The Romance Revival

by Christina Lauren

The instant New York Times bestselling authors of The Paradise Problem and The Unhoneymooners return with an unforgettable novel in which one fateful accident erases a troubled marriage from memory—and love gets one extraordinary do-over.

Three years ago, Emery Finch did something completely out of character: She got married. To Luca—the impossibly charming landscaper she met on one blistering night in Vegas who made her laugh, made her dance, made her feel.

But now, Emery is consumed by her top-secret job, missing dinners, forgetting anniversaries, and promising herself Luca will understand once her cutting-edge research comes to light. Until the unthinkable happens: A tragic accident takes Luca from her.

Desperate not to lose him, Emery breaks every rule to bring him back. And Luca would probably thank her for it, if only he could remember her. Their first kiss, their Sunny Sundays at the beach, the life they built together...all of it is gone.

It may be a miracle of science, but for Emery it’s her one shot at a second chance. And this time, she won’t waste it—because true love is always worth reviving.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Summer, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Second Chance, Adult

Kindle Edition

Expected publication July 14, 2026

About the author

Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of long-time writing partners/best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. The coauthor duo writes both Young Adult and Adult Fiction, and together has produced twenty New York Times bestselling novels. Their books have been translated into 30+ languages. (Some of these books have kissing. Some of these books have A LOT of kissing.)


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Reviews

[Abby Jimenez]

Where is my early copyyyyy, I NEED this!!! 😭

[Liana Gold · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 4 ⭐️ The STEM oriented gal in me absolutely loved the sci-fi resurrection plot line in this book. Talk about second chances for a marriage in crisis and give it some weirdly cool science-y spunkiness that in my opinion was risky, but it WORKED. My goodness, there is nothing like falling in love with your spouse all over again and Christina Lauren just made me fall in love with them (Emery & Lucas) too!

Emery Martin is a scientist at this really cool biomedical facility that focuses on 'laser therapy' but essentially actually has cool gadgets and works on projects that revive tissue, cells and apparently people and animals? Yes you heard that right! She's a 'mad-scientist' who gives it all her best--she is motivated, she's focused, sharp but a little emotionally distant form her husband. She has a tendency to forget dinners, anniversaries, important events...but Lucas doesn't mind. He loves her all the same and completely supports her. He's the most understanding, loving and supportive husband ever. They have a great marriage and some sort of an understanding. Nothing seems to be amiss in their relationship. But what do you say about something that is TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?

On the day of their anniversary, Emery completely forgets that Lucas made plans for them. She is running late but something unexpectedly traumatic happens and she's left with no choice but to do what she does best--to do something completely out of her character! (My mouth is sealed, I'm not spoiling anything here!) Emery gets a second chance at changing her life, a second chance to do things differently this time and perhaps do it 'right'. The question is--how hard will she try?

From the very first chapter, this felt much different from their usual romances. I knew right there and then that this story would be more 'serious' than their previous novels. Don't get me wrong, this still has a lot of lightness and comedic relief but the dash of science fiction added awesome thriller vibes and a little anxiety that made this a more memorable reading experience. I love when authors venture out of their comfort zones and try something different and it just worked well in this novel. The plot had me intrigued and kept it a little suspenseful and perfectly balanced. The sci-fi aspects never overshadowed the romance and 'revival' parts of the story. It's nothing like their other books and it was refreshing to read something different.

Might add more thoughts to here later :)



Many thanks to NetGalley, Gallery Books and the authors, Christina Lauren for an early ARC!

Publication date: July 14, 2026

[emilybookedup · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/4 ish for me so rounding up to 4 for GR! it’s always a good day when you have a new book from CLo to read!!!! i brought this beautiful book with me on a beach vaca and finished it in 2 sittings. it was easy to binge, cute and had a VERY creative plot.

for fans of THE SOULMATE EQUATION and TIME TRAVELERS WIFE! it felt similar to CLo’s TSE with the science-y plot. from a trope perspective this was a second chance romance which is my fave 💛

what was unexpected was it kinda felt like a suspense novel at the end!!! lots of action and chaos and i was not expecting that. and similar to THE PARADISE PROBLEM, things got a little steamy👀🔥

i think i needed like 40ish more pages at the end to have some more resolution between our MCs, especially with the bombshell in the back half (the letter). i felt like we glossed over that kinda quickly and was actually a big deal! besides one bed tropes, i really don’t enjoy miscommunication tropes in romance novels and wanted the characters to hash things out a bit more to ensure a solid foundation moving forward.

honestly their books are so hard to rate because i LOOOOVE so many of them. i enjoyed LOVE AND OTHER WORDS, THE UNHONEYMOONERS, THE PARADISE PROBLEM more than this one, but rest assured this will be a perfect beach/summer read when it’s out in July!

and the cover? obsessed!

thanks to Gallery Books for the gifted early copy!

