Review: Advanced Physical Chemistry

Advanced Physical Chemistry by Susannah Nix
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Advanced Physical Chemistry is the third book in Susannah Nix’s Chemistry Lessons series. It’s a complete standalone, although I do believe we get to see characters from the prior books throughout this one.

Advertised as a rom-com featuring a geeky heroine working in the STEM field, I was instantly intrigued by this one. I love a good rom-com, and I love geeky heroines. Therefore, I went in with quite high expectations. Although this was an enjoyable enough read, it wasn’t quite what I had been hoping for.

I think my biggest disappointment was in relation to the rom-com element. When I think rom-com, I think endless laughter. Most rom-com books will have me laughing every few pages, but I expect at least a chuckle every chapter (not necessarily deep belly laughs, although they’re welcome, just enough to remind me the book is funny). With this one, I did not let out any laughter. There was the slight tugging of my lips a couple of times, but I never let out the kind of giggles I do when reading a rom-com. Some may find this one to be giggle worthy, yet I feel as though the scenes that were supposed to be funny felt as though they were trying too hard which ruined the effect. I don’t know if it was simply a case of this one not being in line with my humour, or whether it truly is a case of false advertisement with the rom-com label, but I do wish there had been more humour throughout.

The actual story was decent enough. I wasn’t crazy about it, but it did keep me turning pages to see how it played out. I wasn’t obsessed about it, but it left me curious, hence my three-star rating. It wasn’t enough to leave me curious about the other books, but I can understand why this one will appeal to many people.

Advanced Physical Chemistry may not have been for me, but it was an okay read to pass a bit of time.

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