I loved this book so much! It was so cute and lighthearted and exactly what I needed. I loved the main characters and thought their chemistry (pun intended) was so great! The progression of the story didn’t feel overly rushed or complicated like some other romances can be. Overall I would recommend the book to others and definitely read more from the author in the future!

Roses: The overall story was easy to get into and stay engaged with. The friends of Clara we meet were an extra element of fun and really add to the story.

Thorns: Clara was a problem. Her sarcasm didn’t come across funny or enjoyable. It just came across rude a lot of the time. When she wasn’t being sarcastic, she was playing dumb to noticing Henry’s actions and feelings or how hers come across towards everyone around her. Her character read almost too insecure at times to be written as a leading lady. I have read plenty of romance stories that have MFCs show insecurity but she still shows she can be a boss ass bitch. Clara gave me none of that. Honestly, towards the end of the story I didn’t want her to get with Henry at all. I didn’t like she referred to herself as an emotionally stunted but didn’t ever help herself get past her trauma causing her to feel this way. I also found Henry’s pinning for 7 years a bit much since he didn’t talk to her. It felt too fictional rather than being realistically romantic to me. I don’t know why she didn’t tell off Dominic with ease when she literally always had something sassy to say to Henry, regardless of them being in a sarcastic fashion. It didn’t make sense to me.

it took me a LONG time to get into this book and i contemplated not finishing it a few times. i loved most of the tropes (friends to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, workplace romance, and second chance romance) but i hated the miscommunication trope 🤢 overall, things were just really boring and i feel like it was a poorly executed story. i really liked the ending though, and i think it saved the book

thank you to harpercollins uk and netgalley for the arc in exchange for my review!

I don’t usually read slow burns but this one was quite good.
Enjoyed the banter between the main characters.
Definitely on my to re-read again list.

As an academic myself, I love when stories utilize realistic aspects of life in academia or industry. The Hot Henry Effect by Lucy Chalice does exactly that! I really related to Clara and her self doubt in both her work and personal life. Her relationship with Henry, the modest engineer, is delightfully painful for most of the novel but that just makes everything so much sweeter in the end! I’m so grateful to have received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley and discovered another author who is able to so accurately represent women in STEM in romance novels. I would definitely recommend this to lovers of Ali Hazelwood’s STEM novels. Overall, The Hot Henry Effect was well-written with fantastic characters and a well-paced storyline set in the biomedical industry. I am really looking forward to Lucy’s next novel, and I will be rereading The Hot Henry Effect and dreaming of my Superman in the meantime!

I wanted to like it. I tried to like it. But I just couldn’t. It was ok at the beginning but went downhill for me after that.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, One More Chapter for this ARC. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~

Yep, I really enjoyed this one.

Any fan of Ali Hazelwood would enjoy this. I love the stem romance trope so much and I think this was done well. I also really liked how oblivious the FMC was, I thought it was cute lol

Such an enjoyable read. Clara and Henry are great characters and the more that is revealed about them the lovelier they are. The sarcasm and wit in the book keeps it bouncing along and the sparks between Henry and Clara are bright and funny. There is a sad undercurrent running through the book and Clara is terrified that she can’t love or shouldn’t love and that is a big mountain to overcome. Some despicable characters who deserve to have the book thrown at them complete this well rounded and very cute book,

I need to know if British people actually talk like this or if only extremely smart scientific British people talk like this. I know a British person and she is very smart but she doesn’t talk like this, but the author is British which leads me to believe it’s the science.

Our boy Henry puts the year(s) in YEARNING and oh boy howdy does Clara not have a single thought in her very smart little noggin. For someone who is clearly a genius she sure knows nothing and that is coming from someone who also knows nothing but I am not a genius either.

Also, Clara is TERRIBLE at communicating until Henry is basically like, be so for real right now or I’m going to flee to AMERICA, which is an objectively terrible idea considering the state of this nation. Clara uses her words one (1) time and that is all it takes, not only because he is so obviously head over heels for her but also because why would you move to America if you did not need to (I am saying this as an American).

But they’re so so so great for each other, I love the sort of reversal of typical roles in that Henry is so soft and earnest and open and Clara is studious and solemn and guarded. It makes for an interesting flip and I really did enjoy it.

