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A review by the_baroness_will_see_you_now
Chemistry by C.L. Lynch
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.