[rosie (jason todd's version)]

☆彡13 dec, pre-release:

i am BEYOND excited for this one. saw it pop up on my insta feed seconds after waking up and NOW I’M WIDE AWAKE. 🤭🫶🏻

[hailee · Rating 4 out of 5]

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. all opinions are my own.

3.5***

this was such a unique book & i had such a good time reading it!!!

first, i do need to say that the cover is a bit misleading. i thought this would be more summer-y and have similarish vibes to the paradise problem in terms of setting, but it did not. still a beautiful cover though!!

this was not a usual romance book. in fact, it was giving romance book x light sci-fi (kind of) x thriller/suspense book. i was honestly pleasantly surprised by this and had a great time with the entire science plot. i thought this was super interesting and a fun twist on the amnesia trope.

speaking of tropes, i’ve recently become a fan of second chance romance, so i was really looking forward to seeing the way luca and emery repaired their relationship. with that being said, i think the romance needed more. i wanted more emotional connection, more delving into difficult topics, just more.

however, this was very cute, very bingeable, and served as a good reminder that life is simply too short. as per usual christina lauren fashion, this was pretty funny and i’m always entertained by the characters (specifically the side characters) & their antics. i enjoyed this one a lot and, again, found the plot to be fresh.

also, i felt the end was a bit rushed. there’s one specific plot point that gets revealed towards the end, and i think the characters should have discussed that more. it felt glossed over and the big scene at the end also felt lacking.

[mandie ੈ♡˳ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so imagine you pick up a cute Christina Lauren rom-com expecting beachy vibes, banter, and maybe one mildly inconvenient miscommunication, and instead you get:
💉 science experiments
💀 accidental death???
🧠 amnesia
🔬 secret lab chaos
❤️ and somehow… still romance??

That’s what this book was. And it was great from start to finish.

It was basically what would happen if a fluffy second-chance romance went on a wild night out with a medical thriller and woke up like, “so… we’re doing this now.” And I freakin' loved it.

The premise alone is already super intriguing: married couple having issues, tragic accident, wife brings husband back to life using forbidden science, but he remembers absolutely nothing about her. Cue emotional damage AND a very chaotic “falling back in love… but make it ethically questionable.”

What really worked for me:

It’s so dang bingeable. Definitely one of those "just one more chapter" type of books but you feel like you have to finish it because you need to know what happens at the end. The concept is pretty unique for the most part, I myself have not read a lot of books with this premise. It has this weird genre-blend energy where it’s romance but also suspense, maybe borderline thriller?? And somehow that tension keeps you hooked to the end.

It's got that classic romance feel that a lot of Christina Lauren's books have and that was great, but it really would have been icing on the cake if it had included a little bit more of the science stuff. For me, anyway. However, the plot absolutely requires you to suspend disbelief. Like, fully. Pack your logic in a suitcase and leave it at the door. The ending was predictable but I cannot be mad about that because HEA's are supposed to be, so I was pretty satisfied with how it all came together.

Overall vibe:
✨ “this is insane”
✨ “I cannot put this down”
✨ “wait is this a romance or a science experiment”
✨ “okay but I’m emotionally invested now”

If you go in expecting The Unhoneymooners 2.0, you might be confused. If you go in ready for a chaotic, slightly unhinged love story with STEM girlboss energy and high stakes? You’ll probably have a great time.

Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Books & Christina Lauren for this ARC!

[Dallas Strawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE ROMANCE REVIVAL is basically a medical thriller masquerading as a romance novel… in the weirdest, best way possible. I freaking loved it. It’s wildly unique and nothing like anything you’ve read from Christina Lauren… yes, the ultimate rom-com queens, and yet it still had me swooning, giggling, and straight up laughing out loud.

This is a second chance romance unlike anything else. Go in blind. Trust me. Thank me later.

