By: Ali Hazelwood
Dr. Bee Konigswasser lives her life according to her idol Marie Curie. She has been burned by love and is determined science will be her life. When the opportunity of a lifetime comes along, she is excited to make real improvements in astronauts’ lives. However, it means working with a man who has despised her since grad school. Determined to make Marie Curie and all the other women in science proud, she packs her bags and heads to Houston. However, when things keep getting lost or delayed, like her computers, she wonders if the sabotage is because she is a woman, or if it is more personal. Guided by her brain and longing for stability, Bee is determined her project, BLINK will work, no matter the cost.
Ali Hazelwood has written a fresh, new perspective when it comes to romance books. Mixing feminism, science, and romantic comedy, this one long stream of consciousness novel is, for lack of better verbiage, fabulous. Readers will be rooting for the brainiac Bee and her NASA project. Even though the beginning is predictable, readers will want to experience the road to truth between Levi and Bee. Even the secondary characters thrive in this story, with their quirks and passions. The fact that in 2022, women are still considered weaker in most fields, especially scientific ones, is disheartening and this book brings to the forefront a lot of real-life issues underrepresented people face when chasing their dreams. As for the romance, it is a slow burn that ignites a bomb. Once the bomb goes off, so do the curse words and the romance becomes the only focus. The author’s note at the end, reinforces the issues with standardized tests in today’s society. This is a book that I can honestly say, I hope makes it to the big screen, because it is hilarious… and the world could use some laughter right now.
I can totally relate to the never-ending thoughts of Bee’s brain. My mind is in constant overdrive. Here’s some additional thoughts about this book. I love the cats, I love the music references, and I love the science. The first 200 pages were absolutely the best thing I have read in a very long time. They were hilarious and fresh, and real. The next 100 pages were very detailed with sex scenes, and the science went to the back burner. The last 50 pages were a “the whole world has ended” and a “tie everything in a neat bow” conclusion. This type of ending is common in romance novels, and it drives me crazy. I wish for a better balance. I just spent 200+ pages breezing through, loving the characters, the storyline, the details. I wish the ending wasn’t rushed. I wish the details weren’t brushed over. I am very detailed-oriented, and I thrive on details in books. Rushed endings lack details. However, I am hooked on Ali Hazelwood and desperately on the hunt for her first book.
Notes:
I got my copy through Book of the Month.