The Chemistry of Everything

Everything Duet #1

by Whitney D. Grandison

Two best friends chase after the crushes of their dreams only to stop and wonder if they were right in front of them all along. Perfect for fans of She’s All That and Whatever it Takes

For brainy Zoya Cannon, science, space, and school are things she completely understands. Boys? Not so much. To Zoya, boys are complicated and not worth the trouble. After being unceremoniously dumped before homecoming, she vows to go alone. After all, the only boy who gets Zoya happens to be one of the most desirable boys at school, and that’s definitely not happening.

For heartthrob Andrew Swift, his passion can be found in preparing food, on the airwaves of Brookside High as a popular DJ, or scoring on the football field. He also has no shortage of female admirers. To Swift, girls are confusing yet worth the fun—although a fear of commitment has left him unable to connect with “the one.” When a teammate offers to set him up with his dream girl in exchange for help wooing Zoya, Swift reluctantly agrees, until his own personal grievance leaves him questioning his true feelings.

Neighbors and best friends since childhood, Zoya and Swift can agree on almost anything, except the sexes. Perhaps boys are from Mars and girls are from Venus, however, when it comes to falling in love, the planets are about to collide.

Genres: Romance

346 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 23, 2025

About the author

A lover of words, Whitney D. Grandison has been writing since as far back as she can remember. Outside of writing, she is a lover of Asian dramas, all things John Hughes, and horror films. Whitney currently lives in Akron, Ohio with her cats.

Visit Whitney’s website, www.whitneydgrandison.com, and follow her on Instagram, @wheadee.

Reviews

[AsToldByKenya · Rating 3 out of 5]

would love to have seen the two love interest date for a chapter or two. but this book had some good pining and an interesting plot. cute

[Bathabile Ralitsela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute. However This Makes Me Stand Firm On My Belief That "Friends To Lovers" Is A Messy Dynamic, Especially If It Hurts Other People.

Loved How Andrew Was Protective Over Zoya. Which Also Baffles Me On How Oblivious He Was Over His Feelings For Her.

[Supermorgo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute, highschool morgo would’ve enjoyed this 🥰💗

[megumi ִ ࣪𖤐 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVE FRIENDS TO LOVERS SOSOSO MUCH especially childhood friends 🤞🏽i loved zoyas character some parts of her were so real which is why i LOVED when she became besties w tomi she needed that for sure. swift was cute too but ugh i was so mad at how he did tomi BUT i did love how they resolved this issue tomi handled it with sm grace and class and i love that!! it was about time he realised his feelings tho 🙄

[hc · Rating 5 out of 5]

ONE OF MY FAV BOOKS OF THE YEAR!!!! i’m telling you that black YA buzz is unmatcheddd 🙂‍↕️ i knew this was a five star read long before i finished, it was just that good! it was cute and drama-filled and unapologetically BLACK. i wish we would’ve gotten more of them as a couple but aside from that, so so good! i have to read the next book in the series!

[Shayna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so cute!! I always enjoy a YA romance and this didn’t disappoint. I appreciated the pacing of the book and enjoyed the characters as well!

[Keke (theebookexplorer) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Chemistry of Everything had moments that genuinely made me smile, but overall, I think this landed around a 3-star read for me.

What stood out the most was the idea behind the story. I love friendships that slowly evolve into something deeper, especially when there’s years of history beneath the surface. The book definitely leans heavily into the slow-burn aspect, and I can appreciate a romance that takes its time. But personally, I needed more emotional tension before the characters officially got together.

A lot of the beginning focused on building the characters’ lives and existing relationships, which made the romance feel distant for a large portion of the book. There were moments when I genuinely questioned whether the MCs were even going to end up together because I wasn’t really feeling that emotional pull or underlying angst between them yet. I kept wanting more scenes that showed why these two specifically belonged together beyond simply being longtime friends.

