I got to see Christina Lauren in person last night through a local bookstore and and my local library. Christina and Lauren are just as funny and charming and delightful as you’d expect them to be. 

Also funny, charming, and delightful? The True Love Experiment. 

If you’ve read The Soulmate Equation, you know what a bold and hilarious character Fizzy is, and she finds her match in hot single dad Conner, the executive producer who recruits her for a new reality tv dating show. Get this – the premise is a romance author looking for love, with each of the contestants a romance hero archetype (cinnamon roll, hot nerd, cowboy, vampire, etc). 

Fizzy and Conner’s relationship was adorable and funny and full of forbidden chemistry. This was a tiny bit spicier than I’m used to for modern day CLo and I was obviously here for it. I loved revisiting Jess, River, and Juno, and really enjoyed all the new characters as well. 

If you are a reality tv lover, you are sure to love all the behind the scenes aspects of this. I am not a huge reality tv show lover but I still found it enjoyable, though slightly hard to keep all the contestants straight. 

Overall, I had a great time reading this! It was delightfully funny and romantic and felt like a big love letter to the romance genre. From the fans to the tropes, to the bucking of patriarchal norms, it just felt like a big warm hug to this romance lover. 

And if you’re wondering, yes. I did drag every book pictured into the signing line afterward 🙃