I was really excited to dive into this book because of all the STEM related romance/chick lit books lately that have been good on the market. But, this book wasn't it for me. I did finish it, but I don't think I would pick it up again. The characters were okay.

my expectations weren’t that high (cause i didn’t want to be disappointed) but this was still so bad. i couldn’t do this to myself. dnf at 35%

(3.5/ 5 stars)

"To my surprise and suspicion, Tom averted his eyes and ran his hand through his hair again. I wished he’d stop doing it – I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the simple motion of his arm moving and the way it pulled the sleeve of his lab coat away from his wrist. It felt as scandalous as a Victorian gentleman spying the bare ankle of an unmarried lady. Ugh. Fuck off, forbidden gutter."

"Standing there alone, looking at the door, I was faced with an inevitable conclusion that had been chasing me for four years. I was stupidly crazy about this woman. It wasn’t simply a crush."

"“Are you going to keep watching me get dressed or are you going to turn around, walk back down the stairs and wait in the car?”“... is this a situation where I have to pick option two, or is option one actually on the table?”I asked, surprised by my own audacity"

"She looked down her nose at me as if she might step on me. Fuck, I wanted her to step on me"

"It was so perfectly Elizabeth Maclean that I couldn’t stand it."

"He caught me staring at him. Of course he caught me staring; he always did. I hadn’t even known I was staring."

"It felt like a second, but it also felt like a lifetime."

"“I hope you always buy me flowers, Liz.” She nuzzled against my shoulder. “Then I hope you always like them, Tom.”"


Imagine a heart-shaped box full of petty encounters, a revenge plan bound to fail and (as a result of which) undeniable steamy scenes (and a shit ton of horny feelings) gift wrapped in loads of miscommunication and cute little couple moments in the form of a present that blew my mind off. That was this book.

I don't think anyone can deny Liz and Tom's chemistry. It was sizzling and I think I got burned (more than) a couple of times. These two were the kinds of people who weren't great at communicating, used sarcasm and grumpiness on a daily basis and fought for each other to the proverbial teeth and bone. It was endearing at times but often frustrating. If only they could just TALK IT OUT. I wanted to scream at them so many times because everything was not as obvious as they thought it was.
The book was full of adorable couple moments but I wish the author added a little more about their lives here, especially their careers. The times when their careers were discussed, seemed almost forced.
Despite its faults, I really enjoyed reading Liz and Tom's story. Can't wait for Courtney's story next.

Thank you Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I definitely have some complicated feelings about this one!

Tom and Liz have spent the last four years in an adversarial PhD candidate-advisor relationship. Now, PhD fresh in hand and a new shiny postdoc position, Liz is ready to never see her nemesis again. Then, on her first day of work, there he is, temporarily sharing lab space with her as his burned down. Then, at dinner with her father, she finds out that her father is getting remarried--to Tom's mother! To round it all off, she gets kicked out of her apartment and ends up living with Tom himself while she looks for a flat. Tom is secretly thrilled to get to interact with Liz, and is willing to do whatever it takes to get her to fall for him.

On the one hand, the chemistry and banter between these two characters was very well done. Their interactions were fun to read and I enjoyed them.

However, there were definitely some things that bothered me. For starters, the way Tom acts both prior to the book starting and during the book is terrible. As her PhD assessor, he maturely (despite being in his thirties) decides that instead of just telling her that as he has to be her assessor they can't have a relationship, that the correct answer is to emotionally abuse her for four years and be terrible at his job of supervising a PhD candidate. What he did is inexcusable, and he definitely did not have to atone for that sin properly.

Next, there is all the crap he pulls in an attempt to get her to realize he likes her. Again, instead of behaving like a man who is now in his late thirties and TALKING WITH WORDS, he chooses shady strategies to keep Liz from leaving their living arrangement. Again, this behavior is really not okay, and Tom never works through the issues he obviously has or really does anything to fix his mistakes.

Liz also had some very immature moments on her end as the sparks began to fly, though her behavior was never as egregious as Tom's. Overall, a lot of the stuff they pulled read like they were much younger than they were.

