The New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners returns with a witty and effervescent novel about what happens when two people with everything on the line are thrown together by science - or is it fate?
Single mom Jess Davis is a data and statistics wizard, but no amount of number crunching can convince her to step back into the dating world. After all, her father was never around, her hard-partying mother disappeared when she was six, and her ex decided he wasn't "father material" before her daughter was even born. Jess holds her loved ones close but working constantly to stay afloat is hard...and lonely.
But then Jess hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company that's predicted to change dating forever. Finding a soulmate through DNA? The reliability of numbers: This Jess understands.
At least she thought she did, until her test shows an unheard-of 98 percent compatibility with another subject in the database: GeneticAlly's founder, Dr. River Peña. This is one number she can't wrap her head around, because she already knows Dr. Peña. The stuck-up, stubborn man is without a doubt not her soulmate. But GeneticAlly has a proposition: Get 'to know him and we'll pay you. Jess - who is barely making ends meet - is in no position to turn it down, despite her skepticism about the project and her dislike for River. As the pair are dragged from one event to the next as the "Diamond" pairing that could launch GeneticAlly's valuation sky-high, Jess begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist - and the science behind a soulmate - than she thought.
"Laugh-out-loud, sweet, charming, and humorous" (Library Journal, starred review), The Soulmate Equation proves that the delicate balance between fate and choice can never be calculated.
Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of longtime writing partners and best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, the New York Times, USA TODAY, and #1 internationally bestselling authors of the Beautiful and Wild Seasons series, Dating You / Hating You, Autoboyography, Love and Other Words, Roomies, Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating, My Favorite Half-Night Stand, The Unhoneymooners, Twice in a Blue Moon, and The Soulmate Equation. You can find them online at ChristinaLaurenBooks.com, @ChristinaLauren on Instagram, or @ChristinaLauren on Twitter.
"Lauren, the author duo behind The Honey-Don't List (2020) and countless other rom-coms, not only introduce a fascinating and unique premise, but flawlessly execute it with their trademark humor and charm... A sexy, science-filled, and surprising romance full of warmth and wit." - Kirkus Reviews
"This latest romance by the duo Christina Lauren, following The Honey-Don't List (2020), is another winner." - Booklist
"Lauren ( The Unhoneymooners) delivers a charming romance sparked by a DNA match... Lauren creates tension and feel-good moments without making the plot too predictable. This is a sweet treat." - Publishers Weekly
"With the laugh-out-loud voice that Lauren's die-hard fans adore, this sweet, charming, and humorous book is a perfect match for readers looking for a low-stakes, high swoon-factor romance." - Library Journal
"Writing duo and reigning romance queens Christina Lauren are back with The Soulmate Equation, their most ambitious book to date." - POPSUGAR
"The writing team of Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings--authors of more than 25 novels, including the 'Beautiful' series--makes its hardcover debut with this funny romance about a single mom who trusts data more than men. That's put to the test when a new DNA-based dating service matches her with the creator of the genetic profiling technology, a mystery man who also frequents her coffee shop." - San Antonio Express-News
"[A] novel with a fascinating blend of modern science and old-fashioned attraction... Sweet and thoughtful, The Soulmate Equation explores what makes people click." - Shelf Awareness
"The Soulmate Equation is refreshing in that the characters don't waste time agonizing over whether they have chemistry. In fact, that's the whole premise: Jess Davis, a single mom, and River Peña, a handsome scientist, have matched on his dating app, which analyzes DNA to determine compatibility. Unlike similar books in the genre, the plot focuses not on whether they will realize their attraction but rather on if two people who are clearly a match will put in the effort required to make a relationship flourish. In that way, it's much more relatable and realistic than many rom-coms..." - USA Today
"After countless bestsellers, virtually every new release from the duo Christina Lauren generates plenty of (justified) buzz months in advance. (Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of long-time writing partners Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings.) One of the most anticipated releases of the summer, The Soulmate Equation is a rom-com inspired by the proliferation of at-home DNA tests and what the advancement of this technology could mean for our lives beyond just finding out more about our genetic backgrounds. For instance, imagine what could happen by cutting out the dating apps and going straight for...a DNA matchmaking test." - Fortune
"[A] charming and thoughtful romantic comedy, populated not only by an appealing protagonist but also by several memorable supporting characters... [Readers] will be rooting for these two statistical soulmates to make it -- no matter how long the odds." - Bookreporter
"Can DNA determine your soulmate? This is the fascinating question behind Christina Lauren's witty and highly original new novel, which follows a statistician and single mother who signs up for a dating company using DNA as its matchmaking model -- only to find herself matched to the company's unctuous, unappealing founder. A surprisingly romantic, science-based take on finding love and happily ever after." - BookBub
"Friends, this book is witty and sweet and so swoony. I rooted for Jess and River from the outset and laughed out loud more times than I could count. Add it to your to-be-read list, ASAP; future you will appreciate it." - Washington Post
