I absolutely loved The Unbalanced Eqaution. It was the perfect example of STEM romance, and it was in the exact specific field of gene therapy I want to go into as well, which was a happy coincidence. I loved the enemies to lovers part of it, they had such good banter, and trust me, I have high standards when it comes to banter. I also liked how Liz and Tom weren't afraid to speak their minds to each other, except when it really mattered though!
Anyways, this was a cute rom com, definitely not a typical STEM romance, and I highly recommend for fans of Ali Hazelwood, Scottish men and STEM!

Thank you so much toNetGalley, the publishers and author H.L Macfarlane for the opportunity to read and review this book. I really enjoyed this age gap and academia novel. However some key points I didn’t get into would be how Tom really seemed immature for his age, but he made up for it with his witty and steamy humor and flirting. The spicy scenes were also on point I personally sensed the connection between the characters almost immediately however I was still on the top of my toes. If you are a fan of steamy and academia based romances such and The Love Hypothesis, Love on The Brain and The Soulmate Equation this author is definitely the right fit for you!!!

I tried so hard to like the characters in this book because I think they could’ve been very lovable, but the more I read the creepier Tom became and I just couldn’t really get past it. The writing generally was good and the story was enjoyable for the most part. This would be a great book for someone who is a fan of taboo romances and main characters who are quite rough around the edges. Overall a good book, just not quite my speed!

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing the ARC.

This book was trying to capture the same magic that made The Love Hypothesis great, but it sorely missed the mark.

Tom is toxic af. His misogynistic inner dialogue is bad enough, but when he, a 38 year old professor, actively sabotages the woman he purports to love from meeting someone else, from finding a place to live that isn't his home that he only graciously opens up to her as a ploy to get closer to her after spending 4 years being an absolute dick to to her, I freaking can't.

Miscommunication trope is one of my least favorites, but this is next level. It doesn't help that Liz is just completely oblivious about anything that is happening. All of this could have been solved if after that initial meeting they just acted like adults and moved on with life. But yes, lets absolutely torture the poor grad student because you're completely incapable of acting like an adult about your gross feelings.

I'd give this book no stars if I could.

You can say what you want
But it won’t change my mind
I’ll feel the same about you

Liz and Tom, researchers in Edinborough feel the sparks at a chance meeting at a university mixer. Unfortunately for them, Tom becomes her Doctoral supervisor believes he must make her life hell in order to keep his job and not arouse suspicions of his attraction for her. Years later, circumstances force them together and to reckon with their tumultuous feelings toward each other.

- enemies to lovers
- forced proximity
- dual POV
- slow-burn romance
- ✨spice✨

Okay so much like the slow-burn romance in this book, it was a slow-burn getting doing for me. I found the opening chapter a bit cringe with Tom swooping in to save the day.

However, this book totally grew on me as it went on. There was a plot-driving twist near the beginning that I definitely didn’t see coming and I was in.

I liked the nerdy anime/fantasy references and thought it was a cute connection for the main characters.

I really ended up enjoying this book and would recommend if you love a spicy romance.

I will say there was an eyebrow-raising circumstance that danced a bit around consent which I feel like could be triggering for some people - so I definitely will flag that as a content warning.

If you read romance do you prefer more wholesome stories with no spice or is it a requirement?

The Unbalanced Equation by H.L. Macfarlane

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 out of 5:

• enemies to lovers
• forced proximity
• academic rivals (sorta)
• miscommunication

This book follows Liz and Tom through their time working together in a lab. This is a very enemies to lovers trope.

Liz hates Tom and is relieved to be out of Tom’s scrutiny but because of a problem she is forced back into working with Tom. The sexual tension between Liz and Tom was *chefs kiss*

One of the things I didn’t like about this book was the amount of miscommunication it had. While later they were able to talk things through, it was frustrating when they had miscommunication throughout the majority of the book. But I liked that they were able to overcome it in the end. I really liked Liz’s character and reading her inner thoughts, they were pretty funny.

They had banter!! Which duhh we all like and the way they were together was just really cute!!!

We love an academic romance! This was witty and charming and a great read. I want more right now! I’m so happy to recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I will say that this book was sIow going for me. It took me a long while before I could actually sit and read more than one chapter at a time. But once I really got into it I couldn't put it down. It was amazing. I'm only deducting a star because it was hard for me to get into. Don't give up though it is definitely worth working through the beginning.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book, unfortunately i really didn't like the m/cs like come on his nearly 40 and acting like a bully on the playground and shea just like oh that is in the past without either of them growing up or having a decent conversation.

I don’t know if its just me but this book gives the love hypothesis vibes! Like low key…? A grumpy love interest? Say yes! This book is wholesome, i like it, i wont say i love it because I’m a super high expectation reader when it comes to romance! I love the characters and the storyline? *chef kiss*

This book was a miss. I didn't feel the chemistry from the two characters. The time jump from the first time they met to the present day did not make sense. I would have liked to see a flashback or two at least describing how they interacted with one another and not Liz just saying that Tom was mean to her during the four years.

Also, was it really love between the characters or mainly just lust? Mainly lusting after the other. I didn't feel the love between them.

2.5/5 stars

I unfortunately dnf’d this book. It felt a lot like it was trying to be the next “the love hypothesis” with a more aggressive grump of a MMC. I should have loved so many of the tropes in this. It had enemies to lovers, well sort of, age gap, women in STEM plus forced proximity were the main focuses of the story and I like the majority of those things but couldn't get attached to the characters Or the storyline.

