The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss by Amy Noelle Parks
“Entanglement, like love, isn’t something that happens to you. It’s a choice you make.”
Seventeen-year-old Evie Beckham has never been interested in dating. She's been fully occupied by her love of mathematics and her frequent battles with anxiety (and besides, she's always found the idea of kissing to be a little bit icky). But with the help of her best friend and her therapist, Evie's feeling braver. Maybe even brave enough to enter a prestigious physics competition and to say yes to the new boy who's been flirting with her.
Caleb Covic knows Evie isn't ready for romance but assumes that when she is, she will choose him. So Caleb is horrified when he is forced to witness Evie's meet cute with a floppy-haired, mathematically gifted transfer student. Because Caleb knows the girl never falls for the funny best friend when there's a mysterious stranger around, he decides to use an online forum to capture Evie's interest. Now, he's got Evie wondering if it's possible to fall in love with a boy she's never met.
This was really sweet. Caleb, mainly, is amazing. He’s always there, and he is just a genuinely caring and loving person. I think this really popped out to me the most in his interactions with people other than Evie. He doesn’t just help Evie because he’s in love with her; he helps her because he’s just a helpful guy. The only thing that got a little weird was him “assuming” that Evie would pick him. But, he realizes that it’s weird and identifies where those feelings are coming from and tries to grow, so it wasn’t too bad. Additionally, the story does a good job of portraying that Evie and Caleb are mutually beneficial. It’s really easy to think that Caleb is too good for Evie, but the story addresses this very well and makes it clear that they are equally matched.
One thing that I should have been mentioned in the blurb is that Evie and Caleb go to a prestigious boarding school for really smart kids. I don’t know why this wasn’t ever mentioned in the blurb, because it does kind of put the characters in a unique situation, mainly because there are no parents and siblings for most of the book. And since Evie’s circles are so small, there are very few characters in the book at all. However, I absolutely love Bex, Eveie’s only other friend at Newton Academy aside from Caleb. She’s funny, smart, and trying to help both Evie and Caleb while going through her own problems.
The whole bit about the online forum thing is honestly a very small part of the story, and it doesn’t come into play much later. It’s kind of whack, but because we know Caleb is desperate and frustrated it’s not too difficult to forgive him.
Anyway, Evie is an insane genius, and the book does touch on some of her research, but it’s all hypothetical and exaggerated, so I feel a little less terrible that it all went over my head. I liked her character, and the growth that she shows during the story is commendable. However, it nagged me a little bit that she just kind of grew out of her problems. It’s like all her issues were chalked up to her being a late bloomer. Evie is basically “cured” by the end of the book, which felt a little shallow to me. I guess it’s just a coming-of-age novel, but with a side of anxiety? I don’t know. I think the overall message was to show that anxiety does not need to take over your life, and that it can be cured with therapy, medication, etc.
Seventeen-year-old Evie Beckham has never been interested in dating. She's been fully occupied by her love of mathematics and her frequent battles with anxiety (and besides, she's always found the idea of kissing to be a little bit icky). But with the help of her best friend and her therapist, Evie's feeling braver. Maybe even brave enough to enter a prestigious physics competition and to say yes to the new boy who's been flirting with her.
Caleb Covic knows Evie isn't ready for romance but assumes that when she is, she will choose him. So Caleb is horrified when he is forced to witness Evie's meet cute with a floppy-haired, mathematically gifted transfer student. Because Caleb knows the girl never falls for the funny best friend when there's a mysterious stranger around, he decides to use an online forum to capture Evie's interest. Now, he's got Evie wondering if it's possible to fall in love with a boy she's never met.
One thing that I should have been mentioned in the blurb is that Evie and Caleb go to a prestigious boarding school for really smart kids. I don’t know why this wasn’t ever mentioned in the blurb, because it does kind of put the characters in a unique situation, mainly because there are no parents and siblings for most of the book. And since Evie’s circles are so small, there are very few characters in the book at all. However, I absolutely love Bex, Eveie’s only other friend at Newton Academy aside from Caleb. She’s funny, smart, and trying to help both Evie and Caleb while going through her own problems.
The whole bit about the online forum thing is honestly a very small part of the story, and it doesn’t come into play much later. It’s kind of whack, but because we know Caleb is desperate and frustrated it’s not too difficult to forgive him.
Anyway, Evie is an insane genius, and the book does touch on some of her research, but it’s all hypothetical and exaggerated, so I feel a little less terrible that it all went over my head. I liked her character, and the growth that she shows during the story is commendable. However, it nagged me a little bit that she just kind of grew out of her problems. It’s like all her issues were chalked up to her being a late bloomer. Evie is basically “cured” by the end of the book, which felt a little shallow to me. I guess it’s just a coming-of-age novel, but with a side of anxiety? I don’t know. I think the overall message was to show that anxiety does not need to take over your life, and that it can be cured with therapy, medication, etc.
Overall, this book was expectedly cheesy, but also touched on important points concerning child geniuses, women in STEM, mental illness, and more. Mainly, though, it was sweet and featured a trio of extremely lovable characters who genuinely care for each other.
Comments
Post a Comment