Dopamine Rush

by Elle Partridge

Nate Archer

One spark turned my world upside down.

I had it all mapped out: close the deal and take my company to the next level.

But when that picture went viral, every shred of credibility I had went up in flames.

My only shot at fixing it?

A deal with Vivienne Brown—the last person who’d ever want to save me, and the only one who could.

The rules were clear—play the part and don’t catch feelings.

But with every lie and every stolen glance, resisting her became a war I was destined to lose.

Vivienne Brown

Two run-ins with the man I never wanted to see again.

My plan was simple: keep my head down and finish my PhD.

But when my lab’s funding disappeared overnight, everything I’d worked for was about to crumble.

Just like that, Nate Archer was back with a proposal I couldn’t refuse.

Help him fix his reputation, and he’d give me the lifeline I needed to save my research.

It should’ve been straightforward. Transactional. Safe.

Until I fell for the man tied to everything I lost.

Genres: Romance

407 pages, ebook

Published January 23, 2026

About the author

As a fan of early-2000s rom-coms, Elle Partridge has one goal: to bring the magic of the big screen to the pages in your hands. Full of chaos, heart, and lovable characters, she hopes her stories offer an escape from reality—one filled with laughter, tears, and warmth. When she isn’t writing (or plotting her next book) you can find her reading, sewing, baking, or styling outfits she’ll admire but never wear.

Reviews

[Floor · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5⭐️
It had so much potential, it just wasnt it for me

[Stella · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a world of gremlins, I’d like to find myself a Nate Archer

[Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

mmc talks like a teenage girl…

[j · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Maybe that idea was holding you back, and you had to lose it to think of something better. Everything happens for a reason. You are the person you are today because of your experiences."

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved every single single from this book. The storyline, the characters and their chemistry, the little plot twist at the end about Vivienne’s parents accident, and everything to be honest. The way the author narrated the story (more like the characters but well heheh) was very well done and easy to read even for me, whose first language isn’t English.
I’m looking forward for the next book, so exciting!! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book because of TikTok and it did not disappoint. The characters were so well written and funny.

[KT · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars ⭐ a cute slow burn. Using thermodynamics and science jokes to flirt with eachother??? Who let me read a romance about a chemistry PhD student and an aerospace engineer???????? Delicious

[N’s · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had so much potential. It had s good storyline in theory and good enough characters. But unfortunately it was executed poorly. The story was missy and I got lost a lot. There were a lot of parts that should have been included but they were just skipped and then mentioned briefly. The book felt like it needed some editing, as if it was a first draft.

I liked the characters enough. There was something about the male main character threw me off, as if he was written poorly and wasn’t really consistent. I also was a little bit confused when it came to the female main character and how she operated.

One of the main plots of the book was fake dating/engagement, it is one of my all time favourite tropes, but unfortunately it didn’t deliver. There were a lot of holes in the fake engagement and I had a lot of questions regarding it. It didn’t feel realistic at all.

The whole time I was reading the book one thought was on my mind, that this book would make for a hilarious romcome movie. It had some cheesiness that only comedy movies could get away with, on paper it just made me cringe.

I enjoyed some parts of this book. But for the most part it was disappointing.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the plot, but I felt like it skipped a lot of the monumental parts of their character development.

For Viv, the book skipped her getting on the plane for the first time in years and went straight to her talk in Italy. With Viv's past, there should have been a scene where Nate calms her down or Viv shows that she trusts him and his aviation creations.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[ii · Rating 4 out of 5]

reminded me of live hypothesis

[Poohkun · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is spectacular