I received this book for free from Amazon 1st reads in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Chemistry of Love by Sariah Wilson Published by Amazon Publishing on February 1, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy
Pages: 348
Format: ARC, eBook, Kindle Unlimited
Source: Amazon 1st reads
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True love requires a little research and development in a funny, heart-racing romance by Sariah Wilson, the bestselling author of The Paid Bridesmaid.
How can Anna Ellis, a geeky, brilliant, and hopelessly smitten cosmetic chemist possibly win over Craig Kimball, the man of her dreams--who also happens to be her boss? The answer is Craig's empathetic (and handsome) CEO half brother, Marco. The makeup mogul knows Craig for the ridiculously competitive rival he is. Whatever Marco has, Craig wants. That can be Anna, if she's game to play.
All Anna and Marco have to do is pretend they're falling in love and let the rumors begin. If the experiment in attraction works, a jealous Craig will swoop in and give Anna her happily ever after--if it weren't for one hitch in the plan. There's more to Marco than meets the eye. With every fake date, Anna's feelings are starting to become dizzyingly real.
Blame it on chemistry. It's unpredictable, exciting, and occasionally combustible. If Anna and Marco are really falling in love, who are they to argue with science?
I didn’t love The Chemistry of Love, but I didn’t hate it either and so my recommendation is to go in knowing that it might not be everything you want it to be, but you might also be pleasantly surprised. ~ Sharon – Simply Love Books
It has been a very long time since I read a book where I loved some aspects but others just left me scratching my head. This was an outward appearance and lifestyle opposites attract, but on the inside this couple meshed and I loved that inside part. The former part was a bit unbelievable and kind of soured the story.
I have read a lot of women in STEM romances over the last few years and I’d dearly love for a heroine to be smart, beautiful, athletic, sure of herself in all aspects of her life but instead we got Anna; a geeky, awkward, slob, Amazonian woman who still lives with her grandparents in this story (and some variation in almost every story I’ve read). Then we have the hero, Marco, who was rich, successful, gorgeously perfect (we know because the heroine mentions it a lot), and though most people don’t know it; he is a closet geek, a gamer, and extremely attentive when he finds someone who compels him to be so. For me, the differences between them were just so glaring and it was obvious that he fell for her super fast despite her being clueless (again she’s brilliant, but lacking social skills) and I kind of loved that he did despite how different their lives are, but it felt farfetched and convoluted.
Anna thinks she is in love with the VP of her department, Craig, who once helped her jump start her car. Despite her best friend and fellow chemist Catalina telling her that Craig is not a good man she doesn’t believe it because she “loves him.” I could see having a crush on him, I could understand wanting to know him better, but her going on and on about how she loves him when she doesn’t even know him was just plain weird. When Craig notices her attention towards him he tells her that it’s too bad there is a no fraternization policy (surprise, there isn’t) and so when Anna’s jerk of a boss who has constantly belittled her the entire 6 years she’s worked there starts in on her again, she quits because then she care pursue Craig. Again, she’s supposed to be highly intelligent, she’s broke, and she quits her job to pursue someone who barely knows she’s alive…seriously? She has plans to confront Craig at the office party that night (for the job she just quit), but instead witnesses Craig announcing his engagement. She falls apart in the bathroom where she meets Marco who just happens to be Craig’s half brother.
After that Marco convinces Anna to go along with a wild plan to win Craig because apparently Craig always wants what Marco has and they end up spending a copious amount of time together in which they both fall in love with one another but both despite being highly intelligent they forgot how to use big words and tell one another.
I did like these two together and I appreciated that we really got to know these characters and their backgrounds, what made them tick, and how their pasts shaped them and I also appreciated that the ending wasn’t them 2 years down the road living a lavish lifestyle because all their dream miraculously came true. In fact that might be the thing I loved most, that they worked hard to be where they are and are willing to keep working hard to make their every dream come true.
I didn’t love The Chemistry of Love, but I didn’t hate it either and so my recommendation is to go in knowing that it might not be everything you want it to be, but you might also be pleasantly surprised.
About Sariah Wilson
USA Today bestselling author Sariah Wilson has never jumped out of an airplane, never climbed Mt. Everest, and is not a former CIA operative. She has, however, been madly, passionately in love with her soulmate and is a fervent believer in happily ever afters—which is why she writes romance. She grew up in southern California, graduated from Brigham Young University (go Cougars!) with a semi-useless degree in history, and is the oldest of nine (yes, nine) children. She currently lives with the aforementioned soulmate and their four children in Utah, along with her cats Pixel, Callie, and Belle, who do not get along. (The cats, not the children. Although the children sometimes have their issues, too.)