Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Reviewed On: October 6, 2022
BASIC PLOT
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?
REVIEW
Okay, first off… I have to agree with other reviews I have read. Love on the Brain is similar to The Love Hypothesis in a few ways. Yes, it focuses on STEM and is issues women face in this field. Yes, the main characters are a witty female scientist and big quiet male scientist. Yes, they both have traumatic pasts. BUT… Isn’t this basically all contemporary romance novels at the heart? So, I mean, really, what did you expect? All stories in this genre are basically similar. Right, end rant. On to the review!
Bee (cute name!) is a funky, hard working, intelligent neuroscientist who is basically obsessed with Marie Curie. I have nothing against Marie Curie – She is the original badass female STEMist! Also, Marie Curie was Polish (waving hands because I’m Polish too) and the bashing on the University of Krakow had me laughing out loud. Bee has had an unusual upbringing and it has shaped her into the person she is today.
Levi is clearly overly handsome, very tall and brooding – but only around Bee! As we come to discover (because it’s not hard to see) Levi has been head-over-heels in love with Bee since he first met her. He does everything he can to make sure she stays on the project and that she can do her work to the best of her ability, because she is the best. I mean… How sweet! He’s also got his share of drama and trauma with that crazy family of his.
Two traumatized people getting together… yeah… There won’t be any issues in this relationship. Jokes! Lots of issues. Lots of questions (mostly Bee trying to figure out what to do). But that’s all part of growing and evolving in a relationship.
So, this book had me laughing out loud, clutching my heart and sighing romantically to the pages. The way Levi drops everything to help Bee. The way Bee doesn’t see how he sees her. The way they talk to each other over twitter without realizing it… So cute! The science is not over the top or too hard to understand/follow, which I enjoy. We get to see some of the stuff that women in STEM (and in reality, in any industry) face on a daily basis – Not enough books talk about this, and I stand by my opinion that it is a huge part of our work lives. There where enough twists that I was kept on the edge and simply had to know what would happen next! It’s a very easy read and a total beach-day book.
One major difference between The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain is the amount of sex. There is A LOT more in Love on the Brain. It’s not contained to one chapter, it’s more spread out. I didn’t mind because it was well written. I do wish (just like with The Love Hypothesis) that we could get Levi’s perspective too!
FAVOURITE QUOTES
He’s speechless for a moment, and then says, somehow managing to sound honest, “Bee, I don’t despise you.”
I’ve been cataloging a million little quirks of hers in my head, and they are enchanting. She is enchanting.
I want to tell her that she’s luminous, she’s so bright in my mind, sometimes I can’t focus.
“You were always in my head. And I could never get you out.”
His eyes flutter closed. His lips move closer. “I’m terrified that you won’t go far enough.”
“You could rip me to shreds, Bee.”
I love you, I think. And you are my home.
STAR RATING
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