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The Chemist
In this gripping page-turner, an ex-agent on the run from her former employers must take one more case to clear her name and save her life.
She used to work for the U.S. government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn't even have a name. And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her without warning.
Now she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They've killed the only other person she trusted, but something she knows still poses a threat. They want her dead, and soon.
When her former handler offers her a way out, she realizes it's her only chance to erase the giant target on her back. But it means taking one last job for her ex-employers. To her horror, the information she acquires only makes her situation more dangerous.
Resolving to meet the threat head-on, she prepares for the toughest fight of her life but finds herself falling for a man who can only complicate her likelihood of survival. As she sees her choices being rapidly whittled down, she must apply her unique talents in ways she never dreamed of.
In this tautly plotted novel, Meyer creates a fierce and fascinating new heroine with a very specialized skill set. And she shows once again why she's one of the world's bestselling authors.
She used to work for the U.S. government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn't even have a name. And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her without warning.
Now she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They've killed the only other person she trusted, but something she knows still poses a threat. They want her dead, and soon.
When her former handler offers her a way out, she realizes it's her only chance to erase the giant target on her back. But it means taking one last job for her ex-employers. To her horror, the information she acquires only makes her situation more dangerous.
Resolving to meet the threat head-on, she prepares for the toughest fight of her life but finds herself falling for a man who can only complicate her likelihood of survival. As she sees her choices being rapidly whittled down, she must apply her unique talents in ways she never dreamed of.
In this tautly plotted novel, Meyer creates a fierce and fascinating new heroine with a very specialized skill set. And she shows once again why she's one of the world's bestselling authors.
521 pages, Paperback
First published November 8, 2016
About the author
Stephenie Meyer
96 books77.2k followersStephenie Meyer is the author of the bestselling Twilight series, The Host, and The Chemist. Twilight was one of 2005's most talked about novels and within weeks of its release the book debuted at #5 on The New York Times bestseller list. Among its many accolades, Twilight was named an "ALA Top Ten Books for Young Adults," an Amazon.com "Best Book of the Decade So Far," and a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year.
Meyer graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English Literature. She lives in Arizona with her husband and three sons.
Meyer graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English Literature. She lives in Arizona with her husband and three sons.
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November 23, 2016
Look, I gave it a fair chance, I swear I did.
I was genuinely curious about how Meyer would move from paranormal YA to an adult Spy Thriller. Would I find myself amazed as I typed out a positive review about how far she has come? Would I be rolling my eyes as I ranted about how terrible and offensive this was? Honestly, though, this book isn't as exciting as either of those options.
For all Twilight's faults, most people would agree that it's a thrilling premise for a lot of teen girls - a hot vampire who will love you forever, oh my! But The Chemist is just not very good. And it's also really boring.
It's about a former agent (and professional torturer) who's on the run after the agency made an attempt on her life. This former agent - whom I will call Alex for simplicity's sake - gets called in by her boss for one last case; one which she hopes will enable her to return to her former life and stop running. She's suspicious of their intentions, but follows their instructions by kidnapping and torturing Daniel Beach. When she realizes that the tall, gorgeous Daniel is actually a good guy, she teams up with him and proceeds to spend most of the following 400+ pages going googly-eyed every time he is in the room, or else talking about dogs or guns.
Every turn the book takes is obvious in advance. Imagine this scenario: you have a photograph of a guy doing something illegal. The image looks just like the guy in front of you only he swears it isn't him. How could it be possible that this guy didn't do it and yet someone who looks just like him did? Come up with the least inventive answer to that question and you've already figured out the first "reveal" of the book.
The characters are classic Meyer. A nondescript Mary Sue protagonist is a virgin surrounded by a cast of male characters, with no female relationships (never mind friendships) in sight. The love interest is textbook handsome and one-dimensional to the point of disbelief. Daniel is such a good, kind, sappy guy who is concerned for the safety of a person who just tortured him. I honestly didn't buy it. I don't care how much of a saint you are, if someone tortures you, you're not going to sit up and be like "honey, are you alright?"
Don't get me wrong, I love nice guys. Nice, sweet guys are underrated in fiction. But not mindlessly self-sacrificing heroes who would cut off their own arm to save the enemy. I have no interest in those unbelievable creatures.
Oh, and INSTAEVERYTHING:
There is no romantic tension. Meyer gives up everything instantly with the way she writes the first encounter between Alex and Daniel. Despite being a cold, calculating torturer, Alex feels so different about Daniel. And Daniel doesn't care that he's just experienced excruciating agony at the hands of this woman because HOT DAMN.
But honestly the worst thing is the huge chunk of the book that is made up of Alex and Daniel hiding out at a ranch with a load of dogs. I'm not exaggerating when I say that so much of this book is made up of pointless chitchat about dogs, guns and cooking. They kiss and watch movies together and sing "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in the kitchen. Maybe this is really funny to some people, but I do this all the time so whatever. Who wants to read a book that is almost entirely about a dull romance that has no drama, no questions, no will they/won't they?
The main government spy plot is lost behind all this romantic filler, and its questions are not all that exciting. It was hard to care about what was going on because the stakes never felt high enough - I never got the sense that Alex's life was at risk. Rather, I felt I was reading a comfortable romantic chick lit novel, in which every bit of drama is superficial, and everyone is guaranteed to survive and end up together.
And it's a small thing, but someone should point it out: why is our amazing, uncatchable, super-spy reading espionage novels for tips? Sometimes I wonder if Meyer is just kidding with us, but I suspect she isn't.
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I was genuinely curious about how Meyer would move from paranormal YA to an adult Spy Thriller. Would I find myself amazed as I typed out a positive review about how far she has come? Would I be rolling my eyes as I ranted about how terrible and offensive this was? Honestly, though, this book isn't as exciting as either of those options.
For all Twilight's faults, most people would agree that it's a thrilling premise for a lot of teen girls - a hot vampire who will love you forever, oh my! But The Chemist is just not very good. And it's also really boring.
It's about a former agent (and professional torturer) who's on the run after the agency made an attempt on her life. This former agent - whom I will call Alex for simplicity's sake - gets called in by her boss for one last case; one which she hopes will enable her to return to her former life and stop running. She's suspicious of their intentions, but follows their instructions by kidnapping and torturing Daniel Beach. When she realizes that the tall, gorgeous Daniel is actually a good guy, she teams up with him and proceeds to spend most of the following 400+ pages going googly-eyed every time he is in the room, or else talking about dogs or guns.
Every turn the book takes is obvious in advance. Imagine this scenario: you have a photograph of a guy doing something illegal. The image looks just like the guy in front of you only he swears it isn't him. How could it be possible that this guy didn't do it and yet someone who looks just like him did? Come up with the least inventive answer to that question and you've already figured out the first "reveal" of the book.
The characters are classic Meyer. A nondescript Mary Sue protagonist is a virgin surrounded by a cast of male characters, with no female relationships (never mind friendships) in sight. The love interest is textbook handsome and one-dimensional to the point of disbelief. Daniel is such a good, kind, sappy guy who is concerned for the safety of a person who just tortured him. I honestly didn't buy it. I don't care how much of a saint you are, if someone tortures you, you're not going to sit up and be like "honey, are you alright?"
Don't get me wrong, I love nice guys. Nice, sweet guys are underrated in fiction. But not mindlessly self-sacrificing heroes who would cut off their own arm to save the enemy. I have no interest in those unbelievable creatures.
Oh, and INSTAEVERYTHING:
But from the second I saw your face, I was willing to leap miles outside my comfort zone to make sure I saw it again.
There is no romantic tension. Meyer gives up everything instantly with the way she writes the first encounter between Alex and Daniel. Despite being a cold, calculating torturer, Alex feels so different about Daniel. And Daniel doesn't care that he's just experienced excruciating agony at the hands of this woman because HOT DAMN.
But honestly the worst thing is the huge chunk of the book that is made up of Alex and Daniel hiding out at a ranch with a load of dogs. I'm not exaggerating when I say that so much of this book is made up of pointless chitchat about dogs, guns and cooking. They kiss and watch movies together and sing "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in the kitchen. Maybe this is really funny to some people, but I do this all the time so whatever. Who wants to read a book that is almost entirely about a dull romance that has no drama, no questions, no will they/won't they?
