Chemistry Lessons

In this novel of love and science, Goldstein plays with the possibility that romantic chemistry can be produced in a lab, and—once ingested—can foster an attraction that endures for decades. Maya, a talented MIT-bound scientist, follows in the footsteps of her mother, also an MIT scientist, who recently died of cancer. When Whit, Maya’s long-term boyfriend, breaks up with her for another girl, Maya is desperate to find a way to rekindle their romance. She turns to her late mother’s secret research—a serum that acts like a love potion, making the person who takes it suddenly attracted to the person who gives it to him or her. Maya convinces Ann, her mother’s former lab assistant, to help her with the experiment, and Ann agrees on the condition that Maya broadens the research by trying the serum on three subjects, not just Whit. Maya comes across as a rather distant narrator, but there is an intriguing premise at the heart of this romance, and Goldstein provides greater emotional weight as Maya comes to better understand her own grieving process and gain insight into the organic ebbs and flows of authentic love. Ages 12–up. [em]Agent: Katherine Flynn, Kneerim & Williams Agency. (June) [/em]