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3.2 AVERAGE
3.2 AVERAGE
I will admit that I side-eyed this premise (high school chemistry intern decides to carry on her dead scientist mom's research into pheremones, in an attempt to get her boyfriend to get back together with her) but really enjoyed the book! Maya and her BFF Bryan are great characters. I also enjoyed all the fun Cambridge/MIT-specific details to the setting. I also appreciated that the cast is fairly diverse. Without going into too many details, I do think the ethical/scientific questionability of the whole thing is addressed in a way that left me, at least, satisfied, though obviously it still would not hold up to, you know, scientific scrutiny. (But that's also kind of the point, she's a grieving teenage girl with an interest in science! She's maybe not making the best choices!)
bonus appeal factors: women in STEM! YouTubers! Drama geek drama!
A great one for fans of Jenny Han, Sarah Dessen, etc.
bonus appeal factors: women in STEM! YouTubers! Drama geek drama!
A great one for fans of Jenny Han, Sarah Dessen, etc.
Not what I was expecting... it was a nice read but I feel like the ending was rushed...
I have so many mixed feelings about this. The writing was good and the characters were engaging. But the premise was inherently flawed, as I see it.
1. Whit dumped you, Maya. For someone else. You really shouldn't want him back.
2. THE EXPERIMENT ON UNKNOWING HUMAN SUBJECTS WITHOUT IRB APPROVAL OMG NOOOOOO.
3. Why did you have to do Kyle like that?! He was my favorite.
All in all, this was a quick read, but not my favorite book. I found it to be scientifically problematic, and I couldn't get past it.
Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
1. Whit dumped you, Maya. For someone else. You really shouldn't want him back.
2. THE EXPERIMENT ON UNKNOWING HUMAN SUBJECTS WITHOUT IRB APPROVAL OMG NOOOOOO.
3. Why did you have to do Kyle like that?! He was my favorite.
All in all, this was a quick read, but not my favorite book. I found it to be scientifically problematic, and I couldn't get past it.
Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
a cute story to read when you just need a happy ending sometimes
What an adorable story! I loved the concept behind the story - it's so quirky and random. This book is not what I expected it to be but I really enjoyed the writing and the characters which is why I flew through it. This is a really quick, fun read and I'd highly recommend!
When I received this novel I found myself pushing it back and back for no reason what so ever. I think the cover made me feel as though this novel would be super cheesy and not really that great, and yes, I know, don’t judge a book by it’s cover, but sometimes it’s very hard to do that!
Fortunately, I was able to get past the things that turned me off from this novel and finally pick it up. I think that in general the concept of this novel was a great idea, but the follow through wasn't as great as it could have been.
Personally, I understood why Maya as a character and understood why she made the decisions that she did, but I don't really think that we saw any character growth from her throughout the novel. She was rash and made horrible decisions and we didn't really see that change towards the end of the novel.
Additionally, I thought the idea of having the experiment was a really interesting idea, but I wish that we had the opportunity to get to know the test subjects a bit more than just a chapter or two each. They were all a bit one-dimensional and I really didn't find myself interested in their relationships with Maya.
Lastly, know that the end goal for Maya was to end up with her ex-boyfriend made the novel feel quite juvenile and boring. We didn't really get to know the ex-boyfriend that much, therefore we didn't understand the complete reasoning for Maya wanting to be with him so desperately.
All in all, I found this novel to be an interesting enough read for me to finish it, but not interesting enough for me to ever want to pick it up again. I think this would make a great, cheesy teen rom-com, but as a novel it was definitely lacking.
Fortunately, I was able to get past the things that turned me off from this novel and finally pick it up. I think that in general the concept of this novel was a great idea, but the follow through wasn't as great as it could have been.
Personally, I understood why Maya as a character and understood why she made the decisions that she did, but I don't really think that we saw any character growth from her throughout the novel. She was rash and made horrible decisions and we didn't really see that change towards the end of the novel.
Additionally, I thought the idea of having the experiment was a really interesting idea, but I wish that we had the opportunity to get to know the test subjects a bit more than just a chapter or two each. They were all a bit one-dimensional and I really didn't find myself interested in their relationships with Maya.
Lastly, know that the end goal for Maya was to end up with her ex-boyfriend made the novel feel quite juvenile and boring. We didn't really get to know the ex-boyfriend that much, therefore we didn't understand the complete reasoning for Maya wanting to be with him so desperately.
All in all, I found this novel to be an interesting enough read for me to finish it, but not interesting enough for me to ever want to pick it up again. I think this would make a great, cheesy teen rom-com, but as a novel it was definitely lacking.
4 Stars
Read my full review on the blog on June 14th: 5171 Miles Book Blog
First of all, let me put your mind at ease: you don't need to know anything about chemistry. Maya, however, knows everything there is to know about chemistry which is all thanks to her late mother who was a renowned scientist for epigenetics at MIT. Maya wants to follow in her mother's footsteps and study epigentics herself, and landing a summer internship in the lab at MIT her mother used to work at is only the beginning of her career.
I loved that Goldstein decided to make Maya a scientist. There are still not enough women in scientific jobs, although girls and women are just as smart as boys and men and can become scientsts just as much. Hopefully a lot of young girls feel encouraged to pursue a career in science after reading the book - or give it a good thought at least.
Maya was a great character to read about. Her journey through her summer internship at MIT, her effort to continue her mom's research, while hanging out with her friends was fun and entertaining. At only seventeen, Maya's knowledge of science was impeccable, yet she was totally naive in other aspects of her life which made her very likeable.
Researching a serum that manipulates human pheromones might not be the smartest idea but Maya had good intentions to continue the research, and an even bigger heart.
The side characters fit all perfectly into the story. Not once did I ask myself what a certain character was doing there. They all belonged and played important parts toward the conclusion of the story.
The open ending might be unsatisfying to some readers because it isn't the usual happy ending readers are hoping or rooting for but I actually enjoyed it. Honestly, I thought it was perfect. Another scenario, the typical predictable ending, would have been wrong and not believable. The open ending actually entices the reader to imagine their own ending for Maya and her future. ;)
**********
Soooo cute!!
Read my full review on the blog on June 14th: 5171 Miles Book Blog
First of all, let me put your mind at ease: you don't need to know anything about chemistry. Maya, however, knows everything there is to know about chemistry which is all thanks to her late mother who was a renowned scientist for epigenetics at MIT. Maya wants to follow in her mother's footsteps and study epigentics herself, and landing a summer internship in the lab at MIT her mother used to work at is only the beginning of her career.
I loved that Goldstein decided to make Maya a scientist. There are still not enough women in scientific jobs, although girls and women are just as smart as boys and men and can become scientsts just as much. Hopefully a lot of young girls feel encouraged to pursue a career in science after reading the book - or give it a good thought at least.
Maya was a great character to read about. Her journey through her summer internship at MIT, her effort to continue her mom's research, while hanging out with her friends was fun and entertaining. At only seventeen, Maya's knowledge of science was impeccable, yet she was totally naive in other aspects of her life which made her very likeable.
Researching a serum that manipulates human pheromones might not be the smartest idea but Maya had good intentions to continue the research, and an even bigger heart.
The side characters fit all perfectly into the story. Not once did I ask myself what a certain character was doing there. They all belonged and played important parts toward the conclusion of the story.
The open ending might be unsatisfying to some readers because it isn't the usual happy ending readers are hoping or rooting for but I actually enjoyed it. Honestly, I thought it was perfect. Another scenario, the typical predictable ending, would have been wrong and not believable. The open ending actually entices the reader to imagine their own ending for Maya and her future. ;)
**********
Soooo cute!!