The main government spy plot is lost behind all this romantic filler, and its questions are not all that exciting. It was hard to care about what was going on because the stakes never felt high enough - I never got the sense that Alex's life was at risk. Rather, I felt I was reading a comfortable romantic chick lit novel, in which every bit of drama is superficial, and everyone is guaranteed to survive and end up together.
And it's a small thing, but someone should point it out: why is our amazing, uncatchable, super-spy reading espionage novels for tips? Sometimes I wonder if Meyer is just kidding with us, but I suspect she isn't.
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Shelved as 'never-finished'
July 20, 2016Please don't let the lead character be as stupid as Bella
Read
March 31, 2018You haters can hate all you want, I DO NOT CARE. I will read this, and I will probably love it, b/c Stephenie Meyer is an effing Rock Star as far as I'm concerned.
December 10, 2020
The Written Review:
Oh, my, God Becky, look at her book
It is so big, she looks like
One of those pretentious snobs.
But, how da' ya know, if the book is good?
I click on a YouTube Video
to see which books are worth my time.
Watch out world, Stephenie Meyer entered her Miley phase
She's baaaaaaack and badder than ever. Gone are the peace-loving vampires and here are the half-crazed mad scientist on the run plus an equally psycho ex-agent....plus a soulful puppy-dog of a man?
Figure 1. Left: Twilight-Stephie, We'll wait til we get married cause I luv you. Love you more. No, love you more. La-ti-da, beautiful happy life. Right: Stephie 2.0, BOOM. Sex. Drugs. Cursing. Torture. Now let's kill somebody.
“This is weird, Ollie. I… well, I almost like you right now.”An oddly well-put summation of this book. I kept going back and forth with this one - did I like it? Is it good?
“The feeling will pass.”
I had a real problem with connecting to the main characters and I think that's what kept throwing me out of this book.
First we have Alex , or whatever her name was, she's this big, scary, on-the-run torture-chemist. And I just wasn't feeling it.
Maybe it's from the chemistry courses I've taken but I just couldn't take her seriously when she would wax on about her chemical traps and her gas mask. It just didn't feel genuine.
Plus, right off the bat she completely trusts the evil corporation she spent the last few years running from and manages to torture the wrong person.
Next there's Daniel , he's definitely the fluffy white bunny of the group. I get that he's supposed to be an innocent in this, but there's innocent & trusting and then there's annoyingly innocent & trusting . He quickly became the latter.
Sure, he doesn't have any fieldwork but I think we could expect him to have picked up a spy novel or caught a Bond movie on the television once in his life. AND the way he completely forgave Alex for her big "oopsie" in the beginning of the book - how could you not have an ounce of hard feelings towards her after that??
And then there's Kevin - the not-dead twin brother who's actually a secret-agent-on-the-run.
I liked him as a character - he was the only one with some sense in his noggin. He's rude, crass and a bit over-the-top but in a good way. Plus his dogs held my interest when all else failed.
The whole trio had a very The Host feel from Stephanie's other stand-alone novel.
Kevin (Kyle) is the big scary brother who doesn't trust the girl despite ample evidence.
Daniel (Ian) is the more innocent, trusting brother who can see into the girl's heart and knows she's truly good.
And Alex (Wanda) gets beat up alot and makes the guys feel guilty by having lots of bruises on her face.
Did this book drag on? Absolutely, the editor's red pen should have slashed about 100 pages.
Was the plot engaging? Sometimes, but it had too many lulls which resulted in the interesting bits quickly fading from memory.
Did I like it? Finnne, yes. I'll admit it. I liked it. Was it my fave of her books? No. But I enjoyed reading it.
Audiobook Comments
Well-read but not particularly memorable. The female voice did that thing when she has to drop it pretty low to mimic the guy voices. That was a little funny to listen to.
The 2018 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge - A book about twins.
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Shelved as 'ceci-n-est-ce-pas-un-compte-rendu'
July 24, 2016it's unlikely that i will ever read this, but i have to at least give her a round of applause for breaking out of her mold and trying new things instead of, you know, writing the same damn book from another's character's perspective. spread those wings, girl!
September 25, 2022
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I have a love-hate relationship with Stephenie Meyer's work, and I think a lot of other people feel that way, too (even if they won't admit it). I'll start by saying that, yes, I do like TWILIGHT. The book, that is. Not the movie. I read it almost ten years ago, and I was at the perfect point in my life where it actually made a lot of sense to me. Because of that, I will always have fond feelings for Bella and Edward's admittedly self-absorbed world.
Now, I love THE HOST. It's morally complex and features these creepy aliens straight out of the Animorphs series. (In fact, I've always said that the Souls are an awful lot like the Yeerks.) I've read it several times, and I'll be the first to admit that while the story has its problems, the writing and world-building make up for it. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that we're still desperately waiting on those two sequels. I mean she wrote four unnecessary follow-ups to TWILIGHT, as well as a gender-swapped retelling and part of Edward's POV. Come on!
When I found out that Stephenie Meyer was writing something new, my first feeling was disappointment. Like, "Oh, so you're too busy to work on my precious HOST sequels, but not too busy to publish a 500-page tome, I see." But my second feeling was excitement. This is the first completely new thing that Meyer has put out in years. Of course I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I counted down the days to its release date feeling giddy.
The premise of THE CHEMIST is interesting, and completely different from Meyer's usual work. She abandons her trademark first-person narrative style for a removed third-person retelling, featuring a retired female assassin who tortures and kills people with various poisons and chemicals (hence her eponymous nom de guerre, The Chemist). One day, she ends up getting roped back into her old career. Her assignment? To stop a potential terrorist from spreading a man-made plague.
This plot should be the bomb-dot-com. Female assassins? Political intrigue? Deadly missions? Yes, yes, and yes. Unfortunately, it was not bomb-dot-com. More like lame-dot-org.
Despite a compelling opening, the plot of the chemist sinks hard and fast. It's boring. There's a marked lack of conflict. When the heroine encounters the love interest, she pretty much falls for him instnatly, even though she's not supposed to (surprise). Despite the fact that they meet under less than ideal circumstances, they have no misunderstandings or lack of empathy. This sounds like a good thing - in fact, I'm sure you're shaking your head at me, thinking, "You're actually complaining about a relationship that doesn't have any misunderstandings or lack of empathy?" - but it is not. The heroine tortures the hero, and he doesn't even care. Doesn't blame her, doesn't hold a grudge about it.
Nada.
Second, despite having a plot revolving around assassinations and bio-terrorism, there's pretty much no drama. The heroine and the hero make out. A lot. They talk about dogs and food. A lot. At one point, the heroine gets a makeover and becomes best-fray-frays with Alice's psychotic, non-vampiric twin. Then there's these long periods where pretty much NOTHING happens. All those scenes that the reader takes for granted and shouldn't have to be written into the story? Meyer writes about them.
A lot.
There are some unintentionally hilarious lines in this book, though. Like this one:
"Um, is this some kind of fetish fantasy thing? ...I don't really know the rules for that stuff..." (14%)
^Is Meyer kind of throwing shade at FSoG here? I wonder.
She snagged the warm, bloody finger off the floor and backed to the bathroom, keeping her eyes on him as he writhed in his bonds; even the best zip ties weren't foolproof. She made sure he was watching as she dropped the finger into the toilet and flushed (46%)
^I literally have no words.
"I don't need any satanic help to do what I do....And virgins aren't useful for anything" (64%)
^No. Words.
Don't ask me how it ended. I started skimming at the 75% mark. Honestly, I would have DNF'd probably, except for the fact that so many people were asking about this book, wanting to know how it was and whether I liked it. I'm genuinely sorry to say that, no, I didn't. I was hugely disappointed by THE CHEMIST because everything about it, from the romance to the plot, was utterly devoid of substance. There would be flashes of good writing or clever dialogue, and I would sit up a little, hopeful, only to be disappointed again and again. If THE CHEMIST has any redeeming features, it's that it made me want to reread TWILIGHT and THE HOST, to see Meyer at her best.
Hopefully her next work will be better. If you're new to her work, don't start with this one, please.
1 star. :(
February 10, 2017
Buddy Read With My Wonderful Friend Dom =)
I LOVE the Twilight saga and I don't give a damn what the haters think. But I'm not sure if I will like this book because it's not my normal genre but I have been surprised in the past so we shall see =)
I thought this book was awesome! I was worried at first because I'm weird about mysteries/thrillers, sometimes I love them and sometimes not so much. But I was pleasantly surprised that SM wrote such a great thriller.
