Book Review: The Soulmate Equation

Kay's Secret Library
Feb 17, 2022
3 min read

The Soulmate Equation (2021) by Christina Lauren

Fiction | Romance | Contemporary

Disclaimer: In every review that I complete, I try my best to avoid spoilers of any kind and include spoiler warnings when necessary.

About the book (from Goodreads)

Single mom Jess Davis is a data and statistics wizard, but no amount of number crunching can convince her to step back into the dating world. After all, her father was never around, her hard-partying mother disappeared when she was six, and her ex decided he wasn’t “father material” before her daughter was even born. Jess holds her loved ones close but working constantly to stay afloat is hard...and lonely.

But then Jess hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company that’s predicted to change dating forever. Finding a soulmate through DNA? The reliability of numbers: This Jess understands.

At least she thought she did until her test shows an unheard-of 98 percent compatibility with another subject in the database: GeneticAlly’s founder, Dr. River Peña. This is one number she can’t wrap her head around because she already knows Dr. Peña. The stuck-up, stubborn man is without a doubt, not her soulmate.

But GeneticAlly has a proposition: Get ‘to know him and we’ll pay you. Jess—who is barely making ends meet—is in no position to turn it down, despite her skepticism about the project and her dislike for River. As the pair are dragged from one event to the next as the “Diamond” pairing that could launch GeneticAlly’s valuation sky-high, Jess begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist—and the science behind a soulmate—than she thought.

Note: I read Christina Lauren's (the pen-name for the best friend duo) In a Holidaze last month and I LOVED it as well. I'm offcially putting all of their books on my tbr.

My Review

This book hooked me from the beginning. I am absolutely thrilled with it! It was quite possibly the best rom-com I've read in a very long time. It wasn't overly spicy, it wasn't too cheesy, and I had no problem reading it in only a few hours.

“Statistics can't tell us what will happen, they can only tell us what might happen.”

The Good Things

The story was rendered flawlessly, and the title fits it perfectly.
The main characters are all fantastic. Jess is a headstrong single mom who puts her kid first and is afraid of making any romantic commitment because of it (and her ex). River is a dreamboat smart-pants who is all but deserving of love. I found myself cheering for them
Fizzy is the best sort of best friend, and I would love to read a story just about her.
The "fake" dating "we will pay you" aspect didn't FEEL fake, which is why I loved it so much. The enemies-to-lovers aspect isn't over the top, and I enjoyed it!
I love that the book was in the third person.

The Bad Things

There are a few minor aspects of the ending (character's actions) that didn't sit well for me, but this IS a rom-com, so I supposed I'll let them slide.
I have a very serious question that I can't ask without spoiling things and it is KILLING ME! It's not a bad thing, it's just something I desperately want to know, but likely never will.