This book felt so familiar to me, it's a book with an academia setting, world i am familiar with things that at first didn't like about her, like she being not like the other girls, it honestly was so normal, more than people think, specially in that context dominated by men, so we have to do a lot to fit in.

The love story was nice and the characters too, the way the author wrote it is so accurate for the context. really nice.

Recommend it if you like STEM situated books.

I went in with no expectations for this book, and there were some cute moments, but overall it was just a no for me.

Elizabeth Maclean just finished her PhD with a tough assessor, Dr. Thomas Henderson. The night before she had been assigned to him, they had met under very different circumstances and been… interested in each other. But then he spent years being way too harsh on her and making her cry in the bathrooms, and she lost all interest. Just as she begins her postdoc, though, his lab burns down and he ends up on the same bench as her. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, her dad is marrying his mom. And, of course, they have to move in together when her landlord kicks her out. Enemies to lovers tropes ensue.

Let me start by saying that the beginning of this book is the worst part. I nearly DNF'd at barely 10% because of how “not like other girls” Liz was, so be warned that there are descriptions like, “no freckles on her cheeks or other unique features to her face, like a scar or a piercing, only a well-defined jaw and eyes that were marginally lighter than her hair. And those dimples when she smiled.” and lips that “were painted a perfect shade of apricot that, lord help me, made me think of kissing her.” I just found it annoying, to be honest. Tom was more mature later in the book, but still wasn’t the kind of man I would ever give the time of day.

Let me just say this: the parents were my favorite part of this book. Their relationship was so cute, they seemed like good parents, and every scene with them just felt so much more alive and so much less overdone.

I really only finished this book because I had covid and needed something to do to pass the time. It had some cute moments and characters with potential, but overall, it just didn’t impress me.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This book was SOOOo good. Just enough science to make my little researcher's heart happy, and some of the steamiest STEM romance that I've ever had the delicious pleasure of reading. Seriously, A++++ on this work of scientific romance.

I had high hopes and it started strong with the meet-cute at a college mixer where Tom was a researcher and Lizzie was starting graduate school. Tom swoops in and saves her from a group of men who were doing that thing where they want your attention but they also want to explain all the ways you are wrong. There’s an orange juice disaster that leads to them escaping to Tom’s lab where he loans Liz a shirt while she soaks her own clothes in a sick. She runs out on him for a friend emergency, leaving her wet clothes behind.
See, great start. And then it all goes downhill for me. Almost immediately after the mixer, Tom is assigned to be Liz’s thesis advisor, putting him in a position of authority over her. Instead of being a rational adult and communicating with Liz about why they couldn’t hook up or start a relationship, he decides the only way through was to keep her at arm’s length by being a massive jerk. Mind you, we don’t get to see how he behaves toward her over the four years she’s working on her thesis. We’re not given any specific examples of the ways he was mean and made her cry. We’re just told he was terrible and she hated him.

Now four years later, Liz has graduated and is working at the same college. They’re forced to share a workbench when Tom’s lab catches fire. They then find themselves forced together when their parents announce they’re getting married and Liz’s dad is moving into Tom’s house with Tom’s mom while they renovate her house before the wedding.

Tom spends half of the book invading Liz’s privacy and interfering with her life. He is supposed to be ten years Liz’s senior and he acts more immature than her at every single turn. He was a walking red flag whose actions I could never get over. Even as she forgave him, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

The book was an easy read, it was really well written, had great pacing, and there were a lot of enjoyable aspects to it. Other readers might have an easier time with it than I did but I just couldn’t like Tom and it tainted the entire book for me.

2.5 stars. *spoilers ahead because I cannot communicate my thoughts without giving specific details about what bothers me*

"The Unbalanced Equation" by H. L. Macfarlane is competently written, but intensely problematic. I worry about some people's relationships if this is their idea of what love should be.

I like how this book focuses on two nerdy characters who love anime.
I like how the main female character, Liz, gives readers more STEM representation.
I appreciate that Liz knows that she wants to remain child-free, even if she gets into a relationship.
That's about where the positives end for me.

