Can you fall in love in 36 questions? Click to find out!

THE LOVE EXPERIMENT
by Ainslie Paton
Series: Stubborn Hearts #1
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Carina Press
Publication Date: October 2nd 2017
Source: ARC received for review
Rating: ★★★★
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Can you fall in love in thirty-six questions?

The closest rookie lifestyle writer Derelie Honeywell gets to megastar reporter Jackson Haley is an accidental shoulder brush in The Courier's elevator. That is, until the love experiment: a study designed to accelerate intimacy using thirty-six questions and four minutes of sustained eye contact.

As far as Derelie is concerned, Jack Haley has always been a man best imagined in his underwear. He's too intimidating otherwise. But participating in the love experiment is her make-or-break chance. With another round of layoffs looming, Derelie knows holding on to her job means getting the story no matter what. Even when the what is kissing Jack like a maniac.

Jack Haley has zero interest in participating in a clickbait story. He didn't plan on finding Derelie smart and feisty and being mesmerized by her eyes. He certainly had no intention at all of actually falling in love with her.

The conclusion to this experiment? Thirty-six questions might lead to love, but finding the answer to happily-ever-after is a lot more complicated.

OMG I have so many feelings about this book! I initially planned to do a mini review on it in my Thursday post, but it ended up being too long so I decided to let it have its own spot, LOL. 

I have Nick to thank for putting this book on my radar. Look at that cover! All the colours drew me in, and when I read the first chapter I was immediately hooked. Nick also did a mini review about this book here.

Onwards!

Derelie Honeywell and Jack Haley cannot be more wrong for each other. Derelie (“rhymes with merrily”) writes light-hearted, lifestyle pieces (that Jack snottily refers to as “clickbait”) for the online version of the paper they both work for, while Jack’s the star of the print version and has been dubbed the Saviour of the City for all the investigative reporting that he’s done. It took a while for them to get in sync (especially since Jack really did not want to do the experiment) but they just worked so well with each other. 

I love Derelie with all my heart. She is such a nice person, full of kindness, very soft, I want to protect her forever. She has this innocence about her but she’s not naïve or a pushover. Jack was a straight-up ass in the beginning of the story, and naturally I love him too. He has a problem with feeling (he doesn’t do feelings) and his main coping mechanism for anything is beating the stuffing out of other people and had the stuffing beat out of him in an underground boxing gym.

Seriously, dude felt bad he was mean to Derelie, and he went into the ring to fight so he would be hurt in return. Unhealthy, man. Unhealthy.

Ms. Paton’s writing is so lovely and awesome; I have so many quotes highlighted in this book because the whole thing is just so quotable. I adore the banter exchange between Derelie and Jack, and I love how they grew closer together with every (much invasive, much deep) question they answered. I have a soft spot for heroes who fall head over heels for heroines and start worshiping the ground their heroines walk on. Jack comparing Derelie to sunshine and acknowledging her strength and power over him (“He wasn’t going to be allowed the luxury of acting the big man and saving her. She would save herself.”)? Mama, I love one (1) man and his name is Jackson Haley.

Also, did I mention that Jack has a cat? 
Yep. He named her Martha.

Did I also mention how much I love Derelie? She left the small town she grew up in because she wanted more and moved to a big city where she had to work hard every single day to survive in, and I felt her loneliness and yearning in my gut. But Derelie is so brave, and I admire her grit and determination to make something more of herself. That strength played an important role in teaching Jack about life and love, and it’s wonderful to watch.

I could go on and on about this book and its characters, really. Jack and Derelie’s romance is so great it makes me, a cynical old lady, swoon buckets. The last chapter made me cry and I unashamedly admit that. This book has definitely landed itself into my favourite reads of the year list.

Fun fact: my friend told me about an article she read re: people falling in love with each other after answering a list of questions in one of our many conversations on Facebook a couple of years ago. Coincidentally when Facebook helpfully reminded me of that conversation, I was in the middle of reading The Love Experiment, and I immediately told said friend that oh my god Julie I’m reading a book about this RIGHT NOW!! YOU HAVE TO READ IT WHEN IT COMES OUT.

*Quote taken from ARC; may differ to finished copy.

Have you read The Love Experiment? What do you think?
 Let me know in the comments!