Bed Chemistry is a witty, flirty, and heartfelt romance that blends science, second chances, and undeniable chemistry into one irresistible story.

Ashleigh Hutchinson, a chemistry teacher with a strict no-relationships rule, believes love and lust don’t mix—it’s all just hormones and reactions. But when she suddenly loses her job, she reluctantly signs up for a month-long sleep study to make ends meet. The twist? The study only takes couples, and the “partner” she gets stuck with is none other than Xander Miller—the charming, golden-retriever-like man she almost let herself fall for once upon a time.

With no choice but to fake a relationship, Ashleigh and Xander find themselves sharing one bed every night, trading banter like it’s their native language, and pretending there are no real feelings at play. But as the experiment goes on, the lines between science and emotion blur, and Ashleigh is forced to confront the possibility that maybe, just maybe, her carefully built walls won’t hold up against the right person.

Packed with laugh-out-loud moments, sizzling tension, and the heart-tugging sweetness of a second chance romance, Bed Chemistry is the perfect read for anyone who loves fake dating shenanigans, opposites attracting in the best possible way, and a romance that proves the strongest reactions aren’t always the ones you can explain.

📖 Bed Chemistry by Elizabeth McKenzie

🛏️✨ Review ✨🛏️

Science says love and lust don’t mix… but try telling that to Ashleigh Hutchinson. 😏

In Bed Chemistry, Elizabeth McKenzie gives us a debut rom-com that’s equal parts steamy, hilarious, and so addictive. When Ashleigh, a snarky chemistry teacher with a no-relationships rule, signs up for a sleep study, the last thing she expects is to end up fake-dating her biggest temptation: Xander Miller. The kicker? The study requires them to share a bed. Every. Single. Night. 👀

💥 What’s Inside:
✨ Fake dating “for science” 🧪
✨ Only one bed (every night!) 🛏️
✨ Hot mess FMC x golden retriever MMC 🌸🐾
✨ Banter that will have you grinning ear to ear
✨ Second chance romance that hits just right

The dynamic between Ashleigh and Xander is pure fire. The slow-burn tension, the forced proximity, the late-night banter...it’s the kind of rom-com setup that has you kicking your feet and laughing out loud while also fanning yourself. 🔥

If you love The Love Hypothesis or The Paradise Problem, this book absolutely belongs on your TBR. It’s nerdy, flirty, messy, and oh-so-fun. Perfect for readers who crave swoons, steam, and a little science in their romance.

⭐ Tropes you’ll eat up: fake dating, second chance, only one bed, banter-filled slow burn.

#BedChemistry #ElizabethMcKenzie #NetGalley #RomComReads #FakeDating #SecondChanceRomance #OnlyOneBed #ForcedProximity #RomanceReaders #Bookstagram #RomanceTok

Bed Chemistry: A Novel by Elizabeth McKenzie had an intriguing premise, but unfortunately, it didn’t fully land for me. While there were moments of sharp humor and unique character quirks, I struggled to stay fully invested in the pacing and overall story flow. The characters felt inconsistent at times, making it hard to connect with them on a deeper level, and certain plot points seemed to meander without strong resolution.
That being said, McKenzie’s writing style is clever, and there were passages where her wit and creativity shined through. Readers who enjoy offbeat, character-driven narratives may find more to love here than I did, but for me, it was a mixed reading experience.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Alcove Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This was a fun book! This is the first time ever reading this author and definitely won't be my last. I really enjoyed the flow of the book. Thank you so much for my ARC!

This was an interesting one! Ashleigh, a high school chemistry teacher, gets fired so she signs her self up for a summer sleep study. However, there's a catch: it only takes couples. She ends up enlisting her college ONS, Xander, who she hasn't seen in over a decade. They agree to fake a relationship (YAY) and of course, sparks end up flying.

This was definitely an interesting premise. I initially was intriguing because of the Sabrina Carpenter title, and love a fake dating trope. Ashleigh and Xander's chemistry was really steamy, but it did end up feeling a bit repetitive after a while. I think it would have been nice to have a duel POV rather than just Ashleigh's.

