thank you NetGalley, Brilliance Publishing and Georgina Frankie for the ALC of this book.

The Chemistry Test is a gentle, uplifting read that tackles chronic illness with honesty and heart—no “inspiration porn” here. Penny’s college journey is equal parts resilience, humor, and community-building, with a sweet slow-burn romance featuring a cat rehabber (adorable, I know) navigating his own grief. It’s hopeful without being cheesy, thoughtful without being heavy, and a perfect pick when you want something quick, affirming, and quietly romantic. Persephone Lee and Joshua Akehurst bring the story to life beautifully—their narration adds warmth, depth, and a perfect emotional touch.

Thank you to Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for this reviewers copy of The Chemistry Test.

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

This is the sweet story of two college kids dealing with their own life struggles while building a friendship to lovers situation. Our main character Penny, has EDS and POTS and uses a wheelchair. Her story is one of resilience and strength while dealing with debilitating conditions. She meets CJ, an actor who is taking a break while dealing with the grief of losing his Gran who he was super close to. They build a friendship together while dealing with their struggles.

Overall it’s a very cute no-spice romance. I found some of it a little unrealistic, but I liked the representation of grief, disabilities, and learning to live with our pain and struggles.

This book was so heartwarming! We are following Penny who has Potts as she is going off to university where she runs into a guy named CJ. They become friends/maybe a little something more. CJ is dealing with the grief from losing his grandmother. He has depression and is navigating that as his relationship with Penny develops. I really liked that we had representation of dyslexia in CJ as well.

This book showcased and highlighted many disabilities, but I loved getting a look at Penny’s life and how she navigates it.

I will say I didn’t really feel the chemistry between Penny and CJ. I think friends was a good place to keep them.

Overall a cute read.

Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the ALC!

As a POTS and EDY girlie, I absolutely loved getting to read a romance where the FMC had both these conditions in a realistic way. I saw so much of myself in Penny (though her condition is definitely worse than mine) and I LOVED that she immediately found friends who took it all in stride, supported her, and joked around about her disabilities in the way that only close friends can.
I also loved the way Cam's grief was handled—the fact that he got to have multiple spaces to process and get support and also that he wrestled with his own feelings when (in his perception) other people had it worse.
Their friendship/budding relationship was so beautiful, and the narrators really brought it to life.

Unfortunately while this had a sweet premise, it didn’t fully land for me. The characters were constantly brimming with life lessons and wisdom, but it often felt like it was being pushed at the reader rather than woven naturally into the story. The narrative was repetitive in places, and the tone read more like YA than the adult romance I was expecting. It was a quick, easy read, but not one that will stick with me for long.

It was narrated by Persephone Lee; Joshua Akehurst who both did a fine job albeit a bit slowly. The speeding it up helped me engage a bit as it made the prose a bit more sippy and the banter a bit more electric. I really enjoyed Ms Lees pleasant British accent.

I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary audio ALC from Brilliance Audio through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My general rating system is below. Since I primarily read ARC books I rate according to how I think like minded readers will receive the book. I will round up or down depending on many factors and try not to let my personal wants affect a books ratings.

⭐️ Hated It but pushed through as I don’t DNF ARCs I have received.
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, content issues, poorly edited.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but it had something that stopped me from rounding up. Usually the book may have much more potential than what was given. I recommend it but with reservations.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I Really enjoyed it or think others will. These are solid reads that I definitely would recommend for a variety of reasons.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! These are books that remain rent free in my head for well after unfinished the book. It can be for a variety of reasons from being very well written or just the vibes that captured my mind. These books are also ones I would probably read again

As a chronic illness girlie, I was super intrigued about this book when I read the blurb. I don’t personally have EDS or POTS but I have a disability that causes me to use a mobility aid so I wanted to see what the rep was like.

I found it to be both heartbreaking and healing all at once. I hated how much I could relate to both of these MCs but I thought the author handled each of their issues really well.

4 star
Spice: N/A
Format: ALC

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for both the arc&alc in exchange for an honest review.

I want to preface that I know knowing about pots or any other disabilities mentioned in this story. For me it seems like great representation, so if it's not I'm sorry. I loved Cam from the start, he was very relatable for me. It does come off a bit juvenile and I wouldn't consider this a romance. The characters are young and their reactions to certain situations reflect that. The audio was very enjoyable. It helped me to understand their emotions a bit better. The star the sorry by far are Tabby & Callie.

A great balance of emotional plot and great representation.

From chapter 1 I was hooked, this close-knit family deeply touched my heart. I was instantly attached to the FMC. As the romance was a tad bit slower to develop I was still so delightfully enjoying all the other wonderful elements of the story.

I am a sucker for academia set romances, especially here in the US I would call it College Romance I am not sure if this label still fits in the UK. Nonetheless the proximity that romances set in academia give me, make me feel warm and cozy and this book is no exception.

I truly enjoyed the short chapters as well!

This debut British new adult, dual POV, college romance did NOT disappoint!! I loved the excellent disability and mental health rep in the book!! The female protagonist, Penny is a wheelchair user with EDS and POTS starting college for the first time and navigating what that looks like as a person with a visible disability and multiple chronic conditions.

Penny quickly befriends CJ, an actor with dyslexia who is depressed after losing his grandmother suddenly and far too soon. As CJ attends a grief counselling group, he also connects with Penny online anonymously through her account where she tries to help others going through tough things. Their friendship is so great and the romance was the sweetest!

I loved how CJ shows up for Penny in ways that are supportive without being ableist and how Penny has to learn that she's someone worth loving despite the things she might not be able to do. Great on audio and highly recommended for fans of authors like Lizzie Huxley-Jones or Gretchen Schreiber.

My only real critique was that there was a frustrating third act miscommunication break up that had me wanting to shake the MCs. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review. This was a strong debut and I can't wait to read more from this new author!