What I enjoyed the most: how Bee and Levi's chemistry built slowly; Levi's protectiveness and support of Bee; Bee's kick ass STEM skills; the 'You've Got Mail' vibe, and a couple of secondary characters (Rocío and Bee's sister) whose banter added humour. I also appreciated how Hazelwood discusses the discrepancies in how women in STEM are treated and respected.
What I found weak: Bee and Levi are super smart scientists, but their reasons for hating each other for years were silly. You could say this was 'enemies to lovers' trope but honestly, it was more 'aloof grumps to lovers' trope. Bee is smart but not emotionally intelligent and it was her annoying AF obsession with the idea that Levi hated her that burned my biscuits. We waste precious page time stuck in her repetitive internal dialogue. Get .. over .. it, Bee! The three sex scenes were hot, but a bit cringey too.
Despite the weaknesses, I really did enjoy this book. I liked the nerd factor, the quirky characters and women represented in STEM, but I throw out a challenge for Hazelwood's next book - to have main characters that break her now typical mold of brawny, hulking smart dude paired with a teeny-weeny STEM genius woman.
This was a fun and flirty romance that has its spicy bits and was totally predictable, but an enjoyable light read that will appeal to fans of The Love Hypothesis.
My Rating: 4 stars
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Genre: RomCom
Type and Source: Trade Paperback from public library
Publisher: Berkley Books
First Published: August 23, 2022
Book Description from GoodReads: A STEMinist rom-com in which a scientist is forced to work on a project with her nemesis--with explosive results.
Like an avenging, purple-haired Jedi bringing balance to the mansplained universe, Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project--a literal dream come true after years scraping by on the crumbs of academia--Marie would accept without hesitation. Duh. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward.
Sure, Levi is attractive in a tall, dark, and piercing-eyes kind of way. And sure, he caught her in his powerfully corded arms like a romance novel hero when she accidentally damseled in distress on her first day in the lab. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school--archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away.
Now, her equipment is missing, the staff is ignoring her, and Bee finds her floundering career in somewhat of a pickle. Perhaps it's her occipital cortex playing tricks on her, but Bee could swear she can see Levi softening into an ally, backing her plays, seconding her ideas...devouring her with those eyes. And the possibilities have all her neurons firing. But when it comes time to actually make a move and put her heart on the line, there's only one question that matters: What will Bee Königswasser
I hope the author takes up your challenge, thanks for sharing your thoughts
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