Tom is one of the most immature, toxic main male characters I've ever read. He is a 38-year-old condescending rich white man who acts like a 15-year-old boy who just discovered his dick. After one chance encounter where it looks like they might hook up but ends in disaster, Tom becomes Liz's boss for several years and proceeds to treat her like garbage and manipulate her career the entire time because....it's easier to treat her like crap than it is to communicate that he likes her...like a normal human being would do?? Liz's friends tell her to report him and his bad behavior but she doesn't.....and she won't just tell him she thinks he's treating her poorly like a normal human being?? Some months later when he is no longer her boss, Tom walks back into Liz's life with the same hard-on for her and the same lack of communication skills. Unbeknownst to both Liz and Tom, his mom and her dad have fallen in love and are going to get married. Tom offers to let Liz and her dad move into his mansion so she can save on rent and bills long enough to get her own place. As it turns out, he is actively sabotaging her efforts to find an apartment by helping her coworkers get the homes she's looking at so he can keep her in his house and manipulate her into giving him the time of day. Later on, they share an Uber together and Tom looks over at Liz and gets her phone's passcode. He not only answers calls from her realtor to tell them she's not interested in the apartments she was looking at but also uses it to block her prospective Tinder dates to keep her single so he can get with her at some point. What the actual f**k!? Don't get me wrong, Liz is immature and manipulating, too. She is 27 years old and acts like a child. Seriously, she throws literal hissy fits and cannot (or chooses not to) use her words. Instead, she uses her ~*feminine wiles~* to sexually manipulate and use Tom so she can relieve her own horniness while leaving him blue-balled on purpose. These two characters are just so toxic that it was hard to enjoy this book.

"The Unbalanced Equation" might satisfy some readers because it takes the STEM-related premise of "The Love Hypothesis" and combines it with a rich control freak from "Fifty Shades of Grey." For me, it feels like it was written by what someone *thinks* the idea of feminism is only what they wrote turns out to be something so misogynistic and problematic that it makes me worried some people might think these things are acceptable in a relationship. Just because Tom cares for Liz when she was on her period *once* doesn't make him a good person. Just because he eventually admits he was wrong to manipulate her doesn't make him worthy of her time. I disliked both of these characters and never once rooted for them to get together. In fact, I did the opposite. I was the gif of Whoopi Goldberg from the movie "Ghost" saying "YOU IN DANGER, GIRL" It's a no from me.

Thank you to NetGalley, H. L Macfarlane, and BooksGoSocial for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review in any way.

This reminded me a little of A Brush With Love in that it took a very deep dive into an esoteric corner of science (genetic research). I tend to like peeks behind the curtains of things I wouldn't ordinarily see, so I found this interesting, but other readers' mileage may vary.

There were definitely funny moments and a lot of the secondary characters were quite likable. There were several of false starts and near misses in the main characters' relationship, but it led to some rather inventive steamy bits, so I wasn't too frustrated with that.

Where the wheels fell off the wagon is with Tom. He went too far. I could not come around to like him, find his actions forgivable, or root for him as a romantic hero. Four years of being actively unpleasant to someone, at the cost of them getting less out of their doctoral program than they could have? Going through someone's phone? Blocking people's attempts to communicate with them? Entering someone's private space uninvited, finding them in a vulnerable position, and refusing to leave after being asked multiple times? NO. HARD NO.

This just perpetuated old tropes that toxic, problematic behavior is somehow OK as long as someones likes you. Someone being mean to you and violating basic boundaries is not justifiable because they're attracted to you. That is an icky and dangerous message to put out into the world and therefore this was hard to enjoy.

Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Read this if you like: Dual POV, enemies to lovers, age gap, banter, STEM workplace, he falls first, spice 🔥

After suffering four years of scrutiny from her PhD assessor, Elizabeth Maclean believes she’s finally free of Dr Thomas Henderson’s tyranny when she begins her postdoc. However a fire goes off in Tom’s lab (stupid undergrads) so he ends up working in the same lab as Liz for three whole months.

To make matters worse Tom’s mom and Liz’s dad announce they are getting married after a whirlwind romance. So when Liz’s landlord tells her to move out, pronto, it tips her over the edge. Desperate for a place to stay and in need of a saviour, the last person Liz expects to offer her a temporary home is Tom. Now they are stuck working together, living together and planning their parent's Christmas wedding together.

Oh my godddddd. The banter, the tension, the spice, the attraction. Those parts are so great in this book. I feel like a lot of this book was what I wanted from similar books but didn't get. I loved this couple together. I loved the anime and nerdy references. They may be there to suck you in but it worked for me. 😍

My biggest issue was I felt like it started very strong but got very slow in the middle. It easily could have lost a hundred pages. I feel like Liz's character was such a badass. Tom was a bit too manipulative for me and crossed lines sometimes. They acted a bit immature for being 27 and 38. It also was very unrealistic in how everything came to be at the beginning. I still enjoyed it. I recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Booksgosocial for the gifted e-book!

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
STEAM: 🔥🔥🔥

Trust the author's process. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of that, and I am glad I did with this read.

Dr. Thomas Henderson is on top of Dr. Elizabeth Maclean's most hated list. After all, the man made her Ph.D. assessment years a living hell. That was after they met briefly after a party and made a great impression on each other. This has left Liz baffled and traumatized after all of these years.