A thing I did like was that the book addressed how you can want to be serious with someone without necessarily getting married and having kids. I feel like a lot of books that have a character who feels this way eventually has the character change their mind, so I liked that both of these characters knew what they wanted in life--even if they had no idea how to get it like mature adults.

I also enjoyed most of the sex scenes. There was one that was a little questionable to me (he walks in while she is busy and initially tells him to get out, he does not listen...they're quickly both into it but was a bit cringey to read), but most of them were fairly well done.

Finally, did not love the big reconciliation. I did not like the venue and method they chose (public declarations are a thing that I don't like for myself, and I am a firm believer that you should not make someone else's event about you). And, crucially, they did not address or really even talk about any of the very serious issues they had. Nothing is ever really resolved.

This book had some flaws to be sure, and some other elements that aren't my favorite personally, but it was still an overall fun and easy read. I would definitely be willing to read another romance from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book. All opinions are honest and mine.

CW: death of parent (cancer), emotional abuse (off-page), manipulative behavior

This book hooked me right from the start. The characters were very interesting and felt like real people. The story line was believable and engaging. Highly recommend.

Alrighty I’ll start off by saying I don’t like how people are comparing it to the Love Hypothesis in a bad way. It’s is own book and sure you can see some inspo here but let’s not put the two books side by side and saw which is better. Personally I think they both are great and they both had things that could be better.

Now moving on! This was a hilarious and witty rom com. I kinda didn’t kind the mcs being older and childish it’s almost like they couldn’t help it when they were around each other. I think we can all relate to that at some point in our lives and it was so well done here. The two are constantly trying to out do each other is nuts.

I didn’t mind the pacing or the fact that the mcs parents are getting married and didn’t tell them. Why would you when those two literally hate each other? But that hate creates amazing chemistry as well that left the sizzle after effects. If yah know what I mean!

Not to mention I think it’s so accurate how they two don’t communicate anything! I see some thought this was one but honestly most couples do not know how to communicate at all, speaking from experiences I enjoyed see characters flawed like this. It made it more fun and relatable for me, cause I’m just over here like no tell him or tell her! Stop holding back it was great! Yah need some popcorn for this drama!

Definitely recommend for a witty, fun, sassy/grumpy lover in all of us!

I honestly did not finish the book. I really tried to love this book. There were a good bit of anime references that I did not understand, and I could not get into the storyline. Tom as the love interest was not doing it for me and I could not relate to the main characters, other than the fact that they work in the STEM field. I was really excited for all the STEM references but it was not very STEM heavy, which reading the description you would think there would be more of a focus on it.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. This enemies-to-lovers, STEM, romance had such promise, but it fell flat. The enemies aspect never worked for me. Maybe it’s because the reason for Tom and Liz being enemies is off screen and we’re just told, “hey, he made my life miserable for four years,” but we never really see any of those interactions on page. And of course, Tom’s reasoning for treating her badly was ridiculous and stupid and he definitely could have just been honest with her from the start. Honestly, the characters just seemed mean, and they constantly made each other miserable by not communicating. It was so frustrating! There were some good moments between Tom and Liz, and some good banter, but overall, I just didn’t really care if they got their happily ever after or not.

One thing I really appreciated from this book was that Liz did not want marriage or kids. I find it’s very rare for a romance novel to have a main character who doesn’t want these things. Romance is not synonymous with marriage, so it was refreshing to see this.

Overall Rating: 2.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley, BooksGoSocial, and Ms. MacFarlane for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I think, as I see many other reviewers also think, that this book really really wanted to be the next Love Hypothesis. Or maybe the Hating Game. Or both.

Sadly, it did not come anywhere close to reaching that mark for me.

Tom and Liz are both off-putting, immature, frustrating characters who make bad decisions and have poor communication skills (they apparently can only communicate when drunk, hooray!). Tom is chauvinist and shady; Liz is hypocritical and oblivious. Her friends are present in the book only to support her and talk her off ledges. The lab setup seemed authentic enough but the science seemed specifically chosen to be inaccessible enough to the layperson that the author wouldn’t have to explain anything about it. Personally I was interested in exactly what kind of genetic modification projects the two of them were working on, but I guess I’ll always wonder because it really wasn’t discussed.

