Spoiler-Free Review: The Alice Equation by Davina Stone
Thank you to the author, Davina Stone, and Book Sirens for this free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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Synopsis:
The Alice Equation by Davina Stone is basically a fake dating/friends-to-lovers romance. It follows our two main characters who have been best friends for five years: Alice and Aaron. Alice works in a bookshop and has been pining after Aaron for years whilst Aaron is a party guy with commitment issues. When Aaron tries to land a job at a highly prestigious law firm, he needs a fake date to show his commitment to the law firm's idea of "family values." Alice agrees to fake date Aaron so that he can get the job. Throughout the book, Alice and Aaron uncover hidden secrets and lies as they try to navigate and understand their complex relationship.
Note/Disclaimer: This is DEFINITELY a new adult story. It contains mature themes, please proceed with caution.
Content Warnings: Sexual Tension, Sex, Grief, Expletive Language (cursing).
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Review:
The Alice Equation by Davina Stone really took me for a wild ride. This novel was extremely fast-paced and some very INTENSE things were already happening by page 100. I love how Aaron and Alice's friendship is already pre-established and they've been friends for a long time. It really makes the romance and the events of the book seem more realistic and believable. At times, I got extremely frustrated with the miscommunication that kept happening between the two main characters.
I found Aaron to be quite arrogant and full of himself at the beginning of the story. He's pretty selfish and treats Alice with little regard, taking her friendship for granted. I really appreciated how his personality develops throughout the story and he learns how to become more open and accept his emotions. His closed-off behavior makes sense because of his traumatic past but I appreciated the fact that near the end of the story, he begins to move past this.
The story mostly focused on the romance and I wish there had been more of a B plot throughout the story beyond just the romance. A secondary plot was introduced quite late into the story at around page 200 that I ABSOLUTELY adored. I really wish we would've gotten more of that in the story. Another critique I have for the story is the lack of development in the setting/environment. I didn't realize that this story even took place in Australia until around the halfway point in the story. If there were subtle hints in the book suggesting that it took place in Australia, I missed most of them as an American. I learned that it took place in Australia only when it was blatantly stated in the story.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book but some scenes were a little intense on the smut for my taste. This would've been fine if there has been some more plot to carry the story through. I liked the characters' connection with each other and the other relationships portrayed throughout the book. Having these other fleshed out relationships made the story and characters feel more realistic. I think the biggest critiques I have for the story was the fact that the setting of the story and the secondary plot point felt underdeveloped. I considered rating this a solid four-star, but have lowered my rating because of my issues with the setting and secondary plot development.
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