3.5 stars
Thinking of how to review this book brings the mixed feelings I had around rating it and reading it in general.

On one hand it was so original, with such a strong, distinct voice; it was spot on – sometimes infuriatingly – with its view of the patriarchy and the unbelievable misogyny that women faced in the 60s. I went into it completely blind, and I felt major Mrs. Maisel vibes (crossed with Sheldon from Big Bang Theory). Elizabeth was so matter of fact and saw everything in such black & white and spoke with such conviction that it was hard to not agree with her. I loved that the dog had a POV and how the author humanized science for all of us.

That being said, it took me a long time to connect with the book and even longer to connect with Elizabeth. I loved the family-she-made around her and I highlighted so much of the book, but it still didn’t truly click. I empathized with Elizabeth, and she made me laugh out loud, but something just fell short. If it wasn’t for the AOTM club I don’t know if I would have finished it on my own.

Quotes: “She looked back incredulously. ‘Sometimes I think,’ she said slowly, ‘that is a man were to spend a day being a woman in America, he wouldn’t make it past noon.”

“She didn’t understand why they couldn’t just treat her as a fellow human being, as a colleague, a friend, an equal, or even a stranger on the street, someone to whom one is automatically respectful until you find out they’ve buried a bunch of bodies in the backyard.”

I can't believe this is a debut. It was so witty and charming and I didn't want it to end.

While it takes place in 1960s California, many of the same fights are still taking place today. The judgment of women (particularly those who have children out of wedlock) is still prevalent. Women don't get paid as much as men for the same jobs. They are still expected to be "good" and quiet and humble and less than. Magazines and media still expect women to adhere to unrealistic beauty standards, all in the name of profit.

I recognize Elizabeth Zott in so many real-life, female trailblazers, and I am thankful for their tenacity and bravery. I hope my generation can continue to chip away at ridiculous societal expectations and make the path a little bit clearer for our children.

Absolutely adorable!

Lovely characters, fulfilling story and a satisfying ending. I have to admit it was a little slow for me in the beginning. I struggled to get into the book, but after the characters began to grow and the story picked up, I couldn't peel myself away. Difficult but real topics were brought up, one after the other, but in a way that invigorated me through anger, confidence and meaningfulness. Everyday, we all have to deal with the politics of our world - whether it's work-related, family-related or society-related. The novel touched on every aspect, with the understanding that not everything can be fixed at once. We need to take it one step at a time, pace ourselves, gather reinforcements and make it a meaningful everlasting change.

I loved the quirkiness of each of the characters. Elizabeth, Six-thirty, Mad, Walter, Harriet, Wakely - all absolutely loveable characters that lightened up the book and made you believe that there was some light in what seemed to be a bleak and lonely world for Elizabeth. Seeing her growth through the support she received, making meaningful change and ultimately getting her redemption was the most satisfying way to wrap this book up. It could not have been paced or written better.

Love!

Lessons In Chemistry is going to be one of those books that will stick with me for a long time to come. In one book description, I saw it described as "Where'd You Go, Bernadette" meets "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel", and I can honestly say that description is spot on.

It's part romance, part women's empowerment, part social commentary, and part humor. It covers how the lack of equality of women in the 50s and 60s; the mistreatment, the expectations, and unfortunuately the sexual harrassment. However, Elizabeth Zott's character gives everyone a run for their money and empowers all women to fight for what they want and believe in.

The characters are all wonderfully developed and very quirky. Six Thirty (the beloved dog) was a personal favorite and was certainly a scene-stealer.

Add this incredible book to your 2022 reading list. It will leave you feeling joyful and incredibly empowered.
4.5/5 stars

This book is a total delight. Elizabeth Zott is a scientist in 1950s/1960s in a male dominated industry. She is continually harassed and put down because of her gender, but she is a true feminist hero (although she doesn't even seem to realize it.) The book tracks Elizabeth's career (and the changes that she didn't expect), her short romance, and motherhood (also not expected.) She is a great character and I'd love to hear more from her.

