The True Love Experiment

I’m going back and forth between a 3 star and a 4 star. I had a lot of fun with this book, but I kept getting so annoyed by Fizzy’s POV and her constantly saying how “big” he his in compare to her “small” frame and all of the

9, 7.5, 8, 8, 7.5

Christina Lauren can be hit or miss for me. I enjoyed The Soulmate Equation, which I thought had a really fun premise. This book follows the best friend from that story (though it stands alone) and adds in a reality TV show and an ode to romance novels. Any plot that involves a dating show producer getting involved with the lead is automatically going to get compared to the tv show UnREAL for me. The first season of that show was just SO good and while it obviously had a much darker tone than this book it still felt way sexier in the will they/won't they unresolved tension department. This book just felt a little boring.

The True Love Experiment is such a fun idea. I expected to love every dramatic, romantic, and reality televised minute. Christina Lauren pairs a romance novelist with a documentary filmmaker, and then gives them a dating show filled with familiar romance archetypes. A woman searching for fictional chemistry on camera while falling for the man behind it sounded perfect. Somehow, the story still managed to lose me. Felicity “Fizzy” Chen is a successful romance novelist who realizes she has never experienced the love she writes about. Her creative confidence disappears which leaves her unable to finish another book. Connor Prince is a British documentary filmmaker and single father who is ordered to produce a reality dating show despite having no interest in the genre. Connor chooses Fizzy as his leading lady. She reluctantly agrees only after creating a list of demands. Her contestants must represent classic romance favorites such as the bad boy, cinnamon roll, and hot nerd. Connor must also spend two months helping her rediscover joy before filming begins. This plot should have created sharp banter, awkward dates, ridiculous contestants, and plenty of forbidden spice. I kept waiting for the story to become more exciting. It never did. The contestants blur together despite their assigned archetypes. The dates lack humor and drama. Fizzy and Connor share attraction, but their relationship never developed enough to make me care whether they ended up together. The slow pacing became my greatest struggle. I checked my reading percentage constantly and forgot entire sections soon after finishing them. A romance built around reality television, secret desire, and public declarations should not feel so dull. Pick this up if you enjoy gentle contemporary romance, single fathers, and reality dating shows. I loved the idea behind The True Love Experiment, but the storytelling never gave its clever plot the personality it deserved.

Listened through an audiobook- Obsessed with the actor’s voice that played Connor; fun continued story with two strong lead characters. Always nice to see a crazy crew of friends continued through another perspective