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A review by lenoreo
The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
5.0
https://celebrityreaders.com/2021/06/30/summer-of-love-buddy-read-the-soulmate-equation-by-christina-lauren/
4.5 stars — I loved the sass. I loved the snark. I loved the emotions. I loved the LOVE.
Patti Murin was fantastic. I enjoyed her narration even more than I did in In a Holidaze. I found her voices more distinct and easy to follow. And god…her emotions and comedic timing are just top notch. She made this book a delight to listen to.
I don’t know how they do it, but these ladies always write book boyfriend characters for me. Which is not to say that River is perfect, by any means. I mean, he totally bumbles big time at the end. But he’s just so genuine and sincere and multi-faceted and shy and awkward and adorable and sensitive and…and… I just. SWOON. Big time. It’s not just the way he treats Jess, it’s how he treats her whole family, and particularly Juno. I just adored him, flaws and all. Everyone’s always clamouring for an alpha male, and meanwhile I’m over here just dying over the beta boys.
Jess. Jess Jess Jess. These authors may always know how to make me swoon over a boy, but they also know how to make me frustrated and yet empathetic towards the heroine. She was so…aggravating at times! But the thing is that I got where it was coming from. I totally understood how her past had shaped her. And while it frustrated me, I think we did get to see growth in her as well. I was worried, but I was satisfied with how Jess navigated the relationship, especially at the end.
As for the two of them together? They definitely had their challenges, but those moments when they connected were just fire. And when we finally got to the steam? Oh yeah, chemistry for days.
The secondary characters, as always, absolutely made this book. Fizzy was fucking hilarious and odd and awesome. I loved the friendship they had with one another. Nana Jo and Pops were just perfect — they made me laugh so many times, but also brought the emotions. River’s sisters were hilarious and perfect!
And then there’s Juno. Again — as I’m sure I’ve said in many a review — I’m not a kid person. I can take them or leave them in books usually, and sometimes I question how realistically they’re portrayed. But wow, Juno was a firecracker. She was smart and precocious, and so easy to love. She was also realistically 7 in her reactions. She added to the story, and it would not have been the same love story without her.
The concept was entirely fascinating. I mean, I don’t know how much I believe it, or would even want it, but I loved considering that it was real and that this really did exist in the world. These ladies do an amazing job of making something fictional fit into the world so that it feels real. And man, the nerding out was top notch. I didn’t understand half the things they were talking about, but I love watching people nerd out on their passions.
So yeah. I’m all about the characters and relationships and emotions and humour, and this one just worked for me.
4.5 stars — I loved the sass. I loved the snark. I loved the emotions. I loved the LOVE.
Patti Murin was fantastic. I enjoyed her narration even more than I did in In a Holidaze. I found her voices more distinct and easy to follow. And god…her emotions and comedic timing are just top notch. She made this book a delight to listen to.
I don’t know how they do it, but these ladies always write book boyfriend characters for me. Which is not to say that River is perfect, by any means. I mean, he totally bumbles big time at the end. But he’s just so genuine and sincere and multi-faceted and shy and awkward and adorable and sensitive and…and… I just. SWOON. Big time. It’s not just the way he treats Jess, it’s how he treats her whole family, and particularly Juno. I just adored him, flaws and all. Everyone’s always clamouring for an alpha male, and meanwhile I’m over here just dying over the beta boys.
Jess. Jess Jess Jess. These authors may always know how to make me swoon over a boy, but they also know how to make me frustrated and yet empathetic towards the heroine. She was so…aggravating at times! But the thing is that I got where it was coming from. I totally understood how her past had shaped her. And while it frustrated me, I think we did get to see growth in her as well. I was worried, but I was satisfied with how Jess navigated the relationship, especially at the end.
As for the two of them together? They definitely had their challenges, but those moments when they connected were just fire. And when we finally got to the steam? Oh yeah, chemistry for days.
The secondary characters, as always, absolutely made this book. Fizzy was fucking hilarious and odd and awesome. I loved the friendship they had with one another. Nana Jo and Pops were just perfect — they made me laugh so many times, but also brought the emotions. River’s sisters were hilarious and perfect!
And then there’s Juno. Again — as I’m sure I’ve said in many a review — I’m not a kid person. I can take them or leave them in books usually, and sometimes I question how realistically they’re portrayed. But wow, Juno was a firecracker. She was smart and precocious, and so easy to love. She was also realistically 7 in her reactions. She added to the story, and it would not have been the same love story without her.
The concept was entirely fascinating. I mean, I don’t know how much I believe it, or would even want it, but I loved considering that it was real and that this really did exist in the world. These ladies do an amazing job of making something fictional fit into the world so that it feels real. And man, the nerding out was top notch. I didn’t understand half the things they were talking about, but I love watching people nerd out on their passions.
So yeah. I’m all about the characters and relationships and emotions and humour, and this one just worked for me.