This book was so much fun! I loved the quirkiness, the cosiness, and the banter/tension between the characters. Stacey (the geeky chemistry teacher) and Reece (the cool football coach) were so lovable; I was shipping them from the beginning and was so happy with the outcome of their story. I do feel that there were parts of the plot, and areas within the writing that were weak; but the overall enjoyment of the story made up for this. I will look forward to reading the next book by Christine Miles!

“Off-the-Charts Chemistry” is a cute, light read about a small town high school’s chemistry teacher and football coach. It was an enjoyable read, albeit being a bit formulaic. The whole story takes place over the span of two weeks, so there’s not a lot of drama or backstory developed. It’s a pretty cut and dry Hallmark-esque plot. That said, the characters are likable and the banter is fun and easy to get into, so it’s still a nice, cozy read.

Found the book difficult to get into and had to pick it up several times in order to start reading. The story is an overall cute in he's the jock and she's the geek but all grown up. Just wasn't the most attention grabbing.

This was a cute short read. I was very excited for a novel with a woman in STEM, however it is to note, that the book itself focuses more on the football aspect rather than chemistry. The story was overall quite enjoyable and funny, with relatable characters.
I still wish there was more built up of the story itself.

“You have my undivided attention” - Reece😭 💕

This book was so cute and cozy. Small town vibes, slow burn romance, mild spice. The idea of a coach and teacher romance is so stinkin cute. This book was perfect to read during fall because the timeline happens around homecoming which is a late summer/early fall ordeal. Super cute! If you’re looking for something cozy with no big breakup conflict, this one is for you!

I enjoyed this book a lot. It's a very cute and flirty story, though it wasn't exactly off the charts

I didn't like Stacey's friends mostly because it felt filler, and I wanted more focus on the romantic aspect of the book

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and of course the author for gifting me this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book even though it was your routine typically romance following Stacey, a chemistry teacher, who falls for the football coach.

Book: 4 stars
Spice: a reluctant 3 chilis. (One open door scene but not graphic at all). 95% of the book was zero spice or buildup at all.

This was a cute, sweet romance between the high school chemistry teacher and the football coach. They both had to face some issues from their pasts, but overall it was missing the in-relationship conflict that makes romance reads much more realistic and compelling.

There’s so much within this book that could have been explored further. Stacey’s perfumery hobby, Reece’s investigation into the terrible coaches, plus so much more. Stacey and Reece were also kind of awkward in their own ways…not acting like millennials, more like Gen X with their lack of suave tech usage. But they were millennial-aged? It was confusing, but maybe that’s just an issue with them living in a small town.

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me have this ARC of this book!

Stacey is your average high school chemistry teacher. Nothing exciting or interesting about her. Or so she thought! All of that changes when she meets Reece the new head football coach. Reece can't seem to escape conflict and is happy to have Stacey by his side to navigate the recent crap-storm that is brewing.

I love these characters! Stacey and Reece are perfect together. They bring out the best in each other. This looks like the beginning of a new series so I hope to see how their relationship continues to develop. One of my favorite things about this book is that the author avoided the "misunderstanding" trope that so many romance authors rely on to add some color to the plot. I hate this and am so glad that our couple was mature and respectful and good communicators throughout.

This was just a quick, easy romance read. It's the story of a chemistry teacher and a football coach in a high school who couldn't be more different. Their paths cross as Reece takes over the team and needs to speak with Stacey about some of his players, and the story kind of goes from there. There's definitely romance as they can't deny their connection despite their differences. There's also quite a bit on the dynamics of a high school, particularly those around high school football. Sometimes you just need a nice read with great characters, and that's what this is. Thanks to NetGalley for the look at this September 2023 release.

Sweet smart romance that melted my heart.

"Reece wanted to unwind the chemistry teacher and not only physically. He wanted to know her."

When Stacey Kinsella, the chemistry teacher, first meets Reece Caldwell, the new football coach, it's embarrassment at first sight. However, it doesn't stop the instant attraction. An attraction that appears to be mutual. Unfortunately, she's not been lucky in love and is wary that a guy like Reece would go for a nerdy science geek like her, and he's got his own baggage, too. Not to mention a new job that comes with its own issues.

This was such a really enjoyable story. I adored Reece and Stacey together. They were cute, flirty and sexy. They didn't play games or leave room for the other to doubt that the interest was mutual. I enjoyed the relationship they were building and the trust that grew between them. I really enjoyed the banter, as well as the honesty between them. I had heart-eyes over them! I also loved Stacey's girl gang - all strong smart women - and I look forward to their stories

I have been intrigued of the chemistry that could go off between a football coach and a chemistry teacher, however, it did not took off for me. While it has a good story line, somehow, their interactions has not yet been off-the-charts. Perhaps because there has been several characters seemingly as important as the leads that somehow leads me away from the main story-line.

Stacey Kinsella is a high-school chemistry teacher with two cats and no dating life. She has accepted that she is more brains than beauty and have no love in her immediate future. She never expects one of the sexiest men not only walk down the halls of her school but stroll right into her classroom ….in the middle of changing her shirt. Brigid’s Vista High-school is his second chance. Reece Caldwell is after a career hail mary. After his last disastrous job Reece needs to turn the Bears into a winning team. With the athletic director and his assistant coach challenging his every decision Reece doesn’t need any more distractions especially in the form of a quirky sexy chemistry teacher-with a penchant for black bras. As Stacey and Reece explore their unexpected attraction Reece begins to understand that there is more at stake under those Friday Night Lights.
I was originally drawn to the cover of the book. It’s adorable and I was hoping that the book matched. I was not disappointed. I enjoyed so many aspects of this book. It was certainly cute and I love a book with a woman in STEM. The story itself flows well and I enjoyed the unfolding of events without feeling like it was too much or too little.
Stacey is a somewhat shy character that definitely has self-confidence issues something which I related to a lot. When it came to her self-confidence I felt the author handled it delicately without it seeming like she was whiny. Stacey isn’t a fan of football but I love that she gives and effort for someone she loves.
Reece as a character was not what I was expecting. I thought that he would be more foul mouthed? I am not entirely sure what my impression of him fully was. I like that he is good under pressure and it comes across the page well as he deals with all the difficulties of his job.
As for the relationship between the two it is a slow burn. I love how Reece was such a gentleman about taking things slow and then Stacey was like I want to jump his bones now. One thing I that got to me personally was there was quite a bit of repeating I believe it was to drive home a point but I was personally not a fan. If you’re looking for a cute read this one is for you. It has STEM, a jock and smart girl trope and NO third act break up.

"Off-the-Charts Chemistry" is an engaging small-town romance that brings together a chemistry teacher and a football coach. I appreciated the maturity of the main characters and the absence of typical romantic tropes like miscommunication... and all the other tropes we all hate! While I expected more scientific references, the story leaned more toward football, which was a surprise, but that's what made me enjoy this book even more. This book was a real page-turner, and I couldn't put it down, I literally read it in one sitting.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

A cute, short read featuring a small town romance amongst the high school chemistry teacher and the football coach.

I enjoyed the book and read it quickly due to its easy-flowing writing style. The conversations between the characters were intriguing, and the plot was well developed despite it being so short.

However, I found the number of characters overwhelming, making it challenging for me to keep track of Stacey's friends. I often found myself questioning, "Who was that again?". Although I felt the romantic scenes were rushed and lacked intensity, my major problem with the book was how the football storyline overshadowed the romantic element.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this arc.

This book had a slow start. I was honestly getting bored hearing about the every day things that the characters were doing. It finally picked up around halfway through. I got pretty good. Wish there had been more detail about the storyline about the bad coaches and head coach. That could have taken more time in the book versus the beginning of the book.
Cute ending.

I want to start off by saying how grateful I am to have gotten an ARC of this book, so thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early. Unfortunately, though I wanted to love it, there were lots of little things that took away from the overall plot, making it hard to enjoy the book.

One of the biggest issues I saw throughout was how the main characters didn't act their age. While instant love is obviously for everyone, the characters just acted too childish and unprofessional, leaving me cringing at their actions rather than feeling happy for them. Stacey, the FMC is in her early 30s, and Reece is around 40. For adults who also were teachers, they acted pretty immaturely, especially in a school/classroom environment. They met while Stacey was changing in a classroom with her doors unlocked, and the childishness didn't stop there. They both continually acted like teenagers in high school, abandoning their responsibilities to do silly things together and honestly acting reckless. It seemed they were living out their high school fantasies as fully grown adults, and it just was off-putting to see two adults acting just like the students they teach.

Another big thing that took away from the book was the writing. Along with the grammatical and spelling errors, there was a LOT of repetition throughout the book. At first, the phrases were alright, but when they were repeated every time the characters were together, it got relaly annoying to hear. Reece's grin was referred to as "devilish" 13 times, and the phrase "the devilish one" was repeated seven times. There were lots of other phrases that were also repeated all the time and it got pretty annoying. The writing was also plain, and the author just would describe actions instead of showing them, like saying "their gazes locked." several times to show some sort of chemistry.

Another thing the author did was insert pop culture references in a really frustrating way, and I'll insert a few quotes below:
- "At that moment, Stacey fully understood a Taylor Swift song...about the singer being flustered and acting silly while in the presence of a 'Gorgeous' man."
- "Reece suddenly understood the common phrase 'It was so silent you could hear a pin drop.'"
- "Reece completely understood the Van Halen song 'Hot for Teacher.'"
- "He'd also always been partial to 'One Night'. He now fully understood the lyrics, too."

This happened so many times, and putting the repetition aside, that is the worst way to insert pop culture references. It honestly sounded like the author googled "popular songs about [insert feeling]" and just copied and pasted the name. The second hand embarrassment from reading lots of this book was genuinely insane.

The conclusion was also boring, and the plot was anticlimactic. Combined with the bad writing, it made a truly insufferable read. I have to admit, I had low expectations going into this book, but it didn't even manage to meet them.

i absolutely love it when there's the women in stem trope. really fast and enjoyable read. nothing exceptional but could get you out of a reading slump thanks to its length

Fun Romcom about a high school nerdy chemistry teacher (Stacey) and jock football coach (Reece). This is a fun light read perfect for fall football season. Not a lot of drama or spice, but still fun! And I love the cat references!

"Off-the-Charts Chemistry" by Christine Miles offers a light and enjoyable read, perfect for fans of the opposites attract trope. The story follows Stacey Kinsella, a brilliant yet unlucky-in-love chemistry teacher, and Reece Caldwell, a football coach seeking a fresh start after a career setback.

The narrative, presented in the third person, is accessible and swift, making it an easy read. However, at times, the writing tends to become repetitive and slow, which might hinder the overall pace of the story.

The characters, Stacey and Reece, form a charming and endearing couple. Their chemistry and the unfolding of their relationship bring a delightful touch to the plot. The book is marketed as a STEM romance, but it leans more towards a predictable high school football romance. Despite this deviation from expectations, it's hard not to root for Stacey and Reece as they navigate their budding relationship.

The cover of the book is appealing and hints at the romantic essence of the story. It effectively captures the essence of the book, giving readers a glimpse into the world of the characters.

In summary, "Off-the-Charts Chemistry" is a sweet and enjoyable romance that explores the dynamics of opposites attracting. While it may not fully deliver on the promised STEM focus, it succeeds in creating a heartwarming love story. Fans of light romance will likely find this book an engaging and satisfying read.

3.8 rounded up to 4/5.