The Soulmate Equation: the perfect new romcom from the bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners

by Christina Lauren

'You can never go wrong with Christina Lauren!' Paige Toon

Pure, irresistible magic from start to finish' Emily Henry

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Jess Davis is a numbers genius, but when it comes to love she's had to accept there is no magic formula. Juggling a mathematical career with raising her hyper (but adorable) seven-year-old Juno, it's not surprising that her love life is. . . non-existent. Juno has a hunch that her mum would find the perfect man if she stepped out of her comfort zone - but Jess barely has time to make her daughter's lunch, let alone put thought into dating. And when yet another date ends in disaster, she's prepared to give up on love for good.

But then she hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new matchmaking company that claims to find you the One using a DNA equation. Suddenly, love doesn't seem quite so far out of reach . . .

Until her test shows an unheard-of 98% compatibility with GeneticAlly's founder, Dr. River Pena. This is one number she can't wrap her head around, because she already knows Dr. Pena, and this man is 100% not her soulmate. But GeneticAlly has a proposition: Get to know him and we'll pay you. Jess, who is just about making ends meet, is in no position to turn it down. As the pair are dragged from one event to the next as the 'Diamond' pairing that could make GeneticAlly a fortune, Jess begins to realise that there might be more to the scientist - and the science behind a soulmate - than she thought.

The New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners returns with a hilariously witty and feel-good novel which proves once and for all that while data may be easy to crack, dating isn't quite so simple . . . Perfect for fans of The Rosie Project and One Plus One.

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Find out why readers LOVE Christina Lauren:

'Pure joy' Sally Thorne, USA Today bestselling author of The Hating Game

'Writing duo Christina Lauren are my go-to when I'm feeling sad. I read this one very recently, but it rose straight to the top of my list of favourite CLo novels ... Full of fierce arguments, sexual tension and slow-build romance, this rom com would be the perfect choice if you've had to cancel your summer holiday but still want to feel the sand between your toes' Beth O' Leary, author of The Flatshare

'What a joyful, warm, touching book! This is the book to read if you want to smile so hard your face hurts' Jasmine Guillory, New York Times bestselling author of The Proposal

'A sexy, hilarious rom-com . . . Perfect for fans of Jasmine Guillory and Sally Thorne' Booklist

'Will we

• ISBN10: 0349426902
• ISBN13: 9780349426907
• Publish Date: 18 May 2021
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 4 November 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
• Imprint: Piatkus Books
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[Joni Reads]

This was a super cute book from Christina Lauren and I am so happy I picked it up.

I love the idea of a genetic dating service and it was so well executed that I forgot it wasn't really something that exists. Dr River Pena is everything I want in a love interest and definitely made me swoon more than a few times.

I loved Jess, especially her relationship with Juno. She is a great mother and I also loved how she constantly was aware of how lucky she was to have such a strong support system to help with her daughter.

I knew there would be a second act conflict and that's usually what can make me dislike a romcom. This one was done well and I liked that it wasn't super dragged out.

Definitely a five star read for me.

[Leigha]

I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
 

Single mom Jess meets her DNA match with Dr. River Pena in this disappointing contemporary romance.

The Soulmate Equation, sadly, did not touch my soul. With a plucky premise and a solid beginning, I expected to love it. Instead, I found myself barely able to tolerate the tepid romance between Jess and River. Their chemistry completely crumbled once the two discovered they were a match made in DNA (or is it RNA?) heaven. Insta-love between the two swept away all of their previous problematic interactions. Insta-love isn’t bad, per se, but I expect a bit more emotional depth and character development in my contemporary romances.

My other issue is the relationship between Jess and her mother. I didn’t love how their codependent relationship was handled in the book. If my mother was as toxic as Jess’ mother, I would not have been throwing my life savings away with a “don’t come back” threat. It showed Jess falling back on bad habits, and I very much doubt this episode would be the last time she would see her mother. Since it was an important part of the story, the resolution between the two should have been more impactful and fully realized than it appeared to be.

tl;dr The romance between Jess and River was too insta-love for my taste.