Time for another round of Yvo’s Shorties! This time around two books I’ve been looking forward to read and ended up enjoying.

Title: The Soulmate Equation
Author: Christina Lauren
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
First published: May 18th 2021
Publisher: Gallery Books
Finished reading: August 6th 2021
Pages: 365

“This is part of life, Jess. Emergencies and responsability and managing small fires all the time – but it’s only part of it. There are quiet moments, too. Good moments. Moments when we can ask for more.”


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So… I know there has been a lot of hype around this title, and that it has been called the romance version of John Marrs’ popular story The One. This comparison in particular made me have really high expectations, as that book is basically an all time favorite and I actually reread it earlier this year. Before I continue with some quick rambles, I’m putting it out there that I won’t be joining the whole eugenics discussion that this story generates; I focused solely on the entertainment factor of the story without taking in account the possible moral implications. And the fact is: The Soulmate Equation turned out to be a very entertaining read for me. The (kind of) hate to love vibe, the family focus, the science, the chemistry… This is yet another book that shows the Christina Lauren duo knows how to write their romances, and I had a great time getting to know better the different characters in play. River, Fizzy and Juno are extremely easy to like, and while it took me a little longer to warm up to Jess, once I did it was great seeing her role in the story develop. The plot itself might be a tad predictable, but I personally didn’t mind as I liked how it all wrapped up in the end. As a whole, I can see why people have issues with this story, but purely looking at the entertainment factor I’m definitely calling The Soulmate Equation a win.

Title: The Lost Man
Author: Jane Harper
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
First published: October 23rd 2018
Publisher: Abacus
Finished reading: August 12th 2021
Pages: 432

“Life out here is hard. We all try to get through the best way we can. But trust me, there’s not a single person here who isn’t lying to themselves about something.”


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I’m still not sure why it took me this long to pick up my copy of The Lost Man to be honest… Especially after having a fantastic time with the two Aaron Falk books. And even though I do prefer those books in the end, I’m still glad I finally took the time to read this story. Jane Harper writes in a way that is so incredibly atmospheric and you can really picture yourself there in the hot and dusty Australian outback along with the rest of the characters. These thorough and vivid descriptions really made the setting come alive for me, and it was without doubt one of the things that made the story stand out for me. The mystery around the death of one of the brothers was intriguing too, although there wasn’t as much focus on that particular element in the plot as I thought there would be. Instead, you can see The Lost Man more as a slowburn family/domestic drama where the focus is mainly on Cameron and the rest of the family; their issues, secrets and past. While interesting, I do have to say that the pace was a tad too slow for me this time around and the plot itself lacked that suspense that I was hoping to find after hearing about the mysterious circumstances around Cameron’s death. It remains a solid read though and I do love Jane Harper‘s writing, so while The Lost Man wasn’t my favorite of the bunch, I still can’t wait to read her newest.

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