I did want to see Dominic end up in a dumpster or jail or something though. I would like more details on his fall into the pits of hell where he belongs!!!

Mein Leseerlebnis

Ich liebe das schöne Buchcover der Liebesgeschichte und fand auch den Einstieg in das romance Buch sehr unterhaltsam. Die lebendigen Dialoge voller Energie wirkten auf mich sehr einnehmend und auch die Freundschaft zwischen Henry und Clara gefiel mir gut. Zudem fand ich beide als Charaktere sehr sympathisch.

Nachdem ich das erste Drittel des Liebesromans beendet hatte, war ich in einer famosen Leselaune und davon überzeugt, dass auch der Rest des Buches für mich ein Volltreffer sein würde, doch leider kam es etwas anders.

In den beiden letzen Dritteln gab es ein paar Entwicklungen, die nicht nach meinem Geschmack waren. Teils betraf das die Liebesgeschichte selbst, teils Situationen mit Kolleg:innen der beiden Hauptcharaktere.

Ein paar der Entwicklungen wirkten auf mich recht konstruiert, bei einer anderen war ich über die milden Konsequenzen für die betreffende Person überrascht.

Zusätzlich empfand ich die Unruhe, die im letzten Drittel in die Liebesgeschichte gebracht wurde, etwas überflüssig und in der vorgefundenen Form eher störend.

Durch meine Probleme mit dem Verlauf der Liebesgeschichte nahm mein Interesse an den Hauotcharakteren in der zweiten Hälfte des Buches etwas ab, was ich wirklich schade fand. Gegen Ende gab es zudem ein paar Längen in der Geschichte. Das Happy End gefiel mir zwar, wirkte auf mich aber nicht so emotional mitreißend wie erwartet.

Ich denke, dass der Liebesroman für mich mit ein bis zwei Entwicklungen weniger und als etwas kürzeres Buch besser funktioniert hätte. Ich kann mir aber gut vorstellen, dass der Liebesroman für viele Leser:innen besser funktionieren könnte als für mich.

🖤🖤🖤 1/4

Für wen?

Wer Liebesromane mag, in denen aus Freunden ein Paar wird und in dem es zusätzlich so etwas wie eine zweite Chance gibt, für den könnte das romance Buch einen Versuch wert sein.

I have very mixed feelings on this book. I’ll start with what I liked. Very broadly, I enjoyed the story. I liked the tropes - he falls first, pining, friends to lovers, workplace romance. I didn’t even mind the miscommunication trope because it fit the FMC. I like that it was a women in STEM romance, giving very loose Ali Hazelwood vibes. I liked the beginning third of the book, which had some fantastic one liners that made me laugh out loud. That’s where what I like ends and what I disliked begins. I didn’t like any of the characters, which is rare for me. I found Henry to be painfully one dimensional, I found Clara very strange and exceedingly annoying, and all of the side characters were underdeveloped and dull. I didn’t enjoy the rather sudden change in tone about 37% of the way through the book and the sudden, seemingly random injection of trauma. I also really didn’t like Clara’s aversion to therapy (which she desperately needed) and the “love heals all” cliche employed to fix all the problems. There was one spicy scene and it was mediocre, made infinitesimally worse by the repeated use of variations of the word “squelch.” But it was an easy, quick read and I could see it being a good, mindless beach read. I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the read!

When I read the description, I was sold. I've struggled to find STEM romance books, so when I came across this I was excited. I almost dropped it during the first chapter because I found it cliche and I thought it was going to be insta love. Thankfully it wasn't. The first half was so slow, nothing happened except for them sitting and drinking coffee. Then you get hit with drama after drama. And it never stops. I didn't love the fmc or the mmc. For two people who are supposed to be in their 30s and are both doctors, they both act immature. I'm upset that this didn't meet my expectations.

The Hot Henry Effect is the debut novel of Dr Lucy Chalice. Set in a world you can see the author is incredibly knowledgeable about, this romantic comedy is a brilliant debut and has put her firmly on the list for future books to watch out for.

We meet Clara and Henry when they first meet at university, before jumping into the future when they are both set in their careers. What follows is a delightful slow burn, with a cast of characters loveable and also downright detestable.