[Kailey (kmc_reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I LOVE C.Lo, but this was a miss for me. It started strong, but ultimately fell flat. This was a very different book for them IMO, and while I was intrigued, the overall execution didn't work. This was not a swoony, flirty romance typical of C.Lo - the stakes were higher, and towards the end this felt a bit.... over the top in a whodunit popcorn thriller kind of way? The bulk of the story (i.e. them trying to fall back in love) happened too quickly and honestly didn't seem realistic given all the issues they had prior to his death. I realize he had amnesia but it felt like he forgave too quickly, and just as quickly, she all of a sudden wasn't an enormous workaholic anymore?! I wasn't giddy reading this, like I normally am when I'm watching 2 main characters fall in love. Cool concept and the science stuff was interesting to read about, but this was not just what I was expecting from them. Rounding up to 3 stars

[Jill (readinginpjs)]

I NEED THIS SO BAD!! 😭😭😭

CHRISTINA (&) LAUREN are one of the main reasons I’m so obsessed with the romance genre - the Unhoneymooners was pretty much the start of this journey! 🏝

[Creya Casale | cc.shelflove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My initial thoughts: If we do not get a sequel, I will riot!!!!!! For some reason, it feels to me like way more than two years have gone by since Christina Lauren’s last release. My, oh my—this one was worth the wait! The two have dabbled in science before, but the resurrection of Luca was unlike anything they have ever written. This romance crossed into several other genres and kept this reader captivated the entire time. I was truly impressed. Some tags, to give you an idea: #amnesiaromance #secondchanceromance #womeninSTEM. CLo really did something different here and I was sat. 🫖

[britta ⋆˙⟡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Emery is a research scientist, workaholic and introvert who meets gorgeous warm sunshiney landscaper Luca at her cousins wedding and they fall in love. When he gets in an accident she uses her highly classified medicine to bring him back to life and finds he’s lost all his memories!

This was such a departure from the usual CL books. It’s starts with Emery recapping their relationship to the reader and in both their POVs they talk directly to you. (Like in Sex and the City when Carrie would break character and look at the camera and start talking) It was a bit uncanny. You are in her head a lot. There’s lots of sciencey and other info dumping. Two stars bc I usually LOVE these authors. Not sure what happened here. Is one of them not writing?

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC copy.

2⭐️ I’d pick up the Paradise Problem or one of their others before this one.

[MillennialMomReading · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this STEM-y romance from Christina Lauren! They have written some of my favorite romances, and this books feels very fresh from them. It’s a little science-fiction-y in the best way possible and has a central mystery I really enjoyed. It was so fun to read them taking their classic stellar romance writing and putting a new twist on it. Somehow, I wanted even more science? I would have loved to see the book a bit longer and for it to expand on some of the core struggles/relationship dynamics with side characters, but I was so satisfied with this book as is as well.

[mélody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Merci à Simon & Schuster pour un ARC!
Je donne un bon 4.5☆. J’ai lu ce livre en moins de 24h (surtout pour un vlog lecture lol, mais aussi parce que c’était très bon). Je n’étais pas sûre si j’allais aimer la trope d’amnésie, mais finalement j’ai adoré voir le gars retomber en amour avec la fille. J’ai aimé comment les deux ont fait l’effort de changer pour améliorer leur relation. Le concept en général était peut-être un peu irréaliste (je ne vais pas dire c’est quoi parce que #spoiler), mais ça ne m’a pas dérangée.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt much different than the past Christina Lauren books that I’ve read. It was much more of a scientific mystery than a romance in my opinion. It almost felt like it could’ve been written by Ali Hazelwood (I think, I’ve only read one of her books but from what I’ve heard she writes a lot about the FMC being a smart mathematician/scientist)

My biggest thing was it lacked the humor that they typically add into their books! Which was such a letdown. The storyline itself was still very interesting and I wanted to see what happened next, but it just wasn’t what I was expecting. The pacing was off a bit and the ending was abrupt and a little cheesy, but overall, I still had a good time.

Thank you Gallery Books for the gifted Advanced Copy! Release date July 14, 2026!