I just wished they could have taken all of the dogs and that's all I'm going to say on that because you need to read the book!
Dr. Juliana Fortis has been on the run for some time. They want to kill her for reasons. She changes names constantly and keeps on the run. She booby-traps any place she stays in and they are some awesome booby traps. She sleeps in a gas mask and other things. Sounds like a pretty crap life.
Then she is pulled back in to the fold in a sense with some information email to her by an old friend from the work place. She decides to go after the person they want her to find because it's a matter of life and death for millions of people.
BUT . . .
It was a lie and she tortured a sweet man for no reason. This bothers her to no end and said boys brother almost takes her out with the help of his dog Einstein. He found that wasn't so easy to do =)
The sweet brother is Daniel and the special ops brother is Kevin. He's off the grid for reasons. And he ends up taking Daniel and Alex (Juliana) to his hidden compound where he has a partner, Arnie, that run a guard dog/house pet business. I love all of the dogs and all of the characters.
But poor Daniel is an idiot. I mean you have all of these people trying to kill you in the world and he goes off and does something stupid. So now not only are people looking for Alex (Juliana) and Kevin but they will take out Daniel too and anyone or thing that gets in their way.
Yes, a lot of people die and some things happen to the dogs. BUT, they didn't expect to run into Alex - The Chemist, a weapon of torture and how she can take you out. I mean there WAS these assassins but . . . .
Back to Daniel, I wanted to smack him sideways for being so stupid. I mean yes, he's never been in situations like Alex or his brother Kevin. But I have never been in those situations and even my tiny brain knows not to do stupid stuff like he did! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
I digress!
I still love Daniel because he's a really sweet person and he's a pretty decent learner and excellent with a gun =)
They are all on the move to find and take out the target that is trying to kill them all. All kinds of stuff goes down and in the end some of them end up where they want to be. <-- Like that wasn't cryptic. LOL, just read the book and you can know the whole story.
I very much enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down actually. I waited so long because I felt like I was going to be bored because these kinds of books a lot of times bore me to tears. And for some weird reason I thought we were going to be sitting in a lab, doing boring lab stuff and blah. It wasn't like that and it's all good so there.
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
I LOVE the Twilight saga and I don't give a damn what the haters think. But I'm not sure if I will like this book because it's not my normal genre but I have been surprised in the past so we shall see =)
I thought this book was awesome! I was worried at first because I'm weird about mysteries/thrillers, sometimes I love them and sometimes not so much. But I was pleasantly surprised that SM wrote such a great thriller.
I just wished they could have taken all of the dogs and that's all I'm going to say on that because you need to read the book!
Dr. Juliana Fortis has been on the run for some time. They want to kill her for reasons. She changes names constantly and keeps on the run. She booby-traps any place she stays in and they are some awesome booby traps. She sleeps in a gas mask and other things. Sounds like a pretty crap life.
Then she is pulled back in to the fold in a sense with some information email to her by an old friend from the work place. She decides to go after the person they want her to find because it's a matter of life and death for millions of people.
BUT . . .
It was a lie and she tortured a sweet man for no reason. This bothers her to no end and said boys brother almost takes her out with the help of his dog Einstein. He found that wasn't so easy to do =)
The sweet brother is Daniel and the special ops brother is Kevin. He's off the grid for reasons. And he ends up taking Daniel and Alex (Juliana) to his hidden compound where he has a partner, Arnie, that run a guard dog/house pet business. I love all of the dogs and all of the characters.
But poor Daniel is an idiot. I mean you have all of these people trying to kill you in the world and he goes off and does something stupid. So now not only are people looking for Alex (Juliana) and Kevin but they will take out Daniel too and anyone or thing that gets in their way.
Yes, a lot of people die and some things happen to the dogs. BUT, they didn't expect to run into Alex - The Chemist, a weapon of torture and how she can take you out. I mean there WAS these assassins but . . . .
Back to Daniel, I wanted to smack him sideways for being so stupid. I mean yes, he's never been in situations like Alex or his brother Kevin. But I have never been in those situations and even my tiny brain knows not to do stupid stuff like he did! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
I digress!
I still love Daniel because he's a really sweet person and he's a pretty decent learner and excellent with a gun =)
They are all on the move to find and take out the target that is trying to kill them all. All kinds of stuff goes down and in the end some of them end up where they want to be. <-- Like that wasn't cryptic. LOL, just read the book and you can know the whole story.
I very much enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down actually. I waited so long because I felt like I was going to be bored because these kinds of books a lot of times bore me to tears. And for some weird reason I thought we were going to be sitting in a lab, doing boring lab stuff and blah. It wasn't like that and it's all good so there.
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
November 29, 2016
YES I read it and I enjoyed it. 3.5 stars, rounding up. Final review, first posted on Fantasy Literature:
Stephenie Meyer changes it up fairly dramatically in The Chemist (2016), her second adult novel, where there is nary a vampire, werewolf or space alien to be found. It’s a rather pulpy but absorbing thriller in the vein of a Jason Bourne novel (to whom she’s dedicated this novel, among others). There’s no real speculative element here, other than perhaps some new developments in chemical-based torture and some startlingly smart dogs.
The narrator, a bright, rather repressed molecular biologist, was originally hired by a nameless government agency to do cutting-edge medical research, but ended up being pressured to use her medical skills to create biological compounds that cause severe pain without permanent physical damage, and then to use them for torture-assisted interrogations sanctioned by this agency. She justified doing this because it was for the purpose of fighting terrorism and major crime. But something she learned made her a liability for the agency: a poisonous gas attack killed her co-worker and just missed her.
When our story begins, our protagonist, whom we’ll call Alex since that’s the name she adopts for most of the story, has been on the run and in hiding for three years, routinely changing her name and her address. Alex arms herself to the teeth each day, with guns, syringes filled with various useful and often deadly solutions, and readily breakable glass earrings containing a caustic gas. And she sets up an appallingly elaborate booby trap in her apartments before she goes to sleep each night, with a dummy in the bed (complete with a fake bewigged head) and with wires attached to it that will set off her homemade poison gas if the dummy is disturbed, while she sleeps in the bathtub wearing a gas mask every night. Her preparations have paid off: in this way she has killed three assassins that the agency has sent after her.
So Alex is understandably alarmed when one of her old bosses contacts her via email, offering a chance to do a final job for them, capturing a nice-looking young man, Daniel Beach, who, according to the government’s files, has a secret side job as a biological terrorist, and extracting needed information from him using her skills with chemical compounds. If she does this, her contact promises, there will be no more threats to her life from the agency. Knowing it could be a trick, but wishing for some peace in her life, and moved by the threat of a biological attack that could kill hundreds of thousands, Alex takes on the job despite her suspicions.
She was right to be suspicious.
The job goes south in a dramatic way (which is what Alex’s handlers were counting on) but ― despite some major bruises and a couple of really beautiful black eyes ― it turns out to be a game-changer for Alex’s life. Now she has some people on her side, and they all have a bone to pick with certain government agencies. The hunted turn into the hunters. And Alex now has a love interest that she’s not at all certain is a good idea to pursue, but who intends to stick by her side despite a (literally) torturous beginning to their relationship.
The Chemist is a fast-paced, light suspense novel that quickly sucked me into Alex’s world. Meyer clearly did quite a bit of homework with respect to the molecular biology and other scientific and medical elements of the plot. These details are realistic and intriguing, without bogging down the plot. The preternaturally intelligent trained dogs occasionally perform eyebrow-raising feats, but they added a definite spark to the story.
Meyer’s characters are generally types that the reader will recognize ― the geeky female scientist, the handsome and sincere love interest, the hostile and highly capable Navy Seal who is (almost) always prepared for whatever may go wrong ― but their personalities are fairly well-developed, if not necessarily surprising. Alex is a much more proactive, take-charge person than Bella, Meyer’s much-maligned heroine in Twilight. The gradual thaw in Alex’s personality and her ever-devoted love interest will warm the hearts of Meyer’s fans, though this earnest love story mixes somewhat uneasily with the torture plotline and the high body count. All of the main characters off several people during the course of the story, though more tender-hearted readers can comfort themselves with the thought that by and large the dead probably deserved their fate.
Despite its length, The Chemist moves along quickly; I finished it pretty much in one evening and never got bored. This would be a good beach ― or perhaps Christmas vacation ― read.
