This was a super cute romance with lots of heavy feels. It’s super predictable in the best ways possible, but without falling into the rom-com tropes of insta-love (although it did use the enemies-friends-lovers trope that I do like). I loved the characters and the narrative and it was such a rich story that accomplished a lot in a short space. Whole-heartedly recommend this for anyone wanting an empowering coming-of-age story with just the right amount of romance.

It is also a brilliant representation of anxiety. I can’t speak for the portrayals of agoraphobia, but it seems Kerry Winfrey did her homework.



Rating: 4/5



TW: anxiety, anxiety attacks, agoraphobia

What I liked:

-The entire cast of characters was real and dynamic and felt like people I could have known in real life. Mallory’s mom and the role her dad’s absence plays; her younger (gay) brother, Lincoln; her (Indian) beauty and make-up-artist vlogger best friend, Jenni; her boy-next-door, football player star, potential homecoming date, Brad; his mysterious brother, Jake; and even the (snobby) popular girls, Caroline and Pia.

-Enemies to friends to lovers. I love this trope and have a soft spot for it done well, and while this could have been done better, it was absolutely fantastic for a 200something page novel with the romance as a subplot. ALSO I LOVED that she did not attribute any improvement to her mental health to having a romance. It was very refreshing for a character get the romance arc while acknowledging that she was getting better on her own work and that finding a relationship was not the reason that everything was better. [Also that almost-kiss mmmmm.]

-Representation of anxiety. Everyone treated it differently, some characters were better than others. I’m conflicted because everyone’s anxiety is different and gets triggered in different ways, so to me, this read like an accurate reflection of anxiety that sometimes lets up and sometimes chokes down.

I also am not sure how it works with the agoraphobia, but I could not find anyone who did an ownvoices review.



What I didn’t like:

-The main negative is that I just didn’t like how the adults reacted to her anxiety. Her therapist and mother pushed really really hard and threatened with institutionalization. We don’t know the kind of work that led up to that point, but I didn’t like that it seemed like everyone was preoccupied with making her better or “back to normal” and not very many seemed willing to let her be true to herself or her feelings. Like I said, we don’t know how the characters got to this point and I am not a therapist so I don’t know if this is how it would work, but it definitely made me uncomfortable.

-Lincoln and Jenni are very much supporting characters and I would love to read more about their journeys and their stories. Mallory was often too self-absorbed to be a good friend and sister, but at least she acknowledged it.

-Girl-hate. It was relatively minimal, but I still didn’t like that it perpetuates the idea that most rich, pretty girls are selfish and bullies. Or that they’re all terrible people. While this does reflect a part of high school life, I just am not a fan of stories that show young women actively working against each other, usually in pursuit of a guy or popularity. I appreciated that it was minimal and there was a recognition of this at the end and it did not turn into a revenge-plot.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Cute, quirky, fun little read here. Mallory has crushing anxiety, and her agoraphobia has kept her inside for more than two months. From her computer, she does all her schoolwork and socializing. Through a series of humorous and sometimes poignant events, Mallory’s anxiety begins to heal.

I liked this book for the nerdy alien twist. Geeky girls approximately 12-18 would probably like it for being able to identify somewhat (or more) with Mallory. They would probably also enjoy the light flirting banter that takes place. The antics of Mallory’s bestie and brother were fun to read. Overall, a good, if brief, escape read.

I gratefully received this book as an eARC from the author, publisher, and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

I really loved this laugh-out-loud contemporary. Mal is relatable and interesting and flawed and brave. The pacing was seriously perfect, and I just want to hug all of these characters; they were each so distinct and vibrant.

I never say this about contemporary books (why?!), but MORE PLEASE.

While I liked the main character Mallory and felt her to be believable. The story seemed formulaic at times and I wasn't a big fan of the romance in it.

First Impressions: Author, Cover, and Title
I read that the author, Kerry Winfrey, is a YA blogger and this is her first novel. It was first published in 2015 but is now being republished in paperback and it has been given a beautiful new cover! I love the new cover much better, with the geometric type, as though the title had been written in the stars. It’s just lovely and its simplicity was what drew me to this book in the first place. I then read the summary and was like, yes, I will be reading this book! There are subtle fandom references and implied deep conversation about the finer aspects of fandom, particularly The X-Files. Fandom is a connection, a talking point, and it eases BeamMeUp and AlienHuntress into an easy friendship, which has potential to turn into more as Mallory gains more confidence and takes leaps to turn fandom conversation into a personal connection. What better way to interact with other humans than to be an anonymous person on the internet?