[Arin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun read! I loved the premise and totally expected it to be predictable—but it wasn’t at all. I flew through this in just two days. I always enjoy this author's books, and this one was no exception. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy to read and review. If you’re looking for a rom-com with a little bit of mystery mixed in, you’ll definitely want to pick this one up! 📚

[Ashley Langer · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5, loved it but knocked it down .5 a star for the outlandish storyline

[ahmeeka]

one thing about christina lauren is that she’s going to write the perfect romance and I’m going to eat it up every time

[Heather~ Nature.books.and.coffee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read many Christina Lauren books and always look forward to reading their new books. This one was good but not a favorite for me. Emery and Luca are married, but Emery's work has been keeping her away from her husband and their marriage is on the rocks. After an accident, Luca has amnesia and they have a second chance to rebuild their relationship. This didn't have the rom-com feel that I usually love about their books. It had more of a mystery type vibe to it. There was also a lot of science talk that sometimes was interesting, but unexpected and just didn't bring much to the story. Overall, still a decent read, and I'll continue reading their books, but this won't be a fav.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

[Olivia Simmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a unique take on second chance romance! I loved the setting, I loved the characters (as usual for a ChisLo book). I loved the passion between Emery and Luca. I enjoyed the science element of this story. It was cute and heartfelt. I’m so excited to got to read an ARC of this book 🥹 this is going to be a cutie summer read 🤭

[Katie’s Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

"I am obliterated and put back together again in the familiar embrace of my husband's arms."

Okay I REALLY enjoyed this. It was a lot more mad scientist than I was expecting and I don't even care because I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end! I love a well-done marriage in trouble romance and with the amnesia trope? SO good.

Emery and Luca met three years ago and had a whirlwind romance- they meet in Vegas and are immediately head of heels for each other and get married just two months later. Cut to three years later and while they're still hot and heavy physically, there are cracks in the marriage. Emery has always been a driven workaholic and fails to put Luca first. When Luca is hurt in an accident and loses his memory, Emery realizes that maybe they have a second chance to get things right.

These two were very cute together. They're so different yet their chemistry and compatibility is so obvious, even when Luca has no idea who Emery is. I loved the scenes of them just spending time together and trying to "get to know each other" all over again.

I do think we needed maybe one more chapter of them before the accident? We're basically just told that while they're super in love, the marriage was far from perfect. But they're so good together in the now it's hard to really understand that. Like Emery is FULLY prioritizing Luca and putting work on the back burner, it's hard to picture her not doing that. And Luca's part is that he never started confrontation- even when he guessed Emery was lying or was upset with her, he never said anything. But he's so unafraid of those hard conversations after the accident that again, it's hard to understand how the marriage veered off course.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing team for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Sophie (lambsbooks)]

A memory loss trope!? Yes

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Gallery Books and Net Galley for the advance copy!

This book has one of the wildest premises I’ve read in a long time and somehow Christina Lauren makes it feel totally believable. Our heroine is a super driven scientist working on top-secret projects… including a resurrection compound that’s only ever been tested on dogs. Then her husband dies right in front of her and she actually uses it on him. I sat up straight in bed because I couldn’t believe the chaos.

She’s got a great work bestie backing her up while she tries to save him, but the first 25% is pure for the characters. At this point I was like, who’s the villian? Am I being gaslighted? I immediately had a million theories and the rest of the book didn’t disappoint.
It has that emotional, nostalgic vibe of Love & Other Words but with a thriller twist. It’s romantic, suspenseful, and slightly unhinged. I could not put it down. I absolutely loved it.

[liz ౨ৎ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah, this one’s a big no from me personally. It was too medical for me to comprehend effectively. I was so worried about the fact that I couldn’t understand things to the point where it took away from my reading experience.

I’m sure this is a great book that many people will love, but it just lacked the romance aspects that make a book enjoyable for me.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Review: Christina Lauren are back and better than ever with this striking, STEM rom-com.

“The Romance Revival” follows Dr. Emery Finch after a tragic accident takes her husband Luca from her. Desperate not to lose him, she breaks every rule, using the classified technology she’s developed to bring him back to life. Doing so, however, wipes his entire memory, including their troubled marriage. It may be a miracle of science, but for Emery it’s her one shot at a second chance.

Christina Lauren’s evocative prose and well-drawn characters are what bring this story to life! Emery and Luca could not be more different from one another, but their starkly opposite personalities complement each other in a way that makes it impossible not to root for them. Prior to the accident, the two rely on their physical chemistry to sustain their marriage, but it slowly begins to splinter as time passes due to lack of communication. Luca’s brush with death serves as a wake-up call for Emery in particular, whose work-life balance was nonexistent. The journey they go on to find each other again is well-paced and beautifully messy. The forced proximity encourages them to finally open up about what went wrong with Emery promising to be more present and Luca pledging to be more vocal about his needs. I especially love how Christina Lauren contrasts the memories that Luca regains with the couple’s present to showcase their growth. In finding a way to move forward together, they fuel the hope that's packed into these pages and ultimately fall in love for a second time. Admittedly, the thriller elements woven into the final act felt a little out of place, but they did not take away from my overall enjoyment of the book.

