Mind Over Splatter

Love at First Kiss

by Danika Bloom

If it weren’t for the squashed bug on the window, I wouldn’t be in this mess.

When my Neuroscience professor demanded to know the title of my thesis, I should have said, “undecided.” But knowing I’d be docked a grade point for not being prepared, I blurted out the first thing that popped into my head: “Mind Over Splatter.”

It was a joke. What can I say? The dead bug looked like a Rorschach inkblot.

Now I need to find an art major willing to be my research buddy.

So when a super cute guy with paint on his chin is tossed in my path, I pounce. After strongly suggesting I can guarantee him an easy A, he agrees to help. All he has to do is wear an EEG machine while he paints.

But the joke’s on me because the way my brain lights up when he kisses me is a data point I really wasn’t prepared for.

This is a stand-alone novella, featuring a quirky heroine and a nerdy hero. It is part of a shared world, multi-author, new adult, steamy contemporary romance series set on a college campus in New England where twelve couples will fall in love at first kiss.

Genres: Romance

80 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 3, 2021

About the author

Danika Bloom writes small-town (and small city) rom-coms where love gets wonderfully weird and family is whoever shows up with snacks during your breakdown. She's obsessed with the bizarre little rituals couples develop—because honestly, isn't declaring your feelings through origami made from grocery receipts more romantic than basic flower delivery?

When she's not writing stories about found families and the beautifully strange ways people connect, she's probably taste-testing a new baked good recipe her retired husband has made to lure her from her office.

Join my Bloom'n email list to get news about ARC opportunities, new releases, and other love&stuff.

Find my books on Amazon

Follow me on BookBub

Say hello to me on Instagram

Reviews

[Laura Baird · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly delightful read! Fun, flirty, sexy, with just enough depth to the story line to give this plenty of substance.

[☆☆Hannah☆☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good thing this was a short novella and not a full length book. I found Abbie to be way too insecure. She got on my nerves. No matter what Matt did or say to tell her otherwise it just wasn't good enough. Thankfully in the end she did finally get it and they got their happy ending.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella is a sweet and steamy young love story with a bit of spicy. I loved the premise: EEG readings mixed with painting for a psychology class. I particularly liked how Abbie realized she loved Matt when she was looking at the EEG read-outs. A quick happy read with a sweet ending.

[Tesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great, loved it.
Abbie needed a partner for her thesis study and Matt, an artist put his hand up.
This was sweet, sexy and steamy with lots of romance and an original idea. I really enjoyed the connection between Abbie and Matt and how they were with each other. I liked how Matt unquestioningly loved Abbie and her body. I understood where Abbie was coming from with her body issues and the book made lots of valid points. Certainly enough to think about. I loved that it was romantic as well, even though they had their issues, it wasn't all smooth. But that's life. Fantastic story!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Viper Spaulding · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella was a lot of fun to read!

Abbie needs a test subject for her neuroscience class and Matt needs an easy A, so these two college students join forces to help each other - artist Matt agrees to let Abbie study his brain activity while painting if she'll agree to be his model. Abbie has more curves than confidence, but Matt is very creative and I loved how he convinced her to see herself as he sees her.

This is a smart, witty romance that made me laugh and reminded me to appreciate how interdependent the arts and sciences are. This author really has a gift with words, an easy writing style filled with well-developed characters and vibrant, heartwarming scenes.

I really enjoyed the HEA, and was thrilled to see them both embark on a new venture with a bright future. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Project . . .

This was a cute, steamy, heart-melting romance. Abbie needed a partner/research subject for her college neuroscience project and Matt, an art major, agreed to help her. I loved the main characters and their interactions as they grew closer.

The chemistry between Matt and Abbie showed how they cared about each other and brought out the best in each other. The author made them seem like real people struggling with their feelings and insecurities. Their relationship had its difficulties, but they made it through to find what was important. Will they find their HEA? Or will this just be a fond memory of what could have been?

