I bought and read each part of this book separately, but I want to review them together, because the whole is much more than the sum of the parts. This book is about college kids, and it really reminded me of what the high school and college experience were like. There were the cool kids, and there were the brains, etc. The heroine is all brains, not really understanding adult life at the beginning. She comes from an intimidatingly awesome, brilliant family. The family was supportive and loving, but she lacks self-confidence in anything but her mind.
The hero is one of the cool kids, very rich, brilliant, on the rowing team, in a fraternity, all of that. But, his family life was terrible, and stunted his personality until he met the catalyst that was our heroine.
Together, they grow up, they find themselves, they take charge of their lives, and they fall in love.
The dialogue and internal dialogue in this book is amazing. A lot is very, very funny. A lot is very, very sexy.
A lot of different themes are explored in this book. The need to be responsible for your actions and their effects, a bit about how our US political system works (or doesn’t work), how damaging living your life according to public opinion can be, the importance of following your own passions, the worthlessness of having money without love, and what it is like to truly trust another person.
Buy it at Amazon.com

Blurb:

This is the bundled version of the ‘Elements of Chemistry’ trilogy and includes parts 1-3 (ATTRACTION, HEAT, and CAPTURE)

ATTRACTION (45k words)
One week.
Private beach.
Invisible girl.
Jerk-faced bully.
What’s the worst that could happen?
Kaitlyn Parker has no problem being the invisible girl, which is why she finds herself hiding in various cabinets and closets all over her college campus. Despite her best efforts, she can’t escape the notice of Martin Sandeke—bad boy, jerkface bully, and the universe’s hottest, wealthiest, and most unobtainable bachelor—who also happens to be Kaitlyn’s chemistry lab partner.
Kaitlyn might be the only girl who isn’t interested in exploiting his stunning rower’s build, chiseled features, and family’s billionaire fortune. Kaitlyn wants Martin for his brain, specifically to tabulate findings of trace elements in surface water.
When Kaitlyn saves Martin from a nefarious plot, Martin uses the opportunity to push Kaitlyn out of her comfort zone: spring break, one week, house parties, bathing suits, and suntan lotion. Can she overcome her aversion to being noticed? Will he be able grow beyond his self-centered nature? Or, despite their obvious chemistry, will Martin be the one to drive Kaitlyn into the science cabinet of obscurity for good?

HEAT (63k words)
Four days left.
Private beach (…and boat).
Not so invisible girl.
And maybe less of a jerk-faced bully than originally thought.
What’s the worst (or the best) that could happen?
Kaitlyn is finding life outside of the science cabinet of obscurity to be quite illuminating …and so are her pants.
When things heat up between Kaitlyn Parker and Martin—previously known as the jerk-faced bully—Sandeke, she places her trust in the one person she never thought capable of earning it, let alone keeping it safe. Fortunately or unfortunately for Kaitlyn, where she gives her trust she can’t help but also give her heart.
But how will the world beyond the sanctuary of their newfound connection react to their relationship? Soon senators, chinless billionaires, and elements beyond Martin and Kaitlyn’s control want to weigh in on the young couple’s future.
Navigating the chaotic inferno of new love might be more than Kaitlyn bargained for, and much, much more than her trust—or her heart—can handle.

CAPTURE
One week.
Manhattan apartment.
Super-hot ex-boyfriend.
…What’s the worst that could happen?
It’s been nine months since Kaitlyn Parker has seen or heard from Martin Sandeke—nine months and five stages of matter. She’s lived through the worst of first-love heartbreak, and is most certainly stronger (and less likely to hide in science cabinets) than ever before.
But now Martin is back. And he wants to be friends. But he’s sending mixed signals to the Bunsen burner in Kaitlyn’s pants.
Will Martin re-capture Kaitlyn’s heart? Can Kaitlyn and Martin ever be just friends? Or, despite an abundance of chemistry, are some bonds just too unstable to endure?

Penny Reid’s books: Author page on Amazon.com