Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of longtime writing partners/besties Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, the New York Times, USA Today and #1international bestselling authors of the Beautiful and the Wild Seasons series, My Favorite Half-Night Stand, Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating, Love and Other Words, Roomies, Dating You/Hating You, and Autoboyography. You can find them online at christinalaurenbooks.com, @ChristinaLauren on Instagram, or @ChristinaLauren on Twitter. You can find more of my reviews of Christina Lauren's works here.
Single mom Jessica Davis is a data and statistics wizard, but no amount of number crunching can convince her to step back into the dating world. Jess has been left behind too often to feel comfortable letting anyone in: Her mother disappeared when she was six, leaving her to be raised by her grandparents, and her ex decided he wasn't "father material" before their daughter, Juno, was even born. Jess holds her loved ones close, but working constantly to stay afloat is hard . . . and lonely. But then she hears about GeneticAlly, a new DNA-based matchmaking company that promises to change dating forever. Finding a soulmate through data? The reliability of numbers: This Jess understands. At least, she thought she did, until her test shows an unheard-of 98 percent compatibility with GeneticAlly's founder, Dr. River Peña, a stuck-up, stubborn man who is without a doubt not her soulmate. But GeneticAlly has a proposition: Get to know him and we'll pay you. Jess—who is barely making ends meet—is in no position to turn it down, despite her skepticism about the project and her dislike for River. As the pair are dragged from one event to the next as the "Diamond Match" that could launch GeneticAlly's valuation sky-high, Jess begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist—and the science behind a soulmate—than she thought. Funny, warm, and full of heart, The Soulmate Equation proves that the delicate balance between fate and choice can never be calculated.
Contemporary romance novels aren't always predictable, but there is a sort of standard for the female heroine. She's young, she's single, she's (mostly) unburdened by hardship, she's gorgeous. While she's relatable, she's also the person we all want to be. That stereotype is not present in Christina Lauren's The Soulmate Equation, which is one of the first reasons why this novel feels more romantic than any other contemporary romance novel on the market. Jess doesn't think she's pretty, she knows she has a lot more "baggage" than any other woman her age, and she owns her differences in a way that's both powerful and vulnerable. Jess is not the type of character you usually see in contemporary romance; she's the kind of character that makes us think we should see more women like her in our fiction, and that's what makes The Soulmate Equation so real.
That's not to say that there isn't some spicy moments in this one! Of course, there's attraction between Jessica and the Darcy-esque romantic interest, Dr. River Peña, but Christina Lauren doesn't base their entire relationship on their physical attraction to one another. There's a nerdiness to both of them they bond over, they both like some of the same things, they both sometimes think the same ways. This was absolutely fantastic, because that is the sort of thing—attraction based on interest and personality rather than looks—that we all associate with the phrase "soulmates." Christina Lauren really built these characters not just as romantic leads, or individual characters, but as two real people who could be actual soulmate, like all the old couples we hope to one day be. I thought this was absolutely fantastic, and the second reason as to how Christina Lauren kept in real.
Christina Lauren also knows that love isn't just between two people, but between a whole village. The supporting cast of this novel was wonderful, and it was so easy to fall in love with Jess's grandparents, her daughter Juno, and her best friend Fizzy. This is where the hilarity comes in—Fizzy is one of the funniest sidekick characters I have ever read! The best friend who is the romance writer who is such a force was a perfect addition to the story. Fizzy's and Jess's friendship was so well-defined and well-written, it truly made for some of the best scenes and dialogue exchanges in the whole novel. Everyone could use a best friend like Fizzy.
Another one of my favorite elements of this book is the way that it didn't shy away from incorporating moral and ethical financial dilemmas. Jess worries over whether or not to take the deal with River's company, due to the fact that she'd be compensated. I think the story is better because Christina Lauren took the time to really develop the financial worries and strain that so many of us worry about and fear. This was a fantastic way of making the story, and the characters and situation, feel more real, and for readers to feel all of what was on the line for River and Jess. While there were some areas I wish could have been further developed (namely more of River's past), I felt like all the work that went in to developing Jess's situation, and developing the believability of the science made The Soulmate Equation as real and fulfilling as contemporary romance can get!
Christina Lauren is a power duo that cannot be stopped! I can't wait to read what they publish in the future. Until then, you can find them online at christinalaurenbooks.com, @ChristinaLauren on Instagram, or @ChristinaLauren on Twitter. You can find more of my reviews of Christina Lauren's works here.
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
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