Title: Once Upon An Algorithm
Author: Clara O'Connor
Pages: 329
Genre: Contemporary romance (Sub-genre: opposites attract, enemies to lovers)
Is this book part of a series? No
I discovered this book via... Netgalley working with Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter.
Publish date: January 19th, 2024
A brand new spicy STEM romance for fans of Ali Hazelwood and Sally Thorne!
Leonie's personal dating algorithm:
1. Over 6 ft Tall
2. Funny and carefree
3. Well-travelled
But when a dating app leads Leonie to one night in Paris with brooding stranger Jack – the total opposite of what she's looking for – she realises her list is missing out the most important thing: chemistry. And the chemistry between Leonie and Jack is off the charts!
Could the algorithm be on to something? When Leonie starts her new job at a tech start up the last person she expects to see is Jack. But there he is, sitting in the boss's office, the man behind the code and the best night of sex of her life…
I absolutely love these characters! Leonie is smart, but complicated with a huge chip onn her shoulder and prone to assuming things. Jack is... the same. Misunderstandings ensue, as they always do, and I get whiplash from all the emotional about-faces... but that's what makes them interesting. We have a great cast of friends (the chat Greek Chorus), and some real personal growth- which is basically my catnip. I love watching characters grow- learn to think differently, begin to heal from their past, just grow up... all of it. I found this book fairly satisfying in that reguard.
Leonie's family life is complicated- her feelings about the step father that swept her single mother off her feet. I love that she can see how good he is for her mother at all times, but at the same time can at least acknowledge the fact that his money money and excessive generosity made her uncomfortable. Growing up never feeling like you belong...this would put walls up. Mike was unexpected. Hardly the evil step-father but one that simply tried to hard and didn't know how to connect. I loved that he and Leonie could talk, that he cared about her so much. Eric, though, is almost cliche in his evil stepbrother/ spoiled rich boy persona. I nearly found his sections difficult to get through- I understand the need, for the plot he was absolutely necessary, but it didn't make his addition to the story any less cliche. Still, it was a charming, funny fast read that checked all my rom-com needs. I would give it a four.
As far as adult content, there's a lot. Drinking, language, and sexual content (Level three spice, and still way more time spent on building the relationship than writing sex scenes). Trigger warnings: gaslighting and possible cheating. There was nothing too over the top, I would say new adult and up.
I was lucky enough to receive an eARC of this book from Netgalley and One More Chapter in exchange for an honest review. My thanks.
The book comes out in January! Is it on your TBR?
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