I couldn't be drawn into the two MC's, they felt/read more like high school students a lot of the time which made the romance feel uncomfortable.

Loved the chemistry between the characters, the banter was incredible and i truly enjoyed this quick and easy read.

Thank you Netgalley and Publishers for the eARC of The Hot Henry Effect

I really enjoyed this novel, the banter between Clara and Henry was lovely to read, I really liked their friendship and how the characters developed. I loved the pop culture references and how the storyline played out.
The writing in this novel is typical of a rom com novel, which to me is a really good thing as I like how easy they are to read and get swept away. I was really engaged with the writing and I just couldn't put it down. Another romance novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.

This is a cute, romcom, with a STEM backdrop featuring a very hot super-nerd engineer - wearing Clark Kent glasses - HELLO, and a little bit damaged inside, completely oblivious, kick-ass scientist.
It's not all sweetness and light, trigger warnings for attempted sexual assault, and harassment in the workplace.
Books like this sometimes get some stick, at being too predictable, that doesn't bother me, it feels like a warm hug. What I usually find with books in this genre is that the partner usually tries to "fix" what's bothering person one, and usually makes a hash of it, before realising they will sort things when they are ready, so it was refreshing that Henry didn't do this for Clara.
I really like Simmy and Jo, give a girl supportive girlfriends and she can take over the world.
It's a nice quick read, I'd definitely read more by this author.

The download date was unfortunately missed, I would be happy to re-review it if it became available again. I have awarded stars for the book cover and description as they both appeal to me. I would be more than happy to re-read and review if a download becomes available. If you would like me to re-review please feel free to contact me at thesecretbookreview@gmail.com or via social media The_secret_bookreview (Instagram) or Secret_bookblog (Twitter). Thank you.

✨ Publication date: May 16, 2024✨

The Hot Henry Effect is a Women in Stem, friends to lovers rom-com by Lucy Chalice.

Clara Clancy is a stem cell researcher about to do a very important presentation to investors for her pharmaceutical company. After an important presentation to investors she realized she had a pastry mishap leaving a stain on her blouse looking suspiciously like a chocolate nipple.

After hiding in her office Clara runs into Hot Henry, a guy from her PHD days in Oxford who did an Engineering term in her lab. All of the girls called him hot Henry but they clicked and built an amazing friendship until he stopped communicating with her when he left Oxford.

As they reconnect and get to know each other again it’s just like old times. Clara’s best friend notices their chemistry which she denies until she realizes, they have always had this and could there have been more seven years ago when they worked together.

Can Clara get over her insecurities and tell Henry how she feels or will Hot Henry stay in the friend zone?

This was a cute story. I like Clara and Henry’s backstory and history together. I also like their chemistry and banter. I struggled a bit with Clara’s insecurities. They were brushed over and didn’t feel nearly bad enough to put her on a the path of self destruction she seemed to be on. I do like the women in STEM angle too. This was a 3 star read for me!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #lucychalice #thehothenryeffect

Thank you to @Onemorechapter and @Netgalley for the ARC. I loved this book. I could not stop reading. Henry was so sweet and I can just hear his voice in my head. Clara took her time realizing her feelings, but when she did, sparks fly. A must read.

This book was unnecessarily long for no reason. There were multiple times that I had to remind myself that the MCs were adults and not children in high school, I felt like I was reading a YA novel. Overall, not my favorite but it was mehh.

Enjoyable, light hearted and hilarious - this is a great read! May cause awkward laughing out loud moments - beware on public transport!

It took me so long to get into the book -struggling with the writing as I was- that I should've know it wouldn't work for me. There are so many misogynistic comments made by the FMC of all people, that I don't know if perhaps this could make the perfect sample book for a study on how authors think that women having their internalised misogyny coming out of their ears is somehow meant to be a turn on. Newsflash, it's not! I just felt sorry for her half of the time. I skimmed most of the last 50% because I genuinely couldn't stay focused, the writing felt off.

Also, the SA plot line was awful and uncalled for, imo.
I would not recommend this book, unfortunately.

A cute slow romance, he falls first, woman in STEM.

This book makes you root for Henry and Clara.

They reunite after university seven years later while working on a project together.

Such a sweet development of their love.

The ending seemed kind of rushed, which I find unfortunately.

DNF @ 66% - The book started off pretty boring, but started to get better as the two main characters interacted some. When it got to the part about Henry’s marriage I wondered if I was going to have to DNF- I HATE that plot line where one of the love interests is in a long term relationship or marriage even though they’re in love with someone else the entire time. Some people might find it romantic, but I do not! I tried to keep reading after that point, but I just couldn’t handle how annoying both characters were acting. If I’d known that would be part of the story, I’d never have started it.

3.5 ⭐This was overall a great colleagues to lovers STEM romance that is perfect for fans of Ali Hazelwood. This was easy to read with short chapters and likeable main characters including our swoony male love interest, the titular Hot Henry. There was some spice which was done well and was a good level of steam and there were a lot of reader favourite tropes used such as he falls first. I think where this didn't quite hit for me and so didn't get rated higher was that I found myself frustrated by the lack of communication and characters, mainly Clara, jumping to conclusions that if she'd just paused for a minute she would have realised wasn't at all logical.