Both Tom and Liz engage in some bad behavior, ranging from juvenile to borderline criminal. I did not appreciate the way the parents were overly involved in their relationship, and frankly I thought it was weird that parents decided not to inform their adult children of their relationship until they were literally getting married. Weird. The abundance of anime, none of which I recognized, didn’t help either.

Unfortunately, despite really wanting to like this, I just… didn’t, particularly. Please don’t let my review prevent you from trying it out, as I see many people did like it. It just contained a lot of romance tropes I don’t particularly care for and two main characters I didn’t particularly warm to. ⭐1/2

Let me start off by saying, this gives total The Love Hypothesis vibes. When reading it, I can see how the author was inspired by TLH.

The Unbalanced Equation is set in Scotland, with PHD Liz entering her post-doc, working alongside Professor Tom, who was her previous assessor and archenemy. On top of that, Liz’s father is marrying Tom’s mother.

Although set in a STEM world, this book doesn’t have much involvement in the STEM universe as I thought it would. It’s talked about and mentioned, but the STEM environment is mostly used as a backdrop to the actual plot. It’s basically TLH without all the science jargon. This doesn’t bother me, but is something to note for those who might want that aspect.

In this enemies to lovers book, Liz and Tom have some hilarious banter however… they don’t communicate!! I spent so much of this book like ‘AHHHHHH just talk to each other!!’ as it got a little infuriating. Like please just confess your feelings already!! Considering the MC’s are 28 (Liv) and 38 (Tom), they literally spent so much of the book second guessing and acting like teenagers who don’t want to talk to each other. Also, the man falls first - love this trope.

I enjoyed The Unbalanced Equation. There were a few moments where the book got a little predictable, and other than getting mad at the characters sometimes, I found this a fun rom-com read!

Professional rivals Liz and Tom discover that his mother is engaged to her father. Thrust together leading up to the wedding, can Liz and Tom resist the sensual attraction between them?

I enjoyed this author’s writing style. The storytelling is fun, the characters likable and engaging, the romance emotional and sensual. Tom’s behavior is problematic—he takes advantage of the power dynamic between them, then goes on to deceive and manipulate Liz. The fact that he recognizes the behavior, feels bad about it, yet does it anyway because he “loves” her, in no way excuses him. Liz deserved better. If a nice guy makes terrible choices, is he still a nice guy? He should have done more to redeem himself. I would have enjoyed the story more if the problematic parts had been removed. The plot didn’t require them.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

The Unbalanced Equation

4.5/5

I adored this book! I feel like I’m seeing a trend of books about women in science, and I love it. I couldn’t put this book down if it weren’t for having to go to work, I would have read it in one sitting!

The plot line was a little ridiculous at times and really far fetched but the way it worked out in the end, it all came together. The book was both perspectives which is a huge plus for me because I need to know what both characters are thinking 😅

"Have you tried shutting the fuck up?"
"Not yet."
"Then add it to your list of things to do today."

The chemistry between the two main characters was 😘👌🏽 The banter was superb, and the spice was just right🔥🔥 I live for enemies to lovers and all the sexual tension, and this book definitely delivered!!
I will say thought Tom did piss me off a lot… at times he was juvenile and petty AF 🙄 (hence the half star off)

"Ugh. Don't go all 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." 

Also, not a spoiler but if you like Gundam or Manga they’ve got some decent references in there!

So do yourself a favor and go pick this gem up!! Out September 15th 🎉

If you were a fan of The Love Hypothesis or Love on the Brain, then this book is must for you to pick up!

Thank you NetGalley for this online ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Gracias por eso, me quitó el mal sabor de boca que me dejó la hipótesis del amor. 😂😁

Mi recomendación es ir un poco a ciegas con este libro, sin leer la sinopsis así os sorprenderá.