Content advisory: This is an adult book with violence and a high body count, not for the squeamish. There's also a non-explicit sex scene and some light innuendo.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review. Thank you!
Stephenie Meyer changes it up fairly dramatically in The Chemist (2016), her second adult novel, where there is nary a vampire, werewolf or space alien to be found. It’s a rather pulpy but absorbing thriller in the vein of a Jason Bourne novel (to whom she’s dedicated this novel, among others). There’s no real speculative element here, other than perhaps some new developments in chemical-based torture and some startlingly smart dogs.
The narrator, a bright, rather repressed molecular biologist, was originally hired by a nameless government agency to do cutting-edge medical research, but ended up being pressured to use her medical skills to create biological compounds that cause severe pain without permanent physical damage, and then to use them for torture-assisted interrogations sanctioned by this agency. She justified doing this because it was for the purpose of fighting terrorism and major crime. But something she learned made her a liability for the agency: a poisonous gas attack killed her co-worker and just missed her.
When our story begins, our protagonist, whom we’ll call Alex since that’s the name she adopts for most of the story, has been on the run and in hiding for three years, routinely changing her name and her address. Alex arms herself to the teeth each day, with guns, syringes filled with various useful and often deadly solutions, and readily breakable glass earrings containing a caustic gas. And she sets up an appallingly elaborate booby trap in her apartments before she goes to sleep each night, with a dummy in the bed (complete with a fake bewigged head) and with wires attached to it that will set off her homemade poison gas if the dummy is disturbed, while she sleeps in the bathtub wearing a gas mask every night. Her preparations have paid off: in this way she has killed three assassins that the agency has sent after her.
So Alex is understandably alarmed when one of her old bosses contacts her via email, offering a chance to do a final job for them, capturing a nice-looking young man, Daniel Beach, who, according to the government’s files, has a secret side job as a biological terrorist, and extracting needed information from him using her skills with chemical compounds. If she does this, her contact promises, there will be no more threats to her life from the agency. Knowing it could be a trick, but wishing for some peace in her life, and moved by the threat of a biological attack that could kill hundreds of thousands, Alex takes on the job despite her suspicions.
She was right to be suspicious.
The job goes south in a dramatic way (which is what Alex’s handlers were counting on) but ― despite some major bruises and a couple of really beautiful black eyes ― it turns out to be a game-changer for Alex’s life. Now she has some people on her side, and they all have a bone to pick with certain government agencies. The hunted turn into the hunters. And Alex now has a love interest that she’s not at all certain is a good idea to pursue, but who intends to stick by her side despite a (literally) torturous beginning to their relationship.
The Chemist is a fast-paced, light suspense novel that quickly sucked me into Alex’s world. Meyer clearly did quite a bit of homework with respect to the molecular biology and other scientific and medical elements of the plot. These details are realistic and intriguing, without bogging down the plot. The preternaturally intelligent trained dogs occasionally perform eyebrow-raising feats, but they added a definite spark to the story.
Meyer’s characters are generally types that the reader will recognize ― the geeky female scientist, the handsome and sincere love interest, the hostile and highly capable Navy Seal who is (almost) always prepared for whatever may go wrong ― but their personalities are fairly well-developed, if not necessarily surprising. Alex is a much more proactive, take-charge person than Bella, Meyer’s much-maligned heroine in Twilight. The gradual thaw in Alex’s personality and her ever-devoted love interest will warm the hearts of Meyer’s fans, though this earnest love story mixes somewhat uneasily with the torture plotline and the high body count. All of the main characters off several people during the course of the story, though more tender-hearted readers can comfort themselves with the thought that by and large the dead probably deserved their fate.
Despite its length, The Chemist moves along quickly; I finished it pretty much in one evening and never got bored. This would be a good beach ― or perhaps Christmas vacation ― read.
Content advisory: This is an adult book with violence and a high body count, not for the squeamish. There's also a non-explicit sex scene and some light innuendo.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review. Thank you!
June 5, 2018
4 3/4 stars!
This was awesome! I was invested from the first chapter. It was action packed! The story drew me in and I really wanted to find out who was behind it all. There were a few slower chapters scattered throughout but they were still interesting. In other reviews, some people considered it too wordy but I didn't feel this way at all. I actually liked having all the information and knowing how much preparation and strife the main character went through to not be found and killed. Apparently it's friggin exhausting! I would've been dead in roughly three days. No thank you.
The book was great for the first third and last third but it was a little wobbly in the middle due to the romance between two of the characters. Chapter 15 (where the romance started) was just not good. I felt like the author forced the romance instead of allowing it to happen naturally and that's never a good thing. Plus the intelligent and badass main character started slipping and losing her head, which was annoying. Contrary to what the author believes, love doesn't make people drool at the mouth and babble nonsense. As much as I loved this book I had to take away a quarter star for that. Luckily it gets better and that chapter was simply a speed bump in an otherwise fantastic book.
The main characters in this one include Alex, who I liked for most of the book, Daniel, who I also liked for most of the book, and Kevin, who I hated at first but loved by the end. Secondary characters include Val, who slightly annoyed me but who grew on me a little when she became useful, Ernesto, who was just kind of there, and, of course, Einstein, Khan, Lola, and the rest of the dogs, who were amazing. A special mention goes to her PPK and Sig Sauer that were brought up about 100 times over the course of the book.
Overall I'm really glad I decided to ignore my worries about the fact that this author wrote Twilight, and to give this book a go. I was pleasantly surprised and will read more of her novels in the future.
*Side note: I also listened to this on audio CD (which I always play in the living room) because it's the only way to get my husband involved with what I'm reading. Other than me forcing him to read all my reviews before I post them. Me-2, Husband-0 *evil laugh*
This was awesome! I was invested from the first chapter. It was action packed! The story drew me in and I really wanted to find out who was behind it all. There were a few slower chapters scattered throughout but they were still interesting. In other reviews, some people considered it too wordy but I didn't feel this way at all. I actually liked having all the information and knowing how much preparation and strife the main character went through to not be found and killed. Apparently it's friggin exhausting! I would've been dead in roughly three days. No thank you.
The book was great for the first third and last third but it was a little wobbly in the middle due to the romance between two of the characters. Chapter 15 (where the romance started) was just not good. I felt like the author forced the romance instead of allowing it to happen naturally and that's never a good thing. Plus the intelligent and badass main character started slipping and losing her head, which was annoying. Contrary to what the author believes, love doesn't make people drool at the mouth and babble nonsense. As much as I loved this book I had to take away a quarter star for that. Luckily it gets better and that chapter was simply a speed bump in an otherwise fantastic book.
The main characters in this one include Alex, who I liked for most of the book, Daniel, who I also liked for most of the book, and Kevin, who I hated at first but loved by the end. Secondary characters include Val, who slightly annoyed me but who grew on me a little when she became useful, Ernesto, who was just kind of there, and, of course, Einstein, Khan, Lola, and the rest of the dogs, who were amazing. A special mention goes to her PPK and Sig Sauer that were brought up about 100 times over the course of the book.
Overall I'm really glad I decided to ignore my worries about the fact that this author wrote Twilight, and to give this book a go. I was pleasantly surprised and will read more of her novels in the future.
*Side note: I also listened to this on audio CD (which I always play in the living room) because it's the only way to get my husband involved with what I'm reading. Other than me forcing him to read all my reviews before I post them. Me-2, Husband-0 *evil laugh*
December 27, 2016
Okay so to be honest it vexes me to see Stephenie Meyer being vilified by so many reviewers here on Goodreads. To be clear it’s not that I don’t believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion or the right to express it, because I wholeheartedly embrace those rights. No it is more than that. I mean there are not so pleasant reviews posted by people who admittedly have not even read the book in question and then there are those that completely deconstruct the book (pick one, particularly from the Twilight Saga) but if you check out their read count you might notice that this is their second, third or fourth time through said book. I just don’t get it. If I do not like a book, chances are I may not finish it or It will get a lower star rating from me, but under no circumstance do I ever read it again. To think that there are some people doing that just so they can more effectively eviscerate it, well that just seems mean spirited to me and not at all in keeping with the positive, supportive and accepting environment that has been my own personal experience here on this site.
Let’s face it, I know that Meyers is no literary genius, but she did manage to get a nation or two of young adults and others, myself included, scurrying to the bookstore eager to read the next installment in her vampire saga. Sparkly or not.
