"I don't want to be someone's backup plan."
That line hit me somewhere around the five-hour mark, and I had to pause my work because - ugh. My heart. MY HEART. I was in the middle of designing a logo for a local coffee shop, and suddenly I'm staring at my screen like Melody just personally called me out.
Okay, so here's the thing about *Remedial Rocket Science*: it's not reinventing the romantic comedy wheel. You've got your one-night stand coming back to haunt you, your billionaire's son with the bad boy reputation, your geeky girl who doesn't think she belongs in his world. I know, I know. But sometimes a book doesn't need to be groundbreaking. Sometimes it just needs to make you feel things while you're pretending to work.
The Nerdy Girl Energy We Deserve
Melody is the kind of heroine I want to grab coffee with. She's an IT girl at an aerospace company - like, actual rockets - and she's awkward in that way where you cringe because you've BEEN there. The latte-meets-laptop disaster? I literally gasped. The emergency fake date situation? Chef's kiss. That whole fake relationship setup gave me the same butterflies I got from Fake It Till You Make It. Susannah Nix writes these mortifying moments with such affection that you're laughing WITH Melody, not at her.
And Jeremy. Look, on paper he sounds like every romance hero ever - CEO's son, reputation, probably smells expensive. But the way their friendship develops? The slow burn of watching Melody fight her feelings because she's been burned before? This book felt like curling up with a warm blanket and a telenovela, except everyone works at NASA adjacent.
Abuela would have loved this one. She always said the best love stories are the ones where they're friends first. (She also would have had opinions about the spicy scenes, but that's between her and her rosary.)
Caitlin Kelly's Voice in My Head
Here's where I need to be honest. Caitlin Kelly has this... quality. It's clear, easy to listen to, and she does good character differentiation. But there's a slight valley girl undertone that I noticed pretty early on. Around chapter three, I was like - wait, is that going to bother me?
It didn't. For me, anyway.
I think it actually works for Melody's character? She's young, she's a little unsure of herself, and that vocal quality kind of fits the vibe. Kelly doesn't overdo the performance - there's flair without theatrics, which I appreciate. She's not trying to be Julia Whelan (honestly, who can be), but she's solid. The emotional moments land. When Melody's crying, you feel it. When she's being sarcastic, you hear the eye roll.
But I've seen reviews where people couldn't get past the tone, and I get it. If you're sensitive to that kind of vocal quality, maybe sample first. It's not for everyone, and that's okay.
Where the Chemistry Crackles
The best parts of this audiobook are the quiet moments. Not the big romantic gestures - those are fine - but the conversations. The banter. Jeremy and Melody play off each other so well, and Kelly handles the dialogue with enough variation that you always know who's talking.
I listened to most of this during a marathon design session, and there were moments I completely forgot I was working. Like, I'd look up and realize I'd been staring at the same font for twenty minutes because I was too invested in whether Melody was going to finally admit her feelings. (Frida judged me. Diego was asleep. Classic.)
The pacing is pretty steady - no major drag points, though the middle section where they're dancing around the obvious could feel slow if you're impatient. I wasn't. I was savoring. I had that same patient, lingering feeling with Little Fires Everywhere - sometimes the slow build is the whole point. At 1.0x, this is a solid eight-and-a-half hours of comfort listening.
Your Vibe Check
This is a rainy Sunday book. It's for when you want something cute and nerdy and romantic without having to think too hard. If you love STEM heroines, friends-to-lovers slow burns, and protagonists who feel like real people making real mistakes - this is your jam. Skip it if you need complex plots or can't handle familiar tropes. And seriously, sample the narration first if valley girl tones make you twitchy. I don't want you three hours in and frustrated.
I ugly-cried once - just once, near the end - and smiled through basically the entire last hour. That's a win in my book.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a series to continue. (Yes, I already bought the next one. Don't look at me like that.)
