The Love Algorithm by Camilla Isley - Book Review

Series: True Love #3 (Standalone) 

Publication Date: 26th April 2024

Genre: STEM Romance 

3.5 Stars (rounding up for K-2P) 

One Liner: Light read with a few niggles 

Reese has a PhD at 28 and is the youngest head of Research and Development at Mercer Robotics. She knows what she wants from her career and is happy doing a job she loves rather than competing for promotions. A call from the Big Boss makes her wonder what it could be. However, Reese is annoyed that she has been saddled to babysit the Boss’s son, a billionaire with no idea about engineering or robotics. 

Yet, she cannot ignore the sparks between them. But to make a move would affect her job and her career. The more they get to each other, the more intense the chemistry. Can Reese hold on to the boundaries, or will things spiral into something else? 

The story comes in Reese and Thomas’s first-person POVs. 

My Thoughts: 

I WANT K-2P! Send me that sassy little droid, and I promise to rate all your books 5 stars. Can you imagine a little AI robot that’s so much more human than some humans? That’s K-2P, the adorable cutie robot with all human emotions and more. Blend the personalities of a dog, a cat, and a kid, and you get K-2P. 

Okay… I also need to talk about the book, so here it goes. 

The dual POV shows both their backstories and internal thoughts, which makes the characters more relatable. Getting only Reese’s POV here would have put Thomas in a bad light. Thankfully, we know his feelings even before she does.  

I wanted a lighthearted and fluffy romance, so this book worked well. It does touch upon a few themes like parental abandonment, insecurity, workplace gender bias, etc. However, the overall tone doesn’t get heavy. 

The banter is fun to read. There’s quite a lot of technical stuff, too, but can’t have a STEM book without it. Not an issue since even Thomas has no idea when Reese explains. ;) 

There was some conflict in the last quarter but is resolved quite easily. Not complaining much as it suited my mood. However, I do think the whole episode should have been better structured. I don’t particularly like it when a character does something that doesn’t align with their basic arc. 

A few niggles I wish were better – 

• Maria objectifies Thomas (a little is okay, but shouldn’t cross the line); imagine if Thomas did that to her 
  
  
• No reason for an ex to appear 
  
  
• Way too much focus on physical attraction despite both characters showing enough promise as good people 

Oh, there are some Star Wars (movies) references as well. Went over my head, but those who know might enjoy it more. 

To summarize, The Love Algorithm is a light and fluffy closed-door romance with the cutest droid ever! It’s a short book and can be read in a sitting or two. This is a standalone, though characters from another book are present. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for eARC. 

#NetGalley #TheLoveAlgorithm