[Portia’s Review]: Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

A STEMinist rom-com in which a scientist is forced to work on a project with her nemesis--with explosive results.

Like an avenging, purple-haired Jedi bringing balance to the mansplained universe, Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project--a literal dream come true after years scraping by on the crumbs of academia--Marie would accept without hesitation. Duh. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward.

Sure, Levi is attractive in a tall, dark, and piercing-eyes kind of way. And sure, he caught her in his powerfully corded arms like a romance novel hero when she accidentally damseled in distress on her first day in the lab. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school--archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away.
Now, her equipment is missing, the staff is ignoring her, and Bee finds her floundering career in somewhat of a pickle. Perhaps it's her occipital cortex playing tricks on her, but Bee could swear she can see Levi softening into an ally, backing her plays, seconding her ideas...devouring her with those eyes. And the possibilities have all her neurons firing. But when it comes time to actually make a move and put her heart on the line, there's only one question that matters: What will Bee Königswasser do?

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I, like most other people, loved Ali Hazelwood’s novel The Love Hypothesis. So I was just as excited as everyone else for this book!

Unfortunately, there is not a ton to say about this book. While it is completely likeable, I mean it is really cute…. it also felt like a replica of The Love Hypothesis (TLH for short going forward
). Writing a book that follows similar themes as a previous book that was well received seems like a great choice, especially since everyone LOVED TLH. But in this case it felt too similar.

I feel like the layout of the plot/plot devices were exactly the same. The characters were not as likeable as the characters from TLH (just my opinion! Bee was borderline obnoxious). Outside of that, they were all also basically the same characters. AND if you happened to read the STEMinist novellas while waiting for this book, you’ll see nearly the same characters in those as well. Essentially:

-Lady is small, very short, tiny, definitely pretty but doesn’t know she’s pretty! So “quirky”.

-Man is big, so tall, very lean and muscles, low key knows he is hot, has huge member. Strong silent misunderstood.

And so it repeats. In everything she has written. I’m so annoyed by it honestly.

I’m also annoyed that the guy is constantly coming to the rescue somehow but these women are supposed to be so brilliant and bad ass? Why do they need them to fight their battles? Lets throw in some classic miscommunication trope while we are at it too.

Im over ranting for now, and again, this book is adorable and cute, and if you loved TLH then you will likely love this too. I do think my opinions are in the minority. Just keep in mind that this book is just a repeat. Ali Hazelwood is a talented writer – lets just hope she can use that talent to write something that can break away from the mold she seems to be sticking with.

Portia

Hi, I’m Portia! I’ve been an obsessive reader and pop culture addict my entire life, with a particular passion for horror and thrillers. I love being a part of the book community and can regularly be found working various book events. I’m an admin here at Ideally Inspired Reviews!

When I am not binge reading or obsessing over true crime podcasts and shows, I am a bar manager by night and a mom and wife by day. If I find any time after that, I love to travel, spend time outdoors, and fit as much live music into my life as possible. You can find me on Instagram @Ideally.Portia or TikTok @itsportiabitch.