3.5 stars!
This was exactly what I needed it to be; a fluffy contemporary romance that had amazing banter.

Liz possesses the wit and sarcasm that I could only dream of having.
Tom, however, has all the makings of a patronizing minsogynst when he decides to interfere with Liz's life in order for him to be able to be around her more. Even though he wrestles with his conscious throughout the book, that made it feel worse. When someone knows what they're doing is wrong and does it anyway, expecting a good outcome. Together, the two felt like children who had no conflict resolution skills for a lot of the book, even though both possess Doctorates.
Even though slow-burn romance is not my favorite trope, this was filled with great sexual tension and moments of tenderness that kept it a fun read!

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to H.L. Macfarlane, BooksGoSocial, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. The Unbalanced Equation comes out September 15, 2022!

The Unbalanced Equation stars postdoc Liz, who has finally has her dream job in a microbiology lab at the school she got her doctorate at. Everything is amazing until after an unfortunate fire, she is stuck working right next to the man who made her years getting her PhD a nightmare, enter Tom. Add in the complication that the day they find out they are sharing bench space, they also find out that their widowed parents are not only dating but are actually getting married. And because bad things come in threes, let's add in the fact that Liz has been kicked out of her apartment and now has to live not only with her dad and Tom’s mom, but also has to live with Tom himself. What really complicates is the fact that Tom does not dislike Liz at all, in fact he has been falling for her for years. Will the two be able to get through the years of animosity and finally get the ending they both have longed for.

I thought this book was so cute, but also incredibly sexy. I loved that both characters were flawed and that by the end they were able to at least start the journey to growing for themselves and each other. The reason I didn't rate this as a five star read for me was because I thought there was a lot of added conflict in the form of different men popping up with feelings in Liz’s life. They literally come popping out of the woodwork (I know that's an exaggeration, but still). It does have my new favorite scene where one character takes care of the other, specifically when the female character has her period. It was honestly so cute and exactly how I would want to be spoiled. I really loved this book and would recommend it to friends and family and really anyone who loves romance.

Interesting plot and a lot of funny scenes. Both FMC and MMC have interesting and pretty similar characters. Although the MMC does some seriously messed up stuff.

Liz and Tom have the perfect meet - cute at the student - staff mixer for first year PhD students that includes mimosas, rescuing a maiden, spilled drinks and leads to changing clothes and lingering looks in Tom’s office. Tom ends up becoming Liz’s PhD assessor and any hopes of a romantic entanglement have flown out the window in lieu of professionalism.
Four years later Tom and Liz are thrown together again without the student/professor dilemma in the way. But Tom has ruined any chances of getting to know Liz better or become anything other than colleagues due to the way he treated her during her PhD assessments.
Living in the same house, helping their parents with the upcoming wedding and working next to each other have their sexual chemistry and frustrations running high.
This is a great enemies to lovers rom-com that I would recommend to anyone looking for a snarky read!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Reading The Unbalanced Equation by H. L. McFarlane was like reading fan fiction of The Love Hypothesis (which is Reylo fan fic? So was this also Reylo fanfic?? Too many layers here).

It made me think of a couple of different beach trips I have taken.

Once, in high school, a group of friends and I drove out to Clearwater Beach on a whim. We were young and wild, and made questionable choices, like breaking into a hotel pool. We said whatever silly nonsense popped into our heads. Our car broke down on the side of the highway on the way back. It was a blast.

Last year, I went to Marco Island with my husband and kids. We stayed at a lavish hotel, played and swam, had excellent and hilarious conversations, and slept well in plush beds. I drank a cocktail that had ingredients like “toasted coconut and fresh squeezed pineapple juice.” It was incredible and I enjoyed every minute.

Both trips left amazing memories, but one was better planned, developed, and executed than the other. This was basically how I felt about The Unbalanced Equation. It was an enjoyable, if less mature, version of The Love Hypothesis. The characters, both main and background could have used a little more development. The plot was silly, fun, and full of tropes. It was a sexy romp and I definitely enjoyed it. I will say that this MMC was actually more like Kylo Ren, in that he was often on the wrong side of that thin line between grumpiness and misogyny.

I’d give it 4 out of 10 stars for enjoyment. If the author had given me a little more, like WHAT the scientists were researching so assiduously in their labs, or WHY they were motivated to do this research, I’d throw in a couple more.

One of those reads that you'll want to re-read right away just because you don't want to say goodbye All the smexy hot as hades romance with just the right amount of angst and humor.

The blurb for this book with the recommendation to read if you like The Love Hypothesis was absolutely spot on, first and foremost.