This book was DELECTABLE with a capital D. If you're a fan of forced proximity or second chances, RUN don't walk to read Bed Chemistry. This book is charming, witty, and has a tangible level of tension. It's the kind of book that will have you in bed for hours...

We meet a recently fired science teacher, Ashleigh who in a last ditch effort to make rent over the summer decides to sign up for a sleep study. Unfortunately all the spots are filled, except for one. Double unfortunate? The last spot is for a couple. Triple unfortunate? She agrees to sign up as the fake partner of the man she slept with and ghosted years ago, Xander. Can Ashleigh withhold the tension, both awkward and sexual of sleeping next to Xander for a month?

this had potential to be really good but the writing and flow was just really messy which hampered my enjoyment. I feel like this book could benefit from some more editing to fix the flow and it would be a great rom com.

Bed chemistry was such a fun light hearted romance book. I actually enjoyed it more than a few of the latest booktok romance suggestions. I felt the banter was super cute, made me giggle and kick my feet. It felt positive, and lately that’s a hard one to come by. Overall I rated it a 4.0/5 ⭐️
Totally recommend to all my romance girlies ❤️

Ash is a chemistry teacher who doesn’t believe in love after watching her parents messy divorce. Xander, her ex who made her doubt herself enters back into her life on a whim when both of them sign up for a sleep study. The sleep study isn’t taking any more singles for the program so they decide to pretend to be a couple in order to still participate.

This was a quick and easy read, there is a good banter between the main characters which I enjoyed. Even though I thought the book was fun and light hearted, I found the storyline to not be believable.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

There was potential in this book to almost be a four star read but in the end it just didn’t get there.
I felt like the ending happened very quickly.
I don’t know how it went from lawsuit to principal.
But if you like second chances romance and forced proximity then you should read this book.
The MFC was a bit annoying at times and it bothered me that the characters are supposed to be from LA but the book refers to their college days as “time at university “

3.5 stars rounded up

I really enjoyed the premise and a lot of parts of this story. The banter was fun, the yearning was so good, the best friend was cute. There was a good amount of suspension of disbelief which was worth it in the end for this book. The epilogue was extra sweet.

I'm curious to see what else Elizabeth McKenzie comes up with in the future, maybe Em can have her turn with love.

Thank you Alcove Press and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Bed Chemistry was such a fun, lighthearted read—the perfect pick-me-up after a long day. The witty banter between the main characters had me grinning, and I really loved the way the heroine’s friendship with her bestie was portrayed. Positive female relationships in books always stand out to me, and this one felt so genuine. Even though the story is on the shorter side, the pacing never felt off—it moved smoothly without rushing. And the ending wrapped things up in a way that felt conclusive and really satisfying.

Absolutely! Here's a copy-and-paste-friendly version of a three-star review for *Bed Chemistry* by Elizabeth McKenzie, with a mention of Sabrina Carpenter vibes:

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*Bed Chemistry* is a soft, introspective romance that gave off total Sabrina Carpenter vibes—moody, flirty, and emotionally layered—but ultimately didn’t leave a huge impact. The writing is thoughtful and detailed, and I appreciated how grounded the characters felt, especially as they dealt with career uncertainty, emotional baggage, and the awkward charm of figuring each other out. There’s definitely a simmering, low-key chemistry between the leads, and it all feels very dreamy in a late-night-confession kind of way. But at times, the pacing dragged, and I found myself wanting a bit more intensity or risk to really pull me in. It’s a vibe for sure—like a soft pop ballad playing in the background while you stare at the ceiling—but not one that fully sticks. Solid three stars.

I really liked this book a lot! The book was pretty short and sometimes I feel like that rushes a story, but I really liked the pacing in this one. Bed Chemistry was a really fun read, perfect for a good pick-me-up at the end of the day. I loved the wit and banter between the fmc and mmc. I also loved the relationship with fmc and her best friend! I think it's so important to see positive female relationships in books and this one was great. The ending was conclusive and satisfying.

✨One bed
✨Fake dating
✨Enemies to lovers
✨One night stand
✨Second chance

When I saw that cover & that title???? I knew I had to request it on NetGalley. This was definitely super entertaining, and oh wow Xander was hot stuff. I did feel like I wanted a little bit more! I had a hard time connecting with Ashleigh as a character, but she came around on me eventually. The premise of this book was super unique & I can truly say I've never read something like this! Overall, this was a fun & quick read to add to your reading goal! Defiantly worth checking out- will be available on December 9th!

