Can't Beat the Chemistry

Can't Beat the Chemistry by Kat Colmer (Review)

Image from Goodreads

Published by Rhiza Edge (a Wombat Books Imprint)

Release Date: April 20th 2019

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Retail Price: $17.99 AUD

Purchase or Pre-order From: Rhiza Edge, Book Depository, and Booktopia.

Rating: 

5 Stars

Ionic and covalent bonds are a piece of cake for MJ. But human bonds are a little harder ...

There are only two things MJ wants in her final year of high school:

1) Glowing grades and ...

2) to convince uber-smart, chiselled-jaw Jason they’d be a winning team outside the science lab as well as in.

Tutoring deadbeat drummer, Luke, isn’t part of the plan. After all, he has average intelligence, takes disorganised notes and looks like a partied-out zombie at their study sessions! Not even his taut biceps will win MJ over.

But MJ learns that she could be tutored in a few life lessons too: That sometimes there’s good reason to skip chemistry tutorials. That intelligence is so much more than a grade average.

And that sometimes you can’t beat the chemistry.

First of all a huge thank you to Emily Lighezzolo from Rhiza Edge, and Kat Colmer herself for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange of an honest review!

Can't Beat the Chemistry stole my heart from the get-go. Kat Colmer enraptures you with her writing, and creates characters you can't help falling in love with. The characters were incredibly relatable, and Colmer manages to weave a story rich with romance and incredibly important life lessons. Can't Beat the Chemistry sends the message that our lives are ours for the taking and whatever we're passionate about, whatever we want to do- we should just do it. No one else's opinions matter as long as you're happy and we write our own destinies. It also teaches us that we are all unique, and that everyone has strengths within them, if we just delve deep enough. It shows us that there is more to people than what's on the surface, and that we shouldn't make snap judgments about others. These are all lessons the main character, MJ, learns along the way.

MJ herself is such a complex character and I couldn't help falling in love with her. She honestly stole the show and she's one of the only characters I've related to. As an Asian, I love seeing Asians represented in the media, and so when I realised MJ was Chinese-Norwegian, I was so happy! We hardly see ourselves in the media and it's so important that we do, because it inspires each new generation of people of colour. Representation is so important. Anyway, MJ was a delight to read about, as I related so much to her in so many aspects. My favourite quote about MJ is uttered by Luke himself, "Prickly and standoffish, that's what a first and undiscerning glance reveals about MJ. But if you brave the initial discomfort and peer closer, you uncover a guarded vulnerability hiding just beneath the spikes."  MJ struggles with standing up to her mother. MJ's mum wants her to go to med school to pursue a career in surgery, which MJ doesn't particularly want. Not wanting to disappoint her mother, MJ continues down the path toward med school, struggling with her own ambitions. Her brother, Theo, was set down the same path, but he stood up to their mother and is now pursuing visual art. This unsurprisingly results in their mum's disapproval and scorn, and she doesn't act like the most loving mother toward Theo. MJ states that she wants to stand up for Theo, but is afraid to do so. The desire to stand up for someone, or something, and the accompanying fear and doubt that brings is one we can all relate to. I myself have had many times where I should have said something or done something to help someone, but never did so. MJ has taught me that it's okay to feel this way, and that we can overcome this fear. MJ begins in the novel as someone who's overly judgmental. She values intelligence over everything else, and so, she judges Luke very harshly, labeling him as a druggie drummer who doesn't try hard enough in school. This mentality is due to her upbringing, and the pressure her mum puts on her. Throughout the novel, as she gets to know Luke, she realises there's more to people than their intellect and abilities.I really love MJ, as her growth inspires me so much. She changes from this judgmental person who's afraid to fight for what she wants in life, to an open minded person who knows what she wants and won't let others demean her choices.

Luke is an adorable character who struggles with his own insecurities. He believes he isn't good enough to do what he wants, something many of us struggle with daily. He really comes into his own, like MJ, and realises that he can do whatever he wants, so long as he puts his mind to it. MJ and Luke really bring out the best in each other and I loved their romance. I realise this is a pitifully small section for Luke but that's only because MJ really stole the show for me and I feel like trying to replicate my MJ section for Luke would be futile. That being said, Luke is adorable, and he teaches MJ so many important life lessons, whether he means to or not.

The secondary characters were really well developed in my opinion. One character I want more of is Sandy, MJ's best friend. We don't see much of Sandy, but there are hints throughout the story that there's something more to her. I'd really love to see what Sandy's going through and have her find her happily ever after. Theo, MJ's brother, was relatively well fleshed out, with him going through similar struggles to MJ and their mother holding his decisions against him constantly. Zac, Luke's friend, was fairly interesting and remarkably perceptive- he's also the wingman we all need! The most adorable secondary character is of course, Rosie. Rosie is adorably bubbly and friendly, and the one quote that really sums her up is this: "For Rosie, people come before prizes and achievements. Maybe she's the smartest of us all."

Kat Colmer writes brilliantly, ensnaring us in the story of MJ and Luke, and taking us on their journey of growth and romance. One of my favourite quotes from the book is when she describes Luke's eyes, because it's written so beautifully, "There's an explosion of gold around the nucleus of his pupils, burning ochre bleeding into parakeet green."

I found this book similar to American Panda by Gloria Chao except that it isn't focused on the cultural aspect of the issue. I also think it's kind of like a young adult version of The Deal by Elle Kennedy. Can't Beat the Chemistry  has left me wanting more YA novels focused on women in STEM (if you know of any please let me know!)

Overall Kat Colmer stole my heart with this book and I'm so grateful for this story and all the characters in it. I'm signing off with a quote from the book, "You can't let someone else's expectations dictate your life."