I am convinced that people who think romance isn’t the best fictional genre just haven’t read the right Christina Lauren book yet.
The True Love Experiment follows Felicity “Fizzy” Chen who’s feeling lost. Sure, she’s got an amazing career as a beloved romance novelist, but she hasn’t written anything new in ages. Stuck in a rut, Fizzy realises that as much as she’s written about love, she’s never been in it herself. Connor Prince, meanwhile, is a documentary filmmaker and single father who’s happy with where he’s at in life, even if there is no romance to speak of. When his profit-minded boss orders him to create a reality TV show to bring in the big bucks or get fired, Connor is out of his element. Desperate to find a romantic lead that will make the show a success, he finds the perfect solution in Fizzy. What if he could find the queen of romance her soulmate on live television? When Fizzy eventually says yes, and the production of The True Love Experiment begins which brings them in close proximity and sparks being to fly, Connor wonders if he’s met his perfect match—only to have to see her find her happily ever after with someone else.
The premise of this book? 10/10, would recommend. The execution? Somehow even better. I mean, come on, this is set during a reality TV show that casts hero archetypes as potential suitors and has a romance novelist fall back in love not only with writing but with love itself. What more could you possibly want? Breathtaking characters and relationship dynamics that will have you grinning like a Cheshire Cat? Whoo boy, are you in for a treat.
Our main characters Fizzy and Connor are just the absolute best. Their banter felt so natural and completely in character and what’s more, throughout the entirety of the story, you could actually feel the bond between them strengthening. Yet despite them becoming romantically entangled, they never lost that spark, that connection that drove me absolutely mad with love. I adored that even in their steamier moments, you could still tell that these two are also just genuinely best friends who have more fun together than apart. Rarely have I ever read about such a well-balanced couple. There is literally no way that you can read this book without falling in love with Fizzy and Connor on their own and then fall in love with their relationship.
Don’t get me wrong, both Fizzy and Connor are not perfect (but yes they are), they have flaws (no, shhh, these babies are flawless) and they make mistakes but that’s okay because they learn from them. There is a bit of drama added because, well, Fizzy is literally the star of Connor’s reality show and supposed to find her true love within the show, not behind the cameras. We also explore ridiculous and antiquated stereotypes about the romance genre and I loved seeing Fizzy and later on Connor calling people out for not seeing how breathtaking romance fiction can be. We also have an incredible cast of secondary characters, for example Connor’s daughter and his ex-wife, not to mention Fizzy’s best friend Jess (who you’ll be familar with if you’ve read The Soulmate Equation). There’s also tons of personal growth and learning from the things you have done in the past and there’s a strong focus on what it means to love and to be in love, especially when you think you’ll never really get it. Watching Fizzy relearn what it means to love and falling in love for the first time after having written about it for ages and then see Connor struggling to pursue Fizzy’s happily-ever-after even if he isn’t a part of that equation was nothing short of riveting. I couldn’t put this story down even if I wanted to because these characters just wouldn’t let go of me.
It’s incredible that Christina and Lauren have written thirty books together and somehow they still manage to surprise me with every single one of them. These ladies don’t get older, they just get better and I can’t wait to see what they’ll come up with next.
An homage to romance writers, readers, and lovers alike, The True Love Experiment is an unputdownable read following a romance novelist falling back in love with writing while participating in a reality TV show that’s supposed to help her find her soulmate on live television—only for her to fall in love with the man behind the camera.
The True Love Experiment is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of May 16th.
Will you be picking up The True Love Experiment? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Sparks fly when a romance novelist and a documentary filmmaker join forces to craft the perfect Hollywood love story and take both of their careers to the next level—but only if they can keep the chemistry between them from taking the whole thing off script.
Felicity “Fizzy” Chen is lost. Sure, she’s got an incredible career as a beloved romance novelist with a slew of bestsellers under her belt, but when she’s asked to give a commencement address, it hits her: she hasn’t been practicing what she’s preached.
Fizzy hasn’t ever really been in love. Lust? Definitely. But that swoon-worthy, can’t-stop-thinking-about-him, all-encompassing feeling? Nope. Nothing. What happens when the optimism she’s spent her career encouraging in readers starts to feel like a lie?
Connor Prince, documentary filmmaker and single father, loves his work in large part because it allows him to live near his daughter. But when his profit-minded boss orders him to create a reality TV show, putting his job on the line, Connor is out of his element. Desperate to find his romantic lead, a chance run-in with an exasperated Fizzy offers Connor the perfect solution. What if he could show the queen of romance herself falling head-over-heels for all the world to see? Fizzy gives him a hard pass—unless he agrees to her list of demands. When he says yes, and production on The True Love Experiment begins, Connor wonders if that perfect match will ever be in the cue cards for him, too.
The True Love Experiment is the book fans have been waiting for ever since Fizzy’s debut in The Soulmate Equation. But when the lights come on and all eyes are on her, it turns out the happily ever after Fizzy had all but given up on might lie just behind the camera.
