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A review by imme_van_gorp
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
5.0
|| 4.5 stars ||
I AM OFFICIALLY IN LOVE:
I LOVE BEE, I LOVE LEVI, AND I LOVE THEM TOGETHER!!!
The banter was absolutely immaculate, and the chemistry was completely through the roof. The build-up to their relationship was honestly so good; the pacing went slowly, but never in a boring way. All it meant was that we got to see Levi pining the entire time, while Bee was just painfully oblivious to it. I loved this dynamic; I really did.
I can see why some people might get frustrated with all the misunderstandings; for example, when Bee was constantly thinking Levi hated her when he was actually obsessessively in love with her, or the fact that Levi thinks Bee is married even though she isn’t... but I honestly found all of it extremely enjoyable. It never became annoying to me, and I ate all of their interactions up every damn time.
Bee’s inner-monologue was truly hysterical and I fell for her instantly. She was so self-deprecating but in the most charming way possible. She was funny, bubbly, sweet, witty, and intelligent as hell! I adored her sooo much!
With Levi I thought I might dislike him at first, but that was only because nothing was as it seemed, so I quickly fell for him too once it became obvious he was pure and utter perfection. He was the literal embodiment of a a knight in shining armour. I think he might seriously be one of the most attractive love interests I’ve read about in a while. This guy was just so… URGH, AMAZING! He was a 6’4’ scientist, a feminist, a vegan, a cat-owner, a father-figure to a six-year old, a man who has been hopelessly in love with the same woman for years. He literally would have given Bee his left arm if she asked, and he’d do it in the smoothest and sexiest way possible. Somehow. If it’s even possible to cut off an arm sexily… Anyhow, I digress.
Also, ALL of the side-characters were amazing too, and Rocío was especially amazing; that girl cracked me up, and I loved her friendship with Bee. Her romance with Kaylee was super cute too; they were the ultimate emo/barbie combo.
Lastly, I really liked how empowering this book felt! It doesn’t take itself too seriously and constantly has a humorous air, yet I feel like it really delivered the feminist message it wanted to portray!!
I mean, I have no interest in STEM whatsoever (I’m a Literature and Linguistics major at uni, so my interests are pretty much the opposite to that lol), yet this book kinda makes me want to be a woman in STEM just so I could support other women in STEM. Then again, maybe it’s for the best that I’m not since I’d probably be fired on my first day for screaming at the degrading men invading my space while simultaneously ignoring me. I would seriously not have the strength nor the patience to deal with that on a daily basis…
I AM OFFICIALLY IN LOVE:
I LOVE BEE, I LOVE LEVI, AND I LOVE THEM TOGETHER!!!
The banter was absolutely immaculate, and the chemistry was completely through the roof. The build-up to their relationship was honestly so good; the pacing went slowly, but never in a boring way. All it meant was that we got to see Levi pining the entire time, while Bee was just painfully oblivious to it. I loved this dynamic; I really did.
I can see why some people might get frustrated with all the misunderstandings; for example, when Bee was constantly thinking Levi hated her when he was actually obsessessively in love with her, or the fact that Levi thinks Bee is married even though she isn’t... but I honestly found all of it extremely enjoyable. It never became annoying to me, and I ate all of their interactions up every damn time.
“I know what she smells like. This little freckle on her neck when she pulls up her hair. Her upper lip is a little plumper than the lower. The curve of her wrist, when she holds a pen. It’s wrong, really wrong, but I know the shape of her. I go to sleep thinking about it, and then I wake up, go to work, and she is there, and it’s impossible. I tell her stuff I know she’ll agree to, just to hear her hum back at me. It’s like hot water down my fucking spine. She’s married. She’s brilliant. She trusts me, and all I think about is taking her to my office, stripping her, doing unspeakable things to her. And I want to tell her. I want to tell her that she’s luminous, she’s so bright in my mind, sometimes I can’t focus. Sometimes I forget why I came into the room. I’m distracted. I want to push her against a wall, and I want her to push back. I want to go back in time and punch her stupid husband on the day I met him and then travel back to the future and punch him again. I want to buy her flowers, food, books. I want to hold her hand, and I want to lock her in my bedroom. She’s everything I ever wanted and I want to inject her into my veins and also to never see her again. There’s nothing like her and these feelings, they are fucking intolerable. They were half-asleep while she was gone, but now she’s here and my body thinks it’s a fucking teenager and I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do. There is nothing I can do, so I’ll just . . . not.”
Bee’s inner-monologue was truly hysterical and I fell for her instantly. She was so self-deprecating but in the most charming way possible. She was funny, bubbly, sweet, witty, and intelligent as hell! I adored her sooo much!
With Levi I thought I might dislike him at first, but that was only because nothing was as it seemed, so I quickly fell for him too once it became obvious he was pure and utter perfection. He was the literal embodiment of a a knight in shining armour. I think he might seriously be one of the most attractive love interests I’ve read about in a while. This guy was just so… URGH, AMAZING! He was a 6’4’ scientist, a feminist, a vegan, a cat-owner, a father-figure to a six-year old, a man who has been hopelessly in love with the same woman for years. He literally would have given Bee his left arm if she asked, and he’d do it in the smoothest and sexiest way possible. Somehow. If it’s even possible to cut off an arm sexily… Anyhow, I digress.
“Bee? Are you… crying?”
“No,” I lie. Poorly.
“Is it about female singer-songwriters?” he says, panicky. “I’ll buy an album. Just let me know which one is best. Honestly, I don’t know enough about them to—”
“No. No, I— There was a dead possum. On the side of the road.”
“Oh.”
“I... have issues. With roadkill.”
“Issues?”
“It’s just... animals are so cute. Except for spiders. But spiders are not really animals.”
“They... are.”
“And who knows where the possum was going? Maybe she had a family? Maybe she was bringing home food to kids who now wonder where Mommy is?” I’m making myself cry harder. I wipe my cheek and sniffle.
“I’m not sure wildlife abides by the rules of traditional nuclear family structure—” Levi notices my glare and instantly shuts up. He scratches his nape and adds, “It’s sad.”
“It’s okay. I’m fine. I’m emotionally stable.”
His lips curl up. “Are you?”
Also, ALL of the side-characters were amazing too, and Rocío was especially amazing; that girl cracked me up, and I loved her friendship with Bee. Her romance with Kaylee was super cute too; they were the ultimate emo/barbie combo.
Lastly, I really liked how empowering this book felt! It doesn’t take itself too seriously and constantly has a humorous air, yet I feel like it really delivered the feminist message it wanted to portray!!
I mean, I have no interest in STEM whatsoever (I’m a Literature and Linguistics major at uni, so my interests are pretty much the opposite to that lol), yet this book kinda makes me want to be a woman in STEM just so I could support other women in STEM. Then again, maybe it’s for the best that I’m not since I’d probably be fired on my first day for screaming at the degrading men invading my space while simultaneously ignoring me. I would seriously not have the strength nor the patience to deal with that on a daily basis…