2019 RITA® Award Winner for Contemporary Romance: Mid-Length!After four lousy boyfriends in a row, chemical engineer Penny Popplestone swears off men until she can figure out why they keep cheating on her. But her no-men resolution hits a snag when the mysterious and superhumanly hot barista at her favorite coffee shop strikes up a friendship with her.Penny strives to keep things platonic, but … strives to keep things platonic, but when Caleb gives her the kiss of her life, she realizes he wants to be more than just friends. Tired of always being “good little Penny,” she throws caution to the wind and pursues a no-strings fling with the hottie barista. It’s not like they have anything in common beyond scorching physical chemistry, so what does she have to lose?
Only her heart.
Now, this fanfic-reading, plus-size heroine faces an unsolvable problem. What do you do when being apart is unbearable…but being together is impossible?
This steamy, lighthearted romance is the third in a series of standalone rom-coms featuring geeky heroines who work in STEM fields.
THE CHEMISTRY LESSONS SERIES:
BOOK 1: Remedial Rocket Science
BOOK 2: Intermediate Thermodynamics
BOOK 3: Advanced Physical Chemistry
BOOK 4: Applied Electromagnetism
BOOK 5: Experimental Marine Biology
All books in the series can be read as standalones.
more
Catching a cheater is one thing, recovering from the cheating is another. And when you find that your drama is fodder for all and sundry and the hottie you’ve been superficially crushing on knew and didn’t tell you? Embarrassment city. But the fallout wasn’t as devastating for Penelope as she thought it would be. Her personal evolution has its ups and downs and there’s more to the hottie barista than just the secret keeping, awesome foam art, and delicious body. Penny’s decision to take a hiatus from men takes a backseat after one surprising, brain-melting kiss. He might just be what she’s always been looking for…but only if she can get him to open up to her beyond a no-strings arrangement.
I loved that this wasn’t just about Penelope’s size. It very easily could have been a “Let’s all love the curves,” kind of book and it ended up being so very much more than that, pun not intended. I myself am a woman of curves so I always appreciate happy, healthy women who have a little heft, you know? But sometimes there are books that focus so much on the love of soft, generous curves that it becomes less about what’s inside and more about the packaging…pretty much defeating the purpose of a meaningful romance and instead focusing on what someone looks like. Penny did need a boost in confidence after catching cheating jerk number four with a skinny blonde, but what she needed more than that was the love of a good man who could see everything that made her awesome, curves included.
With Caleb she got that. Although it took quite a while to get there. Watching them fumble through the complications of casual versus serious was equal parts apprehension and hotness. Because Caleb is careful of how much of his personal life he shares with Penny we’re wondering just how they’re ever going to get on the same page if he’s unwilling to open up. We all knew that Penny wouldn’t be able to keep things casual for long because she lives her life guided by her heart. The surprising part was just how invested Caleb became. Once we read about his heart we can look back on their interactions and see just how much his heart was actually there, we were just oblivious to it or misled because we’re seeing their entire relationship through Penny’s eyes. That epilogue though…perfection!! I loved that it was in Caleb’s POV. Through his eyes we see how much and how deeply he cares for Penny, that he’s really in it just as far as she is and his intentions are so sappy sweet, so ideal for the two of them as a couple.
In the beginning I was wishing for an alternating POV rather than just getting Penny’s mind but soon after I was okay with keeping Caleb’s thoughts mostly a secret. It drew out the anticipation and increased the confusion so we were made to feel everything as Penny felt things. Her frustration was ours, her concerns were ours. The supporting cast was interesting enough to keep our interest and make a well-rounded community for the MC’s yet they were also able to fade into the background to truly be support to the MC’s without drawing our focus away from them. Overall it was effective, especially when we were given Caleb’s view at the very end. The entire story was deeply satisfying, fun, sweet, and most definitely hot.
Another romantic comedy home run! 🙂
I loved reading about a new heroine that was smart, nerdy, comical, and not thin like a toothpick! Lol. I appreciated that the characters from the previous two novels were also mentioned. I really enjoyed the witty banter and cultural references throughout the book as well as the coffee house setting. I laughed, A LOT! So thank you so much Susannah! Caleb was a lovely character that I keep imagining my Barista is him… Hehehehe… so you accomplished creating the fantasy for me in my head and a new wonky reality. Until the next novel then. I can’t wait! <3
Penny is tired of always being cheated on.
Hottie Caleb is a barista at a coffee shop Penny goes to regularly. After months of barely speaking to her, he starts conversations with her after her latest breakup. She finds out that he’s moving away in one month, & decides they need to have some fun together before he leaves.
This story dragged a bit by parts, especially in the beginning. It was too long for them to get together, with a lot of talk about how to start simple conversations, about feelings, etc… I felt like I was reading a story about teenagers, instead of people in their 20s. I know people can be shy, but it was a bit exaggerated.
The entire book is written in Penny’s point of view, in the past tense, whereas the epilogue is written in Caleb’s point of view, in present tense. This seems to be a bit strange, really.
Still, overall, this was a nice, enjoyable story.
I love all three of the Chemistry Lessons books, but this is my favorite so far. Penny Popplestone is a wonderful name and she is friendly, intelligent, caring, sweet and beautiful. I love her inner dialogues. Caleb is the gorgeous barista at Antidote. He has been the unapproachable strictly business man of dreams. But when Penny was at her lowest, it was Caleb to the rescue. I laughed so hard throughout the book. I highly recommend this book. I voluntarily read a complimentary copy of this book.
I am a big fan of this author and this is another great one in the series. She has such a wonderful way of writing real women who are interesting, smart with depth and charm. There is also some great chemistry and witty dialogue. I can’t wait to read what she comes out with next!