I received an ARC of Lessons In Chemistry and it kept me entertained from start to finish! Chemistry is everything to Elizabeth. It’s life itself but it’s hard to be taken seriously in the male dominated labs of the 50’s. Although at points I literally laughed out loud, there are definitely some serious issues too including a trigger warning just in case that’s not your thing. It’s got a great cast of characters. Six-thirty the dog just might be my favorite.

4 1/2 stars rounded up to 5

What a lovely delight of a book! The perfect Woman's History Month read (though obviously great for any time!), Lessons in chemistry combines intelligence, humor, and passion into an incredible story. Elizabeth Zott is one of my new favorite characters.

She's a chemist in the 1960s who's facing all of the issues you'd expect a female chemist to be facing in the 60s. Despite the fact that she's much smarter and more accomplished than most of them, her male peers do not respect her... nor do other women for that matter. She falls in love with Calvin Evans, perhaps the only other chemist at her level. Tragedy strikes, but Elizabeth's story continues on with her daughter Mad (who is also incredibly intelligent) and their dog Six-Thirty (yes, that's his name and yes, he's also way more intelligent than the average dog).

As a food writer, I really appreciated Elizabeth's stint as a food show host and loved every scene where we saw what she cooked and how she spoke to her audience. There's a lot of heart in this book, but also so many spots where I laughed out loud. It's a unique book, unlike anything I've read before. I can't believe it's the author's debut novel and I truly hope she's working on her next because I'll read anything she writes!

This is a great historical fiction read with themes that easily speak to the hurdles women still have to jump through in order to be "successful". I really enjoyed our main character and her resilience.

An absolutely stunning story of a woman who perseveres through the most horrific of experiences working in a highly misogynistic, patriarchal, society, specifically the field of STEM in the 1960s.

Elizabeth Zott’s story is a reminder of why women are enraged with the toxicity of a patriarchal society, the horrors of what the generation of glass ceiling shattering women had to face, and the importance of continuing to make changes in a much progressed, but still needs a lot of work society.

An enraging, heart breaking, tear inducing, beautiful story.

Elizabeth is a chemist, and a damn good one at that. Not that any of her coworkers or her boss would tell you that of course. In their eyes she is there to grab them coffee, not that it stops them for going to her for help and then pretending they didn’t. When Calvin sees through all their comments and gets to know Elizabeth, the two quickly realize their chemistry is off the charts. they fall madly in love but suddenly Elizabeth finds herself a single mother, fired from her job for being pregnant out of wedlock, and trying to understand this newborn she never planned for. She has to do what she has to do in order to survive so when a cooking show opportunity comes up, Elizabeth decides to mix her love of chemistry with cooking.

This book was infuriating. This book was delightful. Weird to start off with those two sentences right? So let me take a step back. It was infuriating because of the way that Elizabeth was treated in the Science world. Through school, into the workplace, ugh it was all just so anger inducing, though not untrue for the 1960’s. Besides that, this book was an absolute delight. Quirky yet lovable characters, both in Elizabeth and Mad, and even Harriet and Miss Frask. Elizabeth is the woman we all wish we would be if we had been grown woman in the 60’s. She does not let people walk all over her, she is better than that and she knows it. I loved how the different webs of the story all connected, and while chemistry (not my subject) was talked about a lot, it wasn’t too science or over my head! This was not on my radar until Kray and Janine picked it for @notyomamasbookclub and I am so glad they did!

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is a 5 star rated novel! The whit and snappy writing by Garmus is whole-heartly enjoyable and makes the reader crave "just one more chapter" .

Elizabeth Zott, a chemist turned television star is the protagonist of the story and very quickly the audience can see, though she is a male dominated 1960's world, she can hold her own. Her laugh out loud observations on her surroundings make it abundantly clear, Elizabeth is where she belongs and can teach the men in her life a thing or two.

Lessons in Chemistry is such a fun read, and certain to become a best seller in 2022! Thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy. Lessons in Chemistry will be published on April 5, 2022.

✨ Review ✨ Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
"Take a moment now to admire your experiment. You've used the elegance of chemical bonding to construct a crust that will both house and enhance the flavor of your constituents."

Elizabeth Zott dared to be a chemist in the late-1950s and early-1960s, and a series of sad and discriminatory actions left her trod open and disrespected. Zott's actions again and again subverted cultural and gender standards of this era, and yet, she continued to stand up for her convictions. She ultimately ended up as the host of a cooking show "Supper at Six," where she taught women cooking skills alongside lessons in chemistry.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Genre: historical fiction / women's fiction
Location: California
Reminds me of: Frederick Backman meets The Maid
Pub Date: April 5, 2022

I LOVED this book - the writing style was so quirky and distinct that it reminded me of Frederick Backman, as well as sometimes The Maid in the ways that Elizabeth Zott could be a bit obtuse (intentionally obtuse I thought). The writing was beautiful and had me hooked in! The stories of Elizabeth's daughter Mad and dog Six-Thirty were so delightful!

