Natilie Bell's Reviews > Love on the Brain
Love on the Brain
by
by
4.25/5 𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒
I enjoyed this so so much, my favourite Ali Hazelwood by far! At the start, I really didn't think it was going to be but genuinely this made me smile and gasp, I was so hooked and couldn't put it down.
As per Hazelwood's STEM theme, this book features Bee, Ph. D, a neuroscientist specialising in brain stimulation with a Marie Curie obsession. She's a feminist icon, loves cats, has funky hair colours & many impulse tattoos. She's invited to co-lead a NASA project - with her 'nemesis' (by no means is this an enemies to lovers). This book displays how that all works out, in a cheerful rom com type of way with a surprisingly (view spoiler).
There are so many great themes in this book: the inequities of being a woman in STEM, autonomic nervous system disorders, the unfair nature of admittance to graduate school, family & friendship and of course - learning to love after heartbreak. I enjoyed this so much, and I think I mostly attribute it to the science (although I'm a biochemist not a neuroscientist) and the realities of higher degree research.
⋆ ˚☁️ ⁀➴ Plot:
For a romance, I was surprised at the balance of plot and character driven aspects. I was genuinely invested on how their research project was going to go, if they were going to beat other people to the punch & if it would be successful. There was also a surprising amount of twists and turns, way more than any other Ali Hazelwood I've read so far, which I really enjoyed.
Though the romance was definitely in the front seat. Is this my favourite romance dynamic? I don't think so - it was very much one of those times where one of the characters is sort of completely oblivious to the feelings of someone else (which I get; me too). It was a little frustrating to read, but it comes from a place of the characters' self doubt and post traumatic relationship wounds, which is completely understandable. It's a very satisfying ending, and I would like to believe something like this exists in real life. This was a (view spoiler) romance.
⋆ ˚☁️ ⁀➴ Characters:
Bee is very 'quirky millennial' - colourful ombre, loves cats, makes obscure references and is everything pro-woman. I personally couldn't relate to her, except for her views on romance. She's incredibly intelligent and so precious, she just isn't my cup of tea. Poor girl is afflicted with a ANS disorder/syndrome of some kind (me too!) and it was nice to see that representation. She doesn't back down from stuffy old men being sexist, which I adore.
She talks a lot about "sausage referencing" - the whole a woman can have a great idea, say it and no one listens but the second a man says the same thing everyone's all ears. Very relatable.
Levi is our love interest - he's a lead engineer at NASA with an interest in neuroscientist. I might be biased, but because he's in STEM he's instantly more attractive to me. He's the kind of guy you bring home to your parents. He's calm, stoic, good with kids, thoughtful and chivalrous in a modern way. There was one chapter where I was genuinely shocked at how attentive and thoughtful this man was, I audibly gasped.
⋆ ˚☁️ ⁀➴ Writing:
Ali Hazelwood's writing style is golden. It flows, it's easy to digest when you want a lighthearted read to break up your dense Sarah J Mass and stuff like that. It's just a rom com vibe. It's well paced and addictive - 10/10. She also writes just the best men, you can totally tell they are written by women.
⋆ ˚☁️ ⁀➴ Enjoyment:
I really loved this. It was fun, and really refreshing amongst my current trend of reads. I just really loved the STEM elements, and it was just a warm fuzzy read. Her formulaic stories are starting to get to me though.
Would I recommend this?: Absolutely! - 100% ˚˖𓍢ִ໋🦢˚
︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶⠀୨♡୧⠀︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶
₊˚⊹♡ reading log:
18/06 1:20pm
i am enjoying this so much more than i thought i would
17/06 5:40pm
there is some totally valid commentary in here about the inequities in academia and i am all for it
17/06 1:15pm
it sort of feels like all the STEM ali hazelwood's are the same story, just different disciplines of science
₊˚⊹♡ pre-reading:
so I was reading the nightingale - however then I got sad and find myself spending my whole sunday in bed and a historical fiction wasn't really making me feel any better, so as a women in STEM I picked this as a light hopefully cheerful read ˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆｡☆
I enjoyed this so so much, my favourite Ali Hazelwood by far! At the start, I really didn't think it was going to be but genuinely this made me smile and gasp, I was so hooked and couldn't put it down.
