The True Love Experiment | ARC Review

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.

This was a nice reality dating TV show, sequel to a fan favorite, romance author meets TV exec. novel. It didn’t quite live up to expectations or to the book that came before it, but I still enjoyed it.

Fizzy is so funny! I feel like we knew this from book one, but we really get a front row seat to her humor and the absolute chaos of her brain. I loved it. She’s comfortable with romance novels, talking and writing them obviously, but she also stands up for them when people express ill-informed opinions on them. She usually says what’s on her mind, even if others might think it’s embarrassing or revealing. And she’s not afraid of her sexuality. She’s awesome!

Connor is also a great character. He is a cutie with that British accent and general nice-ness. As well, I love that he does whatever he can to please Fizzy while balancing what he knows is necessary to take care of his daughter and stay close to her.

My main negative of the book is that the romance lost some of the magic when they admitted so early on that they liked each other. And it was more than simply attraction so I felt like things were obvious. That doesn’t mean there weren’t problems and conflicts with their relationship, but some of that sparkle was missing.

Overall, this was a nice sequel and I’m really glad I got to know Fizzy better. She deserved her own story.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed a gifted and advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating

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