Liz and Tom meet at a mixer for new PhD students at the university where Tom teaches. They have an instant attraction and after getting their clothes soaked by falling drinks, they go to change clothes and while Liz needs to run to meet a friend, they intend to meet back up but that doesn't happen. Tom finds out the next day that he needs to take over for another professor and be the assesor for Liz during her PhD program. He knows that he has to keep his feeling for her to himself and decides to treat her as though the night had not happened in order to protect them both. Fast forward, four years later, Liz has graduated and doesn't know why Tom has been so "mean" to her during the last four years. Liz and Tom come to find out that their parents met each other in a grief group and intend to marry. The story then is how Liz and Tom find their way to each other.

3.5 stars. The Unbalanced Equation is aligned to the popular trend of STEM-related romances. While the setting is a university / lab / genetics, the book leans more into the relationships that some other in the STEM "genre. I enjoyed Liz and Tom as characters overall. However, both seemed a bit immature. Tom was too old for his "I'm going to make her miserable" behavior and Liz was too old for her revenge. The plot line about their parents was effective and the Halloween scene was a lot of fun. However, having two other plots about her ex and her peer made the book too complicated and too long. In general, I did enjoy the side characters, which help make the book come to life.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity for an advanced copy.

Elizabeth and Tom are not on good terms. Until they were forced to live in the same house, sleep in the same house level and work in the same lab. Too many coincidences happend and it wasnt to Liz's liking because her past with Tom were not rainbow and sunshine. Not after Tom being the harsh assessor during her PHD. Too many coincidences actually made a cliche romance story but the storyline was better than expected. Especially the spicy scenes. If it would be me, I would have given it 3/5 stars for the spice.
They both were nerds and anime fans but it disappointed me that it wasn't like how i imagined before starting reading the story. but that's okay, I'm not complaining. The story was well written it just lack of details except for the science stuff. The romance and lifestyle were more prominent in the story and it showed a different kind of relationship that less people into it.

This book left me with a lot of mixed feelings. There were several elements that actually made me pretty uncomfortable, such as the large 11 year age gap between the main characters, the power dynamic of Tom being Liz's PhD assessor (even if he did "do the right thing" by pushing aside his feelings and being a miserable bastard to her for its duration), and the fact that they became step-siblings by the end. Technically not incest, but still kinda gross. There were two scenes where each character borderline SAs the other too, and their toxic mind game relationship was extremely immature, somewhat expected of of 27 year old woman but definitely not from a 38 year old man. Sir, you are older than I am, get it together. The molecular genetics lab setting was dry, and when talk got technical, I glazed over. Same goes for the anime discussions sprinkled throughout. It was also extremely long for a rom-com and hard to get through, and I felt myself by the midpoint that I just wanted it to be over. However, all that being said, I did enjoy the scenes where the characters were being somewhat normal, and it brought the slow burn spice, which I could appreciate as long as I forced myself to pretend that all the icky factors of their relationship didn't exist.

The Unbalanced Equation is a rom-com where the main characters are both researchers. They liked each other when they first met, then he becomes her assessor and can’t flirt with her, she starts hating him and then, when they thought they would never see each other again, boom, there is a fire in his lab and he has to work where she does.
There is dual-pov, an age gap of almost eleven years and I think it can be considered a slow-burn (and he falls first).
I absolutely loved this book, if I could I would give it more than five stars. The characters are exhilarating and realistic. They are not written as perfect but they are humans so they make mistakes. I loved their love story, it had all the stages from hate to like and then love without rush.

Very, very appreciated.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a e-reader copy of this book. All that’s being said in this review is fruit of my thoughts.

I don't usually read romances, but I am so glad I picked this book up. I loved the dual POV as it gives both sides- you see Tom's pining, struggles with being Liz's assessor and schemes to make her fall in love. You also see Liz's hesitation yet eventual willingness to love him. There are a lot of funny moments and great banter between them. It's an enjoyable story.