And I can admit that I have felt oddly complicit in my silence. That said I only wish I had chosen a different book upon which to air these views, because The Chemist is not at all reflective of how well Meyer’s can tell a story. Sigh.
The blurb for The Chemist gives a good summary of the nature of the story so I will not rehash that here, suffice to say it is about a former agent, of some secret government group, who is in fact a torturer, not of the plier, hammer and waterboard variety but one who employs chemical compounds designed to stimulate intense pain thereby encouraging her subjects to reveal whatever hidden truth is desired. Only now the chemist has gone rogue, running for her life from her one time employer who clearly wants her neutralized.
Great ideas, pulled wet from a well, never nurtured or given the time to develop and realize their full potential.
The narrative does not flow very well. It feels clunky and cobbled together. At the same time it felt like the author was just trying too hard, most especially in introducing and fleshing out the protagonist Alex. It was like she was trying to convince herself about the plausibility of this character and quite frankly the more she said the worse it got.
And then there were the times that I felt like a contestant on some game show, with my hand in the air willing the host to pick me, pick me. I know the answer or perhaps the question.
Moving right along we have insta love up next. Never mind that Alex voices her resistance, no doubt the lady doth protest too much.
Seriously, given that the chemist is on the run for her life, from a well resourced government agency and that she is clearly handicapped by the company she keeps, it is not unreasonable to expect a hair raising chase or nail biting conflict, thoroughly soaked in adrenaline laced action and heart pumping tension. Sadly it is not to be found here. Sure the hunt is on, the stakes are high and oh my is that not a lovely moon we have tonight. In other words……...yawn.
There is a lot of romantic filler but sadly little romantic tension.
On the bright side I loved Einstein and Khan and all the other four legged team members putting themselves courageously in the line of fire to defend our chemist and company. They rock!
For those of you who may have never read a Stephenie Meyer book, please, I implore you, do not start here. If teenage angst and sparkly vampires are not your cuppa then might I recommend The Host. It is a highly enjoyable read.
2.5 praying for a comeback stars.
Let’s face it, I know that Meyers is no literary genius, but she did manage to get a nation or two of young adults and others, myself included, scurrying to the bookstore eager to read the next installment in her vampire saga. Sparkly or not.
And I can admit that I have felt oddly complicit in my silence. That said I only wish I had chosen a different book upon which to air these views, because The Chemist is not at all reflective of how well Meyer’s can tell a story. Sigh.
The blurb for The Chemist gives a good summary of the nature of the story so I will not rehash that here, suffice to say it is about a former agent, of some secret government group, who is in fact a torturer, not of the plier, hammer and waterboard variety but one who employs chemical compounds designed to stimulate intense pain thereby encouraging her subjects to reveal whatever hidden truth is desired. Only now the chemist has gone rogue, running for her life from her one time employer who clearly wants her neutralized.
Great ideas, pulled wet from a well, never nurtured or given the time to develop and realize their full potential.
The narrative does not flow very well. It feels clunky and cobbled together. At the same time it felt like the author was just trying too hard, most especially in introducing and fleshing out the protagonist Alex. It was like she was trying to convince herself about the plausibility of this character and quite frankly the more she said the worse it got.
And then there were the times that I felt like a contestant on some game show, with my hand in the air willing the host to pick me, pick me. I know the answer or perhaps the question.
Moving right along we have insta love up next. Never mind that Alex voices her resistance, no doubt the lady doth protest too much.
Seriously, given that the chemist is on the run for her life, from a well resourced government agency and that she is clearly handicapped by the company she keeps, it is not unreasonable to expect a hair raising chase or nail biting conflict, thoroughly soaked in adrenaline laced action and heart pumping tension. Sadly it is not to be found here. Sure the hunt is on, the stakes are high and oh my is that not a lovely moon we have tonight. In other words……...yawn.
There is a lot of romantic filler but sadly little romantic tension.
On the bright side I loved Einstein and Khan and all the other four legged team members putting themselves courageously in the line of fire to defend our chemist and company. They rock!
For those of you who may have never read a Stephenie Meyer book, please, I implore you, do not start here. If teenage angst and sparkly vampires are not your cuppa then might I recommend The Host. It is a highly enjoyable read.
2.5 praying for a comeback stars.
March 7, 2023
A timeline of how I felt reading this-
30 pages in - Still don't know the MCs name. Slow pacing. Maybe it'll get better.
100 pages in - Okay maybe it will get better. They have to deal with the biological weapon, so it should be interesting.
200 pages in - It's not going to get better. I hate the MC. She makes Bella seem full of life and personality (as a Twilight fan, am allowed to thrash it 😂).
250 pages in - Umm shouldn't we be dealing with the virus?
350 pages in - Okay-ish romance but umm shouldn't we be dealing with the virus?
400 pages in - I hate myself for reading this 😭😭
Book ends - So that was a total waste of money.
It physically pains me to say that this might be the first book by Stephenie Meyer that I absolutely hate. The Host and The Twilight Saga are such masterpieces. She should not ever write spy novels. She simply cannot. It's best if she sticks to the fantasy genre. I did not like the FMC, neither the bland romance and the wasted away main plot which turned into a subplot of the subplot. I stopped caring. The one star is for Daniel, the love interest and the cover.
Not recommended.
30 pages in - Still don't know the MCs name. Slow pacing. Maybe it'll get better.
100 pages in - Okay maybe it will get better. They have to deal with the biological weapon, so it should be interesting.
200 pages in - It's not going to get better. I hate the MC. She makes Bella seem full of life and personality (as a Twilight fan, am allowed to thrash it 😂).
250 pages in - Umm shouldn't we be dealing with the virus?
350 pages in - Okay-ish romance but umm shouldn't we be dealing with the virus?
400 pages in - I hate myself for reading this 😭😭
Book ends - So that was a total waste of money.
It physically pains me to say that this might be the first book by Stephenie Meyer that I absolutely hate. The Host and The Twilight Saga are such masterpieces. She should not ever write spy novels. She simply cannot. It's best if she sticks to the fantasy genre. I did not like the FMC, neither the bland romance and the wasted away main plot which turned into a subplot of the subplot. I stopped caring. The one star is for Daniel, the love interest and the cover.
Not recommended.
Shelved as 'on-hold'
September 9, 2017But...but what about the sequel to The Host???
Shelved as 'lost-interest'
November 10, 2016I don't get it. It is November 10th, and NOT ONE of my 3000 goodreads friends has read this book yet? How is it possible? Has Stephenie Meyer's fame completely evaporated already?!
Want to read
July 19, 2016Hey at least she is trying new stories unlike Clare who only knows how to milk one skinny cow.
September 9, 2018
Español - English
Soy fanática de la serie Twilight y no me importa lo que digan. Deben reconocer que Stephenie Meyer cambió para siempre la forma de escribir libros YA.
Obviamente tenía que leer este libro. Lo compré cuando salió en inglés pero luego quise esperar a que saliera la versión en español.
Mis expectativas eran realmente altas y me defraudó. Como pudo la misma persona escribir la saga Twilight y este libro?
Es absolutamente aburrido, le sobran 200 páginas rellenadas con banalidades sin sentido, una protagonista con delirios de persecución, un romance salido de la nada y un final ridículo.
Es la historia de Juliana Fortis (usa diferentes nombres, principalmente Alex) una doctora especialista en interrogatorios especiales quien, luego de que mataran a su mentor, escapa de la empresa del gobierno para la que trabajaba. Tiene un tiempo huyendo cuando su antiguo jefe la contacta y le ofrece un último trabajo a cambio de su vida.
Es aquí donde conoce a Daniel y a Kevin y la historia aburrida se vuelve totalmente predecible.
✨✨✨
I'm a fan of the Twilight series and I do not care what people say. You must recognize that Stephenie Meyer changed the way YA books are written.
Obviously I had to read this book. I bought it in English but then I wait for the Spanish version to come out.
My expectations were really high and I was disappointed. How could the same person write the Twilight saga and this book?
It is absolutely boring, you have 200 pages filled with meaningless banalities, a protagonist with delusions of persecution, a unimaginable romance and a ridiculous end.
It is the story of Juliana Fortis (using different names, especially Alex) a doctor specializing in special interrogations who, after they killed her mentor, escapes from the company of the government for which she worked. She has a time hiding when her former boss contacts her and offers her a last job in exchange for her life.
It is here that she meets Daniel and Kevin and the boring story becomes totally predictable.
