Feels like a classic romcom! Its a cute and lighthearted read, perfect for a summer getaway, during a long vacation filled with only books.

This digital ARC was obtainable via NetGalley for an honest review.

"The Hot Henry Effect" was a slow-burn with low spice (this I enjoyed). I actually like Henry & enjoyed his banter with Clara. I do wish they had more heated/flirty moments to help the buildup. I wasn't a big fan of some of the situations Clara found herself in, but this was a decent read!

Clara and Henry met when they were still in university. She was a grad student and he was the guy everyone swoone over, but Clara.

Years later they lost touch, but Clara still thinks of him often. Then after a presentation from hell, there is Henry to the rescue. It turns out that they will be working together again, and they become close again. But this time, the sparks that fly between them are harder to ignore.

The Hot Henry Effect is a spicy stem, workplace romance, that made me giggle, swoon, and laugh throughout the book.

Thank you to Netgalley, One More Chapter and Lucy Chalice for sending me this ARC to review!

Dr Clara Clancy and Dr Henry Fraser used to work together in their university days at Oxford and haven't been in touch for 7 years, now Henry is back from the states and his company are working with the company Clara works for meaning a lot of collaboration time for the two. They both have secrets that could affect their newly rekindled friendship, how long till they come out?

We've got STEM romance, friends to lovers, unrequited love, slow burn, workplace and more!

I feel that Clara's character was so relatable and honestly such a realistic character, loved her inner thoughts and references throughout the book, as well as her friendships with Jo and Simmy. I feel that Henry was definitely inspired by Henry Cavils Superman and I am all here for it. I would've liked to see more of their time together at Oxford, loved their flirty banter and was so happy to see it when they reconnected in the present.

This was a fast paced book for me in my opinion, which I loved, there was no straying from the actual plot of the story and it didn't feel like there were scenes put in as fillers - it all flowed together very well. Definitely a slow burn romance, with one open door scene included. Even though this is a stem romance book, I didn't feel like I was sat lost and out of my depth in science at all in this, which I was grateful for.

If you are a fan of Ali Hazelwood and STEM romances absolutely give this book a go!

Thank you, NetGalley, the publisher One More Chapter (Harper Collins UK), and the author Lucy Chalice for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

I'm always a sucker for women in STEM books (Thanks to Ms. Hazelwood :) ), so I wanted to read this, and I'm glad I did! It felt like another The Love Hypothesis, and I am not complaining. He fell first, and I just loved Clara and Henry together. Slow burns can always be a little torturous, but I knew that going in, but I loved that there was a good plot on top of the spice. It was a cute and easy read, and I wasn't bored waiting for the end. My favorite part about romance books is the guys who fall first, and Henry did not disappoint. He made me think of a less intimidating Adam Carlsen, lol

Thank you, One More Chapter and NetGalley, for the advanced copy of The Hot Henry Effect.

I absolutely love a sweet and light-hearted rom-com. It follows some of the really fun tropes: workplace, friends to lovers, second-chance romance, he falls first. Our two main characters are completely likable from the very beginning. This is that perfect Summer beach read. The plot kept moving and not rehashing issues like so many others do. It was an enjoyable pace, and I fell completely in love with this novel and all of its character(s)!

After giving one of the worst presentations of her career, Dr. Clara Clancy is surprised to bump into an engineer she worked with in her Oxford days, Dr. Henry Fraser. Apparently, he's heading up a project and wants her hands on his deck. ;) While she was trying to teach him about chemistry, he was dealing with his own chemistry issue: falling for his mentor. Of course, she didn't realize it at the time. Now that they're reunited, their friendship picks up right where it left off. When their truths get revealed, they'll both have to determine what they're willing to do to stay together.

Women in stem + romance? Sign me up!

This book was absolutely adorable and just so freaking sweet. The characters were loveable, for the most part drama free and really just so perfect for each other. I loved their friends to lovers romance, watching it bloom throughout the book was everything I could have asked for.

I wish that by the time we got to the end no more unnecessary drama was added, but alas, of course there was and by 75% drama was once more ensuing. I could definitely have finished the book at 75% and been so happy with their story but I continued through to the end because I loved them so much.

This is definitely a book that I would read again because they were so intoxicatingly cute!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is a a story of where the MMC falls first for the FMC. I found Henry to be so sweet like a golden retriever although he is described as being this hottie who resembles Superman/Clark Kent. You would like he would be cocky and arrogant but he was the complete opposite. Clara finds it annoying how all these woman fall over themselves when they are around Henry. She herself thinks to she is immune to what she refers to the "Hot Henry Effect". After losing touch they come back into each others lives when work puts them in each other's paths. Like no time has passed they get back into their friendly banter and their friendship rekindles. I loved the story however I will say I did find Clara to be annoying at times. She was so blind to how Henry felt about her which really annoyed me. I just wanted to shake her and be like wake up! Henry is into you! Overall I did enjoy the book.

The cover was the first thing that caught my eye about this book- and then the blurb reeled me in!

I am a HUGE fan of scientific/workplace romances with strong female leads, so I knew I'd be adoring this.. and I did!

I loved how Clara was the person in charge of teaching Henry in college and how their banter and relationship began way back then. I thought Henry was incredibly endearing and sweet. When Clara would get angry at him but still show professionalism and grace, I really gave her a tiny high five because we LOVE an emotionally mature adult.

The tension between the two when they reconnect at work years later is THICK. I did feel like Clara lost a bit of her emotional maturity when it comes to her trauma, which is realistic and fair, but it was also a third act breakup as a result.. which I'm not super fond of as a plot point.