The only problems I had with this books was the over the top graphic sex scenes (though that may just be my bias) and the fact that their parents get married, which I found strange.

Overall, a fast-paced wonderful read.

4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Unbalanced Equation is H.L. Macfarlane’s first romantic comedy and is like a Scottish version of Ali Hazlewood’s The Love Hypothesis. 23-year-old Elizabeth “Liz” Maclean connects with 34-year-old Professor Tom Henderson at a mixer when Liz is starting graduate school. Tom is assigned as her PhD Assessor when her original assessor must take leave. Tom is extra-hard on Liz because he is attracted to her and wants to keep her at arms’ length.

After Liz earns her PhD, she remains at the same university to begin her postdoctoral research. She works in a different laboratory in a different building, so she doesn’t expect to see Tom again. Unfortunately his laboratory catches fire and will be closed for several months for repairs. A fellow scientist (and Tom’s best friend) offers Tom a half-bench in his laboratory, where he will work alongside Liz.

Tom and Liz have multiple escapades as they go from enemies to lovers, since Liz carries a grudge from Tom’s poor treatment of her over 4 years. Tom isn’t always likeable when he acts emotionally immature.
The Unbalanced Equation is easy-to-read. However the story is full of profanity and graphic sex. It contains age-gap, forbidden love, and enemies-to-lovers tropes.

I received an advance review copy (ARC) from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

this was okay. both characters had some major red flags and I also really hated the part about their parents getting married because something about that feels weird... was cute at times but overall kinda bland

The Unbalanced Equation by H.L. Macfarlane was just... wow. I could not put this book down. You get an age gap, workplace romance, enemies to lovers, step-siblings, and accents all within these pages.

Tom and Liz were both strong characters who kept denying their feelings for each-other. It got to the point where I wanted to jump in and make this relationship come to life. I couldn't get enough of them. From meeting at an event to being her professor to working next to each other due to a fire taking over his lab, there is a lot of tension between the two.

If you loved The Love Hypothesis, you need to pick this book up once it hits the shelves. It was such a fun read and you won't be dissapointed.

Thanks to Netgalley for the early ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

*About 1/2 way through Review, extended review ill be published later*

So far i'm in freaking love with the characters, time jump is done well (sometimes it blows so good on you!)

It's such a wild collection of events that throw our MCs into their current living and working relationship, I cannot wait to see what else this has to come!
--
Update!

Oh my, this was definitely one of my favorites!

Forced Proximity
'Enemies to Lovers'
Forbidden Love

UGGGGH I need more now

This was a really sweet and funny book! Liz is a postdoc and Tom is her former PhD assessor. The two have a less than friendly history together when they are suddenly forced to live their lives together, personally and professionally. I loved the banter back and forth between the two, and I adored their parents relationship. I also appreciated Liz’s actions to stand up for herself when all said and done. There is one chapter specifically where Liz calls out the bad behavior she’s had to put up with and I appreciated her voicing that.

I did not really click with the feuding between the two characters, nor Tom’s character much. Don’t get me wrong, there were times I really felt for Tom and the crap he was put through as well, but his whole idea that he had to be a “bastard” to Liz because they couldn’t be together romantically (all in the prologue) didn’t sit right with me. I also am not usually a fan of enemies-to-lovers tropes because I don’t like that kind of mindset (but I love the trope when that meanness isn’t used). The manipulation and rudeness didn’t sit right with me, which is why I loved it so much when Liz called it out.
Overall, this was still a really cute and steamy read that is perfect for those who really vibe with this trope :)

As a fan of The Love Hypothesis this story of women in STEM hit the spot for me. Just enough angst, enemies to lovers, pining, and banter for me. And the dual POV made it even better. Definitely recommend for a cute romance read.

4 stars

Thank you Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review!

