Audiobook Review - The Chemist

• Title And Author: The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer
• Publisher: Hachette Audio UK
• Physical, eBook or Audiobook: Audiobook
• Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Bought
• Length: 528 Pages and 17 hours 1 minutes

As you guys probably know if you have been following the Pewter Wolf for a while, I enjoy reading Stephenie Meyer’s books. Yes, I know that they are not the best books in the world. I know that, and I fully get that. But here’s the thing: they are fun. And with the world being so dark at the moment (maybe it always was and the fact that I am growing up and noticing that more), means I want to read and audiobook more fun things. So yes, I am going to listen to this and to heck with it. 

I must admit though that I did buy the book when it first came out and I did read the first 100 or so pages. Then I put down for one excuse or another and I never picked it back up, though I planned to. I can’t remember it I did that with The Host (I don’t believe I did) but I remember audiobooking The Host and loving it via the audiobook. So, when I start looking into the Chemist audiobook on Audible the past few months, I wonder if audiobooking this was the way to go… 

She used to work for a US government department so secret it didn’t have a name. An expert in her field. Now she’s on the run, always changing her name, never staying in the same place too long, always wearing a gas mask before she falls asleep due to her web of traps to keep her alive. 

So when her former handler contacts her and offers her a way out, she realises that this could be it. But it means doing one last job for her employer, the employer that has been trying to kill her. And once she gets the true information to what’s happening, the situation takes a turn… 

Let’s leave the write-up of the story there and get onto what I thought of this…

It's Stephenie Meyer - it’s not going to rock the thriller genre, but it was fun, easy read like I thought it would be. It was one of those stories that was fun to get into and once the action kicked up, I flew through. 

It does fit the Stephenie Meyer template - slow first half due to set-up, fast second half drew to action - and this does work in a thriller. Though, if you are a thriller reader, this might leave you a little underwhelmed in places as the first half does set everything up and, at times, this is very slow. I think this is why I put the book down the first time when the book first came out. 

While I am chatting about things that might annoy readers, let’s talk about the romance and some of the plot twists. Ok, some of the plot twists are a little over the top and a little riduclaous in olace. But, like I said, this was a fun, beach read thriller from Stephenie Meyer so these I will forgive. The romance - the romance some of you won’t and I totally get that. At the end of the book, I was on board with. But at the start of the romance… I do have questions and I do have problems with. Within the first 72 hours of our main romance male lead meeting our lead (let’s call her Alex as that’s the name she uses when they first meet), a lot of bad things happen and yet, at the end of that, he still flirts and fancies Alex and I find that a little hard to swallow. Even a few chapters later when he is talking to Alex about his feelings, Alex does question them and wonder if it’s linked to stockholm syndrome, stress, PDSD. While the start of the romance is a bit jarring and a little ridiculous, I am glad it is questioned and develops from there. 

I feel like I’m being really negative about this. I’m not. I did enjoy myself while listening to audiobook. It’s probably not one of my favourite Stephenie Meyer novels, but once I got past the slow start (150-200 pages), it became an easy, beach read thriller. I do think this would work better as a TV show or a film (I believe the TV rights have been bought) as it can tighten the tension. So yes, this is a fun beach read of a thriller, but it does have a slow start and at times, can feel a tad OTT and this isn't going to be everyone cup of tea, but hey, we can like and dislike different things. That's what makes reading and blogging so interesting as no one has the same reaction to the same book!