Henry had good points in choosing to let the relationship die if Clara didn't get help for her trauma, but since it's a romance and fiction I would have liked to see him stick around and encourage her a bit more in a positive way. He's loved her for years! Now that they were SO CLOSE to their Happy Ever After I think it would have been a good chance for him to prove he's in it through thick and thin, rather than leaving at the first sign of trouble.. and trouble that wasn't her fault, but WAS her responsibility to work on.

Overall? I loved it. Henry was... he's a book boyfriend. Forever.

When she was in grad school, Clara was assigned to help an engineer student who'd transferred into the lab: Henry. Seven years later, he shows up at her job, as a collaborator on a project she's working on. Though they had a rocky start all those years ago, the two eventually became friends, and it's easy to slip back into that now. But work dynamics are complicated, and as nice as it is to have Henry back, his presence raises some other tensions.

It took me a little while to get into this book, but I ended up really liking it. I loved Henry and Clara's relationship, and was definitely rooting for them the whole time. Overall I found it sweet and fun, though it definitely didn't shy away from harder topics. I would definitely read more by Lucy Chalice.

tw for sexual harassment and assault (from one of Clara's coworkers)

I wanted to like this one, but I just didn't. I really didn't like any of the characters, and there was a severe lack of chemistry! It also gave me whiplash-- it started out fun and a bit silly and then took a very serious turn that didn't make sense for the story. The dialogue was strange and made the characters seem too young. I think this writer is just not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher from sending this arc, in exchange for a honest review.


I'll be completely honest: I just can't read this. I've been trying for days and it's putting me in a slump, which is something I hate. Not the book or author's fault, but I'm just in the mood - and I'm a mood reader for sure, and I can't seem to find the will to read it... Doesn't matter how hard I try to.


So, I dnfed it @15%.

I read this in one sitting because I was so invested in these lovely characters and I wanted to make sure they were ok and things worked out for them!

I’m not usually a romance reader but the exception is STEMinist romance. I love to read about intelligent, capable, impressive women and their careers and passions. I really enjoy these romances because it tends to be more about mutually beneficial relationships rather than a woman needing a man. This is no exception, we have an impressive scientist who mentored an engineer whilst doing her doctorate. Seven years later they cross paths again professionally and rekindle their friendship. They work well together but our main character is so frightened of trusting anyone that she struggles to have romantic relationships.

We have two absolutely lovely and delightful characters in this book. I really wanted all the good things for them! They are both nursing their own hurts and are terrible at communicating their feelings with each other but they complement each other so well.

This was a charming book and I really enjoyed it and I’ll be looking out for more from this author.
I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book and went along with the rollercoaster for the main characters.

This is a great story and one you don't want to put down

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

☆ second chance
☆ workplace romance
☆ he falls first

Really enjoyed this book. Clara and Henry’s friendship and the romantic tension was everything! You could feel their chemistry.
A very funny, cute and steamy read! Perfect for Ali Hazelwood fans!

Firmly in the friendship zone. Clara and Henry meet up as colleagues seven years as they met at Oxford university as PhD students.
Is it just friendship or more? Oblivious to the attraction, Clara feels that she will never be good enough for someone to love her exactly as she is .
Can honesty make the difference.
A make you smile book as you read about your own imperfections and insecurities.
Cross your fingers for a happy ever after.

This book was a cute rom com story. I can’t wait to read more books by Lucy Chalice as they become available.

It took me about 60 pages to find the rhythm of this book, but I wound up really enjoying it. Henry is an absolute delight and the banter was great. Clara felt a little manic pixie dream girl for me, but she got better as the book went on. I saw some reviews saying that her sarcasm bordered on rude, but I honestly assumed she was on the Autism scale and that's why she had so much trouble reading social cues and interacting with people. I have no idea if this was intentional, but that's how she struck me.

Overall the two major issues for me in the book were Clara's unnecessary abandonment backstory (sometimes people just don't care about romantic relationships, they don't have to have a tragic backstory) and the unnecessary drama at the end. Everything was hunky dory and then she reads an email that sends her on a spiral of being upset and ignoring Henry again after the grand gesture was already completed. It did give them some good conversation, but it felt totally unnecessary.

All that said, I will definitely be picking up the next book in this series and overall enjoyed the writing and plot. A really great debut by Lucy Chalice!

2/5 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley and One More Chapter for providing me with an arc.

I grabbed this because it had a cute cover and on netgalley one of the categories listed for it was Erotica so I expected a lot of spice. Only to then find out the couple doesn’t get together until over 70% through the book and there was one spicy scene that was possibly the worst I’ve read. The book overall was fine, I don’t have anything super negative or positive to say other than it was marketed wrong on Netgalley. When I see the erotica tag on netgalley I expect it to be one of the spicier books I have read as that is what erotica is. It is high heat and the plot is the smut, that isn’t what this is. When I messaged some of my bookish friends saying I was 70% through this book and there was not a single spicy scene yet and it was labeled erotica, they thought I was joking at first. How a book is presented to me does change my expectations and this didn’t fit my expectations at all.

If you are looking for a very low heat book with some fun forced proximity this could be for you. This just wasn’t for me.

The banter in this book is excellent! Henry and Clara tease each other and joke around so much. Between their banter and Clara's friends, I was laughing so much.

It was cute and funny while still having up and downs -- like the creepy coworker and learning to deal with their emotions/feelings.

While I enjoyed the book and it was very well paced, the ending felt a little weird to me. They go to visit his parents for one of his brothers' birthdays and then it sort of trails off. My only thought was that maybe this ending is a set up for another book with one of his single brothers (there are 2 single brothers).

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins/One More Chapter, and Lucy Chalice for an ARC of this book!