Así que no os contaré mucho sobre la historia o los personajes. Solo lo básico.

Chico conoce a chica. Chico resulta ser su tutor de tesis, chico intenta sacarse de la cabeza a la chica, chico no puede. Chica odia a chico por haber sido demasiado duro, Chico intenta cuatro años después hacer todo lo posible por enamorar a chica.

Me ha encantado conocer poco a poco a Liz, es una protagonista original, con mucho orgullo y la cabeza sobre los hombros.

Profesor Henderson, un idiota enamorado, que más puedo decir.

En cuanto a los personajes secundarios, amo a la mamá de Thomas. Y odio a Elliot.

Amo que este ambientado en Escocia, no sólo porque lo ame, sino porque es un respiro leer un libro romántico no ambientado en los EE.UU.

Gracias por los kilt. MUCHAS GRACIAS POR ESO también😂.

He amado a los personajes.

El asunto de no querer matrimonio e hijos, ha sido refrescante, no sabía que me gustaría pero lo hizo.

Es mi tipo de libro, un poco más oscuro que las típicas comedias románticas.

Única pega, se me ha hecho un poco largo, pero todo libro de más de 300 páginas se me hace largo así que bueno. Lo bueno, es que se ha hondado mucho en todas las partes del romance, me ha gustado las chiquilladas de ambos sinceramente, ¿Quién quiere personajes maduros en sus libros? Eso no es divertido.

Y me ha gustado mucho cómo han vuelto juntos, porque mierda, ha sido súper maduro, (totalmente contradictorio de lo que he dicho anteriormente, pero es que ahí se nota la evolución del personaje).

I wish I could write a long a** review but I cannot because there are not words to describe how much I loved this book. I loveddd the fact that it was their parents getting married instead of a siblings haha.

Thank you Netgalley and BookGoSocial for sending me an ARC of this book.

I absolutely adored this book! The first plus of the book is the representation of Biology research in the story. I really enjoyed reading these parts. They also helped to make the story seem more authentic.
Also the characters in the book were to fall in love with and well developed. The chemistry between the characters can be felt well by the reader. In general, I really enjoyed the story line. I also liked the fact that you get an insight into the thoughts of both MC.

The Unbalanced Equation was an easy read romance with spice.

We knew from the start that Tom and Liz were attracted to each other, but life got in the way and pushed them apart. When circumstances pulled them back together we know Tom is still interested, but is Liz?

We see the connection and development from both points of view as we follow their relationship. It was great to see a strong female character in the STEM area.

What I wasn't a fan of is the steps Tom takes in order to continue getting closer to Liz. It was a major red flag and with how strong Liz seemed to be the rest of the book, it's surprising how easily it was forgiven. Though she also was guilty of invasion of privacy, so....

Overall a fun and quick read. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

4 stars! A fun read for those looking to get lost in a book. Thank you netgalley & the publisher for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

I adored this book! Liz was a fantastic protagonist, and I became genuinely invested in her career and love lives. Tom was a happy balance between rogue and nerd.

I would happily read any other H. L. Macfarlane books after this one!

Thank you so much to #netgalley for the advanced arc.

I really wanted to like this book, it had so much potential but unfortunately it was a naaah for me. It's not a book I will remember for a long time that I have read.

I had big issues with the male character Tom and his behaviour, it was very immature for being a 38 year olds. Also it was odd that Tom and Liz's parents were getting married? That didn't make any sense to me and felt really weird..

The book had some cute moments, but those were very few and far between.

Thanks to #NetGalley, #MacFarlaneLanternPublising, #H.LMacFarlae, and #AnUnbalancedEquation, for an early copy of this delightful romcom in exchange for an honest review. This was a fun book to read between the stack of thriller/suspense I need to get to. I ecstatically recommend this book.Both hands up! The book was written from the POV of both main characters, Liz and Tom. It made more sense to be able to read what both characters were thinking it was a love simmering over a span of more than four years. I particularly enjoyed the good natured banter they had with each other. You have got to read this book for a book that is light hearted fun from beginning to end.