First Chapters
The descriptions of anxiety and Mal’s difficulty in just stepping out onto the porch drew me in from the start. The vivid descriptions continue throughout the book but it’s these first views into Mallory’s world of anxiety that have me empathizing with her and realizing an intimate connection with her. It’s these first chapters that make it easy for me to see through her eyes, to forget about the world I am in and immerse myself in hers for just a little while.

Characters
Mallory means so much to me as a character. She has anxiety and she is dealing with it at her own pace, or not dealing with it. But she makes the effort when she discovers that the homecoming queen wins $500. She desperately needs this money to register for an exclusive bird watching trip, one her father is almost certainly going to attend. She needs answers and this trip is the only thing that can give her those answers when even her mother refuses to talk about why her father left two months before. At some point, it becomes less about the money and more about leaving the comfort of her home and the We Are Not Alone message boards.

Jenni is something of a disappointment. She wants to be friends with the popular people just because they are popular. They show themselves to be total bitches at times and they’re just not nice people. Yet she wants to be friend with them for their popularity. But she does help Mal try to get over her anxiety and tries to help her win homecoming queen by setting her up with Brad, by bringing the puppy playtime fundraiser to her house and making sure she can get as many spirit points as possible. And she listens to Mal and is there for her, even when Mal is so focused on herself and her own problems. She is a good friend, even if she seems superficial.

Lincoln, as Mal’s brother, is in a precarious position. He has privileges as Mal’s brother and he can probably say whatever he wants to her and get away with it. But he has to support her, even when he’s struggling with his father leaving too. But he’s more relaxed now that their father is gone, more open with his sexuality and his life in general.

Style
The novel is told from the point of view of Mal, in first person. This lets us see into her head and better understand her motivations, which seem nonsensical to her friends and family. I mean, Lincoln lost his father as well and yet he’s fine. So why is Mal so affected? The first person perspective gives a unique view into Mal’s brain and makes it difficult to judge her, even as she ignores her friend’s needs and does things that harm her and her family emotionally. Reading from this perspective allows me to understand her motives and to better empathize with her.

Overall Impressions: Do I recommend?
I finished this book in one sitting so it’s easy for me to say that, yes, I do recommend this book! It’s the second book this year that I’ve finished in one sitting and, this time, I wasn’t sitting at an airport with nothing else to do. Fans of Rainbow Rowell and Jenny Han will definitely enjoy this amazing read! The way Kerry Winfrey describes anxiety reminded me of Cath’s struggle with anxiety in Fangirl. The relationships Mal forms with Brad and Jake have the same feel as those Lara Jean makes with Peter and Josh in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before duology-turned-trilogy by Jenny Han. It’s a fairly light read, shorter than any of the books mentioned but it is full of great writing and deep meaningful plot.

Love and Other Alien Experiences is a cute contemporary love story that takes on the serious topics of parental abandonment, anxiety, and agoraphobia.

Mallory’s father abandoned her family without warning or explanation. After suffering a major panic attack triggered by his disappearance, Mallory has become afraid to leave her home, attending school online and spending most of her free time chatting on a message board about the existence of aliens with her online friend BeamMeUp. Then Mallory is nominated for homecoming queen, which would of course mean that she would need to leave the house. What seems like a cruel joke becomes important when she learns that the winners will receive $500, the exact amount she needs to register for a trip that will likely also be attended by her father. In order to have a hope of winning, though, Mallory has to befriend Brad, the cute football player who conveniently lives next door, and use their relationship to garner spirit points. However, Brad’s infuriating older brother, Jake, keeps getting in the way.

It’s impossible not to like Mallory. She’s nerdy (plenty of sci-fi references here) and sarcastically funny. Mallory knows she’s the target of a lot of cruel humor at her school, but she’s more fiercely protective of her gay brother. Her desperation to understand why her father left is sad. She knows she’s messed up and wants to get better, but with her crippling anxiety, it seems impossible.

All the main supporting characters are really likeable as well. There’s her best friend Jenni and her brother Lincoln, both of whom are super supportive of Mallory. The author avoids the mean jock stereotype by making Brad a total sweetheart. Like Mallory, Jake is smart and funny and has anxiety issues. He’s pretty much her perfect match, even if she (of course) has trouble seeing it. When the two of them finally address their feelings for each other, it’s a great swoony moment.