Dr Clara Clancy is honestly a relatable character, even if she is much smarter than me. Seeing her have her life together and yet so not at the same time is refreshing. I found the business side of her life very interesting, and I imagine the issues Clara deals with are sadly very true to real life. But she goes on a page turning journey with real growth.

Dr Henry Fraser is a Clark Kent esq man who most definitely falls first. Seeing their rekindling friendship was such a lovely read, and as you travel back to America and learn more about what has happened since their college days, you really understand the man he’s become.

And the chemistry is 10/10!!

I try not to give to much away in my posts as I want you to enjoy the book spoiler free. But let’s just say if you enjoy Ali Hazelwood’s books- you will love this!!​

STEMinist romcoms is a genre I am enjoying see flourish, and love that more authors are delving into the world of these smart incredible women, and the men in their lives who fall head over heels for them.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced copy to review. All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

*I’d like to thank NetGalley, One More Chapter and Lucy Chalice for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“The Hot Henry Effect” by Lucy Chalice tells the story of Clara and Henry. Clara met “Hot Henry” during grad school when he was assigned to her as an assistant. At that time it seemed Clara was the only student on campus immune to “The Hot Henry Effect” which causes people to swoon and hyperventilate whenever Henry is near. Her immunity resulted in a friendship with the popular guy who after eight months returned to the States and their connection went cold. Seven years later, they met again. A project throws them together again and as they work together their friendship rekindles. But things are different this time around. Clara doesn’t seem to be immune to “The Hot Henry Effect” anymore and suddenly it appears that Henry never was immune to her charms either…

First, let’s talk about characters. The main character of the story is Clara. The story is only told from her POV and as a reader we don’t get any glimpses into Henry’s head. For the first half of the story I kinda liked Clara. She’s a bit too immature for 32 years though, but still appeared to be kind and funny. But around the second when it is revealed why Clara isn’t dating or her love story being dormant, I kinda started to dislike her. Perhaps her daddy and abandonment issues were simply written badly, but it felt so sudden to be confronted with her past which didn’t seem convincing to me as a reader and well fleshed out in context of the whole story. It was as if the author desperately needed a reason why Clara didn’t want to be with Henry and just randomly chose one. Suddenly, Clara became that winey woman that didn’t believe in therapy (though, she desperately should have talked to a therapist) and the back and forth between her and Henry began. I wanted to like her through her struggle, but I just couldn’t. She became insufferable and her weird attempt to win Henry back was simply put cringey. Honestly, Clara should clear signs of some b-cluster personality disorder or something.

Her relationship with Henry was weird. I liked their friendship: the teasing, the thoughtfulness and the honest conversations. I thought these would translate beautifully into a romance, but somehow they didn’t. The moment Henry confessed, their entire chemistry went down the drain. Of course, it was obvious that he liked her more than a friend, but when Clara became aware their entire dynamic shifted drastically and became almost toxic. Like Henry tried to set a boundary (good for him; though it didn’t make a 100 % sense) and then Clara did something utterly ridiculous and he was like “yeah, forget about my wants and needs, she gifted me a stack of post-its”. I did not like it. He constantly ran after her, and Clara never had to actively work on her issues or return genuine affection to him in any shape. Like the moment they got together, not even 24 h later, she wanted to break up again…she didn’t even consider having a conversation about the information she received or verify it, she just blindly ran with it and Henry was totally cool with it. Like dude! Have some self-respect! And before I finished off this point, Clara needed therapy not a boyfriend. This relationship will fix nothing for her, if she doesn’t get professional help. The way she behaved and coped with the situation wasn’t healthy at all!

Secondly, the entire tone of the book was off. It started off very light-hearted and a bit goofy. I was here for it. And then suddenly, there was stalking, an assault, childhood trauma, a failed marriage and the drama just didn’t stop. And weirdly enough, the light-hearted tone was badly pushed through these heavy topics. I have read novels who managed to be light-hearted and discuss heavy topics. But not this one. This one failed at the attempt and the entire thing just seemed off.

Thirdly, I did not like the pacing of the story. The first half was so slow, like nothing happened except them hanging out and drinking coffee. And then with the assault one dramatic thing after the other happens, and the story got rockier and rockier. I wished an editor would have looked all over this and said “The idea is great, but the line up and focus needs to be washed out more, because it’s drowning in plotting clutter.” No plotline is fully developed, no plotline is actually followed through the end which makes the entire book appear unfinished and very frustrating to read.

