Love and Other Brain Experiments: A sizzling STEM rom-com, perfect for fans of rivals-to-lovers, fake dating and forced proximity
Feb 2026 · Bloomsbury Publishing
star
1 review
Ebook
336
Pages
About this ebook
'Brainy, fun, deeply relatable... This is a debut you don't want to miss, I guarantee it will take up all the bandwidth in your head and heart' - Elena Armas, NYT bestselling author of The Spanish Love Deception
***
Fake data is out of the question . . . but fake dating?
Neuroscientist Dr. Frances Silberstein has always had success on the brain. In grad school, she turned down a job – and her accomplished boyfriend – to forge her own academic path. Five years later, she's still single, hustling from project to project, and about to face her ex at a high-stakes conference – the same ex who once told her she'd never make it on her own.
When an argument with her meticulous and infuriatingly attractive rival Dr. Lewis North leads to a mistaken assumption that they're a couple, Frances accidentally confirms the misconception, inadvertently putting both their careers at stake. Forced to keep up appearances, Frances and Lewis know that for any scientist worth their salt, faking data is out of the question. But fake dating?
That might just be genius.
***
Perfect for fans of:
STEM romance
Enemies to lovers
Fake dating
Forced proximity
***
Readers LOVE Hannah Brohm:
'LOVE AND OTHER BRAIN EXPERIMENTS is the intellectually seductive, trope perfection, lanyard-melting debut of the year.' GoodReads reviewer, 5*
'This is a fantastic debut and this is an author that I'll be watching for. I only wish this book existed when I was still in grad school.' GoodReads reviewer, 5*
'I'm a sucker for STEM romance and this book had everything I was looking for and more.' GoodReads reviewer, 5*
'I can't come up with enough words to describe the love and admiration i have for this debut novel. It has simply become one of my favorite books of all time.' GoodReads reviewer, 5*
'I can't stop kicking my feet up and giggling at this book. 6 stars if I could.' GoodReads reviewer, 5*
***
PRAISE FOR LOVE AND OTHER BRAIN EXPERIMENTS:
'The perfect blend of fake dating and forearms, with the most romantic PowerPoint presentation you'll ever encounter.' - Laura Wood, author of 'Under Your Spell' and 'Lets Make a Scene'
'Sexy, heartfelt, and bursting with charm... This is pure academic rivals-to-lovers catnip' - Katie Naymon, author of You Between the Lines
'Love and Other Brain Experiments is a just-one-more-chapter, heart-palpitatingly romantic delight of a romance... the whole thing is utterly delicious' - Cressida McLaughlin, author of A Cornish Love Story
'Whip-smart, flirty and fun... This book changed my brain chemistry' - Annabelle Slator, author of The Launch Date
'Smart, tender, earnest and masterful... I'm no scientist, but my study's results say that Love and Other Brain Experiments needs to be on your bookshelf' - Georgia Stone, author of The Friendship Fling
***
Fake data is out of the question . . . but fake dating?
Neuroscientist Dr. Frances Silberstein has always had success on the brain. In grad school, she turned down a job – and her accomplished boyfriend – to forge her own academic path. Five years later, she's still single, hustling from project to project, and about to face her ex at a high-stakes conference – the same ex who once told her she'd never make it on her own.
When an argument with her meticulous and infuriatingly attractive rival Dr. Lewis North leads to a mistaken assumption that they're a couple, Frances accidentally confirms the misconception, inadvertently putting both their careers at stake. Forced to keep up appearances, Frances and Lewis know that for any scientist worth their salt, faking data is out of the question. But fake dating?
That might just be genius.
***
Perfect for fans of:
STEM romance
Enemies to lovers
Fake dating
Forced proximity
***
Readers LOVE Hannah Brohm:
'LOVE AND OTHER BRAIN EXPERIMENTS is the intellectually seductive, trope perfection, lanyard-melting debut of the year.' GoodReads reviewer, 5*
'This is a fantastic debut and this is an author that I'll be watching for. I only wish this book existed when I was still in grad school.' GoodReads reviewer, 5*
'I'm a sucker for STEM romance and this book had everything I was looking for and more.' GoodReads reviewer, 5*
'I can't come up with enough words to describe the love and admiration i have for this debut novel. It has simply become one of my favorite books of all time.' GoodReads reviewer, 5*
'I can't stop kicking my feet up and giggling at this book. 6 stars if I could.' GoodReads reviewer, 5*
***
PRAISE FOR LOVE AND OTHER BRAIN EXPERIMENTS:
'The perfect blend of fake dating and forearms, with the most romantic PowerPoint presentation you'll ever encounter.' - Laura Wood, author of 'Under Your Spell' and 'Lets Make a Scene'
'Sexy, heartfelt, and bursting with charm... This is pure academic rivals-to-lovers catnip' - Katie Naymon, author of You Between the Lines
'Love and Other Brain Experiments is a just-one-more-chapter, heart-palpitatingly romantic delight of a romance... the whole thing is utterly delicious' - Cressida McLaughlin, author of A Cornish Love Story
'Whip-smart, flirty and fun... This book changed my brain chemistry' - Annabelle Slator, author of The Launch Date
'Smart, tender, earnest and masterful... I'm no scientist, but my study's results say that Love and Other Brain Experiments needs to be on your bookshelf' - Georgia Stone, author of The Friendship Fling
'Brainy, fun, deeply relatable... This is a debut you don't want to miss, I guarantee it will take up all the bandwidth in your head and heart' - Elena Armas, NYT bestselling author of The Spanish Love Deception
***
Fake data is out of the question . . . but fake dating?
Neuroscientist Dr. Fra...
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Ratings and reviews
1 review
Alison Robinson
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February 12, 2026
I struggled with the second half of the book, the inevitable big drama/misunderstanding in which once again (in my opinion) Lewis was in the wrong but gets to act like the injured party was just irritating and what had started out as a four star read got knocked down to three stars. I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.
About the author
As a neuroscientist and romance author, Hannah Bernhard studies human emotions by day and writes about them by night (or, truthfully, early morning because she falls asleep by 10 pm). Born and raised in Germany, she lived in Portugal and the UK before moving to the Netherlands to complete a PhD. After a stint in New York City, she now lives in London together with her husband and an ever-growing collection of books and handknit sweaters.
As a neuroscientist and romance author, Hannah Bernhard studies human emotions by day and writes about them by night (or, truthfully, early morning because she falls asleep by 10 pm). Born and raised in Germany, she lived in Portugal and the UK before moving to the Netherlands to complete a PhD. ...
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