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saviinvhetin's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
This was hilarious
wolfshine's review against another edition
2.0
Not a better love story than Twilight…
When I saw that this was supposed to be a parody of Twilight, I was expecting something a little bit different. I didn’t know it would be exactly like Twilight except with zombies instead of vampires. It’s unfortunate because the author had some good ideas when it came to the source of the zombie outbreak and the way that zombies exist in the world. I’ve never read any ideas like it. However, I couldn’t stand how closely the plot followed that of Twilight. In some areas, I had to skim through.
With that being said, I did love the characters in this book. Stella in particular had me laughing out loud on a few occasions because of her abrasiveness and just how little she cared about what others thought of her. I felt like she and Howie balanced each other well and made for some interesting conversations and character contrasts.
Read at your own risk. If you didn’t like Twilight, I wouldn’t really recommend this book since it feels quite similar. However, as I mentioned above, the ideas the author had about zombies were really original so for zombie fans this might definitely be a book worth reading. All depends on what you’re looking for in a book.
When I saw that this was supposed to be a parody of Twilight, I was expecting something a little bit different. I didn’t know it would be exactly like Twilight except with zombies instead of vampires. It’s unfortunate because the author had some good ideas when it came to the source of the zombie outbreak and the way that zombies exist in the world. I’ve never read any ideas like it. However, I couldn’t stand how closely the plot followed that of Twilight. In some areas, I had to skim through.
With that being said, I did love the characters in this book. Stella in particular had me laughing out loud on a few occasions because of her abrasiveness and just how little she cared about what others thought of her. I felt like she and Howie balanced each other well and made for some interesting conversations and character contrasts.
Read at your own risk. If you didn’t like Twilight, I wouldn’t really recommend this book since it feels quite similar. However, as I mentioned above, the ideas the author had about zombies were really original so for zombie fans this might definitely be a book worth reading. All depends on what you’re looking for in a book.
lian_tanner's review against another edition
4.0
Intelligent, well written, and laugh-out-loud funny. I love the way Lynch has taken such a worn-out trope and made it so hilariously original.
the_baroness_will_see_you_now's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a *lot* of fun. I was worried that, as a foil to Twilight, all its appeal would be in that fact alone and that the characters wouldn't grab me on their own merits. But, happily, I was wrong!
Stella is smart, strong (mentally and physically), and loud, the latter because she can fall prey to insecurities just like any teenager and it pisses. Her. Off. She can be prone to knee-jerk reactions as well and I like that. She's layered and the layers are messy.
Howie can sometimes seem a little too good to be true. I mean, sure, he's a zombie, but even taking that, and the lack of inflection and facial expression that comes with it, into consideration, he's polite and patient almost to a fault. He never veers into sanctimony, though, and it's hard not to be fond of him. And Howie isn't just into Stella for her mind, either. He's physically attracted to her, which is a nice change of pace. How often are we fat chicks told that we'll be loved *in spite of* our bodies? That anyone who chooses us in the long-run will, by virtue of our personalities and brains, be able to see *past* our fat. Phhbbbtt. Howie wants the whole package and hell yeah to that!
Stella's parents were a hoot. I hope the Mullinses and Stella and Howie's friends will feature more prominently in sequels.
One of my biggest issues with the book was that the plot wasn't its strongest point. Even with characters as fun to follow as Stella and Howie, a tighter plot would've added to the enjoyment. It wasn't *bad*, mind, just a little thin. My one other issue was that there were a bunch of typos in the e-book version but that's mostly just nitpicking on my part.
Stella is smart, strong (mentally and physically), and loud, the latter because she can fall prey to insecurities just like any teenager and it pisses. Her. Off. She can be prone to knee-jerk reactions as well and I like that. She's layered and the layers are messy.
Howie can sometimes seem a little too good to be true. I mean, sure, he's a zombie, but even taking that, and the lack of inflection and facial expression that comes with it, into consideration, he's polite and patient almost to a fault. He never veers into sanctimony, though, and it's hard not to be fond of him. And Howie isn't just into Stella for her mind, either. He's physically attracted to her, which is a nice change of pace. How often are we fat chicks told that we'll be loved *in spite of* our bodies? That anyone who chooses us in the long-run will, by virtue of our personalities and brains, be able to see *past* our fat. Phhbbbtt. Howie wants the whole package and hell yeah to that!
Stella's parents were a hoot. I hope the Mullinses and Stella and Howie's friends will feature more prominently in sequels.
One of my biggest issues with the book was that the plot wasn't its strongest point. Even with characters as fun to follow as Stella and Howie, a tighter plot would've added to the enjoyment. It wasn't *bad*, mind, just a little thin. My one other issue was that there were a bunch of typos in the e-book version but that's mostly just nitpicking on my part.
lulustjames's review against another edition
5.0
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This was an AMAZING book! I could not put it down. Chemistry by CL Lynch is everything Twilight should have been. It is funny, empowering, and still romantic. It is extremely telling how quickly I devoured it considering I absolutely hate anything zombies.