Realistically, Mallory probably overcame her agoraphobia too easily. I’m also not sure about the author’s choice to have the companionship of cute boys be a major component in Mallory’s road to recovery. At least at the end of the book, though, Mallory does acknowledge that she’s not magically completely cured, that she still has work to do in terms of her anxiety issues.

Overall, this was a fun read with some serious moments. Readers who enjoy YA contemporary romance novels will find a lot to like in this book.

An eARC of this novel was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*3.5 stars*

At some point in "Love and Other Alien Experiences," bff Jenni references the 80s movie, "Sixteen Candles." There is a "Sixteen Candles"-esque vibe to this entire novel about Mallory, a girl who suffers from agoraphobia and anxiety when her father takes off. She is unable to step outside of her house, and has to attend school via video. Her brother, Lincoln, and above mentioned Jenni, hatch a mad plan to draw Mallory back into the world of the living. In the meantime, however, Mal is quite content to chat on an alien-fanatic forum.

There are a lot of cute things going on in this book, and frankly, after my month of non-stop psychological thrillers (summer reading is stressful!), I really enjoyed the reading experience.

My biggest stumbling block is her agoraphobia and anxiety. Most of her family and friends are completely dismissive of her mental illnesses. Her therapist is only minimally helpful. Of all the characters, Jake is the most understanding of Mallory's anxiety, but even he doesn't get her agoraphobia. And I'm not convinced that this aspect of her life is written very realistically. There are several times when she just gets carried away, and finds herself in her yard (something that used to give her severe anxiety), or even at an amusement park. I don't have a first hand experience with agoraphobia, but I do with anxiety, and the way she is able to (mostly) painlessly go out into the world seems unrealistic. I don't think that the events transpiring in this novel are enough for Mallory's illnesses to subside. I think it will take years of therapy, and a lot of honest talk with her mom about exactly where her father went.

That was my other *what???* moment. Mallory's life revolves on the fact that her father left. She has no idea where he is, and his absence triggers her anxiety and agoraphobia. Yet there is no resolution about where he is, and Mallory doesn't push for answers. This seems totally unlike her.

Overall, I enjoyed "Love and Other Alien Experiences." It was cute, and the romance was spot on.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

A main character that likes aliens? That's new to me! Attending school via web cam? Okay, well how's that going to work? Let's request this book and find out.

To start, I'd have liked it if there were more alien moments, maybe a bit more focus on Mal's interest in extraterrestrials. While her interactions on the message board We Are Not Alone did lead to a pretty important connection, it didn't feature in the book as much as I thought it might. She lives an hour outside of Roswell, I'd have thought maybe there'd be a few more tidbits about aliens or talk from someone in her life. 

The love aspect of the book was good in that there was a bit of a love triangle, but the side of the triangle that doesn't get picked isn't made into a horrible person. This almost never happens and I can't think of an example other than Walking on Knives by Maya Chhabra. Both Brad and Jake were decent characters and while I wouldn't say they were especially deep, they were light, fun characters that got the story told.

Mal's friend Jenni was cool and I kept picturing Lilly Singh playing her because Jenni was a YouTube personality of Indian descent with a big personality. She had many quotes preceding each chapter that proved she had a lot of insight into not only her friends, but life in general. Her tips and tricks for dressing up were interesting, but I also liked her support of Mal, even if we do discover something she did toward the end that shocked me.

The most educational thing to me was learning about the concept of agoraphobia in a manner that I hadn't considered before. I didn't realize when I started reading this book that I had a narrow view of that MI and as I was reading about Mal and her dealing with her anxiety disorder with agoraphobic tendencies, I discovered that there was a lot more to it than I had known in the past. That being said, it still felt strange that Mal was able to set aside the overwhelming feelings about going outside when Brad and Jake were around, people that she didn't know well at that point. Also, I wasn't 100% thrilled with out Mal's mother and brother were treating her anxiety/agoraphobic tendencies. A lot of the time it felt like they were treating it like she was overreacting to her father leaving the family and that she should get over it. 

This contemporary novel reminded me of a 90's movie where the main character, the one you'd never expect to be homecoming queen or what have you, gets changed to be that kind of person. She gets the spirit points, she goes to parties, she gets the crown. This all brought to mind She's All That or 10 Things I Hate About You.

