In The Soulmate Equation, Christina Lauren serves up a fresh, science-y spin on the dating app romance trope with a single parent, Women in STEM, and a San Diego setting.
I always love their books set in SD! (Which books are in SD? Most of the Wild Seasons series – book 1 is on Kindle Unlimited right now.)
As a 30-year old mom raising her 7-year old daughter with the help of her grandparents, Jess’s focus hasn’t been on dating. She’s a contract statistician who meets up with her romance author bestie daily at their local coffee shop to work.
Then they find out one of the hot, but remote regulars is developing a dating app based on genetic compatibility. Felicity (aka Fizzy), who’s always looking for fodder for her books, can’t resist diving right in. And she brings Jess with her.
Jess makes an unprecedented match and it sets in motion a series of events that complicates the already fraught experience of getting to know someone new. Add to it that you’re constantly questioning if it’s chemistry or genetics that determines attraction and compatibility. Early on the book tries to head off any notion that this is smacks of eugenics, and none of the matches in the book suggest that’s the aim.
Single parent romance isn’t usually a trope I go for, but between the village helping Jess raise her daughter (especially Fizzy) and the romance itself, The Soulmate Equation is pretty irresistible. I will say the return of Jess’ manipulative mother who always seems to need money was the low point for me. Content warning for anyone who has similar relationships in their lives.
While there are plenty of UNF moments, The Soulmate Equation is on the low-to-medium steam side. I’d put it somewhere between The Unhoneymooners and In a Holidaze.
Worth noting that the hero is Latinx, Fizzy is assumed to be at least part Chinese (surname is Chen), but it’s mostly a fact of identity, their ethnicities don’t play much, if at all, into the story.
4 stars
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