What’s not to love about a book like this? First, it has a strong female heroine who is also a brilliant chemist, single mom, and famous TV chef!  Second, she somehow manages to have a whirlwind romance and teach her dog 483 words? Lessons in Chemistry is all that and more!

“To her, it seemed like Calvin and Elizabeth enjoyed an almost supernatural relationship. Like identical twins separated at birth who accidentally stumble upon each other in a foxhole.”

Lessons in Chemistry is a fictional story about the amazing life of a quirky chemist named Elizabeth. She works as a scientist at Hastings Research in the 1960’s.  Remember, this is an era when most women were home raising children and encouraging their spouses, not doing groundbreaking research on RNA.  And definitely not single moms.  So when she loses her lab job because she becomes pregnant, she is hired as a TV chef on a cooking show…using very unconventional methods and encouraging wives at home to break out of the norm. 

This delightful story unfolds in dual timeline flashbacks, as you learn how she became a chemist, how she is treated in the lab, how she fell in love Calvin – her lab rival, and the assumptions of society as she raises a child on her own.  It’s a bit of a love story, a bit of a mystery, and a sweet story of staying true to yourself. Also, the side characters are just as charming, including the loveable and also brilliant Six-Thirty the dog. 

Thank you @doubledaybooks @bonnie_garmus_author and even @sixthirtythedog for sharing this story with me!  This is the @gmabookclub pick for April and not to be missed. 

WHAT’S NEXT?

You can pick up a copy of the book here.  To read more of my reviews, check out the rest of my blog.  To enter the latest giveaways and see what I’m currently reading, head to my Bookstagram account in IG.  And to listen to me chat all things bookish and share my latest reviews, head to my Booktube Channel. To try the book on audio go here!