Love and Other Alien Experiences is a light book that is a pretty fast read that has some pop culture references, an unintended (or is it?) fellow author reference, and a determined main character who has her difficulties and makes her way through them, even if she doesn't realize it all the time.

A teen suffering from mild anxiety finds her condition kicked into overdrive when her father abandons her family. She holes up at home, but when someone nominates her for homecoming queen she realizes this may be the only chance she’ll have to force herself out of her comfort zone and back into her life. Author Kerry Winfrey charms readers in her lovely debut novel about facing life’s challenges in Love and Other Alien Experiences.

Mallory Sullivan doesn’t leave the house. Ever. Some kids at her high school assume she got pregnant and stayed at home. Some think she’s doing meth. A few have wondered whether she got arrested and is currently in juvenile detention.

One girl swears Mallory died, although how Mallory could be dead and attend school via webcam is beyond anyone’s guess.

Because that’s the only option left to her. Every morning Mallory checks into first period physics along with other juniors, except she does it through a computer screen. Ever since her major breakdown in the Cheesecake Factory one night when she was at dinner with her brother, Lincoln, and her best friend, Jenni, Mallory doesn’t leave the house.

Of course, Lincoln, Jenni, and Mallory’s mother have all done their best to coax her outside. Mallory even has phone sessions with a therapist who talks often about working up her courage to step onto the front porch for more than a few milliseconds. But the mild anxiety Mallory used to experience before her father left consumes her now, and every time she tries to go get the mail her heart pounds and she feels severely short of breath.

So she spends her days searching online for any clues to her father’s whereabouts and watching the world through her computer. Her chief source of entertainment is the web forum called “We Are Not Alone,” a place where conspiracy theorists swap stories about alien abductions and all things unexplained. With an ardent interest in The X-Files, Mallory has spent quite a bit of time talking through favorite episodes with other members. She enjoys her exchanges with one in particular who goes by the handle BeamMeUp.

A deadline of sorts hangs over Mallory’s head. The teachers at school insist she show up in person to take the upcoming midterms. Then one day while video chatting with Lincoln and Jenni at lunch, Mallory logs in just in time to hear that she’s been nominated for homecoming queen. Now she’s going to have to find a way to make her presence known at the homecoming dance.

She’s never played the popularity game, but the nomination spurs Mallory on to start caring. The winner gets $500, which could kick her search for her dad into high gear. All of a sudden Mallory is scheming with Jenni and Lincoln on how to win the most votes.

It doesn’t hurt that she gets paired with hunky football player Brad, a shoo-in for homecoming king, for a major physics project. She finds out that Brad isn’t a stuck-up jerk, and that gets Mallory thinking. If Brad isn’t what he seems, what does that mean about the other kids at school? And what does that mean about how they see her?

Author Kerry Winfrey offers positive messages and a less sullied side of high school life in her debut novel. Readers will identify with her anxiety. Mallory’s worries may be elevated, but everyone knows what it feels like to be an outsider. Everyone, at one time or the other, has wanted to stay at home when life throws them a bevy of challenges.

Winfrey could have done a better job of balancing the reality of Mallory’s anxiety with what she’s built up in her head. She gets coaxed outside a few times but doesn’t ever really stop to analyze how this means that much of what she feels is manufactured by her sadness at being abandoned by her father. This small lapse notwithstanding, Winfrey doesn’t apologize in any way for the fact that she’s writing a fairly clean book. No salacious high school affair; no extreme cattiness. By giving Mallory a manageable, relatable problem, Winfrey reminds readers that sometimes a challenge really is surmountable.

I recommend readers Bookmark Love and Other Alien Experiences.

Thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for providing this eARC.

I first encountered Kerry Winfrey's writing on her rom-com blog, <a href="https://ayearofromcoms.tumblr.com/">A Year of Romantic Comedies</a>. I loved reading her thoughts on everything from <i>Just Wright</i> (a favorite of mine too) to <i>Amira and Sam</i> (one of the movies I discovered because of her blog). Kerry's love of all things romcom is evident in this book, a loose retelling of <i>You've Got Mail</i> set in high school.