Now he's back in her life one time. Not only are they sharing a research bench after his lab was burnt down, but their parents are also marrying each other. Liz ends up living with Tom and their parents, and she has to go along with the wedding planning.

But Tom does not seem to be the evil Ph.D. assessor she experienced before. He is kind and considerate and he cannot seem to take his eyes off her. Now her opinion -- and possibly feelings -- for her former mentor could be changing.

I have to be honest: I was close to not finishing this book. The two characters were immature and constantly flip-flopped on their feelings and thoughts. Sure, they had fantastic chemistry when they were not bickering, and there were moments that made me swoon and giggle. Yet, for two grown adults, they played too many mind-games that felt appropriate for their age.

Something compelled me to keep reading, however. A good chunk of it can be attributed to the great ensemble cast, which included the adorable affianced parents and Tom's best friend Daichi (who also happens to be Liz's boss). The spicy moments were also fantastic.

I am glad I stuck with it. H.L. Macfarlane does a great job of circling back to the main points that had me frustrated with the book, and she provides fantastic arcs for the main characters. Once the clouds part in this read so to speak, we find that Tom and Liz are really two products of life's circumstances doing their best to navigate it all. What I find the most relatable in their story is how their anxieties affect their perception and -- in turn -- influence their relationships with each other and other people. I also loved the idea that when people make mistakes -- even ones that hurt -- we have to remember that they are people, too, and sometimes their intention may have been quite different and possibly the opposite.

** I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book. Thank you to H.L. Macfarlane, BooksGoSocial, and NetGalley for providing an ARC. **

When Liz and Tom meet for the first time, sparks go flying, but before anything can happen, Liz has to go. Tom is determined to find her the next day, but first thing in the morning he learns he has been nominated to be her PhD assessor... so he decides to put his feelings on hold. Four years later, when they both find out Liz's dad and Tom's mom have been secretly seeing each other and are about to get married, circumstances forces them to work together and live under the same roof, and Liz is not happy about it, because Tom was very tough on her through her PhD. However, Tom sees it as an opportunity to creep into her life.
I LOVED this! This is an almost-lovers to enemies to lovers/forced proximity romance with lots of great chemistry and banter and smut, all in a STEM background setting. It is told in dual POV, and although I found both MC to be a bit immature at times, I had a hard time putting it down. It was on the longer side of contemporary romance, but I was glad about it, because it was so good! I'm usually a super fast reader, I should've been able to go through this in one night, but I voluntarily slowed myself down and took my time with it. If you loved Ali Hazelwood’s books and novellas, and The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren, you will love this!
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Fans of The Love Hypothesis will love H.L Macfarlane's "The Unbalanced Equation". This book has it all. The forbidden love, forced proximity, age gap, and step siblings? I can't say I didn't enjoy this book when I did, but I did feel uncomfortable with it. Not solely because Tom was 10 years older than Liz and that he immediately was feeling sexual feelings towards her... but his actions over all. A 38 year old man pining after a 28 year old who was a PH.D student.. and sabotaging her house hunting and potential relationships? That reminds me of something Joe Goldberg would do from "You". The sexual tension is just.. weird. But I mean, given the fact that they were pending step siblings.. I was curious to see how it would play out. If there was no step sibling aspect to the book I would have rated it higher. Just gives me weird and mixed feelings knowing they are step siblings.

⭐️ 3.5 🌶 Rated R

☑️ Contemporary Romance
☑️ Enemies to Lovers
☑️ Forced Proximity
☑️ Workplace Romance
☑️ STEM Themed

"Just because it wasn't raining when you —" "Ugh. Don't go parental on me." "Insinuate I'm a dad again and I swear to god I'm going to assume you have a kink you don't want me knowing about."

I liked this book by H.L. Macfarlane, but the ending fell a little flat for me. I think the story was a little too drawn out. In the first 50-60% of the book, Liz and Tom were super fun with lots of chemistry and banter. But then the third act break-up hit and it just seemed eh.. I really struggled to finish the ending.

I definitely think I would've enjoyed it more without their parents surprising them as a couple. It just seemed unnecessary to the story for me. However, as someone who is undecided about kids at this point in her life, it was refreshing that H.L. Macfarlane included a FMC without the desire for marriage and kids. I also love books about women in STEM and I loved the Scotland setting!

Definitely some good banter and chemistry between the two main characters, but it just didn't finish strong for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I struggled with getting through this book and decided to DNF at 34%. In the words of my favorite election reporter, I'd seen enough.

