren book, but I do think it is a testament to their talent, and it has me wanting to read more of their work.
Age Rating: 18+
Spice Level: 2.25/5
Over All: 4.25
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 4.5/5
This is my third Christina Lauren book, and let me just say it was significantly spicier than I was expecting based on the other two I’ve read (The Unhoneymooners and In a Holidaze), so if you’re looking for that level of low spice, this book might not be for you. But if you like or don’t mind a bit more, then you should definitely pick up this book.
Fizzy is tons of fun. She’s spunky and funny and honest. Connor is lovable and swoony. Though I wished it was a little stronger, I enjoyed their emotional connection as well as their chemistry. Though Connor and Fizzy were both fun to read about and easy to love, there were some times and aspects where they felt a little bit flat, like there was just a small amount of depth missing that would have taken this book all the way to five stars.
Similarly, I didn’t love the way that the third act crisis played out. It felt a little too fast and too discombobulated. Connor’s reaction of “It’s okay to need time to process; I’m going to give her time to process” seemed right for his character and the situation… but then it turned out “time to process” meant one hour and that’s it? His immediate reaction vs his next few days reaction felt very disconnected from each other, and I never really understood his point of view in those early conversations. I don’t think it was well articulated or well developed.
That said, the majority of this book was fun and easy to read. I loved the discussions on romance books and reality dating shows and how media directed at women is so easily snubbed—and how it shouldn’t be.
I love reality TV based books, and this was no exception. In this one, the reality show doesn’t start until about halfway through. As I started the book and realized it was going to be a while before we got into that part of the plot, I was a little uncertain, but I ended up really enjoying the fact that we got to know our MCs before all the chaos of the show started. The show was fun, but it was unique, too. I really enjoyed the plot development on that front.
This is technically the spin off/sequel to Christina Lauren’s other book The Soulmate Equation, but I haven’t read TSE and I still found this easy to understand and easy to fall into. It isn’t my favorite Christina Lauren book, but I do think it is a testament to their talent, and it has me wanting to read more of their work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Sexism