the chemistry of love
the chemistry of love —love on the brain by its original English title—is a contemporary romantic novel written by the Italian neuroscientist and author known as Ali Hazelwood. The work was published by Contraluz publishing house in 2022. After its release, it quickly became one of the most reviewed books on platforms such as booktube and booktok.
This romantic comedy has given a lot to talk about. The reading community that enjoyed The love hypothesis, debut feature by this same author, I was very excited to discover this new title. While readers who enjoy the genre have given rave reviews to both the plot and Ali Hazelwood's nimble pen, the book has had some conflicts to settle as something more than a story full of clichés.
Synopsis of the chemistry of love
In the world of science
As in The love hypothesis, The chemistry of love takes place in a scientific environment. The plot of this story begins when Bee Königswasser, a talented German neuroengineer, is chosen as co-director of an important project which takes place at the central base from NASA.
The conflict begins when Bee is forced to share the address with Levi Ward. He is hers attractive and cold former classmate of hers from her university, who always treated her with disdain.
It is from then on when one of the clichés begins to unfold most enjoyable by many young readers: el enemies to lovers —from enemies to lovers, in Spanish.
Bee is a great admirer of Marie Curie, always wondering what the discoverer of radium would do in each situation. In that context, the protagonist comes to the conclusion that, despite everything, she has been given a great opportunity, and she tries to take advantage of it at all costs.
Despite some bumps in the road to the approval of more specialized critics, the fact that most of Ali Hazelwood's works have as protagonists to women scientists is a remarkable element.
problems in the laboratory
Despite his good disposition, nothing goes as expected bee. Her contract specifies that she must create a helmet for astronauts whose technology makes certain areas of the brain of the men they send into space activate, so that they can perform a more optimal job.
However, women do not receive the resources they need, she is denied an office of her own, her colleagues do not support her decisions, and, over the days, she begins to feel that Levi might be sabotaging her.
The tension between the two protagonists is increasingly intense. She hates him for his attitude towards her, and he doesn't seem to appease Bee's discomfort. Later, the protagonist realizes that Levi has always defended her positions regarding the project, and helps her in any way she can to carry out the research and the prototype of the helmet.
Shortly after, Bee understands that the entire conflict is related to a macho bureaucratic perception. The latter is therefore a reflection of the reality experienced by many women in science.
What would Marie Curie do?
It is an understatement to say that Bee Königswasser is obsessed with the physicist and chemist Marie Curie. The main character has a Twitter account called What would Marie Curie do? where he exposes problems associated with the scientific world, women and students of the various chairs associated with science. The profile goes viral, and Bee must keep her name a secret so as not to create controversy in her work.
While the protagonist leads this "double life", Levi has an account similar to hers, dedicated to a similar matter. Both profiles become very well known, and, over time, the administrators (Bee and Levi, who use pseudonyms) begin to develop a beautiful friendship. The two tell each other day to day, work, personal and emotional problems, without knowing that they are talking about each other.
The Spicy Affair in The Chemistry of Love
One of the scandalous particularities about contemporary literature romantic style It is the exaggeration of the sexual scenes. popular books like Through my window by Ariana Godoy, or Lust, by Eva Muñoz, fill their pages with poorly constructed explicit scenes. In this sense, the chemistry of love it's a breath of fresh air the focus of its argument is on the consolidation of the relationship and the tension of the characters.
For those readers who enjoy the erotic genre, it is meritorious to say that this novel by Ali Hazelwood It has some pages where scenes are described spicy near the end of the book. Another topic that is addressed in a different way in the title is harmful relationships, since Levi could be described as emotionally healthy.
Still, the book sustains another cliché: the lack of communication between the protagonists. Misunderstandings and false assumptions about the objectives or needs of the other are the order of the day.
About the author, Ali Hazelwood
ali hazelwood
Ali Hazelwood is the pen name of an American-born Italian neuroscientist and writer. Although there is not much information about her, it is known that she was born and raised in Italy. Throughout her life she has moved to countries like Japan and Germany. In the end He settled in the USA, where he did a doctorate in neuroscience. She currently works as a teacher, while complementing her career with writing.
In general, most of the female characters created by Ali Hazelwood carry out their work activities in a scientific environment, working in areas such as mathematics, engineering or technology. The author's first novel, The love hypothesis (2021), was on the best-seller list of the New York Times, so more successful titles are expected from Hazelwood.
Other books by Ali Hazelwood
Novels
- love, theoretically (2023);
- Check & Mate (2023)
Short novels
- Loathe to Love You (2023);
- Under One Roof (2022);
- Stuck with You (2022);
- Below Zero (2022)