Look at me, turning into a Christina Lauren fan.

When I think back to The Soulmate Equation, one of the things which stands out most vividly in my mind is Fizzy. In fact, I'd wager to say she is probably the most memorable supporting character I've ever come across in a romcom. She's sassy, fun, and so sharp with a comeback, it brought an undeniable zing to every page she was on. So it's particularly exciting that CL decided to bring Fizzy back and make her the star of her own story.

Of course, when authors revisit a character, there is always the fear that what made the character so special in another book doesn't translate to the new one, that the magical essence somehow gets lost. But I'm happy to report that nothing got lost here, ladies and gentlemen. Fizzy is just as scintillating and irreverent as ever, and I very much enjoyed her journey of finding her happily ever after.

The premise of this story is certainly an interesting one. I don't watch much reality TV, but I've caught a few episodes of dating shows while flipping through the channels and getting inadvertently caught up in the drama. After all, there is a reason they're so wildly popular. So I was definitely curious to see how Fizzy's dating show would shape up, and it ended up being a fun and unique one.

I will say though, I've noticed CL has a habit of writing scenarios for their main characters that are somewhat questionable and unethical, and it happened again here. The whole point of a dating show is to enter into it to find a potential mate, and you can't do that if you're already having a side relationship. This is especially true if you're the star of the show, as it makes it incredibly unfair to the contestants who are dating you. This was even mentioned in the story by Fizzy and Connor as being a part of Fizzy's contract. And yet, the book never goes on to address this moral quandary and mostly glosses over it by making everyone happy for the couple, including the contestants.

Another thing that struck me is that CL is two white authors writing a Chinese American main character, which seems a bit tricky. But they did tread gently, and as a result, struck a good compromising note. If you're looking for a book on anything related to the Chinese American experience, this isn't it. The book doesn't dive too deep or really at all into that. But honestly, I feel like that's the right call, as anything more would've probably come off as forced or inauthentic.

Thoughts and quibbles aside, I really did have loads of fun with this story. Was it a bit cheesy and drawn out towards the end, with a third act breakup that totally mystified me, as in the way of most romcoms? Yes. But that doesn't detract from how overall entertaining it was. I just gobbled it up, all the while having a big, silly smile on my face.

I never thought the day would come, but that's two Christina Lauren books I've enjoyed back-to-back. If that isn't a sign that I need to read more from this author duo, I don't know what is. The only question is, which of their 30 books should I go with next?

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

Wait, The Soulmate Equation is a romance with lots of data and science in it? Okay, just shut up and take my money.

Jess is a single mother who hasn't had a lot of luck in the relationship department. So when the chance comes up to try a new dating app that uses DNA matching (science!) to pair up participants, she is rightfully skeptical. And when her numbers come back (data!) and she is matched to one of the founders of the company, she is dumbstruck. Because she already knows him in real life, and he is rude and stuck up. So how can they possibly be genetic soulmates?

That premise got me hooked for sure. How absolutely fascinating to contemplate the possibility that compatibility could be genetically encoded into our DNA, and we only need to suss out the relevant data and create an app to harness it. As a data-driven girl, I tell you this is right up my alley. Not to mention, I'm quite a sappy romantic and love the idea of soulmates.

But science aside, at its core, this is a terrific enemies-to-lovers romance, and that's one of my favorite tropes. Everyone's so gruff and uptight in the beginning, and then they slowly thaw. I was positively gleeful following along as this couple warmed up to each other and realized there is more between them than just hate and distrust.

There are so many lovable side characters in here, I can't figure out who I want to hug first. Fizzy, Juno, Nana Jo, and Pops add so much humor and heart to the whole thing, it almost feels like a loss to come to the end and have to say goodbye to them.

For a romcom, this book doesn't shy away from touching upon some of the more complex issues surrounding such a technology were it to actually exist. I particularly appreciated its exploration of choice versus destiny, and also what it means to find out you're genetically compatible with a complete stranger.

