A delightful debut novel, Gamus serves up a tale of of a chemist thwarted by sexist colleagues but determined to continue her work, in whatever form that takes. I enjoyed this immensely, and I can't wait for her next one.

This is one of those books I am on the fence about. There was so much about this book I loved, but at times I also think the story got away from the author. I know others are raving about this book, and it's easy to see why. But I struggled a bit with the pacing and the path Lessons in Chemistry took. Regardless, I enjoyed the characters Bonnie Garmus created, and will be looking for future books from her!

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results.

But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.

Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist.

I know this book is all over the place right now and sometimes when a book gets really popular it’s easy to wonder if it deserves all the hype. This book definitely deserves it! What a unique and wonderful book with a lead character you won’t forget anytime soon.

Elizabeth Zott is extremely intelligent, she should be a very successful scientist. But this story takes place in the 1950’s and 1960’s and the world did not make it easy for a woman, especially one like Elizabeth, to succeed.
She faced roadblocks everywhere she turned. It was harder to get an education because she was female. It was harder to get into a good school because most good schools only accepted male students. While she was trying to get her degree, she was assaulted by a horrible man in a position of power and no one took her seriously. When she went on to work in science, no one took her seriously there either. And then Elizabeth met Calvin. Calvin was a brilliant scientist too. He was the first man who actually respected Elizabeth and they found a beautiful life together. But people kept judging Elizabeth for doing things the wrong way.

She kind of stumbles backwards into a cooking show. She’s just supposed to be teaching people to cook and acting like a “normal housewife” whatever exactly that means. But this is Elizabeth and she doesn’t do things just because people expect her to act a certain way. She refuses to let herself be pigeonholed and she wants better than that for her audience too. She is teaching women cooking on the surface but she is also teaching them about chemistry. She is teaching them to question things and showing them it’s ok to want more than whatever society says they should want.

I loved Elizabeth. I loved her dog too! Her dog was an amazing, supportive character as well and he made it safely through the entire story.

I am going to have a book hangover from this book.

I have a very strong feeling that this will be adapted into a tv or mini series. It’s the kind of story where I would absolutely love to see the story come to life.

I’d highly recommend this book to pretty much anyone I know.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thank you!

Every once in awhile you'll read a book with a character so memorable and unique that you can't help but wish they were real. Well, let me just add Ms. Elizabeth Zott to my 'fictional characters I want to be best friends with' list.

In a male dominated world and career field back in the 50's (and even still rings true today), Elizabeth Zott always had to fight her way to the right of being taken seriously as a chemist. Sadly, it very rarely worked out for her and we get to go on her journey to staying true to who she is no matter the cost.

While this book was witty and heartfelt, it also dealt with a lot of triggering aspects like sexual assault, sexism, suicide, and death of a loved one to name a few.

I think I can name Lessons in Chemistry my favorite book of the year so far.

LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus is the first title on the April 2022 LibraryReads list. Set primarily in the 1950s and 1960s, this debut novel examines the challenges faced by Elizabeth Zott, a young chemist hoping to pursue her own research and a PhD. However, she faces sexual assault plus ongoing discrimination, both obvious and subtle. Garmus' writing prompted a range of emotions, including anger at Zott's situation and disgust directed at several of her dishonest, plagiarizing colleagues. Elizabeth gradually learns to accept support from a lonely neighbor, her TV show's producer, a rowing coach, and an ever-loyal dog named Six-Thirty. As the story continues and Zott's circumstances change, there is plenty of humor and amusement due to Garmus' clever satire. Elizabeth, raising a child born out of wedlock and anxious about paying bills, becomes the star of a cooking show, but remains true to her love of chemistry and belief in the strength of women. Her impromptu, encouraging talks to the audience are wonderful. LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY received a starred review from Kirkus.

Loved Elizabeth Zott! Once I settled in to the quirkiness of the book, I was totally in. It did take me a bit, but I really enjoyed the story and came to love all of the characters. Would definitely recommend.

Before I review this book, I want to say I think the blurbs and cover are misleading - "laugh out loud funny" was definitely not my experience and it is not campy the way it looks. First of all the first few chapters should come with content warnings for violent rape, suicide, and death of a partner/grief, well and the entire novel is drenched in sexism because of the subject matter and times.

Other than some strange decisions in marketing, the story is interesting enough, about a lady chemist who also becomes a rower and a single mother, then goes on to surprising tangential career. So many books about scientists in recent years!

“‘Boys, set the table,’ Elizabeth commanded. ‘Your mother needs a moment to herself.’”