I also found this really resonant as a woman in academia - it spoke to the historical context of the 1950s and 1960s and the bravery of women in charting a path forward for female scientists, academics, and more. But it also spoke to women in science and academia today - battling discrimination, lower pay, sexual harassment and assault, belittling behavior, struggles juggling home and family life, and more. This book made me fume in places and laugh in others as I pondered both the progress and lack of change in these fields.

My only two critiques are that 1) the jumps in time or between characters sometimes confused me as I tried to figure out what happened; 2) this is a story that's grounded in white feminism with little intersectional focus...while this reflects the historical moment, it feels like something worth noting.

Read this if you like:
⭕️ The writing of Frederick Backman and The Maid
⭕️ Learning more about women in science
⭕️ Quirky characters and brilliant dogs
⭕️ Stories about found family

Thanks to Doubleday and #netgalley for an advanced digital copy of this book!

This book so far is my favorite read for 2022. I laughed, I cried and cheered for Elizabeth Zott, who unfortunately was born ahead of her time. It's the 1950's and early 60's and she is a brilliant and beautiful research scientist but as a woman she is belittled by her peers for her intellect. She finds love with another lonely brilliant scientist and their love affair is wonderful until something tragic happens. Her life changes dramatically after that and to make ends meet she ends up hosting a cooking show because she is also a good cook yet her unorthodox ways of explaining how to make a meal (by using scientific terminology) and telling her mostly female audience that they are more than just housewives and can do more with themselves outside the confines of their roles as homemakers and mothers sends shockwaves through the men who are in charge of TV programming. They try to stifle her but her cooking program becomes extremely popular. It's a laugh out loud story while offers a sobering view at how intelligent and daring women were treated in those days. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

A must read! Elizabeth Zott, gotta say, is a new hero. A chemist, she fought her way to the Hastings Institute after a troubled childhood and a horrible incident that left her removed from her Phd program. She's clearly brilliant but she's a woman and therefore marginalized, except when her Maile colleagues need help. Calvin Evans is the star of the Institute. Also from a troubled childhood, he's made his way to the top of his field. They meet, they fall in love, they move in together and adopt Six Thirty- a terrific dog. And then there's a tragedy. The unexpected birth of their daughter Mad leads to the first female friendships of her life and ultimately to her new career. How groundsbreaking was it for her to teach chemistry through cooking ? Immensely so and the show engenders both huge fans and a certain amount of animosity until a Life Magazine Profile changes it all. There are so many twists in this absolutely wonderful book-no spoilers! These characters leap off the page. I know some might quibble about a sentient dog and the tone of Elizabeth's voice but it fits, it all fits and it's perfect. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Can't recommend this more highly.

This book was... tricky for me. It's so well rated, but I have to say it just wasn't my type of novel. The way it was broken up was very jarring and just made me feel like I could never get into a good rhythm. The story itself was very unique and honestly interesting, but I just never felt that crazy about the characters. It is in small part a romance, but mostly it's a story about feminism in many forms.

5 Stars
This is an extremely strong and relevant first book by Bonnie Gamus. It takes a look at how things were in the early 60s for women and specifically, women in science. We all know the mansplaining that still happens, well, magnify those moments to all the moments in your workday.

This is what our main character, Elizabeth Zot has to deal with. As a chemist, she understands how things work, so when a situation presents the answer to her needs, she takes this knowledge and uses it in cooking. She creates a TV cooking show and shows how mixing some compounds and how they help the recipes.

She becomes a huge TV star who also is teaching more than cooking to women...she is opening their minds to see things from a different perspective.

Wonderful.

This is such a unique book with wacky characters, an adorable dog (and you all know I’m not a dog person!), a precocious kid and a sweet love story. Elizabeth is so smart and just wants to do her job but sexism is real in her field. A bit of creativity and desperation lead her to her own television cooking show - because cooking is science! I loved the bits of faith and it’s challenges sprinkled throughout the story. Ideas of family and community are strong, perseverance and commitment to being true to yourself, a bit of sadness and a lot of humor, this book is exceptional! And a debut! Can’t wait to see what Bonnie Garmus does next!

I adored this witty, brilliant, sharply-written book! It was unique yet relatable and absolutely perfectly executed. Such a treat!

Elizabeth Zott tries to just be a chemist in the world of 1960's CA but she is hampered at every turn by the fact of her gender. Elizabeth eats, sleeps and breathes chemistry. She meets Calvin-another chemistry genius and the 'chemistry' between the two of them is amazing. Both have troubled pasts and in turn try to support each other's futures. Through a series of events, Elizabeth ends up having to make a name for herself as an on air cooking personality instead of doing chemistry research. It sounds zany and trust me, both the story and the secondary characters are all different levels of zany. I loved this story, I loved the characters, I loved all the metaphors about chemistry, I loved Elizabeth Zott. If I could give this more than 5 stars I would. Even the dog "Siz Thirty" is amazing-he does chemical experiments with Elizabeth with his own set of goggles.
Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review. I'm going to be in a little bit of a book hangover after this one I think.