[Michele Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Abbie needs a research partner, Matt is swindled into helping her because a friend texts her from his phone. Matt and Abbie truly do not see each other coming and their feelings growing. I’ve read a few BBW books and this is the first that truly captured for me how uncomfortable a heavy girl can feel in her own skin. I loved how Matt drew her out of herself and doesn’t realize she may not be as comfortable with herself as he is. This was a good, fast read that caused me to one click the others.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting! Absolutely Interesting! This story has emotion. It has depth. It has likeable characters. It has background. It has baggage. Matt and Abbie are independent. They are sweet and cute and so much more, but their journey is just so Interesting. The art side of the story, matched to the psychology side of the story to equal the business side of their story just makes this so interesting!!! Their connection is meaningful and deep.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Gabbi Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

3 dead frogs & John Fluevogs

I’ve read some pretty angsty long dramatic novels recently and so was in the mood for a palette cleanser. This fun and flirty novella was just the perfect book at the perfect time. I love BBW stories because I get to see myself reflected, and I enjoyed Abbie’s journey to self-discovery. I also loved how Matt was just the perfect guy for the sweet heroine. The lab work was funny, the art fascinated me, and the story was heartwarming. Great new adult romance and I can’t wait to read the rest of the Thackery College series. Oh, and if you’re at all into shoes, this is definitely the book for you.

[Melinda Swaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG what a story! I was so excited for this book and it definitely did not disappoint! Had all the things I love in this genre of a romance. Just a perfect read. Loved it. Can’t wait to read the rest of this series by all these amazing authors.

[Tracy Pulley · Rating 4 out of 5]

When reading a novella, my expectations aren’t high. This exceeded my expectations. Even though it took a few chapters to sink my teeth in to it, by the end I couldn’t put it down. And I fully believe the what Annie’s research shows. I loved that aspect!

I received an ARC for my honest opinion.

[Sarah Nielsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this as an arc for my honest review

This was a cute, steamy and heartfelt bbw romance. I simply loved it. I loved the chemistry between Matt and Abbie, I loved how real they seemed. They didn’t have smooth sailing and I loved that because that’s what made it seem real. It was just a really great story.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abbie and Matt's story is 80 pages of fun, I enjoyed reading their story as they find love. I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kathleen Bradbury (Bulfon) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written book with an interesting story line. The characters are strong, and the story flows quickly and smoothly. I enjoyed reading this story.

[Hannah Morse · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adorable new adult romance with just the right amount of heat. I really adored Abbie and her awesome business sense and incredible shoes, and Matt endeared me to him with his dead frog painting. These two have great chemistry and the premise is a lot of fun, especially when it provides scientific proof of feelings. I didn't feel the story was too big to be novella-sized, things felt rushed, especially after the 70% mark, but Mind of Splatter is a great read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

[KL Cassanello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abbie and Matt are going to help each other out - her psyche class project, and his art class nude paintings. She thinks she's fat. He calls her Rubenesque, and thinks she's beautiful. This is a quick little read, sexy and flirty with a truly unique story. It was a fun book to read, and at just the right time for me (sandwiched between a couple of longer angsty books). I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[VR Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

Fun,sweet ,sexy story of two people brought together under a crazy circumstance and one thing leads to another. Art and love blossom into a wonderful HEA.

[Elesha's book fun gossip · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet romantic book thats fun, kind, and steamy all rolled.into one. The characters where great, loved the storyline and that it was science and art and I also love that it covered confidence with your body. These characters and they made story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tara September · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable & romantic, this new adult novella is a quick original read. I liked both of the main characters and could easily relate to them thanks to Bloom's fun dialogue and inner musings. I wish Matt would paint me, lol! Looking forward to reading more in this series at Thackeray College.

[Ardelle Holden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Danika Bloom has written a couldn't-put-it-down novella in Mind Over Splatter. Abby and Matt are typical college students - they have issues. Abby's negative body image and Matt's inability to win his father's approval for his artistic ability. They meet in an off-the-cuff psychology class project of Abby's, inspired by the thoughts of an ink-blot-like moth. Intriguing, right? How can she forgive Matt when he betrays her trust and 'exposes' her to ridicule during her presentation? Will she ever be able to see what he sees in her Rubenesque body? And her shoes? Now that is the key to his future. Really? Yes, really.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting story about a love affair of a psychology major, Abbie, and and art major in college, Matt. She needs an artist to partner for a "neuroscience" project for one of her classes. She advertises on a bulletin board and gets a response from Matt, which turns out to have been a prank by the guy's roommate. But after talking, Matt decides he wants to do the project with her. He loves her curves, calls her Rubenesque, and wants to paint her for one of his other classes. She has had a difficult time dealing with her weight and how people see her. She often refers to herself as "the fat girl". It's kind of sad.