As per Hazelwood's STEM theme, this book features Bee, Ph. D, a neuroscientist specialising in brain stimulation with a Marie Curie obsession. She's a feminist icon, loves cats, has funky hair colours & many impulse tattoos. She's invited to co-lead a NASA project - with her 'nemesis' (by no means is this an enemies to lovers). This book displays how that all works out, in a cheerful rom com type of way with a surprisingly (view spoiler).
There are so many great themes in this book: the inequities of being a woman in STEM, autonomic nervous system disorders, the unfair nature of admittance to graduate school, family & friendship and of course - learning to love after heartbreak. I enjoyed this so much, and I think I mostly attribute it to the science (although I'm a biochemist not a neuroscientist) and the realities of higher degree research.
⋆ ˚☁️ ⁀➴ Plot:
For a romance, I was surprised at the balance of plot and character driven aspects. I was genuinely invested on how their research project was going to go, if they were going to beat other people to the punch & if it would be successful. There was also a surprising amount of twists and turns, way more than any other Ali Hazelwood I've read so far, which I really enjoyed.
Though the romance was definitely in the front seat. Is this my favourite romance dynamic? I don't think so - it was very much one of those times where one of the characters is sort of completely oblivious to the feelings of someone else (which I get; me too). It was a little frustrating to read, but it comes from a place of the characters' self doubt and post traumatic relationship wounds, which is completely understandable. It's a very satisfying ending, and I would like to believe something like this exists in real life. This was a (view spoiler) romance.
⋆ ˚☁️ ⁀➴ Characters:
Bee is very 'quirky millennial' - colourful ombre, loves cats, makes obscure references and is everything pro-woman. I personally couldn't relate to her, except for her views on romance. She's incredibly intelligent and so precious, she just isn't my cup of tea. Poor girl is afflicted with a ANS disorder/syndrome of some kind (me too!) and it was nice to see that representation. She doesn't back down from stuffy old men being sexist, which I adore.
She talks a lot about "sausage referencing" - the whole a woman can have a great idea, say it and no one listens but the second a man says the same thing everyone's all ears. Very relatable.
Levi is our love interest - he's a lead engineer at NASA with an interest in neuroscientist. I might be biased, but because he's in STEM he's instantly more attractive to me. He's the kind of guy you bring home to your parents. He's calm, stoic, good with kids, thoughtful and chivalrous in a modern way. There was one chapter where I was genuinely shocked at how attentive and thoughtful this man was, I audibly gasped.
⋆ ˚☁️ ⁀➴ Writing:
Ali Hazelwood's writing style is golden. It flows, it's easy to digest when you want a lighthearted read to break up your dense Sarah J Mass and stuff like that. It's just a rom com vibe. It's well paced and addictive - 10/10. She also writes just the best men, you can totally tell they are written by women.
⋆ ˚☁️ ⁀➴ Enjoyment:
I really loved this. It was fun, and really refreshing amongst my current trend of reads. I just really loved the STEM elements, and it was just a warm fuzzy read. Her formulaic stories are starting to get to me though.
Would I recommend this?: Absolutely! - 100% ˚˖𓍢ִ໋🦢˚
︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶⠀୨♡୧⠀︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶
₊˚⊹♡ reading log:
18/06 1:20pm
i am enjoying this so much more than i thought i would
17/06 5:40pm
there is some totally valid commentary in here about the inequities in academia and i am all for it
17/06 1:15pm
it sort of feels like all the STEM ali hazelwood's are the same story, just different disciplines of science
₊˚⊹♡ pre-reading:
so I was reading the nightingale - however then I got sad and find myself spending my whole sunday in bed and a historical fiction wasn't really making me feel any better, so as a women in STEM I picked this as a light hopefully cheerful read ˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆｡☆
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°❀⋆.lisa °❀⋆. (catching up)
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Jun 16, 2024 12:15AM
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