Thanks so much to Alcove Press, NetGalley, and Elizabeth McKenzie for an ARC!

This was very sweet! It had good pacing and was a very fun but reflective romance. I loved getting to know these characters !!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Here we meet Ash and Xander who had a steamy night 11 years ago, Ash ghosted him and they meet again at a sleep study and need to pretend to be together.

One of my favourite tropes so I knew I was going to enjoy this. I really liked the writing style, I felt is flowed and I read it really quickly. Ash’s character, I found her really likeable and funny. I liked how she had flaws as well. I loved the strong female relationship with Em - are we getting Em’s story?! Xander was just perfection in this book in my opinion.

The dedication was amazing- if you know you know.

Would definitely recommend and would definitely read another Elizabeth McKenzie book. Thanks so much for this ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for the opportunity to ARC read/review Bed Chemistry by Elizabeth McKenzie.

Unfortunately, I was unable to finish this book and had to DNF at 14%. Although the blurb and tropes, especially the one-bed trope, really drew me in, I had to stop reading after the FMC started talking about farting in her sleep and camel toes. I really didn’t feel this came across as comical and was too juvenile for my tastes. The FMC’s voice as a character seems pretty immature for someone who is supposed to be a professional.

Also, right off the bat, I’m not sure how believable it was that Ashleigh gets fired for being promiscuous in her time away from work or because a date grabs her butt on school property. It just seemed far-fetched and a bit reaching. Additionally, it was a bit off putting as it seemed like she was trying too hard to be quirky or youthful, acting like a horny teenager.

I would recommend this book for a person who can see the charm in a hot-mess FMC, but at my time in my reading journey I could not commit to this book. I would prefer not to leave a star review as I did not finish it, but if I must, I give this book 2 stars.

This book was a really fun read! Xander and Ash met in college where they had a genuine connection, became friends, and then slept together. Ash was raised with "love isn't real" lessons from her mom after her mom and dad had a bad divorce. Xander was a great MMC in that he was emotionally mature, was interested in more than just sex, and was the one to try to convince Ash to try a relationship. Ash was a great foil to Xander's romantic character, and their personalities worked well together in this book. Throughout the book I just kept thinking, "she should have started seeing a therapist," after all the PTSD she was having regarding her parent's relationship. I guess the emotional turmoil over love may not have existed for the sake of the book if she had. Nonetheless, it was refreshing having a male character that knew what he wanted instead of the typical mature female character trying to convince the man that he could fall in love. Now for my least favorite part of the book- the rushed feeling ending. I feel like they definitely rushed ahead from the last chapter to the epilogue. I was really curious to find out whether or not Dr. Waitley and crew knew the whole time that Xander and Ash were not really a couple (and the aftermath of the sleep study), how the deposition and wrongful termination case went (yes, I know that she got her job back and was promoted to principal, but how? I want details!!!), and whether or not Em ended up dating the tennis coach!!! I also wanted more details on whether or not Xander's 5 year relationship really was to help him get over Ash. The book alluded to the fact that it may have been, but I wanted more background on his previous relationships. I appreciated the end to the story, but I felt like they missed an opportunity to have a quick summary chapter between the last chapter and epilogue. The "missing chapter" did not ruin the book for me, but I really wished there was more to the ending!

All in all I really liked the book and was surprised that it only had a 3.5 star rating. I probably would have rated it between 3.75 and a 4 if partial stars were an option, but it definitely was closer to a 4 than a 3 for me, so I rounded up. Thank you NetGalley and Elizabeth McKenzie for the eARC of this book!

2.5 stars

This book has a really unique premise that I hadn’t seen before. The author did her own version of “one bed” that I thought was pretty clever. However, from the first page, I just did not like the FMC. I thought the conflict at the start of the book was pretty reasonable but she made it seem like it was a personal attack. I really liked Xander & thought he was cute, & it was clear how much he cared for Ashleigh.

I can see why people enjoyed this book but it just wasn’t for me.