I also think the pacing worked against the romance a little. The buildup felt very slow, but once the relationship finally happened, everything moved extremely fast. Because of that, some moments that were supposed to feel exciting ended up feeling awkward to me instead, and it left no space to see the MCs date for at least a couple of chapters after all the waiting for them to get together. Especially considering how quickly both characters transitioned out of other relationships.

That being said, I did enjoy the writing style overall. I liked that the story focused on friendship dynamics, growing feelings, and figuring out complicated emotions. And there were definitely cute moments between the main characters.

One thing I personally struggled with was the dual POV structure occasionally repeating scenes almost back-to-back. I understand the intention was probably to show both emotional perspectives, but sometimes it made certain moments feel repetitive instead of adding something new.

I also wish the characterization relied a little more on showing instead of directly telling. I always connect more when personalities naturally come through actions, dialogue, and interactions rather than being repeatedly explained to the reader.

Overall, I think readers who enjoy very gradual friends-to-lovers romances, softer relationship development, and character-driven contemporary YA stories will probably enjoy this more than I did. If you love slow burns centered around longtime friendship, emotional growth, and figuring out feelings that have been sitting quietly beneath the surface for years, this may really work for you.

[ShybutRude92 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5⭐️

This was cute. Even though it got a little messy I’m glad there was some honesty in the end and the air was cleared. I wanted to find out more with Mariah and Brandell and I guess Elgin!

The following are all the thoughts I had while reading this book so it may contains some spoilers:

I’m a stickler for names and Tomi just ain’t it. Makes me think of Tomi Lahren. Maybe it’s a shortened version of her name. I can deal with a Satomi.

Also anybody named Tyriq screams drama.

I’m not a parent or maybe i’m just overprotective but I don’t believe I would book my child a room for a college tour. Not if they’re going alone. I don’t believe my mama would have either. And then it’s a motel. Called Keep Inn Company. NOPE. Maybe my son but my daughter?? That’ll be a fuck no!

Natalique??? Yeah some of the names in this book have me crying laughing.

[Chelsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was the first book in a duology.

this was the right amount of friends to lovers with some MESS.

zoya is a nerdy black girl. she doesn’t have too many friend except for her longtime neighbor and bff swift. it was nice to see her blossom and branch out into more friendships that existed outside of the mmc. the girls she meets aren’t spiteful and petty just for the sake of plot development which was quite refreshing.

swift was the dude that was fr clueless but that protective streak for zoya?? oh yeah i ATE IT UP.

[Josie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So freaking cute☺️ Wholesome Black YA romance

Love Zoya and Swift:
their friendship—how comfortable they are to be themselves and how protective Swift is of Zoya
their families—I love seeing strong, loving, present-parents Black families 😍

I am still a lil iffy of Tomi’s “genuine” desire to be Zoya’s friend 😑 (definitely bc of my slight suspicion of popular pretty girls since one bullied me in school. . . Childhood trauma, am I right?!)

Will read The Reality of Everything next!

[shyla ୨୧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

reading this book i feel like im coming back to my senses and enjoying reading again!! known fact im a sucker for black teen romance and this book fully immersed me im talking about i couldn’t stop reading it. despite not loving the typical ‘everything is falling apart’ moment every romance book has, the author did a great job at pulling it all together even when i didn’t know how the book would end

[Martha Broadnax · Rating 5 out of 5]

UGH! This book got me right in my feels. It was so cutesy and so young romance-y. Easy read that kept you reading and didn’t really want to put down. I’d consider this book one of my new favorite comfort books to pick up when I’m feeling low just based on how it was written and the story line.

Did some parts feel slow, yes, but I think you can consider that the infamous “slow burn” people overuse as of recently. 10/10 def going to read it again.

[Ashley Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book. 🧡

[Mae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Childhood best friends to lovers will always be the superior trope , thoroughly enjoyed this

[Ayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Jayla Poin05 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was a breath of fresh air to read a black ya romance. Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes and to see them be so oblivious was so cute. I knew I was gonna love this book based off the playlist