Soy fanática de la serie Twilight y no me importa lo que digan. Deben reconocer que Stephenie Meyer cambió para siempre la forma de escribir libros YA.
Obviamente tenía que leer este libro. Lo compré cuando salió en inglés pero luego quise esperar a que saliera la versión en español.
Mis expectativas eran realmente altas y me defraudó. Como pudo la misma persona escribir la saga Twilight y este libro?
Es absolutamente aburrido, le sobran 200 páginas rellenadas con banalidades sin sentido, una protagonista con delirios de persecución, un romance salido de la nada y un final ridículo.
Es la historia de Juliana Fortis (usa diferentes nombres, principalmente Alex) una doctora especialista en interrogatorios especiales quien, luego de que mataran a su mentor, escapa de la empresa del gobierno para la que trabajaba. Tiene un tiempo huyendo cuando su antiguo jefe la contacta y le ofrece un último trabajo a cambio de su vida.
Es aquí donde conoce a Daniel y a Kevin y la historia aburrida se vuelve totalmente predecible.
✨✨✨
I'm a fan of the Twilight series and I do not care what people say. You must recognize that Stephenie Meyer changed the way YA books are written.
Obviously I had to read this book. I bought it in English but then I wait for the Spanish version to come out.
My expectations were really high and I was disappointed. How could the same person write the Twilight saga and this book?
It is absolutely boring, you have 200 pages filled with meaningless banalities, a protagonist with delusions of persecution, a unimaginable romance and a ridiculous end.
It is the story of Juliana Fortis (using different names, especially Alex) a doctor specializing in special interrogations who, after they killed her mentor, escapes from the company of the government for which she worked. She has a time hiding when her former boss contacts her and offers her a last job in exchange for her life.
It is here that she meets Daniel and Kevin and the boring story becomes totally predictable.
Shelved as 'would-not-even-touch'
December 24, 2018
April 1, 2017
Not really sure how I feel about this one. I am willing to go as high as 3.5, but probably closer to three.
High points:
- The characters: I liked the main characters, they are pretty interesting.
- The chemistry - a unique approach to the spy-action drama
The so-so points:
- The relationships: While I liked the characters, their relationships were kinda silly
- The length: For what went on, this book was much longer than it needed to be. There were some very drug out scenes in the middle.
The blah point:
- The story: Most of the time I had no idea what was going on in the main story or what the character motivations were. Just way too convoluted. Maybe others got it, but I was often wondering why they were going somewhere.
Do I recommend it? Not sure
Is it YA? Not really, except it kinda has a YA formula. All the characters are adults, though.
High points:
- The characters: I liked the main characters, they are pretty interesting.
- The chemistry - a unique approach to the spy-action drama
The so-so points:
- The relationships: While I liked the characters, their relationships were kinda silly
- The length: For what went on, this book was much longer than it needed to be. There were some very drug out scenes in the middle.
The blah point:
- The story: Most of the time I had no idea what was going on in the main story or what the character motivations were. Just way too convoluted. Maybe others got it, but I was often wondering why they were going somewhere.
Do I recommend it? Not sure
Is it YA? Not really, except it kinda has a YA formula. All the characters are adults, though.
July 21, 2021
The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer
Thriller. A touch of romance.
I loved the suspense and the on-the-run solutions. The relationships were entertaining and while it was long, the characters stayed true to who they were. The romance is really surface level (clean) and Kevin’s reaction to it every time had me laughing out loud. I don’t know if the science was correct but the simple names and natural poisons were impressive.
Scientist, chemist, doctor or savior. It’s an amazing adventure.
Excerpt:
“I do have a plan.”
Kevin rolled his eyes. “I bet you always have a plan, don’t you Shorty.”
She regarded him with flat eyes. “I can’t rely on muscles, so I rely on brains. It appears you have the opposite promblem.
He laughed derisively.
“Um, Kev,” Daniel interjected. I’d like to point out that you are chained up on the floor.”
“Shut up Danny”.
Excerpt from The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer
This conversation goes on a bit longer where Daniel reminds Kevin no less than 3 times that he’s still chained up on the floor.
Priceless.
🎧 2nd reading via audiobook narrated by Ellen Archer. I really enjoyed this version of the book. Ellen has a bit of a flat voice that plays well for the analytical thinking of the heroine. There was intro music at the beginning and again at the end as the credits were read. The audio version gave great emphasis on the funny animosity between the heroine and Kevin, certainly more than I remember from my first read when the book was first released. There were several laugh out loud moments that were enhanced by the audio. I listened at 1.2 for the first half and upped it to 1.3 for the second half.
Thriller. A touch of romance.
I loved the suspense and the on-the-run solutions. The relationships were entertaining and while it was long, the characters stayed true to who they were. The romance is really surface level (clean) and Kevin’s reaction to it every time had me laughing out loud. I don’t know if the science was correct but the simple names and natural poisons were impressive.
Scientist, chemist, doctor or savior. It’s an amazing adventure.
Excerpt:
“I do have a plan.”
Kevin rolled his eyes. “I bet you always have a plan, don’t you Shorty.”
She regarded him with flat eyes. “I can’t rely on muscles, so I rely on brains. It appears you have the opposite promblem.
He laughed derisively.
“Um, Kev,” Daniel interjected. I’d like to point out that you are chained up on the floor.”
“Shut up Danny”.
Excerpt from The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer
This conversation goes on a bit longer where Daniel reminds Kevin no less than 3 times that he’s still chained up on the floor.
Priceless.
🎧 2nd reading via audiobook narrated by Ellen Archer. I really enjoyed this version of the book. Ellen has a bit of a flat voice that plays well for the analytical thinking of the heroine. There was intro music at the beginning and again at the end as the credits were read. The audio version gave great emphasis on the funny animosity between the heroine and Kevin, certainly more than I remember from my first read when the book was first released. There were several laugh out loud moments that were enhanced by the audio. I listened at 1.2 for the first half and upped it to 1.3 for the second half.
Read
December 20, 2016DNF 15%
#bored
#bored
December 8, 2016
Forget who the author is and just judge the book on its own value. It turns out to be a very readable, entertaining story with likeable characters ( Daniel in particular) and some well written and amusing dialogue. I enjoyed it and the 500+ pages just slid past.
That's not to say that a little more editor's red pen could have been applied. There were sections that went on too long, and some judicious cutting could have made the book tighter and might even have given it a greater degree of suspense.
Alex is one feisty lady, Daniel as mentioned before is charming and Kevin also has a lot going for him. The ending is exciting and the epilogue satisfying. I liked it very much!
That's not to say that a little more editor's red pen could have been applied. There were sections that went on too long, and some judicious cutting could have made the book tighter and might even have given it a greater degree of suspense.
Alex is one feisty lady, Daniel as mentioned before is charming and Kevin also has a lot going for him. The ending is exciting and the epilogue satisfying. I liked it very much!
Want to read
July 20, 2016My queen is back !
I'm so high.
I'm so high.
January 2, 2017
3.5 stars!
I was extremely excited to read THE CHEMIST by STEPHENIE MEYER as I absolutely loved THE HOST and was hoping that this one would be just as good. Unfortunately, it didn't quite meet up to my expectations. I read THE HOST in one day, and this one took me six days to finish! There were some exciting moments to this novel and then at other times it seemed to drag and it was a little bit boring for me. I could put it down and walk away and then at other times all I could think of was reading this book. It was a strange feeling for me as I am usually totally engaged and invested while reading a novel.
THE CHEMIST is a light romantic suspense and spy thriller which I found slightly challenging to follow along with some of the secondary characters. I had a hard time figuring out and remembering who was who and how they were connected to the ongoing storyline. The novels main character who goes by the name of "Alex" (most of the time) is a strong female lead who is an expert in her line of work and possesses a unique talent to get the job done. I found her first experience with Daniel was quite intense and exciting but that intensity just didn't continue for me throughout the rest of the novel. I think I was more interested in the relationship that Kevin had with his extremely intelligent trained dogs and their special abilities especially Einstein, as it added some extra life to the storyline.
I found THE CHEMIST to have an interesting plot line which was executed in incredible detail and the main characters were well developed.
To wrap it up it was an interesting, slower-paced, somewhat exciting read with a satisfying ending.
Would I recommend? Maybe, as I think this is one that you have to read for yourself to see if you love or hate it!
http://www.twogirlslostinacouleereadi...