➤ 5 stars

Review cross-posted to: Book Blog | Bookstagram | Amazon


Amazon

I was a sent a complimentary copy with no expectation for a favorable review.

[Noelle Hobbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️3.5/5⭐️

This was definitely a quick read! I was sucked in at the beginning wondering what would happen. I love “The Vow” so when it was heading in the direction I was excited.

I REALLYYYYY loved the romance parts of this book. Rediscovering each other in this way gave a new meaning to second chance romance but I didn’t realize how sci-fi this book would lean. You definitely get a taste of it at the beginning but I was hoping that it would drop off and focus more on the romance for the remainder of the book. The light mystery/thriller aspects towards the end felt a bit obvious to me besides one twist but truthfully it wasn’t a gasp moment as I was more invested in the relationship side of things. The ending did feel a bit rushed and I felt that the resolution could’ve had a bit more substance to it.

I was glad it didn’t go entirely in the Frankenstein direction but was more STEM than CLo’s previous work. I think I might’ve enjoyed it more, or at least had a better idea of what to expect if it was marketed it more as what it was.

Overall it’s an easy, fun read! I think the science elements were a cool twist on a romance book but personally I would’ve preferred if it stayed more romance since that portion was my favorite! Although majority of the book is science-y, the specific concept is cool and not too technical to lose you if that’s not normally your thing. If a STEM second chance romance is your cup of tea then this one is for you!

[Ali Fredrickson · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 25%. This is a classic case of false advertising. I thought I was getting ready to read a cute fun summer romance based on the cover and instead found myself in the middle of a heavy STEM, light romance book. I don’t vibe with books like this so it’s on me for even going into it blind! I know there’s an audience for this one but it ain’t me lol

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc

[callistoscalling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for the gifted copy of this one; all thoughts are my own!

📖 Book Review 📖 We all know Christina Lauren can write one amazing love story, but can they bring one back from the dead? While this dynamic writing duo has gifted readers some wild adventures, The Romance Revival pushes boundaries like never before and undoubtedly these ladies know how to deliver an absolutely gripping, next-level five-star read.

Being married to a doctor comes with sacrifice and I got very comfortable attending events solo during our early years of dating and marriage, especially when my husband was in his residency. But I met my husband working together and signed up for this. When Luca met and fell hard for Emery, with her brilliant medical mind, he had no idea the extent of what she was working on behind closed doors. And even three years later, he still has no clue…until a horrible accident takes his life and only his wife can bring him back.

Christina Lauren makes the blurred lines between brilliant hero and mad scientist sexy in this absolutely enchanting charming romance with some hints of a psychological thriller. The Romance Revival resuscitates a beloved trope like never before; and I can genuinely say that I was on the edge of my seat with anticipation as this beautiful second-chance love story unfolded.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read! There were some classic CL moments where I laughed out loud, but I wouldn’t say it’s a funny book. It was reminiscent of the STEM vibes of Soulmate Equation and the mystery of Something Wilder. The premise was an interesting take on second chance romance and the cast of characters was all really fun. Overall, it was a short, easy read that was entertaining but not groundbreaking. I still love CL forever and will continue to read their books, I’m just not sure I’d need the hard copy of this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[A.D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This feels like classic CLo while also feeling completely fresh and new. It was a crazy ride in the best possible way.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 53 of 2026

This book is wild, unhinged, and like nothing I’ve ever read before. The story line was unique & requires you to suspend belief in reality. I could not put it down.

This is not your typical second chance love story…or regular love story, for that matter. It’s a story wrapped in medical mystery, a woman in STEM who prioritizes her work over her marriage, yet their marriage is one where they fiercely love each other. What seems to be a freak accident with Luca leads to Emery making the choice to break all the rules to save her husband or continuing to keep the secrets her job requires. Mystery and intrigue stack up & I found turning the pages so quickly because I needed to know what happened in Emery & Luca’s marriage, but also with Emery’s work.

There were moments I found myself chuckling at the absurdity of this story line…but I literally could not put it down. It’s SO worth your time to read this wild ride of a story with Emery, Luca, and a cast of awesome side characters - Annie, Crush, and Betty, to be specific.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Gallery books for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This one is definitely worth picking up when it releases in July!

Format: ARC (ebook)