I’d actually give this book 10 stars!! A beautifully and heartwarming book written about a woman in the 1950s and 1960s trying to make it as a chemist in a male dominated field. She’s a warrior and overcomes all obstacles in her way. This book is fantastic. Thanks for the advanced copy!

Elizabeth Lott is a woman you won’t be able to forget. You won’t want to. She’s a scientist brimming with intelligence. She’s fiercely independent, brutally honest and totally lacking in social graces. And because it’s the 1950s, she’s a woman in a world dominated by men and must deal with insults, prejudice, harassment and more on an almost daily basis. How she navigates this world, her successes and failures, and the friends (including the impressive dog Six Thirty) who are part of her life make Lessons in Chemistry a unique and memorable novel. If you are going to read only one book this year, this is it. 5 stars. I wish I could give it more.

Thank you to NetGalley, Doubleday Books and Bonnie Garmus for this ARC.

LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmos is shimmering reader delight. From the first sentence until the immensely satisfying last one, her story transported me with the story of brilliant scientists who forge a love story that endures, inspires, and enriches the world. I don't have words powerful enough to convey what a thrill it was to enter and live in the world that Garmos created with the remarkable Elizabeth Zott and the equally fascinating others in her life. Think of a book that was so different, the voice so captivating that you could not bear the story to be over. While I never knew where she was going to take us next, I knew to trust the story and enjoy every twist and turn, laugh out loud moment, and gasp worthy realization. A genuinely unique, creative, and joyous work. that reminded me of John Irving, Matt Haig, and Toni Morrison in evoking people and place with memorable, strong prose. I received an early reader copy and these are my unbiased opinions and thoughts.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

We are all sun-grins about this female-empowerment, dog-loving, chemistry-filled read. A big thanks to @netgalley and @doubledaybooks for the ARC! This one comes out April 5, and you don’t want to miss it.

I went into this book thinking it was going to be a light, funny read, but there was SO MUCH MORE to it. I laughed out loud, I cringed, I got mad, and I ended it with tears in my eyes. I loved it!

The characters were excellent. Elizabeth Zott was a character that will stay with a reader for a very very long time. The supporting characters were just as great. A neighbor-turned-friend who hates her husband. An extremely intelligent dog who flunked out of bomb-sniffing school. A young girl who was way more intelligent than she should be. There was so much development that I felt like I knew them all at the end.

This book, while humorous at times, tackled hard subjects. It’s whole focus is on Zott, a highly capable scientist (notice I didn’t say female scientist, because just scientist) who didn’t get the respect she deserved simply because she was female. This book explored what females went through in the work place, and some things got pretty dark (so research the trigger warnings). It tackled workplaces, motherhood, friendship, and grief.

This book embodied one of my favorite RBG quotes: Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. Truly one of my favorites of the year so far.

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is used to fighting battles to gain respect as a woman in her field in the early 1960s. However, one fellow scientist sees her as a peer, and sparks fly. Fast forward a few years and Elizabeth finds herself a single mother of a precocious little girl. Making ends meet proves difficult until an opportunity falls into her lap—as the host of a cooking show, of all things.

Elizabeth is all things strong and independent—a main character I’m happy to get behind. With great character development, Lessons in Chemistry introduces us to a solid cast of characters (including a dog!). This story wasn’t quite what I expected, but in all the best ways. There’s so much depth, so much real life that’s in this book. It tackles very real problems, especially those facing women in the workforce, in the 1960s.

Lessons in Chemistry is a blend of historical fiction, comedy, sprinkled with some feels. A delight to read, I highly recommend it!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley & Doubleday Books and am leaving an honest review.

What was life in the 1960s like for an intelligent female scientist? For Elizabeth Zott it is more than just a bit difficult. In the 1960s most women didn’t pursue a career in the science field and, certainly, those few who did, didn’t approach it with the zeal and single-mindedness that Elizabeth does. She even falls in love with a fellow scientist and their future appears to be heading in the right direction.

But, as we all know, life has a way of tossing curve balls and Elizabeth’s life is no exception. Within a few years she finds herself raising her daughter and hosting a TV cooking show. But, still a scientist at heart, she uses chemistry as the basis for teaching women not only how to cook nutritious meals for their families, but also how to follow their dreams and ambitions.

Lessons in Chemistry is charming, thoughtful, humorous, and very enjoyable. The cast of characters (including the dog) is extraordinary and the story is clever and unique. There were moments that made me laugh out-loud and others that made me nearly cringe. This is a book that gives the reader a lot to think about and a lot to be thankful for.

As one of her new fans, I raise a beaker to author Bonnie Garmus. I hope she has many years of writing ahead of her! Her debut novel is certainly 4.5 *s and I will gladly bump it to 5.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.