NetGalley Review: Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

 Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

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Rating:   ✩✩✩✩✩

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This book was a brilliant next step from The Love Hypothesis, making Love on the Brain

even nerdier and hotter.  In addition to classic romance tropes, Hazelwood continues to absolutely nail how it feels to be anyone not cis-het-white-male in STEM, like to the point that I had stress hives from remembering what it was like in the odd nether realm where academia meets civil service and industry. The Curie biography, the hilarious descriptions of all-male meetings, and the subplot of the social media campaign make this book feel so well rounded.  As a contemporary romance that gets in the weeds on that geeky life, this is a five-star read. 

However, I do have to note for potential readers that there may be some aspects that tweak a few pet-peeves.  This is a self-insert fic through and through.  I mean, so were the Bond novels, but I know that can be a non-starter for many.  Our fair protagonist treads really close to the “not like other girls/not like other geeks” line in ways that didn't feel necessary to the story. Lastly, the final conflict (which I will not spoil) is a little over the top when the plot could have played out in ways that more accurately reflect the actual, non-stop, attacks on women in STEM fields.  These are only a bummer since in so many ways this book shows Hazelwood really blossoming as a contemporary romance writer, but they don't overshadow what a great read the book is overall. 

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Published by: Berkeley Publishing Group  Release Date: 23 August 2022

Purchase at: Amazon