So, overall a great idea, with fun characters and potential to be great, but sadly failed in its execution.

The premise of this book cought my attention right away, I really like stories about women in STEM. Although this was an easy and sometimes cute read it missed the mark in a couple of stuff. Clara had a good sense of humor but her self deprecating inner monologues took away from that a bit. It seemed repetitive at times and some of her actions came across as childish, it was hard to remember that she was an oxford graduated scientist. Henry came across as sweet and caring and I liked that when he finally confessed his feelings he was straight with her and didn't let her excuses deter him. A lot of the book was them trying to run away from the advances of other people, even with Clara telling Henry just to be honest with the other person but not doing the same herself. It was nice that they developed a friendship first but I found it odd that at the end she didn't know he had a twin brother? and his response was well you didn't ask. Overall it was ok.

Thank You to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest review.

This book was a friends-to-lovers between Clara and Henry. Clara and Henry knew each other years ago when they worked together at Oxford and now their paths have crossed again and feelings are FELT. Overall, I felt like this book was good, but not my favorite. I felt as though it could have been shorter and gotten the same story and feelings across. It got a little repetitive. Clara drove me a little bonkers. Also, I would have liked more...tension(?) between the characters. Their love for each other never really HIT me. Despite this, I thought the story was cute. Henry was adorbs.

I loved this - I'm trying to branch away from always reading the same authors (although, I do still have my faves) and I did not regret it with this book.

It's nice to have a hero that is just a nice guy, for a change. Like, it's not that I normally read books where the male lead is awful or anything but Henry is just so lovely!

I also think that friends to lovers is such an underrated trope and this was done perfectly! I loved the friendship between Henry and Clara and how it all panned out.

This book was brilliantly paced and I look forward to reading more from this author!

If you enjoy reading books about women working in STEM fields and a man that falls first (and hard), then you will really LOVE this book! ❤️

Clara and Henry met years ago, when Clara was helping him with studies, but they ended up going their separate ways.

But now they meet again and they are going to work together for some time!

Their friendship was full of teasing and laughter. They saved each other multiple times during some unfortunate moments and as the story progressed, you could feel the romantic tension between them.
I felt many times like the breaking point is coming, but I was mistaken and it was just building up for something enormous 👀!

This book is funny,cute, sad and steamy! The characters are very loveable from the start and Henry is so SWOONY 😇.

I loved this book and will definitely get myself a physical copy to read again and annotate my favourite parts!

Thank you to NetGalley and OneMoreChapter for allowing me to read this copy before it’s being published.

Not going lie, I was initially drawn to the cover and it being a STEM novel (I am a huge Ali Hazelwood fan so you could see why). The beginning really got me as I love reading about workplace romances and second chances, however it fell flat towards the end. Honestly, the FMC was frustrating with the repeated remarks on her self-doubt and as the story was progressing, I felt that her character development was lacking. There should have been closure with what happened to Dominic (lawsuit, jail, etc.) and Richard having a complete 180 personality change after the incident in San Francisco was like whiplash. Also, the family scene at the end was unnecessary and dragged the story. The book needs to be proofread as I caught a couple of spelling errors (ex. 'focussing' in one of the earlier chapters).

Lastly, I need to comment on the pipetting scene. As a STEM major working in the industry (wet-lab), I have become a trainer in my role and I related so much with the FMC with how patient you have to be with someone learning to use pipettes. That intro was well done as it really did show how frustrating it is, yet you have to calm down and be understanding in that scenario.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read the ARC and write a review.

3.5⭐️
1.5🌶
My thoughts on this are a bit mixed. I was drawn to this book because I am a fan of Ali Hazelwood and thoroughly enjoy reading about women in STEM. The main character, Clara, is a woman of science, but this was more along the lines of an office romance than a STEM romance. That being said, the romance between Clara and Henry was adorable. The banter was cute, if a bit cheesey. Clara's character growth felt a bit sudden, but I guess it was still believable. All told, I think this was a pretty cute romance book, though the spice was a bit cringe.