June 19, 2018 – Page 2 – Sincerely Karen Jo

CHEMISTRY LESSONS

Hello bookish friends and welcome to my Blog Tour Stop for Chemistry Lesson by Meredith Goldstein hosted by Rock Star Book Tours. Today, I have my review to share with you and a giveaway at the end.

Chemistry-Lessons_Goldstein
aboutthebook2
Pub. Date: June 19, 2018
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Pages: 256

Amazon, B&N, iBooks, TBD

From advice columnist Meredith Goldstein, a dazzling, romantic, and emotionally resonant YA debut about a teen science whiz in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who tries to crack the chemical equation for lasting love and instead wreaks havoc on herself and the boys in her life.

For seventeen-year-old Maya, the equation for happiness is simple: a dream internship at MIT + two new science nerd friends + a perfect boyfriend = one amazing summer. Then Whit dumps her out of the blue. Maya is miserable until she discovers that her scientist mother, before she died, was conducting research on manipulating pheromones to enhance human attraction. If Maya can finish her mother’s work, maybe she can get Whit back. But when her experiment creates chaos in her love life, she realizes that maybe love and loss can’t be understood using the scientific method. Can she learn to trust the unmeasurables of love and attraction instead?

reviewrating

4hearts

Cute and Charming YA Contemporary

reviewthoughts

Chemistry Lesson by Meredith Goldstein is a lighthearted and charmingly fun novel with a unique scientific twist on love and attraction. It’s quite endearing, adorably amusing, and sweet. I had a good time reading this book and would definitely recommend it.

The premise of this book was really intriguing and fun and I really did like this book, but I didn’t completely fall in love with the story like I expected. Plot wise, some parts were slow and there just wasn’t enough excitement for me in the beginning. Having said that, it does get better and there were fun scenes that I loved and the storyline itself was well-written and easy to follow that I was able to finish this in less than 24 hours. The pacing was also pretty good and while some moments were a bit predictable, I enjoyed all the deliciously fun surprises along the way. The romance wasn’t super swoony or anything, but a few cute moments certainly made me smile. Maya’s relationship with her father was also heartwarmingly sweet and I really enjoyed all their scenes together. The ending was great and I loved how it just brought the whole story together and left me feeling happy.

Maya was a great lead and I really liked her a lot. She was smart, passionate and incredibly determined. However, I wasn’t really in favor of her trying to get her ex-boyfriend back and being a little bit inconsiderate about other people’s feelings while she conducted the experiment. I didn’t always agree with her choices and found her frustrating at times, but she’s also someone teenage me can easily relate to… and honestly, I’ve probably been her at one point or another.

I thought the supporting characters were realistic enough that any reader can most likely relate to one of them. They were annoying at times, but they acted their age and had a sense of genuine realness that made them really likable. However, no one really stood out to me except maybe Bryan. I thought his friendship with Maya was absolutely endearing. Not to mention he’s sweet, funny, and just an awesome best friend. Kyle wasn’t so bad either and he was quite adorable and charming at times, but I just didn’t swoon over him like crazy. Maybe I’m still hung over my other book boyfriends that Kyle just didn’t personally meet my standards right now. Totally not the book’s fault, so I’m sure others will find him cute and swoon-worthy.

Overall, this book was a very light, fun and cute read. It wasn’t spectacularly mind-blowing or anything, but it had a nice mixture of light drama, heartbreak, great friendships, self-discovery, and first loves. It’s charming in its own way and definitely a perfect summer YA contemporary read! Oh and I really enjoyed the “whiff walks.”

I picked up a physical advance reader copy of this book from HMH during Yallwest this year and I also voluntarily signed up to review this book and be part of a Blog Tour hosted by Rock Star Book Tours. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

authorbio2
Meredith Goldstein is an advice columnist and entertainment reporter for The Boston Globe. Her first novel “The Singles,” was released by Penguin/Plume on April 24, 2012.

In March of 2016, Grand Central Publishing acquired a memoir based on her column, Love Letters. It is scheduled to be released by Spring of 2018.

Meredith was born in New Jersey, raised in Maryland, went to Syracuse University, and now lives in Roxbury, Massachusetts with a carnival-size cotton candy machine that she bought for herself on her 30th birthday.

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Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

entergiveaway2

3 winners will receive a finished copy of CHEMISTRY LESSONS, US Only.

Rafflecopter Giveaway

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6/18/2018- The Heart of a Book Blogger– Review

6/19/2018- Sincerely Karen Jo– Review

6/20/2018- Novel Novice– Guest Post

6/21/2018- Here’s to Happy Endings– Review

6/22/2018- Riddle’s Reviews– Review

6/25/2018- Book Briefs– Review

6/26/2018- BookHounds YA– Interview

6/27/2018- Dani Reviews Things– Review

6/28/2018- Smada’s Book Smack– Review

6/29/2018- A Dream Within A Dream– Excerpt

Hope you enjoyed reading this post and don’t forget to join the giveaway! Have a lovely day everyone!

sincerelykarenjoendsign

aboutthebook2

Escape Forbidden
Ruth Silver
(Aberrant Prequel)
Publication date: June 15th 2018
Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult

Fight to stay alive.

The Gravelands are a dangerous place.

In a world of uncertainty, Cora Manning knows one thing without a doubt: getting into Genesis will offer her a brighter future.

When the intake coordinator agrees to let her in because of her genetic makeup, Cora discovers the promised city of utopia is nothing like she imagined.

The rebellion has begun.

Goodreads / Amazon

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“Sit,” Noelle said and gestured toward the cot positioned on the floor.

Without much thought I wandered over and stretched out to lie down. Had it not been a trying day and with bombings outside, I’d have opted to go home or at the very least refused special treatment. That was what Noelle offered me, wasn’t it?

“You don’t have to stay here all night,” I said. It felt weird to be watched as I slept. “If I need anything, I can let you know. Or I mean, whoever stays.” I didn’t want to assume she wouldn’t go home either. I shut my eyes and relaxed against the cot. It wasn’t the most comfortable bed I’d been in, but it beat the straw in the barn.

“Toby and I will alternate, unless your fever breaks. Then we’ll both go home and let you sleep in peace.”

Hearing her words was enough to help me relax. “Okay,” I mumbled. If only I had the ability to control my own body temperature.

Noelle shut off the lights which helped ease the throbbing pulse behind my eyes. The distant wail of the siren ceased. Had it ended? Was everyone safe? I took momentary comfort in the quiet of Noelle’s office and allowed myself to fall asleep.

During the night, I heard the door whine and I attempted to roll over, only half cognizant of where I was. The cot groaned beneath me and I felt the warmth of metal against my cheek.

“Wake up, little girl,” an unfamiliar voice said, and I heard the distinctive click of the safety released from a gun.

My eyes flashed open, staring up at the intruder, the gun tight against my skin. How would I get out of this mess?

authorbio2

Ruth Silver enjoys reading, traveling, writing, photography, boardgames, and playing with her dogs.

REFUGE FORBIDDEN (Aberrant Book 4) by Ruth Silver will be available June 29, 2018.

She also writes adult romance under the name Allison West.

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