I was extremely excited to read THE CHEMIST by STEPHENIE MEYER as I absolutely loved THE HOST and was hoping that this one would be just as good. Unfortunately, it didn't quite meet up to my expectations. I read THE HOST in one day, and this one took me six days to finish! There were some exciting moments to this novel and then at other times it seemed to drag and it was a little bit boring for me. I could put it down and walk away and then at other times all I could think of was reading this book. It was a strange feeling for me as I am usually totally engaged and invested while reading a novel.
THE CHEMIST is a light romantic suspense and spy thriller which I found slightly challenging to follow along with some of the secondary characters. I had a hard time figuring out and remembering who was who and how they were connected to the ongoing storyline. The novels main character who goes by the name of "Alex" (most of the time) is a strong female lead who is an expert in her line of work and possesses a unique talent to get the job done. I found her first experience with Daniel was quite intense and exciting but that intensity just didn't continue for me throughout the rest of the novel. I think I was more interested in the relationship that Kevin had with his extremely intelligent trained dogs and their special abilities especially Einstein, as it added some extra life to the storyline.
I found THE CHEMIST to have an interesting plot line which was executed in incredible detail and the main characters were well developed.
To wrap it up it was an interesting, slower-paced, somewhat exciting read with a satisfying ending.
Would I recommend? Maybe, as I think this is one that you have to read for yourself to see if you love or hate it!
http://www.twogirlslostinacouleereadi...
July 20, 2018
You can find this review and more at Novel Notions.
This is a book I honestly had no intention of reading.
I really enjoy Meyer’s YA books. They’re a little trashy, but they’re fun and addictive in a teenage soap opera kind of way. Twilight will always be one of my guilty pleasures. But I honestly didn’t think she could handle writing an adult spy thriller. I mean, it requires so much more research and finesse than a vampire/werewolf love triangle, right? The foreshadowing that was so present in the Twilight Saga would have to be done away with, because a thriller with no surprises isn’t really a thriller. The characters would have to be radically different from those she’s known for. I didn’t think she could do it.
I was wrong.
I should’ve had more faith, because this was a pretty amazing book. The only reason I gave in and read it is because both my mother and grandmother were raving about how much they loved it. I was skeptical, but they were totally right. This was one of the best spy thrillers I’ve ever read, on par with or perhaps even surpassing the likes of Patterson and Ludlum. It was what I was so hoping to find in Dean Koontz’s Jane Hawk series that disappointed me last year. Who would have guessed that Meyer had this kind of skill lurking beneath her teen paranormal romances?
Our main character, who shall remain nameless, has been on the run for three years. She’s not your average main character for a book like this. There is no martial arts black belt in her background. She’s not a sharpshooter or a femme fatale. Instead, she’s an incredibly bright chemist trying to stay ahead of the people who want to take her out for knowing too much. In the first two chapters, we see how incredibly cautious and well prepared our chemist is. The precautions she takes before going to sleep each night impressed me and saddened me at the same time. She was excellent at working to minimize her weaknesses and emphasize her strengths. And if there was a weakness that could be turned into a strength, she did so without hesitation. For example, she’s a tiny woman with a boyish figure. She utilizes this by using unisex aliases like Casey and Chris, and knows how to dress and alter her gait in a way that many people would dismiss her as a teenage boy. While impressive, the life she was living was no real life; survival was all that mattered. But then things changed. She met people who radically impacted her life for the better, and she was determined to keep them, even if it killed her.
I don’t want to go into the other characters in the book, but I will say that Meyer did an incredible job at creating a varied cast. None of the characters felt like carbon copies of each other, or like two dimensional characters added merely to bulk up the cast. Every character felt real, and had their own fears and hopes and quirks. Meyer also presented dogs in a wonderful way, where they felt like fully fleshed out characters in their own right. I have a soft spot for authors who include animals as legitimate characters and give them their own vibrant personalities, so I was thrilled by this inclusion.
And can we take just a moment to appreciate the vast amounts of research that must have gone into this book? When your main character is a brainy scientist, the author can’t slack on the scientific terms and explanations. Meyer wrote an incredibly convincing scientist, and ensured that her character’s knowledge was believably demonstrated. There was plenty of science, but never an overwhelming amount that might cause a reader’s eyes to glaze over. This is a delicate balance to strike, and I was impressed with how well Meyer handled it. There was also weapons research, research into dog training, black ops research, car research, and so many other research facets to Meyer’s story. I was honestly astonished by the work that must have gone into writing this book. Also, the readability factor was through the roof. Some authors just have this way with words where the writing disappears and you’re left watching a movie in your mind. Meyer has that gift.
Another element I definitely appreciated was the pacing. This is not a short book. My copy was 608 pages long. And never in over six hundred pages did the story drag. The pace was steady and engaging through the entirety of the story, which is incredibly rare. Even better, in my opinion, is the fact that this book stands completely alone! Standalone novels are unfortunately few and far between these days, so I latch on when I find one, especially when it turns out to be a great book. There’s a very satisfying conclusion to this story, and the epilogue also adds in a bit of humor that had me closing the book with a smile on my face. Finally, I just have to applaud this novel for its cleanliness. For a book in this genre, there was remarkably little profanity or descriptive sexual encounters. Remember when I said that my grandmother recommended this book to me? If an action thriller can be loved by my mom, who has read nearly every book in the genre, and by my Memaw, who reads predominantly Christian fiction, that’s really saying something for the wide readership the book attracts. I would have no problem recommending this book to anyone, because the story is addictive and the content doesn’t leave you wanting to scrub your gray matter with a toothbrush.
The Chemist is a fast-paced thriller full of intelligent characters who are easy to care about. There’s romance, humor, heartbreak, and loads of badassery. Sometimes, the brain can be your deadliest weapon. That’s definitely the case for Meyer’s action heroine. She’s different, and I absolutely loved her story. I have nothing negative to say about this book, and I hope more people will give it a chance. After all, it has my Memaw’s official seal of approval! I’m also praying that Meyer will write more adult fiction, because she definitely excelled here and I’m sorry I ever doubted her.
This is a book I honestly had no intention of reading.
I really enjoy Meyer’s YA books. They’re a little trashy, but they’re fun and addictive in a teenage soap opera kind of way. Twilight will always be one of my guilty pleasures. But I honestly didn’t think she could handle writing an adult spy thriller. I mean, it requires so much more research and finesse than a vampire/werewolf love triangle, right? The foreshadowing that was so present in the Twilight Saga would have to be done away with, because a thriller with no surprises isn’t really a thriller. The characters would have to be radically different from those she’s known for. I didn’t think she could do it.
I was wrong.
I should’ve had more faith, because this was a pretty amazing book. The only reason I gave in and read it is because both my mother and grandmother were raving about how much they loved it. I was skeptical, but they were totally right. This was one of the best spy thrillers I’ve ever read, on par with or perhaps even surpassing the likes of Patterson and Ludlum. It was what I was so hoping to find in Dean Koontz’s Jane Hawk series that disappointed me last year. Who would have guessed that Meyer had this kind of skill lurking beneath her teen paranormal romances?
Our main character, who shall remain nameless, has been on the run for three years. She’s not your average main character for a book like this. There is no martial arts black belt in her background. She’s not a sharpshooter or a femme fatale. Instead, she’s an incredibly bright chemist trying to stay ahead of the people who want to take her out for knowing too much. In the first two chapters, we see how incredibly cautious and well prepared our chemist is. The precautions she takes before going to sleep each night impressed me and saddened me at the same time. She was excellent at working to minimize her weaknesses and emphasize her strengths. And if there was a weakness that could be turned into a strength, she did so without hesitation. For example, she’s a tiny woman with a boyish figure. She utilizes this by using unisex aliases like Casey and Chris, and knows how to dress and alter her gait in a way that many people would dismiss her as a teenage boy. While impressive, the life she was living was no real life; survival was all that mattered. But then things changed. She met people who radically impacted her life for the better, and she was determined to keep them, even if it killed her.
I don’t want to go into the other characters in the book, but I will say that Meyer did an incredible job at creating a varied cast. None of the characters felt like carbon copies of each other, or like two dimensional characters added merely to bulk up the cast. Every character felt real, and had their own fears and hopes and quirks. Meyer also presented dogs in a wonderful way, where they felt like fully fleshed out characters in their own right. I have a soft spot for authors who include animals as legitimate characters and give them their own vibrant personalities, so I was thrilled by this inclusion.