Thank you to Doubleday for the ARC - I had a great time buddy reading this with a group of bookstagrammers!

I couldn't decide where the book should go (in the flask or as a stopper, so you're getting both pics.) Let me know your favorite in the comments!

Pub date: 4/5/22
Genre: historical fiction, women's fiction
In one sentence: 1960s chemist Elizabeth Zott is one of a kind, and so is her chemistry-themed cooking show, Supper at Six.

I love books about women in STEM, so I was excited to dive into this one. Author Bonnie Garmus did a great job capturing the difficulties that women in STEM face - as bad as things are today, they were so much worse in the 60s. Although I loved all the characters, Elizabeth stood out. She is truly a force of nature and so unabashedly herself that you can't help but root for her. I loved how she used Supper at Six to show women that they could be more than society expected of them. An unorthodox character has to have an unorthodox sidekick, and Six-Thirty the dog more than lives up to the role!

This book is witty, surprising, and heartwarming - a perfect combination. At 400 pages, it's not a quick read, but I recommend joining Elizabeth on her journey. 4+ stars. Bonus - this book is being adapted in a show on AppleTV starring Brie Larson!

Lessons in Chemistry is a complete delight. It finds the balance between smart, funny, and truthfully and is entirely entertaining. I think it will have broad appeal to readers and will earn author Garmus a well-deserved following. Favorite characters: Mad and Six-Thirty.

This book was so unique and I really adored it! I went in thinking it was going to be more of a romance but it definitely reads more as a historical fiction read with humorous tone scattered throughout. If I’m being honest, I didn’t miss the romance piece because I was so intrigued by Elizabeth and her story. Elizabeth was everything I want in a feminist female MC. She was intelligent, unapologetic, loyal, strong-minded, and caring towards those most important to her.

I loved the storyline of a woman making her own way, paving the way for others, and empowering others to do the same. During that time period women were so confined to societal norms and expectations, so I just loved how this story encouraged them to seek more from life and “take a moment for themselves.” It was just really great to see as a female reader. ❤️

I liked the cooking show aspect and how Elizabeth did it in a way that validated SAHMs and related to them in a way that wasn’t superficial or cookie cutter. The development of the main romance in this story was humorous and it was interesting to see how it impacted the storyline later on. I will say a lot of secondary characters were typically written in a pretty negative light, which sometimes brought the tone of the story down, but I felt like the author was able to balance that out for the most part with other aspects in the story. Lastly, Six thirty was adorable and I loved all the times we were able to read his thoughts and feelings. He was so loyal and I just loved him 🐕

Gosh, I could keep going on about how much I enjoyed this one, but I don’t want to give too much away! Highly recommend picking this one up on pub day on April 5th 🙂

This was completely delightful, and I highly recommend it. It's quirky with excellent characters, including Six-Thirty who has joined the ranks of my favorite literary dogs. Elizabeth Zott is amusingly frank, determined, and a unique viewpoint into 1950s sexism. Although I laughed multiple times while reading, Lessons in Chemistry isn't a comedy-- it's actually quite sad and frustrating at times, but Bonnie Garmus balanced the emotions very well over the course of the story.

I have a thing for strong yet quirky female characters and Elizabeth Zott now rises up to become one of my very favorites. Set in the 1950s and early ‘60s, Zott is a chemist, at a time where even her workplace the Hastings Institute cannot accept her as such.

When she and fabled (male) and equally quirky chemist Calvin Evans pair, it is the talk of the institute, though what the gossip fails to appreciate is their “chemistry” is grounded in respecting each other true equals.

Forced out of her lab, Elizabeth later finds herself the unlikely host of a cooking show, “Supper at Six,” which she stubbornly - and to the horror of the male station executives - turns into lessons about chemistry. It’s not mischief; she simply cannot conceive of doing it any other way. As it turns out, her audience of housewives love it. And she begins to understand the power of her new platform:

“I wanted to use Supper at Six to teach chemistry. Because when women understand chemistry, they begin to understand how things work… I’m referring to atoms and molecules, Roth,” she explained. “The real rules that govern the physical world. When women understand these basic concepts, they can begin to see the false limits that have been created for them.”

