Imperfect Chemistry (Imperfect #1) by Mary Frame

Blurb: Lucy London puts the word genius to shame. Having obtained her PhD in microbiology by the age of twenty, she’s amassed a wealth of knowledge, but one subject still eludes her—people. The pendulum of passions experienced by those around her both confuses and intrigues her, so when she’s offered a grant to study emotion as a pathogen, she jumps on the opportunity.

When her attempts to come up with an actual experiment quickly drop from lackluster to nonexistent, she’s given a choice: figure out how to conduct a groundbreaking study on passion, or lose both the grant and her position at the university. Put on leave until she can crack the perfect proposal, she finds there’s only one way she can study emotions—by experiencing them herself.

Enter Jensen Walker, Lucy’s neighbor and the one person on the planet she finds strangely and maddeningly appealing. Jensen’s life is the stuff of campus legend, messy, emotional, complicated—in short, the perfect starting point for Lucy’s study. When her tenaciousness wears him down and he consents to help her, sparks fly. To her surprise, Lucy finds herself battling with her own emotions, as foreign as they are intense. With the clock ticking on her deadline, Lucy must decide what’s more important: analyzing her passions…or giving in to them?

 

Favorite Quotes:  

Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all.

“You’re totally grabbing her ass,” Freya whispers loudly. “Is that weird? Groping your ex’s ex?”

“I dropped out of school,” he says. “I’m going to go back, when I can afford it or when I can figure out how the whole student loan thing works. Until then, I’m going to live off of my art, and if that doesn’t work, I’m going to get a job. But I’m never going to give up doing what I love.” “That’s good. I’m glad.” I really am. He deserves every bit of happiness, whether I’m part of that happiness or not. He looks down at the couch, and his fingers fiddle with a bit of fabric that’s come loose on the old piece of furniture. “The thing is,” he says quietly and then clears his throat. “The thing is,” he repeats it louder. “I don’t want to do any of that.” His eyes meet mine again. “Without you.”

5 stars

This ebook is free on Amazon!

I really liked this story.  Lucy was so fricking funny.  It almost seemed like she was deliberate in her responses but she just had no idea how to deal with people.  Her demeanor was crisp yet edgy.  She was completely obtuse when it came to her emotions, which made this book that much more awesome.  To see her thrive in academia but struggle with social settings.

I mean, emotions as a pathogen?  Think about it. A Pathogen.  Come on!  That’s funny, I don’t care who you are.

I think what really helped me to love this book was the fact that the side characters were just as deep and rich in their attitudes as the MC was.  Freya especially, was a favorite of mine.  She seemed the typical college student but she didn’t show disdain to Lucy (at least, not for long) for her lack of warmth and affection but instead realized that what she really needed was a friend.  And she was there for Lucy in a way that most people couldn’t or refused to be.  That says a lot about a persons character to commit to friendship when you really have no idea what they are saying half the time.  Haha.

Jensen was a very unexpected male lead for me. He’s creative and shy, attempting to squirm out from under his father’s thumb and expectations.  But my first impression of him came off as sexy and alpha, which he wasn’t at all!  I mean, he WAS sexy but not in that arrogant way.  It was more understated.  I loved that about him.  He had drive but lacked support and a bit of courage.  And I think that’s where Lucy helped him. They really helped each other. It was a true give and take relationship.

And the narration!  Rhiannon Engell nailed it.  Each character was easily discernible and had their own ‘voice’.  I found myself laughing at least once a chapter, her timing with the punchlines was perfect.  With the ebook being free and the audio only 1.99 to add, this book is a steal!  You should really go read it.  You’re welcome in advance!

I received a free audible code from the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.