Over all the story was choppy and felt a tad rushed. Very heavy in the science aspect of the book but lacked in character development and romance.

When the meet cute is all about how great a woman's tits are, and that she likes anime, even though she's a serious scientist and PhD candidate? You lost me from the beginning. I did continue and got about one third of the way through when I realized the story wasn't getting any better. This was a DNF for me.

The fact it took me over two months to finish this should tell you everything.

The writing style was simple and good but the plot was repetitive and all over the place. As a normal, rational human being, two coincidences I can let slide but more than that just becomes creepy and weird.

To be honest, I was really excited about it but it didn't live up to the hype. It was not that good.

I really enjoyed this book at first. Love the premise of semi-forbidden love in a science lab, hooray for STEM too! I was rooting for Liz the whole way until.... I wasn't. She was kind of a jerk sometimes. Also, I was mostly rooting for Tom, despite his idiotic way of handling things in the beginning... until he engaged in some definite and troubling stalker behaviors. He redeemed himself a little (and quite unbelievably) when he took care of Liz when she wasn't feeling well, but then I remembered, oh yeah, stalker. And then I couldn't remember what was so great about him anyway (besides the fact that he's smart, handsome, and uber rich). Liz and Tom's relationship felt juvenile, and the mean things they did to each other really turned me off. By the time I got to 80% through, I didn't really want to finish reading. I just didn't care much about their happy ending (and it was pretty anticlimactic, anyway). One trope I really hate in romances is a lack of communication that drives the H/h apart, and one character even came out and basically said, Why don't you guys ever talk to each other and clear up your miscommunications?! Amen, sister.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC via netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I thought this book was refreshing and sweet. I was reading another student type book at the same time as this and it definitely topped. The author was really respectful of the age dynamic between the two characters. If you shy away student/teacher and are on the edge for this book, I would say to give it a read. There’s no direct power imbalance here as our main character is not his student! There’s some miscommunication between our characters, it’s done well and not to repetitive, however as always there’s some overreacting. I would definitely recommend giving this one a read though if you like STEM romances.

The Unbalanced Equation
by H. L. Macfarlane
Pub Date: 15 Sep 2022

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

There were many parts I enjoyed in the book "The Unbalanced Equation" particularly the beginning meet-cute of Liz and Tom at a work mixer. I could even get on board for the storyline of the turn of events that throws a damper into what could be an epic romance between the two: Tom the day after assigned as Liz's academic supervisor which would be a conflict of interest. However, how Tom goes about squashing his romantic interest by making those years unbearable for Liz with no explanation was hard to swallow. Mind you, Tom is supposedly a grown, professional man! I was almost more invested in their parents' relationship (who were well deserving of a happily ever after) than our main couple. The Tom and Liz story was hit or miss for me...sometimes it worked and sometimes it just didn't, if I am being honest. I think the maturity level of Tom and Liz, the lack of communication, and more of a lust-filled (not convinced it was true love) relationship made a lack luster coupling for me

There was a lot of potential and the story was okay...I would still check out what else this author had to offer!

I really enjoyed this book. Liz and Tom were really likeable characters who I grew to like more and more as the story unfolded. Whilst I found Liz quite infuriating at times, I associated with the guard she had as a character to protect her emotions.

The story line itself was not necessary novel it was a really well written chick lit book that I would happily recommend to a friend.

The Unbalanced Equation was a super fun read with all of my favorite things! Enemies to lovers - yes! Age gap - yes! Forced proximity - yes! Liz, a postdoc is forced to share a lab when Tom, her former PhD assessor, loses his lab to a fire. To top things off Liz’s dad and Tom’s mom announce their engagement after their own whirlwind romance. Liz and Tom keep finding themselves forced together and so many fun hijinx ensue.

I really wanted to like this book as I love supporting Scottish writers (as I am Scottish) but unfortunately I dnf’d this book 12% in.

I was really put off by the FMC being a nerdy anime geek not for being one but because of how much of a big deal they make out of it in chapter one. I have plenty of friends who are female working in STEM roles and they are nerdy anime geeks so I just don’t find it realistic because in reality there are a number of them.

I feel like this was meant to be an enemies to lovers but in reality this is a miscommunications trope which I don’t mind but not in this instance.

I didn’t feel any chemistry between Tom and Liz as it was all purely lust based and it was very quick and fast. Also I felt uncomfortable with the fact that Liz wanted Tom to ask her out as he is a member of staff and it would be a power imbalance and on top of that she is 23 and he is 33/34… I’m sorry but a man in power should not be thinking of a 23 year old in the way he mentions in this book. There is nothing wrong with age gaps but this felt inappropriate because of the power imbalance especially when Tom turns out to be her assessor. I will give him points as when he discovers he is her assessor he tries to curb the feelings but they are still there and still wrong to have. It was annoying too when Liz complains that Tom was harsh on her work but made it better like sweetheart that is ALL assessors.

Also as we talk about unrealistic events occurring, on what planet does a university student forget to turn off a Bunsen burner? They teach you in first year of high school in Scottish schools to always turn off and remove the Bunsen burner because it can make things go on fire and would you look at that it happens and there is no repercussions for the student that caused the fire.

Ultimately I dnf’d because turns out Tom’s mum and Liz’s dad are dating and I did not sign up for that. I thought I was getting a love hypothesis style book but the writing in this book was abysmal and the characters where bland and one dimensional.