“You mean by men.”

“I mean by artificial cultural and religious policies that put men in the highly unnatural role of single-sex leadership. Even a basic understanding of chemistry reveals the danger of such a lopsided approach.”

“Lessons in Chemistry” is a book that champions feminism, free thought, self-determinism, faith in oneself vs religion… but it is told with such warmth and through such refreshingly different characters that it never feels pedantic. Speech above not withstanding!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book and I can’t wait for others to discover it when it publishes this April.

Thanks to Doubleday and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Gamus is the story of Elizabeth Zott, a no-nonsense chemist in 1950s and 1960s California. She says exactly what she thinks, and she bumps up against cultural views of gender and societal roles. She falls in love with her co-worker, Calvin Evans. Fast forward, and Elizabeth is the reluctant host of a cooking TV show called "Supper at Six" where she explains the chemistry involved with cooking. She is also mom to Mad Zott, or Madeline, a child prodigy, and a dog named Six-Thirty.

I laughed out loud so much, my jaw dropped open at other parts, and I hugged this book at the end! I loved reading from multiple points of view, especially Six-Thirty's. I loved that Elizabeth uses chemistry to reveal how societal rules are off-kilter. This book is inspiring, heartwarming, witty, and irreverent. All of the main and supporting characters have depth to them. This book is being compared to Where'd You Go, Bernadette and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and I completely support this. I read the last half of this book in one sitting, and this will most likely be one of my favorites of the year!

“Courage is the root of change—and change is what we’re chemically designed to do. So when you wake up tomorrow, make this pledge. No more holding yourself back. No more subscribing to others’ opinions of what you can and cannot achieve. And no more allowing anyone to pigeonhole you into useless categories of sex, race, economic status, and religion. Do not allow your talents to lie dormant, ladies. Design your own future. When you go home today, ask yourself what you will change. And then get started.”

Lessons in Chemistry is a fantastic character-driven novel centering on Elizabeth Zott, a female chemist in the male-dominated ‘50s and ‘60s. Bonnie Garmus does an excellent job depicting the life of an intelligent, capable, independent woman in that time period, including the very real sexism experienced at every turn. The beginning of this book is laugh-out-loud funny, but quickly delves deeper as the book progresses. I absolutely love the strong feminist mindset that Elizabeth has, and also that she’s so literal and no-nonsense. Her dog, Six-Thirty, is a shining star in this book, and his perspective is a really fun addition to this story. Lessons in Chemistry has already been picked up by AppleTV and I can’t wait to watch!

Thanks you Doubleday Books for the copy of this ARC!

Ugh, I wanted to like this one so much. I’ve always loved chemistry. The first half of the book had me LAUGHING out loud at the funny one liners. This book hit on many heavy topics, which I appreciated, but I wish some of them went into more detail. Six-thirty was definitely my favorite character!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: April 5.

I think this is a book that a lot of people are going to love. Unfortunately I wasn’t one of them.

When I started this book I thought I was going to read something similar to Love Hypothesis, but based in the 60s. It was not quite that.

Elizabeth is a chemist in the 60s. And despite the societal norms for women, she stands up for herself and her career as a scientist. What I loved about the book was the humor and the dog. Six-Thirty (the dog) steals the show and is by far the best character in the book. We also get a look and his POV, which is creative and fun!

For the most part the remaining characters were very one dimensional, closed off, mean and a bunch of liars. The book started off strong but I liked it less and less every time I picked it up to read it. I couldn’t connect with it and was just angry - and not a good angry.

Giving it an extra star for the humor and the F the patriarchy mentality.

Lessons in Chemistry is the story of Elizabeth Zott, a chemist in the late 1950-early 1960s. Garmus gives her characters depth and Elizabeth's struggles are realistic.

