Early Reader Review: Bed Chemistry by Elizabeth McKenzie

Source: From the publisher for review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

Bed Chemistry by Elizabeth McKenzie

Publisher: Alcove Press
Publication Date:  December 9, 2025 

 

Format: Ebook

Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

With a fun and steamy twist on the only-one-bed trope, this debut contemporary romance will delight fans of THE PARADISE PROBLEM and THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS

Chemistry teacher Ashleigh Hutchinson knows better than anyone that love and lust don’t mix. The feelings come from different hormones, they trigger different responses, and they demand different reactions. Which is why she doesn’t date. She hooks up. No catching feelings required.

When Ashleigh is fired from her job without notice, she signs up to participate in a month-long sleep study, which will pay her enough to cover rent while she job hunts. It seems easy enough—until she walks into the clinic and finds herself staring right into the gorgeous eyes of Xander Miller, the only man to have ever tempted her to abandon her no-relationships rule.

When Xander and Ashleigh realize the study is only looking for couples, they agree to pretend to be together—which means sleeping in the same bed every night for the next few weeks. How hard can it be to keep their cool under the covers?

You can expect...

- Fake dating (for science)

- Only one bed (every night)

- No feelings (allegedly)

- Second chance romance

- Golden retriever MMC

- Hot mess FMC

- Banter as a love language

- Undeniable chemistry!

Review: 

Ash is a teacher who, because of her one-night stand policy, has now lost her job. Looking for a way to make rent she comes across a sleep stuff that could be her meal ticket, the only problem is, they are only taking couples now. In a hilarious turn of events, there is a guy she has had one-night with, and he is also determined to do the study. They team up in a fake dating scheme to ensure they can both participate.

This was a quickly paced, hilarious romance. Ash was such a mess, she will not allow herself to have feelings or get attached to anyone, so she only allows for one-night stands. She is hung up on issues her mother has projected onto her after her own marriage failed. 

Xander gives golden retriever, he has feelings for Ash and has had them since they met and became friends. He also suffers from insomnia and so he is determined to get through the sleep study in hopes of helping him sleep. 

They are hilarious together and the banter is often playful and funny. Their relationship grows through the book as Ash starts to realize she might have doomed herself to feelings. I enjoyed the quick pace of the book overall. The dialogue was so funny and while there was character growth, I appreciated the realness of some of the hang ups both of them experiences in learning more about each other. 

Beyond the fun, playful banter, the story has themes of vulnerability that the characters must face. The sleep study allows Ash to open up a bit more than normal and for Xander he must learn about learning on others for help. They both have to be honest with each other in ways that certainly are not normal for Ash and Xander is coming to terms with still being hung up on her. 

Overall, this was a fun romance with a few fun spicy moments. If you like a fake dating trope and that he falls first (and acknowledges it) energy, this will be a good read for you.