To be honest, I'm a little bit surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I had previously read a few other books by this author duo and they never really spoke to me (or maybe I just haven't picked the right ones), so I wasn't expecting much here. But I'm so glad I took the chance.

This is everything I want in a romcom—a fascinating premise, a swoon-worthy couple, tons of chemistry (har har), and the most adorable and funny supporting cast. While the unique premise drew me in, I stayed for the story, and what an absolute gem it turned out to be.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

You guys are messing with me, right? Because there is no way The Unhoneymooners is Christina Lauren's most popular book.

Going in, all the gushing reviews would have me believing this is a sure bet, that I was in for a fun time the likes of which only this author duo can deliver. After all, I enjoy a good love/hate relationship as much as the next girl. But coming out, I'm left wondering if I read the same book as everyone else.

The story starts off strong. The initial pages were bubbly and charming as events unfold that lead to Olive and Ethan ending up in Maui together. But not soon after, the awkward train arrives, and my enjoyment of this book completely falls apart.

You guys, I don't understand this coupling at all. There is no chemistry between them. They're cold towards each other one moment, then hot the next. Love/hate relationships are only fun if I can understand the whys of one and the other, but all I got here was whiplash trying to follow along.

As far as I can tell, Olive likes Ethan solely because he's attractive. On every page, Olive mentions his muscles, his abs, his biceps, his beautiful face, his long lashes, his blue eyes... it goes on and on. Yeah okay, I get it, he's a good looking dude! At the same time, she hates him because she thinks he doesn't like her. And the only reason Ethan gives for liking Olive is her boobs. I'm sorry, I didn't realize we were back in the eighth grade again.

What's more, the supposedly flirty banter between them makes me cringe in embarrassment, especially for Olive. She tries so hard in their interactions to be snarky, but it comes across as forced, inappropriate, and awkward. And she reads into everything he says and ends up incorrectly interpreting almost everything. It was exhausting. And Ethan doesn't help, giving signals he's thinking about his ex, then acting like a clueless dumbass when Olive is hurt.

Usually a romance either has a few explicit steamy scenes or the author can chose to let it all happen behind closed doors, and either is fine with me. But this book oddly tries to straddle both. There's no explicit scenes shown, but instead we are told constantly at random, unrelated times that they happened, a lot. Yes, cue even more awkwardness.

And on top of all this, the last 100 pages took a complete left turn into Stupid Town (population: this book), for no reason I could discern. The story was pretty much all wrapped up, and then it kept going right off of a cliff. When someone you care about tells you that they got an unwanted advance and it made them uncomfortable, your response should not be in the vein of, "I don't believe it. Really it's he said/she said. And what does it matter what the truth is anyways?" Come on, you guys, am I really supposed to cheer for these clowns?

As you can see, I'm a little bit baffled. Try as I might, I just can't seem to find the love for this book that everyone else clearly adores. Boring, cringey, and awkward are not words I want to associate with my romcoms, not to mention whatever the last 100 pages was.

This is my second book by this author duo, and at this point, I'm starting to wonder if maybe they aren't for me. In both, silly main characters doing questionable things make it hard for me to see them as viable romantic leads, which ultimately defeats the purpose of a romance anyways.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars

Overall, I do like My Favorite Half-Night Stand. It was a fun and enjoyable romantic comedy with a great cast of supporting characters, as well as a likable male lead. For me, what kept it from being great instead of just good is that I didn't really connect with Millie. She comes off as both standoffish and needy. She runs away from communication and honesty, even though I do understand that that functions as the main conflict (without which there would be no story). But what really seems cruel and unforgivable is that she catfished Reid, her supposed best friend/lover.

Romances are so personal. What speaks to one person doesn't always speak to another. A lot for me depends on how much I can relate to the main characters, and with this story, Millie was just a little too much of a villain for me to really buy into the Millie/Reid love story. The catfishing aside, I found the rest of the story to be entertaining and the other characters to be lovable. This was my first book by Christina Lauren, and I'll definitely give this duo's other books a try.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars