Review: The 'hot nerd' who doesn't know he's hot
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 15, 2013
There's nothing like seeing an author get even better at what she's doing. That sums up my experience reading Meradeth Houston's latest THE CHEMISTRY OF FATE. I'm beyond thrilled that she's moving into the college-age dynamics of the uber popular New Adult category. I loved the short chapters and how they contributed to the novel's fast-paced action. I'm totally a fan of the alternating male/female point-of-view technique she employed. I love books that use this kind of format. The flashback sequences that lead off each chapter are brilliantly poignant. What a great way to introduce a secondary plot line and keep it flowing throughout the novel. Every aspect of this book is expertly crafted, well thought out and superbly written.But it wasn't just the way she drafted her story that caught my attention. I was bowled over by the emotion that leapt off the page. I especially felt invested in the developing romance between Tom and Ari. Houston just got so many things right depicting their attraction to each other. Yeah, it's sweet and tender, but it's special for how relatable it is.Tom is the 'hot nerd' who doesn't know he's hot, and that makes Ari want him all the more. He has no idea how to flirt - and while it's frustrating to Ari - we get to peek inside his head and know what he's really thinking. This insight into Tom is what makes the book soar. He's a 'neat freak - lab rat - animal shelter champion - workaholic loner' desperately trying to hold onto his scholarship. I particularly liked the passage where he's studying in the library with Ari, and he has no clue what he is doing. She's blatantly checking him out, but he's scared to take his eyes off his book because he can't believe she'd be into him. It's truly adorkable.Things get complicated when Tom isn't sure if Ari is manipulating him for her own supernatural ends. He questions what's going on between them. Is it real or is she just playing with him? But little does he realize that she's faced with a no win situation and that she has to give up everything if she wants to be with him. And Houston ups the ante placing Tom in the crosshairs of a paranormal showdown. With Tom's life in danger, the choices that Ari makes may lead to his death. The pulse-pounding conclusion has me on pins and needles for the next installment of the series. I can't wait for Houston to wow me once again.