Fans of The Love Hypothesis would most likely also enjoy The Unbalanced Equation. Following an enemies to lovers trope in a STEM academic setting, The Unbalanced Equation was a fun and easy romance read. Although the main characters Liz and Tom both make some questionable choices in regards to one another, I would argue what Tom does by invading Liz's privacy was worse than what Liz did by playing with his feelings. Indeed, were this not a book, I would have warned Liz to run far from Tom and never look back once his actions had come to life. But, as this was a romance book, I was willing to put it aside and root for their relationship regardless. All in all, I generally enjoyed the book and felt that it provided an excellent escape for me.

A huge Thank You to The author, The publisher and NetGalley for providing the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

What a delightful read! I absolutely loved the setting, the characters and every little incident. It all played out nicely, and I absolutely devoured it.
Hoping to read more of the author's work in the future!

#TheUnbalancedEquation #NetGalley

✨If you loved ‘ The Love Hypothesis’ then you will adore this! It’s sort of similar vibes but the characters actually act their age😉. I also actually preferred this to LH!

✨The banter and chemistry between Liz & Tom is written perfectly, and I loved the way they bounced off of each other! The flirting was realistically written and not too over the top.

✨The sex scenes were 🥵. For me, these were some of the best written scenes as they were sexy, but also realistic which is my favourite type!

✨I found it incredibly refreshing that the author wrote characters that didn’t want the ‘normal’ life. They didn’t want kids, marriage or holidays to Tenerife and that’s totally okay.

✨The only thing I didn’t like was the manipulation used by Tom to get Liz to like him, and also Liz using Tom to get back at him. SO unhealthy….. BUT I’m so glad they owned their mistakes and put things right between each other.

✨Overall this is a fab rom-com with added 🌶 and would be perfect for any Ali Hazelwood fans. I already can’t wait for the next instalment in the series!!

"The unbalanced equation" is a book by H.L. Macfarlane. This is a story about Tom and Lizzie. They both meet at a party that doesn't end up the way they both want. The next day, Tom learns that he is to become Lizzie's PhD supervisor. So he decides to be mean to her so that she doesn't fall in love with him. When Tom is no longer Lizzie supervisor the situation between them becomes more complicated.

It is a university romance between an employee and a doctoral student. I liked the book, but it annoyed me that some situations could be solved by the characters with a simple conversation. I rated this story three stars because it is so predictable.

Thank you Netgalley for this book.

I enjoyed this book but I had a feeling I would because I love books that have science in them. Also I LOVE when books have Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit references! They make me so happy because I am a HUGE LOTR fan.

Thank you to H.L. Macfarlane, NetGalley, and BooksGoSocial for allowing me to receive an ARC for The Unbalanced Equation. This book was such a wild ride. It was so fun to read, and you were really able to tell that the author is a scientist. There were definitely some moments where I was shaking my head over some of the decisions that a certain character made, but it was overall a great book! I enjoyed how fun the main characters were, as well as their parents. This book is filled with tropes galore! At one point I said, how many more tropes is she going to be able to fit in this book??? I had a great time reading it and finished it in a day. This is a great read if you love reading fun romcoms. The Unbalanced Equation makes you think about what you would do if you were put in Tom's situation. What would you do if you really hit it off with someone and then realized that you were going to be in a position of power over them? Awkward, but you can decide for yourself if Tom made the right decisions after she graduated. I really hope that H.L. Macfarlane continues to write romcoms because this was a really fun book!!

The Unbalanced Equation by Hayley Louise Macfarlane: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you are a fan of forced proximity and emeries to lovers, this is for you! I love that the story is told through the alternating points of view of the two main characters, Tom and Liz. And it’s set in Scotland!!!

This book has similar themes from Ali Hazelwood’s books, the Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain, and I am not upset about it!

There were a few instances where I thought some scenes and characters were not necessary and that the author was trying to add too much in to the plot. Other than this, I really enjoyed this easy reading book!

This was a cute romance. I do enjoy the new STEM romance trend. This is perfect for readers who've enjoyed The Love Hypothesis series.