The Chemist By: Stephanie Meyer

Synopsis:

She used to work for the U.S. government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn’t even have a name. And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her without warning.

Now she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They’ve killed the only other person she trusted, but something she knows still poses a threat. They want her dead, and soon.

When her former handler offers her a way out, she realizes it’s her only chance to erase the giant target on her back. But it means taking one last job for her ex-employers. To her horror, the information she acquires only makes her situation more dangerous.

Resolving to meet the threat head-on, she prepares for the toughest fight of her life but finds herself falling for a man who can only complicate her likelihood of survival. As she sees her choices being rapidly whittled down, she must apply her unique talents in ways she never dreamed of.

https://stepheniemeyer.com/project/the-chemist/

3.7/5 Goodreads

Review:

Spoiler Alert!

2.7/5

I read this book because of a request from a friend.

This book was definitely interesting and had a different idea than many of the other books I have read. In this, we have the main character Juliana (also goes by Chris, Taylor, Casey, Alex, etc. and it can be a little confusing at times), who is an ex-government employee who is now on the run. She meets Daniel and Kevin early in the book after agreeing to help Carston, her ex-boss, stop a bio-terrorist he claims is going to kill millions. She kidnaps Daniel for 'questioning' and afterwards realizes that he is innocent and feels immense guilt. This is also where we meet Kevin, who tracks his brother after finding out he is being tortured. After they finally communicate they learn how this was all a set-up to try and get one or both of them dead, and Daniel learns (once he wakes up) that his brother isn't really dead. This is where one of the bigger issues I have with 'The Chemist' comes up, how easily Daniel forgives Alex (what Juliana is going by) for torturing him. I understand that Daniel's character is meant to be the forgiving and kind type, but rationally after this experience, there would be fear, anger, and most likely some kind of trauma which would be attached to Alex. But he accepts her reason and seems to hold no ill will against her, but comes across as angrier with his brother for faking his death and prison sentence. Alex and Daniel grow closer and end up in a romantic relationship, and this is something I don't see happening so fast after what he went through, if at all. I did find it funny how Alex was questioning Daniel's sanity because of how fast he forgave her though, I think it was a good way of acknowledging that it did happen fast. Despite this, I did like the relationships between the characters, and I especially found the interactions between Kevin and Alex funny. I found at the end it got confusing to keep up with because of all the things happening with the government conspiracy, but overall it was fine if you just read through it.

In the end, I am not sure I would re-read the entirety of this book, maybe some of my personal favourite parts. This wasn't one of my favorite books, but it did have its moments and (from what I can tell with no background in medicine and limited chemistry knowledge) seemed well researched.