The Soulmate Equation

by Christina Lauren

• ISBN10: 1982171111
• ISBN13: 9781982171117
• Publish Date: 8 February 2022 (first published 18 May 2021)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publisher: The Gallery Press
• Imprint: Gallery Books
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 416
• 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.