The Chemist in Audiobook Junkies

Dec 08, 2016 ☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Five reasons to grab your earbuds and listen to The Chemist

The set-up: Dr. Juliana Fortis worked for a secret government agency doing enhanced interrogations until they decided she was a liability and tried to kill her. Her interrogations involved chemical formulas that inflicted torture without leaving a mark. She was one of the best and was utilized by several top branches of law enforcement within the United States. When we meet Juliana she has been on the run for over three years and has Five reasons to grab your earbuds and listen to The Chemist

The set-up: Dr. Juliana Fortis worked for a secret government agency doing enhanced interrogations until they decided she was a liability and tried to kill her. Her interrogations involved chemical formulas that inflicted torture without leaving a mark. She was one of the best and was utilized by several top branches of law enforcement within the United States. When we meet Juliana she has been on the run for over three years and has escaped death too many times to count. She is currently using the alias Alex and living entirely off the grid. When she goes through the crazy task of checking her email at a public library, she finds an email from a former co-worker. The agency needs her help stopping a terrorist threat in exchange for calling off the hunt. Alex's decision sets off a catalyst of events that will have you listening into the wee hours.
The characters: Alex (Juliana) is methodical, brilliant and at times down right scary. I loved the steps she took from her appearance to boobie traps. Of course, all of this attention to detail makes Alex frightening at times. The tale is told in the third person a departure from Meyers first person narratives. Some readers complained that as Juliana repeatedly changed her name it confused them. While she was mostly Alex, she was also Chris and Casey. When she became them, the story would read Casey went through the door. Since I listened, I did not encounter this issue as the voice remained the same. Secondary characters from the handsome and soft-spoken love interest to one highly capable Navy Seal helped add substance and depth to this suspenseful thriller. The Navy Seal made me crack a smile more oft than not, even if he was totally alpha. I loved the banter between him and Alex. The three of them worked well together, and I liked the dynamic of their relationships. I have to mention the dogs, with their unique personalities and amazing skills. I love that Meyer gave them unique personalities and page time.
The plot: I love conspiracies, assassination plots, secret branches of government and cloak and dagger tales. If you are a fan of thrillers with dark undertones, assassins, mercenaries and government conspiracies you'll enjoy this page-turning tale. Meyer's took her time in the first 200 pages to bring us into Alex's world and create believability. When Alex takes on this task, she does so to protect innocent lives, and I admired her for it. We get plenty of twists as Alex finds herself unwittingly partnered. Because of it, she ventures into unchartered territory. She goes from leading a solitary life to working with others and forming emotional attachments. Meyer's weaved in personal aspects that allowed the reader to catch their breath and experience the personal side of these characters.
The romance: I was not expecting a romance in The Chemist and don't necessarily need one in this genre, but it worked for a couple of reasons. Alex is ruthless, and a mastermind at what she does. The romance shared her vulnerable side and allowed her to experience things you cannot learn in a textbook. The romantic interest is a good man, but we also got to see him exhibit some alpha tendencies that even shocked him. Is it instalove? Pfft, probably, but I can handle intense feelings given the situation.
The narrator: A good narrator can add a level of enjoyment to a well-developed story and bring the characters and action to life. This was my first time listening to Ellen Archer, and I think she did an excellent job of portraying the characters, their personalities and setting the tone as scenes unfolded. By her inflection, I could tell Alex's state of mind, hear the snark and sense the growing tension.

audio provided by publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer ...more

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Feb 25, 2017 Megan (ReadingRover) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017-goodreads-challenge, 2017-audiobooks, 2017-chunkster

I have to say that I ended up liking this book a lot more than I though I would. It started off a bit boring with all of the droning internal monologue but it quickly got on track and recaptured my interest. Though some of it was not realistic such as the instalove between Alex and Daniel after her torturing him. Let's get real, unless this was a real case of Stockholm Syndrome they wouldn't be so comfortable together so quickly. The rest was pretty fast paced and interesting. I'm always up for I have to say that I ended up liking this book a lot more than I though I would. It started off a bit boring with all of the droning internal monologue but it quickly got on track and recaptured my interest. Though some of it was not realistic such as the instalove between Alex and Daniel after her torturing him. Let's get real, unless this was a real case of Stockholm Syndrome they wouldn't be so comfortable together so quickly. The rest was pretty fast paced and interesting. I'm always up for a good education in torture, weapons and who doesn't love dogs. I could have done without all of the food talk and constant kind then inventory but it was less annoying than Daniel's ability to grasp the fact that their lives were on the line and everything he did put them in danger. I loved the dogs and the whole idea of them hiding out at a ranch where guard dogs are trained. One of the only questions I had at the end that seemed to have been left unanswered was what happened to Lola? Did they ever go back for her? Did they just leave her and hope she was adopted into a good new home? I feel like it would have been ok to send Val. Idk. I'm a dog person so those things tend to sit with me. Overall I liked the book. Once I got past the slow start it kept a steady pace and that's what my original concern was. Alex wasn't the most likable character but she grew on me by the end. She was just so emotionally stunted. It wasn't even because something was wrong with her or she wasn't emotionally developed. It was basically because she worked to much and didn't socialize enough. Danial was the opposite. An oozing emotional mess of sweetness but likable for the most part. Then there was Kevin the literal opposite of Daniel and probably the closest thing to a realistic person under the circumstances.
Anyway. It's good to know that Meyer can break out of her comfort zone and succeed for the most part. This wasn't a small book and to even keep someone's interest for that long is impressive.
3.5 stars ...more

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Feb 04, 2017 Anne - Books of My Heart rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 7arcs, favorites, coyer-previous, audio, audio-own, 2017

Review at The Book Nympho:

http://thebooknympho.com/2017/02/audi...

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I had no idea what to expect, so The Chemist was an awesome surprise. I loved it from beginning to end. If it were a book, it would be a page turner but since I was listening, I wanted to listen ALL THE TIME. There were so many things to love! It had great characters, SCIENCE, action / adventure, romance, humor and dogs!

The problem with listening is not knowing how to spell anyone's name and not being able ...more

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Dec 06, 2016 Darcy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, audio-book, listened-to-at-work, spies, 2016

I didn't realize that this author was coming out with a new book until it ended up being picked for one of my groups. I honestly was on the fence about it, not even sure if I would read it and if I did it would end up in my dnf pile, but then it popped up on my library's site, so I grabbed it. I was a bit surprised by this one, totally different genre, a spy thriller/mystery. I think that was a wise step to totally get out of what she was normally known for.

As this one started out I wasn't sure ...more

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Mar 05, 2017 Haze rated it liked it

Shelves: 2017-books-read

I'm not a fan of the Twilight series but I loved The Host, so of course I was going to read this book by Stephenie Meyer that has nothing to do with Twilight. I didn't like this as much as I liked The Host though. There were a lot of things that didn't make sense and were wayyy too convenient; like how it was so easy for (view spoiler) ...more

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Dec 21, 2016 Haley Mathiot rated it it was ok

I wanted to give her a chance. I wanted to hope that someone this clever and with such backing would have hired a better editor or have had people peer review her work or something. But no, it's the same old same old.

I have 3 major problems with Meyer's book(s). the same problems apply to all of them, not just this one.

1. The concept of the plot is very good, but it's basic and underdeveloped. there could have been so much more mystery behind everything, and it could have surprised and shocked m ...more

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