REVIEW: The E.M.M.A. Effect by Lia Riley

Harriet Smythe lives in a world of code, logic, and carefully controlled outcomes. Her focus is on building E.M.M.A. an AI designed to optimize athletic performance — not feelings. But when her data starts pointing toward something far more personal than professional, everything she thought she had figured out starts to wobble. Enter Gale Knight: her best friend’s younger brother, a hockey player with his own struggles, and the one line she’s never allowed herself to cross. As Harriet brings Gale into her work and her orbit, the boundaries between science and attraction blur, and she’s forced to consider the one variable she never accounted for — her own heart.

What I really liked about THE E.M.M.A. EFFECT is how it balances a smart STEM premise with a romance that feels genuine. It’s funny and flirty, but it doesn’t skip over the emotional stuff — especially around trust and ambition and what happens when the rules you’ve set for yourself start to fall apart. Add in the sports setting and the AI angle, and it makes the whole story modern, and engaging.

The chemistry between Harriet and Gale builds through proximity, restraint, and all the moments they’re not supposed to cross a line. It’s spicy, yes — but it’s also grounded in connection, mutual respect, and growth, which makes their relationship feel satisfying rather than rushed.

Tropes & Vibes I loved:

• STEM romance with heart
• Sports romance
• Hidden attraction
• Best friend’s brother
• Slow-burn tension with spice
• AI matchmaking twist
• Logic vs. emotion
• Science meets heart

THE E.M.M.A. EFFECT by @Lia Riley is a smart, flirty, and swoony romance — perfect for readers who love stories with witty banter, slow-burn chemistry, sports settings, a delicious forbidden edge, and just the right amount of chaos.

Book Info:

Publication: December 2, 2025 | Avon |

Jane Austen meets Ali Hazelwood in this steamy, friends-to-lovers, STEM rom-com! He’s her best friend’s little brother and NHL forward. She’s a computer scientist used to being in control. The E.M.M.A., her elite AI training program, claims optimizing his performance requires one thing: the perfect match. According to its calculations, that’s her… Will Harriet discover that The E.M.M.A. knows best?

Harriet Smythe’s AI was supposed to create sports legends—not encourage her crush on her best friend’s totally off-limits, hot younger brother. But when funding runs dry, she has no choice but to enlist Gale Knight as her test subject. The same Gale she’s been secretly crushing on for years. The player who follows her every instruction with a knowing smirk that threatens to short-circuit her carefully maintained system.

Everything changes when The E.M.M.A. determines that finding Gale’s perfect match is essential to his peak performance. Even worse? According to its data, that match is Harriet.

Determined to keep things professional, Harriet makes it search for new candidates. But as Gale dutifully endures awkward outings with pop stars and athletes, the chemistry between them only intensifies. And his willing cooperation during their sessions definitely isn’t helping her stay focused.

With her deadline approaching and The E.M.M.A. still playing cupid, Harriet must choose: trust in pure logic, or admit that sometimes taking control means letting go.

Maybe The E.M.M.A. knows something they don’t—even if they’re not ready to compute it yet.