Lynch does a tremendous job keeping true to Twilight and keeping opposite. We have new student Stella Blunt who is large and in charge. This was so freaking great, to finally have a protagonist that can be good looking and large at the same time. Not curvy, large. She even makes jokes about it which endears her even more. Then, we have the actual realistic new student scenario where instead of being worshiped as Bella was, she is ostracized because really, who moves to a new school in the middle of the year just to be warmly welcomed by the student body when they never were at their old school?
The dynamic between Howard and Stella is fantastic. They joke about him being creepy and her warning him he better not watch her sleep, another great nod to Twilight. Howard is old fashioned, but apologizes for it and is awkward. He isn’t the suave brooder Edward was, which really, would someone that refuses to talk to the rest of the population actually be Mr Popularity?
Chemistry by CL Lynch reads much more true to life than Twilight. It’s funny and quirky with great pacing and an engaging storyline. Please, if you’ve read Twilight, do yourself a favor and pick this up. It is amazing!
// I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this title. //
kba76's review against another edition
2.0
If you like zombies, feisty heroines and an oddball romantic feel then this will be right up your street.
Stella has real self-esteem issues, not helped by the fact she is seen as obese by her peers. When she moves to Vancouver she becomes an object of attention for Howie, the school's designated loser.
Their relationship is quirky. Stella's parents are hysterical and she has a sewer-mouth. She's pretty handy with a meat cleaver and takes all sorts of weirdness in her stride.
Not really my thing, but thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
Stella has real self-esteem issues, not helped by the fact she is seen as obese by her peers. When she moves to Vancouver she becomes an object of attention for Howie, the school's designated loser.
Their relationship is quirky. Stella's parents are hysterical and she has a sewer-mouth. She's pretty handy with a meat cleaver and takes all sorts of weirdness in her stride.
Not really my thing, but thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
moj8668's review against another edition
5.0
What a hoot!
In the vein of angsty, dark, supernatural teen romances C. L. Lynch brings to life a story of an odd young man who falls in love with the new girl in school. Stella is a smart 17-year-old girl who enters her new school expecting to be rejected. After all, she's new, she actually LIKES learning, and she's a plus-sized woman. All things that teenagers love to make fun of. So she's a little stunned when the boy sitting next to her in Chemistry class can't stop staring. He's enthralled and she doesn't understand why. There's something about him that's very odd. Very odd indeed.
Apart from well-crafted characters and a clever plot, Lynch has written a book that constantly had me chuckling. Her turn of phrase and Stella's first-person account were full of witty comments, mental images only a teenager could dream up, and plenty of conversation about learning to love yourself. I was legitimately rooting for these two and LOVED watching Stella's confidence in herself grow. I picked up the book as a part of the Autistic Pride readathon and am so glad I did. Looking forward to reading more of Stella and Howie's story in the sequel!
In the vein of angsty, dark, supernatural teen romances C. L. Lynch brings to life a story of an odd young man who falls in love with the new girl in school. Stella is a smart 17-year-old girl who enters her new school expecting to be rejected. After all, she's new, she actually LIKES learning, and she's a plus-sized woman. All things that teenagers love to make fun of. So she's a little stunned when the boy sitting next to her in Chemistry class can't stop staring. He's enthralled and she doesn't understand why. There's something about him that's very odd. Very odd indeed.
Apart from well-crafted characters and a clever plot, Lynch has written a book that constantly had me chuckling. Her turn of phrase and Stella's first-person account were full of witty comments, mental images only a teenager could dream up, and plenty of conversation about learning to love yourself. I was legitimately rooting for these two and LOVED watching Stella's confidence in herself grow. I picked up the book as a part of the Autistic Pride readathon and am so glad I did. Looking forward to reading more of Stella and Howie's story in the sequel!
knallen's review against another edition
4.0
This was an absolutely adorable book and I think it's really underselling it to call it a twilight parody zombie book. Yeah, I could see some of the parallels, but really it did so many things that Twilight didn't. It was fun and original. It had a fantastic heroine and it talked about some of the 'issues' a relationship like Stella and Howie's (or Bella and Edward's) would deal with. Over all, I enjoyed it so much. It was a lot of fun to read.
lunifur's review against another edition
4.0
**I voluntarily reviewed this ARC**
Uh, what did I just read? I mean that in the best way possible. This was the most unique “zompocalypse” book I have ever read. Stella is a bit of a love her or hate her character, as she is very, well, Blunt. But she is also easy to relate to. There is a lot more humor than you would expect in a zombie book, with Stella's parents being absolutely hilarious. It also gets bonus points for not ending on a cliffhanger.
Uh, what did I just read? I mean that in the best way possible. This was the most unique “zompocalypse” book I have ever read. Stella is a bit of a love her or hate her character, as she is very, well, Blunt. But she is also easy to relate to. There is a lot more humor than you would expect in a zombie book, with Stella's parents being absolutely hilarious. It also gets bonus points for not ending on a cliffhanger.