And can we take just a moment to appreciate the vast amounts of research that must have gone into this book? When your main character is a brainy scientist, the author can’t slack on the scientific terms and explanations. Meyer wrote an incredibly convincing scientist, and ensured that her character’s knowledge was believably demonstrated. There was plenty of science, but never an overwhelming amount that might cause a reader’s eyes to glaze over. This is a delicate balance to strike, and I was impressed with how well Meyer handled it. There was also weapons research, research into dog training, black ops research, car research, and so many other research facets to Meyer’s story. I was honestly astonished by the work that must have gone into writing this book. Also, the readability factor was through the roof. Some authors just have this way with words where the writing disappears and you’re left watching a movie in your mind. Meyer has that gift.
Another element I definitely appreciated was the pacing. This is not a short book. My copy was 608 pages long. And never in over six hundred pages did the story drag. The pace was steady and engaging through the entirety of the story, which is incredibly rare. Even better, in my opinion, is the fact that this book stands completely alone! Standalone novels are unfortunately few and far between these days, so I latch on when I find one, especially when it turns out to be a great book. There’s a very satisfying conclusion to this story, and the epilogue also adds in a bit of humor that had me closing the book with a smile on my face. Finally, I just have to applaud this novel for its cleanliness. For a book in this genre, there was remarkably little profanity or descriptive sexual encounters. Remember when I said that my grandmother recommended this book to me? If an action thriller can be loved by my mom, who has read nearly every book in the genre, and by my Memaw, who reads predominantly Christian fiction, that’s really saying something for the wide readership the book attracts. I would have no problem recommending this book to anyone, because the story is addictive and the content doesn’t leave you wanting to scrub your gray matter with a toothbrush.
The Chemist is a fast-paced thriller full of intelligent characters who are easy to care about. There’s romance, humor, heartbreak, and loads of badassery. Sometimes, the brain can be your deadliest weapon. That’s definitely the case for Meyer’s action heroine. She’s different, and I absolutely loved her story. I have nothing negative to say about this book, and I hope more people will give it a chance. After all, it has my Memaw’s official seal of approval! I’m also praying that Meyer will write more adult fiction, because she definitely excelled here and I’m sorry I ever doubted her.
March 10, 2024
Jason Bourne vibes- 😀 and entirely tooooo long. 🫢 Decent read. 👍
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
August 28, 2017Attempted in April 2017. DNFed on page 56.
WAIT, PAGE 56?? Are you telling me I didn't get further than 56 pages?! I have been reading this audiobook for WEEKS and made it two hours in, and that was only FIFTY SIX PAGES? It felt like about 500. Of nothing happening.
I was excited about this book. I loved Stephanie Meyer's adult sci-fi The Host and was eager to see her write another adult novel but this was just boring. It was 56years pages of infodump on how this character hides her identity and takes so many precautions to not be found, but I don't know who she is, who's trying to find her, or why anyone needs to find her. The story hasn't even started yet at where I'm leaving off.
It's rare for me to DNF an audiobook because they are so easy to just let play, but this certainly doesn't work in audiobook format. The story is already dull, and the narration was pretty monotonous and lifeless. I had no reason to care about this character or her story, so I'm moving on to things I'm more in the mood for.
WAIT, PAGE 56?? Are you telling me I didn't get further than 56 pages?! I have been reading this audiobook for WEEKS and made it two hours in, and that was only FIFTY SIX PAGES? It felt like about 500. Of nothing happening.
I was excited about this book. I loved Stephanie Meyer's adult sci-fi The Host and was eager to see her write another adult novel but this was just boring. It was 56
It's rare for me to DNF an audiobook because they are so easy to just let play, but this certainly doesn't work in audiobook format. The story is already dull, and the narration was pretty monotonous and lifeless. I had no reason to care about this character or her story, so I'm moving on to things I'm more in the mood for.
August 5, 2020
Vade Retro Enfado
Se por ventura, a leitura das páginas iniciais deste livro vos provocar algum bocejo ou qualquer outra manifestação do indesejável enfado, desistam!...
Partam alegremente para novas leituras e... volvidas duas ou três semanas - tempo suficiente para apagar os eventuais vestígios do tédio inicialmente gerado - já poderão retomar com segurança, a leitura rejeitada.
Uma vez exorcisado o enfado, a história ilumina-se!!! 😉 😊
Se por ventura, a leitura das páginas iniciais deste livro vos provocar algum bocejo ou qualquer outra manifestação do indesejável enfado, desistam!...
Partam alegremente para novas leituras e... volvidas duas ou três semanas - tempo suficiente para apagar os eventuais vestígios do tédio inicialmente gerado - já poderão retomar com segurança, a leitura rejeitada.
Uma vez exorcisado o enfado, a história ilumina-se!!! 😉 😊
August 30, 2018
To all the people who are bashing this simply on the basis that "it's Stephenie Meyer" and "Twilight-vomit-OMG" my sentimate to you is this:
But anyway, to this book - I enjoyed it, though I do have to say this was not a typical genre that I would gravitate to. I thought the subject matter was fascinating and characters like Kevin and Val were so interesting. Though I didn't love this as much as I loved The Host, it was so much better than the mess that was Breaking Dawn.
The only thing I didn't like was
I really hope Stephenie gets her groove back and starts writing and publishing more.
PRE-READING THOUGHTS:
A new Stephenie Meyer!!!!!!!!
A new Stephenie Meyer!!!!!!!!
A new Stephenie Meyer!!!!!!!!
A new Stephenie Meyer!!!!!!!!
But anyway, to this book - I enjoyed it, though I do have to say this was not a typical genre that I would gravitate to. I thought the subject matter was fascinating and characters like Kevin and Val were so interesting. Though I didn't love this as much as I loved The Host, it was so much better than the mess that was Breaking Dawn.
The only thing I didn't like was
I really hope Stephenie gets her groove back and starts writing and publishing more.
PRE-READING THOUGHTS:
A new Stephenie Meyer!!!!!!!!
A new Stephenie Meyer!!!!!!!!
A new Stephenie Meyer!!!!!!!!
A new Stephenie Meyer!!!!!!!!
November 14, 2016
"The Chemist is the love child created from the union of my romantic sensibilities and my obsession with Jason Bourne/Aaron Cross. I very much enjoyed spending time with a different kind of action hero, one whose primary weapon isn’t a gun or a knife or bulging muscles, but rather her brain." -Stephenie MeyerMs. Meyer's personal tribute comes through perfectly in The Chemist. It is impossible to not notice the blatant similarities of this female version of the death-avoiding, dangerously skilled antihero. Recruited as a young adult and trained to focus on nothing but the assigned mission... all the joys of youth, love, and femininity were lost. As such, this "adult" book resembles Ms. Meyer's YA fiction in that it features new experiences for the heroine which results in instalove, characters who go googly eyes over kissing and hand-holding, and references to intimacy that fades-to-black.
I have mad respect for Ms. Meyer's choice to try her hand at a new genre and was desperately excited to see this new release available. Ms. Meyer's storytelling in Twilight is what made me first take notice of how engaging leisure reading could be. It was life-changing for me...not the story itself, but the act of losing myself in fiction. So, I did experience some disappointment while reading The Chemist to see that her writing style appears to have changed significantly in my perspective. One of the noticeable changes is that The Chemist is written in third-person versus her historically successful first-person narrative, and her overall storytelling, while fast-paced and engaging, created seventeen hours (audio) of observing and not experiencing (for me anyway). There are several well-loved authors who are wildly successful with similar styles but Ms. Meyer's writing has always sucked me in and let me live a different life for a while. I was gravely disappointed by this element; however, I am equally enamored by having another female lead in the thriller genre. So 3 stars it is. Most people will read this book out of curiosity and I won't deter you. Check it out! I'm sure there will be many who will absolutely love it.
My favorite quote:
"Laugh about it or cry about it, that's the only choice. I'd rather laugh while I can."
Shelved as 'morbidly-curious'
July 20, 2016Hmm. Hmm. HMMM.
The blurb is lackluster. The forbidden love element terrifies the shit out of me.
We shall see.
The blurb is lackluster. The forbidden love element terrifies the shit out of me.
We shall see.
June 7, 2017
I was really apprehensive about reading this book because of the mixed reviews but I was absolutely intrigued from the first page! I would recommend those who were worried like I was to read it.
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