The Statistically Unlikely Rebound

This one completely snuck up on me in the best way. The Statistically Unlikely Rebound was such a fun, smart, and genuinely cute read. I stayed up way too late to finish it. No regrets.

The premise alone hooked me. A post-breakup fresh start, fake dating, forced proximity, and two very smart, very stubborn people who absolutely should not catch feelings… but obviously do. It’s a STEM romance with a ton of personality, and the banter and chemistry really carry the story. The dynamic between Daisy and Lars was especially strong. Their interactions felt natural, funny, and just the right amount of chaotic.

One of my favorite things about this book how quickly it moved, and the tone stayed light without feeling shallow. I found myself show more fully invested in Daisy’s journey as she rebuilt her confidence after a pretty brutal breakup. The emotional beats landed without getting too heavy.

That said, the author mentioned it's going through another round of proofreading and copy edits, and I do think this will benefit from them. There were a couple of minor timeline inconsistencies that briefly pulled me out. The main one is a moment where Ethan's engagement is mentioned before Daisy actually learns of it, which slightly undercuts the reveal. It’s a small fix, but one that will make the reading experience feel more seamless.

Overall, though, this is a charming read. With a little polish, I think it’s going to be in a really great place. If you like STEM romances with strong banter, fake dating, and characters you genuinely root for, this is absolutely worth picking up. show less

This was a nice, well-written story. The characters were likable but had enough flaws to keep the plot moving. The romantic chemistry between Daisy and Lars was solid. I was concerned that the characters all being in the STEM field would lead to some plot points that would be hard to follow for someone, like myself, who is not in those fields, but I think the author did a great job of making plot points accessible to readers from any background, but some of the jokes, such as different T-Shirt designs sometimes did require more STEM or overall “nerd” context to understand.

I liked how the author found ways to include Daisy’s Chinese heritage in different aspects of the story (some idioms used and explained, her mother’s cooking, show more the expectations of filial duty, etc) but I was kind of disappointed that Lars’ Norwegian heritage wasn’t similarly explored or really even remarked on. In fact, Lars is described as “icy” or “anti-social” but in some ways this felt a little like a Nordic vs American personality clash or just a simple case of an introvert being judged by extrovert standards. For example, Daisy doesn’t feel like Lars has many close friends but seems to collaborate professionally and carpools to a laser tag event and seems cordial in these settings. Lars was an enthusiastic lover and focused on Daisy’s comfort, helps her with her dog, lets her borrow things that aren’t returned or reimbursed for, has a good relationship with his cousin and his mentor’s family, and so on. It’s hard to reconcile that with the supposedly icy personality.

The only aspect of Daisy & Lars’ relationship that I didn’t care for was them wanting privacy away from her visiting mother, so they chose to be intimate at the office instead of Lars’ apartment. Going into Lars’ apartment was treated like there was a big secret or reveal coming, but that didn’t materialize and so the decision just seemed kind of odd. Especially given Daisy was still getting established, making friends, and trying to make good impressions with prestigious researchers in her field.

I think the story was also weakened by having her ex be pretty terrible in every way. He absolutely does terrible things to get the plot going, but as the story progresses, he just doesn’t have many redeeming qualities at all and it becomes less credible that Daisy ever thought building a life with him was a good idea.

Overall the formatting was good, I liked the story being in Daisy’s POV and only switching to Lars for the epilogue. My one suggestion for improvement would be the text message exchanges with Daisy’s friends in California. I’m not sure how flexible the publisher might be with that, but some improved spacing or even images to better show who is sending each text would be helpful. show less

I loved this book! Smartly written with characters I found relatable and who were easy to root for. I loved Daisy and Lars together, with both of them helping the other through their insecurities while complementing each others' strengths. It was wonderful to see Daisy come into herself. I like that these obviously intelligent MCs are written with a decent amount of details demonstrating their intelligence. To this layperson, they were both extremely believable as academics and as nerdy mathematicians. Daisy's relationship with her mother and her interactions with ex-fiancee Ethan lent a nice amount of tension. This highly satisfying romance had great pacing, with a dryly humorous writing style that I really enjoyed. It's the beginning show more of a series, and I'm looking forward to the next book! 4.5 stars. This review was based on a complimentary DRC of the book, all opinions are my won. show less

I received this book as part of the Early Reviewers project and was asked to provide an honest review. Thank you to the author.

The Statistically Unlikely Rebound is a fake dating, slow-burn, academic romance.

If this book were a dessert, it would be something warm and gooey with a rich chocolate sauce. The romantic heroes are smart, kind, and caring. They fit together in a way that is not often found in today's romances. They don't have to choose each other, but they do. While the plot is perhaps a little predictable, the characters are well-developed - even the side characters - and the character growth is slow and relatively subtle. These are people with full lives, family and friends - and dreams and goals outside of their romance - show more making the book grounded and realistic, even if Lars, our hero, is almost too perfect. This is a romance for adults; much like its characters, it is mature and sensitive.

The academic setting is also accurate, dealing with research, publishing and presentations, and even the two body problem. It is so accurate, in fact, that I had to put the book down for a little bit, when something happened that *slightly* triggered my own academic experiences.

Overall, I highly recommend this novel for anyone looking for a satisfying romance. I, personally, will definitely be rereading this one and am looking forward to the next books in the series. show less

Honestly this felt a lot like an Ali Hazelwood novel which isn't a bad thing but also didn't feel particularly fresh. I did like there wasn't a stupid miscommunication to cause tension in the story. While the plot was perhaps a little predictable, the characters made the story shine. Loved Daisy and Lars. It was a delight to root for them.

Can what starts out as a fake romance really turn into true love? Scientists Lars and Daisy A/B test their way through multiple scenarios on the way to answering that question. I found myself throughly invested in the characters in this novel, loving some and hating others. This is a truly fun book for romance lovers!

Thank you Parker Elling for the opportunity to review this ebook!