This book is 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 right now so I won’t bore you with yet another synopsis. Just know that this book is exceptional. It is amazing. It is everything I love in a story and in a protagonist. Elizabeth Zott is the strongest and most unapologetic of genius women in a time when women had no place but inside the home. She is not confrontational or antagonizing. She’s just unapologetically herself, a strong and incredibly intelligent scientist who just 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴 to be a woman.

“‘Sometimes I think,’ she said slowly, ‘that if a man were to spend a day being a woman in America, he wouldn’t make it past noon.’”

I use page flags or book darts as I read and this book was in the top five for sheer amount of passages noted. It is just so compulsively quotable! Sometimes I am very pleasantly surprised when a book is hyped up and it more than lives up to the hype. Lessons in Chemistry is that book.

“Too many brilliant minds are kept from scientific research thanks to ignorant biases like gender and race. It infuriates me and it should infuriate you. Science has big problems to solve: famine, disease, extinction. And those who purposefully close the door to others using self-serving, outdated cultural notions are not only dishonest, they’re knowingly lazy.” Here here 👏🏻.

Thank you to Netgalley, Doubleday Books, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Easily the best book I've read in 2022 thus far. The entire time reading this, I was torn between wishing I could read faster (because the story and characters are so delightful) and much, much slower (because I was so sad that I would one day finish this book).

While I'm probably not quite as excited as many others about this book, overall I really liked it and would give it a solid 4 stars. I really enjoyed Elizabeth Zott. She was a character unlike any other, that's for sure! I enjoyed her whole family - Calvin, Mad, and their dog, Six-Thirty.
I think this book shared a lot of important messages and showed us a main character who went against the grain. There are plenty of things that still haven't changed in terms of the way women are viewed and treated compared to men, though this book is a good reminder of how much worse it was in the 1960s.
This book had some surprising and shocking elements to it, and it also made me feel a range of emotions: from laughter to sadness to frustration and anger (not frustration with the book, but rather with what Elizabeth experienced).
I will say that some aspects of the story will require a suspension of disbelief, so if you need your books to be 100% realistic and believable, there will definitely be some things in this book that frustrate you.
I did find some parts of the book to be a little slow-moving, and there were times when I wasn't eager to sit down and read it. But as I continued to read, I really grew to love several of the characters, and this is definitely a book I'll be recommending to others.
Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the e-galley of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love, love, love this book; it includes feminism, humor, and will tug at your heartstrings. I read everything 1960s and this has become a fast favorite. I fell in love with the cast of characters. We need more protagonists like Elizabeth Zott! She has inspired me to face challenges head on and be open to new possibilities.

I look forward to more by Bonnie Garmus! Don’t let this one pass you by. Start reading - right now!

Elizabeth Zott is teaching women chemistry through a TV cooking show.

It's the 1960s and prevented from doing what she really wants to do - be a chemist - due to her gender, Zott ends up cast as a TV personality. But she's not just showing average housewives how to cook dinner; she's empowering them.

That's really more the second half of Bonnie Garmus' Lessons in Chemistry. The first half of the book leads you up to Zott's cooking show, detailing her attempt at getting a PhD (and her professor's attempt at raping her), her romance with a fellow male chemist (the only male who actually listened to her), the competition among working women (to find a husband and get a promotion), and her need to make her own money as a single mother.

Much of the book also has to do with Zott's boyfriend, Calvin Evans, a fellow scientist and rower. His background is just as important, especially as everything comes full circle at the end of the novel.

This book was so clever and quirky and amusing and entertaining. I loved how unapologetic Zott was, standing up for herself and her daughter, and not being afraid to go up against societal norms. I also loved how all the characters, even ones you might think are minor, came together. This reminded me of a Fredrik Backman novel only without tears.

Lessons in Chemistry is published by Doubleday and is available to purchase now. I received a free e-ARC.

I found myself loving this novel. It has quirky, human characters, a precocious child, and an amazingly astute dog - and an overall essence of perseverance with a dash of luck interwoven throughout. I loved the two main characters - they are both super intelligent but socially awkward - they are on the spectrum - way before there even was a spectrum and written with freshness and expertise. Garmus masterfully captured the unjust way woman have been, and are still, treated in the business/science world but delivers it with the right amount of humor so that it doesn't confront one as being preachy - just matter of fact. There are many laugh out loud moments, as well as, sadness and loss. It is a parody of sorts. But major Fun - A Fun Entertaining Read! A great debut novel! I will definitely be following this author!