Lessons in Chemistry was a true ‘judge a book by it’s cover’ for me, I loved the cover and the book didn’t disappoint either.
It is full of character and life right from the beginning, the story flowed and kept my interest throughout.
We follow Elizabeth Zott through ups and downs in her life as she navigates the world of the working woman in the 1960’s. I enjoyed the humor in the book which is rare in a novel I find and the author put the right amount of humor in all the right places in my opinion.

Lessons in Chemistry is a book about a brilliant woman trying to make her way in the field of Chemistry at a time when women were expected to look pretty and please their husbands. Elizabeth Zott is a unique women and challenges societal conventions. She wants people to take her and her work seriously. Working in the science world, Elizabeth is demeaned over and over again, but has the support of famous chemist Calvin Evans (after their initial meeting in which he mistakes her for a secretary). Elizabeth was raised in an unconventional family and experienced a devastating loss, as did Calvin. Life continues to deal blows to Elizabeth, but she is asked to host a cooking show which will provide her with substantial pay raise. She defies the instructions of the producer and station manager to teach women chemistry through cooking and empower them. The book is quirky, infuriating, and engaging, and I could not put it down.

I wish I could give this so many more than 5 stars. I loved this so, so much. I can’t remember the last time a book made me laugh out loud all throughout, even though I was equally outraged at the horrific sexism Elizabeth faced.

Set in the 1950s to early ‘60s, Elizabeth is far a more brilliant chemist than most of her male colleagues, except for one . . . who also recognizes her brilliance even though she possesses ovaries and refuses to fetch the coffee. They fall in love, and though Elizabeth hadn’t planned on being a mom, in a short time, she finds herself a single mother. That’s never easy, but it’s especially brutal at that time in history, so she finds herself in the position of taking a job as a host of a cooking show to pay the bills instead of making breakthroughs in the field of chemistry as she’d planned.

Elizabeth does it on her terms, however, using her chemistry background to explain how to make dinner, and assuring women, most of whom don’t earn an income or work outside the home, how important it is to nourish themselves and their families with food . . . and with a belief in themselves.

There are things that stretch the imagination. This is a comedic take on some awful stuff after all. But as soon as you accept that all the non-villainous characters, including the dog, are smarter than you’ll ever be, it’s super fun.

It’s only the beginning of February, and I highly doubt I’ll read a better book this year. This is utterly brilliant, and the fact that she can deftly touch on so many important topics with a heroine I loved is truly remarkable. Read this and tell your friends.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES APRIL 5, 2022.

I was going back and forth on 4 or 5 stars, and then I decided 5 stars just for Six-Thirty. He is sheer genius. He is one of the most believable characters I have read in quite a while.
This is the story of Elizabeth Zott who as a female chemist in the 1960s has a terrible time being taken seriously until she meets the love of her life, Calvin Evans, another brilliant chemist who DOES take her seriously as a chemist, and she is the love of his life. But life is cruel. Calvin dies, Elizabeth is again belittled and dismissed, she has a daughter, and eventually events lead to a television cooking show that she considers lessons in chemistry. And there's a dog named Six-Thirty.
Initially there is an overabundance of flashbacks. Well, the whole first section is technically a flashback containing flashbacks. A little annoying and a little long, but worth the setup I suppose, and my only quibble with the story. I did not find the early years remotely humorous, too much was heartbreaking or enraging. But not to worry, it's all quite satisfying in the end. QUITE. Once Elizabeth made it to her television show, I started smiling. Goofy grins started appearing. The pieces started to fall in place. Oh my, let the dominoes fall.....
And yes dog lovers, Six-Thirty is still there at the end. This is safe to read.

This was an entertaining book, kind of a mash-up between Mrs Maisel and Big Bang Theory. I found the book hard to get into at first. The main character comes off a bit flat, but things get more engaging as the book goes on and we get to know her backstory. The chapters from the point of view of the dog were a bit too twee for my taste, but the story was otherwise compelling and I enjoyed it.