They get together to do the project, which involves getting EEG data from Matt while he is painting pictures of her vs pictures of inanimate objects. I think, there was much going round and round on ideas and honestly I'm not sure what they determined to do. Near the end, somehow Matt decides he needs more time alone and ghosts Abbie. What a jerk - he can't man up and explain things to her. Then the professor challenges them to do more for the project, and I don't even know if they did anything or if they finished. Things were murky here. Of course a lot of other stuff went on. Abbie started a business where Matt could make money painting pictures of shoes, which wins over Matt's dad who was not happy he was getting a degree in art. Later Matt realizes what a jerk he had been, and Abbie gets some more EEG data that somehow proves to her that Matt loves her.

Part of the story was Abbie's road to acceptance of her weight - a previous boyfriend who said she was pretty couldn't get it up when they were going to have sex. Matt sets out to prove that one data point does not prove anything, and steamy times happen.

Overall, the story was fairly well-written. I felt that some of the details of the story were vague with not enough about how things resolved. Sometimes the first-person context was difficult to tell; I'd be reading along and then suddenly wonder who was the one talking, and have to go back a page or two to regain my context. Perhaps that's my fault, but I felt that their "voices" didn't come through as well as they could. Also, being a computer programmer with some understanding of data science, that part was a bit of hocus-pocus, haha. On the other hand, I think having art as a hobby made the story more touching to me.

I recommend this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Spoilers* Ms. Bloom takes on love as science again after her funny book Second breath. John Mayer likes us to believe that Love is a verb, but in Mind over splatter, Ms. Bloom walks the road where love is a thing. A neurological thing, to be detected and proven by thorough research. All for an easy A mark. No so easy as it turns out. Protagonist Abbie gets herself into trouble by making up her study subject on the splatter, eh, spot. By prank, art student Matt is set up to help Abbie with her research, but finds himself more than willing to help. In real life, the research method suggested by Matt would be highly inappropriate, but hey, it's fiction, right? And coping with a large amount of body insecurity a girl might find herself more willing to comply. The story has some interesting point-of-views and witty parts nevertheless. Go stab that painting, girl!!
I thought the story was less fluent and natural though than the other two Bloom books I read. I enjoyed those thoroughly. This story however felt somewhat rushed and did not connect all the dots for me. Also it was hard for me to see how the research data could be generated in a comfortable way. All in all it is a fun read, and be your own judge. I feel like this book deserves my reread. Personally, I'm looking forward to her fourth book in the The Mixed Six-Pack Series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kristal Holt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Splatter me any day!

Matt and Abbie's story was wonderful! I completely related to Abbie's character as a woman with an image in my mind of how I see myself. I used to weigh over 400 lbs, and although I now weigh 145lbs, more often than not I still see myself as being over 400 even though I haven't been that weight for over 20 years now!! It is a hard habit to break, but Matt handled it beautifully. This is a must read. Mature eyes only due to hot 🔥 loving!!!

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun read.
Matt is a art student. Abbie is a student trying to get off probation. She has followers on her shoe page.
They meet because of his friend answering her ad. He is immediately attracted to her both as a model and a woman.
The begin a relationship both for class and personal. But one slip of the tongue and he ghost her.
This is an 3asy read with a believable storyline.
Both Abbie and Matt are likable characters who you wish would find their way back to each other.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

This little read has an interesting storyline and interesting characters. I believed in their connection and chemistry and enjoyed seeing their relationship progress. It was nice to see them develop and characters and how they dealt with issues in the story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Judy Gittleson Hendrickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abbie and Matt meet when she needs an art major to be her partner for a project. Mind Over Splatter is such a cool name and I love the way these two work through situations and the banter they throw at each other. The storyline is fun and flirty, totally college style. Love the ending.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Helena Mendes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice short read that has depth of emotions and addresses body consciousness issues, while keeping the romance and the steam between the two main characters and keeping a light mood on the reader. I liked this novela very much.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sydney Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great college romancered

Loved this story and the dynamic between the couple. It was sweet and sexy and full of angst and realistic issues like any great college romance should have. Highly recommend. Great romance read.

[Misty Goan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent short well written steamy contemporary romance read.  This engaging storyline is set on a college campus its flirty, fun, and sexy with a great message. The characters are interesting, and have sizzling chemistry.  I voluntarily read and reviewed this ARC.

[Vicci Lucas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book really tried to be funny an interesting. Perhaps it was just me but it didn’t live up to my expectations, in fact it left me wanting more substance.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.