Garmus’ debut novel positively sparkles. The writing is deft and light-handed, despite tackling some serious topics. Once in a while a character comes along that is you know you’ll remember forever. Elizabeth Zott joins the ranks of Eleanor Oliphant and Cyril Avery, permanently imprinted on my Literary Heart. She is a feminist and pioneer, a reluctant trailblazer but she is not without humor and heart. I just loved everything about this book. All the characters were charming and the plot is propulsive. I couldn’t read it fast enough. It’s gotten a lot of buzz and I hear there’s already a series in the works starring Brie Larson. Loved it!

I'm calling it: Best book I've read in 2022 so far.

Refreshingly original from start to finish, this book tells the story of Elizabeth Zott, a true original! A brilliant chemist trying to break the glass ceiling in the 1950s, she succeeds based on her own determination to be more than society believes her to be and her quirky personality that’s steeped in a love of science and precision. When she inadvertently becomes the beloved star of a TV cooking show, her ability to show women to be the mulifaceted, smart, capable, amazing humans they are starts to upset the men in a society that deems women less-than and not worthy of the adoration she's getting. She's upsetting the status quo and, as usual when that occurs, good things happen. Elizabeth does this all while staying true to herself and her beliefs.

Funny, sharp, inventive, and true, this book is hard to categorize. It makes some important statements about the sexism and misogyny of the 1950s (some of which carries through to today), religious creation versus evolution, and the power/endurance of love. It also is hilarious at points, especially when the narrative is told from the dog's POV. But through it all, Elizabeth Zott remains a distinct, expertly rendered character who will make you laugh, smile, cry, and cheer. She's amazing and I'm so glad I got to spend some time in her amazing world.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #DoubleDayBooks for the early review of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A book that will make you laugh and cry and frustrate you , we’ll just sign me up! Not only is it wonderfully written , it’s witty and fun. A fantastic debut with great characters . A definite 2022 favorite

An okay book that just didn't really hook me. I think it captured the struggles of a woman in the field at that time but I just couldn't connect with the character maybe because I have never been a career woman or what I don't know I felt like the pacing was off not diving deep enough but also not moving swift enough. I wanted to like it and I kept at it but it just stalled out for me.

Wow! There are very few literary characters that leave a lasting impact like Elizabeth Zott will leave on each and every reader that is smart enough to pick up Lessons in Chemistry. A book set in the 1960s you will be transported to a time where your history books will leave you unprepared for the woman that is Elizabeth Zott. Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman of the 60s and in fact she will be the first to tell you there is no such thing as an average woman.

As a chemist, Elizabeth Zott, finds herself amid an all-male team at Hastings Research Institute and ultimately catches the eye of Calvin Evans, a brilliant and gruff Nobel Prize-nominee and chemistry between them simmers and eventually fall in love. Years later though Elizabeth Zott finds herself in the most unprecedented position - a single mother and hosting a cooking show. Pushing boundaries and social constructs of what the 'woman's role' truly is Elizabeth Zott makes waves and gathers a following with her unique approach to hosting her cooking show - using chemistry with a pinch of bold and fearless thoughts.

This book and it's cast of characters is funny as it is heartwarming. The reader will fall in love with Elizabeth Zott and you will feel deeply for all the characters you come across in this story. This is a masterpiece of a debut.

⚛️ I love female STEM rep in books. This book nails it for the time period regarding how women in STEM were likely treated by male colleagues. Thankfully, due to strong, perservering women like our fictional Miss Zott, women do not have to deal with that nonsense anymore (at least in most cases).

⚛️ I’m an engineer and there were only two courses in college I absolutely hated - chemistry and differential equations! If I’d have had Miss Zott as a chemistry teacher I would have loved the class! I appreciate when people, fictional or otherwise, are able to make a complex science relatable and understandable.

⚛️ I’ve always said that cooking was a science and this book proves that!

⚛️ I did feel like Christianity was misrepresented a bit in the book… or maybe oversimplified is a better word. I do get frustrated when stories bash one ideology in support of another.

⚛️ Every single character in this book was amazing! Every one. I was sad when the book ended because I felt like I was losing some friends.

⚛️ Six-Thirty!! Best dog name ever! The dog has a backstory and a perspective in this book. At first it felt corny, but it quickly became endearing.

⚛️ This is a phenomenal debut book! It’s a love story, a fight for equal opportunity, and a family drama. You’ll enjoy it and maybe even learn a little chemistry along the way.

Thank you @NetGalley and @DoubleDayBooks for an eARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I loved this refreshing book featuring a strong female character who really was the shining star of the story, despite going through a lot of trouble before finally finding success in life for herself. At times the story made me gasp with shock and at other times I was crying with grief for what Elizabeth Zott went through in life. For a debut novel to be this awesome, I am very eager to see what the author writes next. I absolutely loved this book. Thank you so much for the review copy!