This book had my favorite tropes- both MCs are *both* sunshine *and* grumpy, and the forbidden love situation of graduate school and professors. And on top of having these tropes, the author absolutely nailed them with an original, convincing, and incredible hot and heavy story. I was on my toes for most of the book, and the slow burn absolutely killed me, in the best way possible. This is a 5 star recommendation from me.

My Review
I Received an ARC from NetGalley. Book comes out15 Sep 2022
Elizabeth ‘Liz’ and Thomas ‘Tom’ started off on the right foot when they first met, but something happened and they were soon on the wrong foot with each other. Liz is happy she is going to be free of Tom and his hateful ways since she is starting her postdoc. However, a fire in Tom’s lab puts an end to this happiness and forces Tom to be in Liz’s lab! They even have to share a bench! If that wasn’t bad enough, both Tom and Liz find out that their parents-Tom’s mum and Liz’s dad announce their impending marriage after a whirlwind romance and lastly since trouble usually comes in threes, Liz ends up moving into Tom’s house!
Forced proximity, age gap and enemies to lovers are some of my favorite tropes. My little heart did a happy dance when I realized this book had all three. I really appreciated that both main characters were smart. I loved Tom and Liz’s banter, as well as the attraction and tension between them. Tom is a bit of a grump. At the same time, he is so hot, sexy, sweet and charming. Liz is fun and a nice balance for Tom. I will confess to wanting to smack Liz a time or two for some of the things she does to Tom. A few times, I couldn’t help but think he didn’t deserve that. The next minute I was back laughing at their banter and what he does in retaliation.
Another thing I loved about this book was their interactions with their colleagues and parents. It was nice to see Tom’s mother doing her best to get to know Liz and see Jim, Liz’s father, slowly having to revise his opinion of Tom. After all, Liz had pretty much made him out to be a monster. As for the colleagues, they were fun. It was also nice to get a glimpse into what goes on inside labs. I was so happy that the lab aspect didn’t bog down the book, but rather added to the flavor of the book.
All in all, The Unbalanced Equation by H. L. MacFarlane was a sweet book. With just enough steam, banter and laugh out moments to keep me entertained from beginning to end. This was a quick, fun and easy read for me. Do I want to continue the trilogy? Yes, please. Would I read more from this author? Certainly.
Until next time, peace and happy reading.

I am a sucker for an enemies to lovers romance! Tom is a hot mess - in that he makes horrible decisions in the name of love. Liz is a spitfire who hates Tom, but when they are thrown together time and again, she realizes he isn’t the guy she thought he was.

If you love academia romances, this is a must read! It was sweet, steamy, and a fantastic romcom. (It is more steamy than spicy, but there are a few spicy chapters…and they are deliciously spicy!)

Enemies to lovers
He falls first
Forced proximity

Honestly, what else is there to say? This was one of my fav books of the year so far. The banter, spice, and overall story line were AMAZING. Liz and Tom meet at a university mixer and sparks fly, after some misunderstandings and unfortunate fate interference, Tom is assigned to be Liz's PhD assessor and he decides the only logical thing to do is be an asshat.... men, I swear.

Fate again interferes when Tom and Liz arrive to the same dinner to learn that their parents are getting married, and they're going to be forced together whether they like it or not. Liz decides that she's going to make the best of the situation, (for her anyways) and get back at Tom for all of the crap he gave her as her accessor. And queue the spice cuz that kicks up about ten notches when she is forced into living with him.

Such an amazing read, as previously said if you loved The Love Hypothesis you'll love this!

Decided to read this because of the cute cover. Yes I am one of those people who 100% judge a book by its cover. I did appreciate the TW since it is something I am currently going through with my own mother.

I wouldn’t necessarily call this enemies to lovers. Tom just decided to be a jerk imo for no reason especially since it all worked out in the end.

Nevertheless this was a 5 star read for me. I couldn’t put it down and read it one day. I loved it way more than The Love Hypothesis.

Let me start by saying this: THIS IS THE BEST ROM-COM I’VE READ, LIKE, EVER. It was such a surprise! It has everything you can hope for: it’s funny, sweet, sexy and just AMAZING. If you’ve loved The Love Hypothesis, you HAVE to read this! It has a similar feel, but it’s (dare I say) even BETTER.

This book was a train wreck. The characters, especially the male love interest were just so out of pocket. And the author thought by calling him out on everything that it would just be okay, but I feel like he still messed up way too much in this book.

Also, once again the miscommunication in this book was really annoying. Although the author addressed how annoying this is through the side characters, it didn’t make it any better because I still had to read them act like idiots.

All that being said, this book was really entertaining. Although I’ve never read the love hypothesis, from what I’ve heard people who liked that book would probably like this one.

This book comes out September 15th!