STEM romances are my jam and I did really enjoy this read, will be checking out more from this author!

the cover really drew me in to this book, and it was charming, made me happy, and was just overall a really fun romcom. a lighthearted read was exactly what I was looking for to get me out of a reading slump.

👨🏻‍🔬STEM romance
👨🏻‍🔬friends to lovers
👨🏻‍🔬grumpy sunshine
👨🏻‍🔬workplace romance
👨🏻‍🔬second chance

4*

Very enjoyable book. It was a super cute and light hearted read. The progression of the story was very calm including different viewpoints from both parties. In the end the time jumps were a little bigger than the rest of the book, which felt a little rushed to me. I get that the storyline got less interesting once the romance was confirmed, so I wasn't too bothered by it. The only real critique I have is that the spice-rate is waaaay off. Only the last few chapters include quite some spicy scenes, but if you're picking this book for the spice you might want to skip to another one, even though the scenes were written nicely. All in all a cute romantic book.

Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for providing me with an ARC to read ahead of publishing in return for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.75/5 stars)

Equal parts reunited friends-to-lovers and workplace romance, 'The Hot Henry Effect' is a fun and light-hearted story where we follow Dr. Clara as she reconnects with her old friend Henry. The duo teams up on a new project, and sparks fly as they navigate working together after being apart for so long.

While the storyline is engaging, the use of the miscommunication trope felt a bit overdone and detracted from the overall enjoyment for me. At times, the flaws in the main characters felt unconvincing, and unexplored which made it hard to fully connect with them. However, the plot really picked up towards the end, delivering a satisfying conclusion that made the journey worthwhile.

If you're looking for an easy, readable romance with a mix of professional dynamics and personal growth, 'The Hot Henry Effect' is definitely worth picking up. It's perfect for a cozy weekend read.

Thank you to netgalley and the publichers for providing me with this ARC

The Hot Henry Effect is a second chance romcom, with a STEM backdrop and a swoony MMC.
Unfortunately, this didn't quite hit the mark with me - I found the MFC, Clara, to be quite immature and annoying particularly with her denial of Henry's obvious feelings, especially when everyone spelled everything out to her. I struggled with her narrative of being 'damaged goods' and 'unable to love' with just a few mentions of daddy issues and a few bad dates but not a lot of resolution. I also didn't quite understand why Henry was so obsessed with her.
I really did want to like this book as I love a book with women in STEM but I just found it wasn't as well done as I've read in other books.
Unfortunately, this wasn't the book for me.

The Hot Henry Effect is the latest in the STEM romance novel craze. We are first introduced to Clara when he is studying at university where her lab partner Henry who is in the lab temporarily is causing quite the stir among the scientists. Unfortunately, that atmosphere is not for him. Clara and Henry are friends but you don’t see much passed that. Following a time jump Clara is now a successful scientist in her field. She is doing her best to prove her worth in her male-dominated employment. A new partnership is formed with a business and Clara is front and centre, working hard to ensure it’s success. Turns out Arthur, the boss is actually Henry, as he uses his middle name on a more casual basis.
The two hit it off as it no time had passed with Henry helping out when Clara has an obsessive pursuer in her workplace.
Now for my opinion. Clara, for such an intelligent woman, sure says some dumb things. At times I felt like I was reading an old book that had misogynistic comments and thing said in bad taste. One thing that was near the beginning of the book was Clara commenting on her make-up saying she needed to make sure it wasn’t ‘slutty’. This just left a bad taste in my mouth. Do women need any more grief about their appearance? How much make-up you wear doesn’t mean you’re ‘slutty’. And labelling someone with that word is just sad.
A main plot point through the book is the uncomfortable pursuit one of Clara’s co-workers had. Clara said on a few occasions that she was not interested but ultimately is leads to a sexual assault which I definitely wasn’t expecting going into this book. Unfortunately it wasn’t handled the best way. I think it is dangerous to encourage the narrative of ‘well I acted in a certain way therefore I must deserve it’ and Clara is written in this way. I understand the message that Henry tells her she was not to blame, she was the victim etc, but I just felt sad reading it. It was quickly brushed away and that’s that. I don’t know, it didn’t sit right with me.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the book for me. I’m glad others enjoyed it though!
Thank you for the eARC!

The Hot Henry Effect in 3 words - Fun. Spicy. Swoony!

I really enjoyed this, and would recommend it to fans of Ali Hazelwood for its similar themes - a blend of romance, science, drama, and humor. Don't be fooled by the cutesy cover, this book does have deeper issues and emotions at play.

It's a slooooow burn with SO many great 'WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!' moments, and yes, Henry and Clara getting together was predictable, but it was still fun to read. And that moment when it all clicks... worth it!

TW: Sexual Harassment

Overall, 3.5 stars - Very good.