Book Review: Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
Happy belated pub day to Love on the Brain and Ali Hazelwood! And thank you Berkley Publishing for the e-arc 💞
“Levi Ward, His Wardness, Dr. Wardass, despised me. Me. Specifically me.”
About The Book
This book was just splendidly splendid. It’s a snarky, snort-laugh and laugh-out-loud funny enemies to lovers, slowburn romcom with women in STEM, neuroscience labs, vegan things, brain tech, some science trivia, clever kittens, and a workplace mystery! I was a huge fan of Ali’s debut, The Love Hypothesis, but my goodness, Love on the Brain just hit even better and I loved it even more!
Book Details
Title: Love on the Brain
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary Romance, Romcom, STEM
My Rating: ★★★★★/5
Purchase a copy: Amazon | Amazon Kindle | Bookshop.org | Book Depository
Add on Goodreads | Literal >> Check out my blog all about Literal Club here <<
Synopsis
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 - 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. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school - archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away.
But when her equipment starts to go missing and the staff ignore her, Bee could swear she sees Levi softening into an ally, backing her plays, seconding her ideas... devouring her with those eyes. 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 want to try them all. All the kisses Levi Ward is capable of, I want to sample them like fine wine.”
The Story
spoiler-free
Love on the Brain is a snarky, snort-laugh funny, and laugh-out-loud enemies to lovers, slowburn romcom with a broody, alpha male engineer and an eccentric neuroscientist who lives by one rule: what would Marie Curie do? And when she lands a lead role on a new and exciting neuroengineering project with NASA, her dreams are beginning to take shape in reality! …Until she finds out she’ll actually have to co-lead with her archnemesis…
this book has:
a NASA project
academic setting x neuroscience labs
the convergence of the brain x tech
sworn archenemies to lovers
also friends to lovers, slowburn
secret academic Twitter accounts
fancy swag for astronauts
“it’s always been you” x he falls first
serial fainting spells (or swooning moments, if you will)
a workplace mystery!
some science trivia
clever, mysterious kittens
hummingbirds x gardens x vegan things
eccentrically lovable side characters
broody, alpha male engineer
The Characters
these are some of the main players that still stand out to me!
Bee, our beautiful human and FMC of the story, she’s incredibly endearing, self-deprecating and highly self-aware looking to better the industry she works in as well as her status in life while maintaining a positive outlook and work ethic. I love her personality and attitude to pieces.
Levi, our broody, alpha male love interest with a sweet disposition and misunderstood feelings and intentions. He’s one of my favorite male leads, ever.
Reike, Bee’s twin sis and sounding board, I loved getting her perspective and sisterly love & banter throughout the story.
Rocio, Bee’s assistant and maybe the most lovable and eccentric side character I’ve ever read. I loved her random, gothic facts and dark, but matter-of-fact, outlook about life. She made me laugh a lot!
Steamometer
🔥 - STEAMYYYY GOODNESS
LOTB was much steamier than TLH! You can expect multiple open door scenes with tasteful, spicy moments with possessive, alpha male vibes 😏
For those who are unfamiliar with my Steamometer, check it out below (it’s ever-evolving lol)!
❤️ NICE AND SWEET
💃🏼 SASSY SPICE
🔥 STEAMYYYY GOODNESS
🥵 MY OVARIES ARE BURSTING
🌋 my whole body is on fire and I’m melting
🖤 SMUTASTIC
Content Warnings
These are just potential content warnings that I noticed while reading:
past trauma
death of a friend (off page)
cheating (off page)
friendship breakup
Overall Thoughts
✨🐈⬛👩🏼🚀🔭🥼💖🥰
Mmmkay. So I LOVED The Love Hypothesis... like really loved it... but, my gah, I am over the moon for Love On The Brain!! What a profoundly hilarious and heartwarming read! I was immediately hooked from the first few pages — I really love it when the writing style somehow makes the intro sound like an opening monologue overture of a phenomenal TV show or movie (same with the epilogue/ending!).
Love on the Brain was sarcastic, witty, and charming. Snort-laugh, burst out loud funny. That covert kind of snark and dry wit that completely sneaks up on you. The writing is fast-paced and just filled with so much rich prose and meaningful moments. Every word, sentence, paragraph meant something to the story. It's angsty. Heartracing. Spicy. And just splendidly splendid. I forgot I was reading half the time and just zoomed right through. It's basically a glowing 5 stars and I already want to read it again!
I'd also like a next chapter in Bee and Levi's lives, thank you very much. 🐝👖🐈🐈⬛
“I guess this is it — being in love. Truly in love. Lots and lots of horrible, wondrous, violent emotions.”
About The Author
About ali:
My favorite thing in the world is to explore traditional romance tropes—and to picture how they’ll play out in academic settings.
Rival scientists falling in love despite their better judgement? There’s only one cot in the lab? Fake dating during faculty meeting?
Sign me up!
I’m originally from Italy, lived in Japan and Germany, and eventually moved to the US to pursue a Ph.D. in Neuroscience. I recently became a professor, which absolutely terrifies me. Oh, the sheer dread of being entrusted with the care of young minds!
When I’m not at work you can find me binge-watching shows with my feline overlords (and my slightly less feline husband), running, or eating candy.
Website | Instagram | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook
*Pic and bio Courtesy of her website
Love on the Brain is out now!
Thank you so much Berkley Publishing for the advanced digital and review copy.
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Oh hey, friend!
I’m Leah. Cozy connoisseur and bountiful book buyer. I have a minor obsession with getting lost in the pages of a good book, guzzling coffee, and thriving at home. Leggings, wine, and essential oils are also my jam. I'm truly just a bookworm and homebody at heart with a knack for content creation & cozy shots. This is my creative space.
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