The Unbalanced Equation wants to copy the success of The Love Hypothesis, but lacks the charm of TLH. I knew going in that there was going to be a problematic power imbalance because Tom was the thesis advisor of Elizabeth. The main part of the story does take place after Elizabeth earns her doctorate, but It's still problematic as all get out because despite being 34, Tom is still an immature hornypants and can't separate his feelings for wanting sexytimes with Elizabeth from his professional job of overseeing her research. Therefore, he spends 4 years treating her like utter garbage to disguise his attraction to her.

This my friends is a problem.

Why on earth is an immature, gaslighting, manipulative a-hole the hero of a romcom might you ask? Beats the hell out of me. Tom is nice and professional with every colleague he has. Except for Elizabeth. Tom has friends and is a great guy. Except with Elizabeth.

Does no one else see the disconnect???

I was told that the rest of the book goes along the same vein and I'm just not interested in seeing a smart woman settle for an emotionally manipulative rich man because he's the only one who "understands her".

I've got better things to do with my time.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for the review copy.

3.5 stars!

I received an electronic advanced reader copy of this book in return for my honest opinion. Thank you to BooksGoSocial and H.D.Macfarlane for letting me read this before it’s release.

I have a soft spot for any books that promise me women in STEM, so obviously I jumped at the chance to read the Unbalanced Match.

This is a enemies to lovers, workplace romance with an age gap, almost step siblings and the MMC was the FMC’s PHD assessor ( but isn’t by the start of the book). Both MC’s have a huge love of anime and Gundam is discussed regularly!

Overall, this book was a cute read. While Tom is frustrating at times as he continuously makes a series of bad decisions I enjoyed seeing him grow as a person throughout the book. His relationship with his mother was beautiful and I was honestly rooting for Jim and Jenny just as much as Tom and Liz.

I appreciated all of the anime and cosplay references within this book, and I enjoyed the spice that featured throughout.

🌶🌶spice

This is the first book that I’ve read by this author and it will definitely not be my last. STEM workplace books have become one of my favorites to read lately and then you add the enemies to lovers and you got yourself the perfect book.

After 4 years of having to deal with a PhD assessor from hell, Liz thinks that she’s finally free from Dr Henderson. Little does she know that some unforeseen circumstances will have Dr. Thomas Henderson sharing a lab bench with her. If you thought that would be the end of it, shortly after she finds out that her father is marrying Toms mother. As of things can’t get any worse, Liz finds herself living at Toms home, and the rest is history.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone that likes rom coms, enemies to lovers, & age gaps.

This book was so good! I really loved how we got both perspectives in what seemed like an even amount of times. It really made it feel like we were getting to know each character individually and we were getting to know them the same amount. I feel like all of the characters (main and side characters) were very flushed out and we got to know everyone well.
Tom, the male love interest, felt a bit possessive over Liz. I felt like this mostly occurred before they were together, or even when they were still considered enemies.
Other than that, it was a very well written book and I really enjoyed it.
Thank you to Net Galley and McFarlane Lantern Publishing for the ARC.

Thank you to @netgalley and @macfarlane_lantern_publishing for the arc of this book.

The Unbalanced Equation had all my favourite things. A strong female lead, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, second chance romance, workplace romance, age gap romance, slow burn, and spice.
I really enjoyed Liz and Tom. They were fun, the banter and sass between them while they try to piss each other off is hilarious. I love the duel pov so we get to see things from both Tom and Liz.

I loved how Tom and Liz were pushed together in more ways than one and I definitely didn’t see a couple of things coming which made a typical romance a bit twisty!

I’d highly recommend this is you’re a fan of rom coms.

For this authors first rom com publication I think she did a really good job. It was a cute story that made me want to keep reading. I also love stories that are set in the UK

I throughly enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down. I loved the relationship between the charactors. The author was really good at bringing the charactors to life. I love a romance and this ticked all the boxes. I would 100% recommend this author and I look forward to their future releases.

Liz and Tom have essentially a love/hate relationship, though it is designed that way by Tom himself. Liz is determined to keep him an enemy, but fate has other ideas. ♡︎

This enemies to lovers STEM rom-com is told from both points of view & was such a steamy read. I love novels set in other places besides the US because it exposes me to other cultures. And I love reading both sides of the love story.

Highly recommend for those wanting to add to their romance novel collection!

Take the usual crush turned enemies at the workplace trope.
Put them at the same work bench after she starts her postdoc and his lab blows up.
Add the complication of his mom and her dad getting married.
Now put them all under one roof for the next three months.
With a dash of her quest for revenge and his for keeping her close.

That's The Unbalanced Equation. It's funny and smart and I enjoyed it much more than I expected.
I liked that both characters grew and learned because Liz needed to grow up just as much as Tom needed to loosen up. I loved their parents. This whole book was fun.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.