Oh my goodness!! I am in love with H L Macfarlane's writing style in the Unbalanced Equation. For starters this book cover is absolutely adorable and it immediately gave me Love Hypothesis vibes. Because of how much I love and am obsessed with characters in STEM romance books, it was easy for me to jump right into a book that had the same vibes. Liz is this sweetheart character who is working on her postdoc and finally free of Tom, her assessor during her PhD. Obviously all hell breaks loose and the two of them are very much forced to be around each other ALL THE TIME. Not only is this an enemies to lovers romance book but it has my other favourite trope of forced proximity. Because of how much time they spend together, the readers get to see and experience their fire fuelling chemistry. Tom is definitely complex and you can't help but love his grumpy ruse when it comes to being around Liz. The two of them are addicting to read about, I cannot get enough of how much I really enjoyed their story. If your looking for a book that has STEM vibes with forced proximity trope this is definitely the book for you!

Really cute book. I didn't love it and I didn't hate it either. It was just middle of the road for me. I felt like it was trying to hard to be The Love Hypothesis. My favorite thing about the book was Tom. He was so attentive and adorable! I would recommend the book!

This was a really fun story about two complicated and flawed people who have to overcome their own issues to get their 'happily ever after'. It was refreshing to see a book that had characters who did not want children who can still have full and happy lives. It is not often seen in romance books so I appreciated the unique character perspectives.

If you’re a fan of the love hypothesis, you’ll want to read this.

A stem romance with a grumpy man that has lots of tension, chemistry and steam. I loved the dynamic between the couple. It was full of banter, quick wit, and hot chemistry. It has unlikely roommates, forced proximity, hate to love, opposites attract and it was so much fun to read, It’s enemies to lovers, former professor and PHD student unlikely to fall in love but they do. There is boy obsessed, pining for years and the slow burn tension between them kept me turning page after page. It’s a workplace romance in academia and it was so much fun to read. I loved Tom and his grumpiness. Such a great steamy and chemistry filled romance book with a STEM plot.

Solid rom com. I enjoyed the first 2/3 of the book and the buildup between the two love interests. The drama with their lives being intertwined because of their respective parents was interesting. A bit lacking for me when it came to the third act breakup.

I could not put this book down!!!! It was such a fun read for me. I devoured it in a day!!

The characters, Tom and Liz, were frustrating and loveable. Never has the miscommunication trope been something I enjoy, but this book changed my mind. All the feels with this one came out in this book. I laugh, I sighed, I got a bit teary-eyed, I got a lot frustrated, and all the eye rolls. It was perfect!
My only con about this book is that I felt like some background as to the why of the miscommunication was stated multiple times, at length, in a variety of ways, but like, I got it. I got it the first 2 dozen times in the first 4 chapters. That was a bit annoying. Sometimes the characters could be a bit whiney, but I blamed it on the UK writing standards, ha!
Highly recommend it, please do not pass this up. Especially if you are an Ali Hazelwood fan. STEM female MCs for the win!!

4.5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book!!

The Unbalanced Equation is a romantic comedy about Elizabeth, "Liz" and Tom, who meet at a university mixer. Liz at the beginning of her career in STEM, and Tom who had recently been promoted to professor. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances and a whole lot of miscommunication, they quickly become enemies. The forced proximity begins when Tom's lab is accidentally set on fire, and he is required to work in his friends lab. Unfortunately for Liz, this means sharing a bench with Tom, and later on a house when she is evicted from her apartment, Did I mention the reason she has to live with Tom, is because his mom, and her dad are set to get married. All four of them end up living in the same house, which leads to some hilarious encounters.

This book did include some of the tropes I love to see in books; forced proximity and enemies to lovers. This book starts off similar to The Love Hypothesis, including both main characters involved in STEM, as well great first meeting, but takes a very different path once it gets going. I enjoyed the banter between Liz and Tom, and how well he took care of her was heart-warming. The side characters in this were great, and really added to the story. The writing flows really well, I felt the overall story kept me interested. I would rate the spice level in this book at about a 2.5/5.

The reason I rated this book three stars was as follows; Lack of consent, there is one scene when Liz repeatedly say no, and asks Tom to leave and he refuses. This made me feel very uncomfortable, and I didn't understand why it was necessary to include. This book also focuses on the premise of a revenge plot, which when done right can be hilarious, but when it includes sexual revenge it's something I can't 100% get behind, and not something I was expecting going into this book. Both characters are guilty of this sort of act in the book, and show remorse and guilt, but there were no real consequences or discussion around the topic. Finally, the lack of communication and sabotage in this book, really minimized my overall enjoyment.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, and these are my honest opinions.