Our main character, Mallory, is an X-Files enthusiast and high school student who has not left her house in months. Since her father left their family, Mallory's anxiety has prevented her from getting outside (literally) her comfort zone, and her world has shrunk to her bed, her mom and brother (Lincoln), her best friend (Jenni), and an internet forum called We are Not Alone, where she has good-natured arguments about aliens with BeamMeUp. When she is nominated for homecoming queen, Mallory thinks it is a cruel joke, but if she can manage to win (with the help of Lincoln, Jenni, and Brad, the cool quarterback next door), she just might be able to use the prize money to find her dad. Of course, not being able to leave her house puts some kinks into her plans to campaign, or attend the homecoming dance...

I liked this book. Mallory and Lincoln are lovely characters, and the presentation of Mallory's mental health challenges was handled respectfully and (mostly) realistically. Many people don't understand what she's going through, Mallory's family and friends are sometimes exasperated with her, but there is never the assertion from anyone who really knows what's going on that what she's feeling isn't real. Mallory is also seeing a therapist, which is an excellent depiction of someone seeking help for a mental health issue. Mallory's recovery comes in fits and starts, she can sometimes go outside and be mostly fine, and sometimes she freaks out. At the end, I thought there was maybe a little too much quick progress, but this is a romcom after all.

I do wish that Jenni's character had been fleshed out a bit more. We get girly girl from her, but I wish she had the opportunity to do more.

Really, I just wish this book were a movie. It would make a GREAT teen romcom - I got a lot of <i>She's All That</i> vibes (a high compliment). Read this for a sweet teen romance and a respectful portrayal of anxiety.

I've been grooving on my YA reading list from NetGalley and it took me a while to return to this one. I started, put it down, moved to something else, came back, started a scrapbook project to work on, back to this, rinse, repeat. Why couldn't I get into this? It just felt too forced. Characters' pathos, the encounters with her crush, scenes meant to push Mal out of her comfort zone... it all didn't connect with me. Even what should have been witty or cute banter between Mal and our hero was so uninspired and unswoony. Frankly, I just didn't feel a connection between her and our main guy or her anguish over what happened with her dad or her agoraphobia.

There's potential in her writing style, but Winfrey needs to push herself to think deeper and write it to earn more than 1.5 stars out of 5 from me.

This, for me, was the right book at the right time. I had just set aside a book that I was not getting into, and I found myself immediately absorbed in Love and Other Alien Experiences.

FIVE REASONS TO READ LOVE AND OTHER ALIEN EXPERIENCES

1. The Sullivan Family: I was a huge fan of Mallory and Lincoln. They had a very special sibling bond. It was very endearing they way they looked out for each other, and seriously, how could I not love a family with the motto: "Why Be Serious When You Can Be Sarcastic?" I have found my people.

2. AlienHuntress and BeamMeUp: I was shipping this online couple from their first interaction. The banter and nerdy talk made me all sorts of happy, and I really thought that Mallory had found a kindred spirit in BeamMeUp. I know I would love a bouquet of Twizzlers.

3. Mallory and Her Battles: Mallory had anxiety disorder which blossomed into agoraphobia. I thought Winfrey really did an admirable job capturing that struggle of wanting to be able to conquer something, but not quite being able to. Mallory was trying to manage her disorder by working with a therapists and making small efforts such as going out into the backyard. Sometimes it was one step forward, two steps back. I thought Winfrey handled her disorder with care, and her journey seemed realistic to me.

"It's not like I'm Anxious Beauty and the touch of his lips is going to cure me. I still have my problems, and he still has his."

4. The Nerd Culture: Mallory was an X-Files fangirl who speculated about aliens online. She was science savvy, and was fluent in nerd. I so enjoyed all the science and pop culture references. You couldn't imagine how exciting it was to me that they kept brining up physics. But don't worry, this was balanced out with sports, makeup, and puppies.

5. The Boys Next-door: I will not lie, I loved both Kirkpatrick brothers. Brad was the happy-go-lucky sweetheart, and Jake was the brooding and often overlooked brother. I will admit, I fell harder for Jake, because I was into his quiet but awesome ways, and as I fell a little more in love with him each time I learned more of his backstory.

There are definitely more reasons to read this book. It was such a cute and touching story of friendship, love, support, and tapping one's own inner strength. I laughed tons, and had also swooned. I rooted for Mallory and celebrated each of her successes. This book made my heart full and I just wanted to jump for joy.

We get to be inside the head of the awesome protagonist, Mallory. She has anxiety disorder with agoraphobic tendencies and because of this, she hasn't left the house in months. She's self-conscious, sarcastic, and my new favorite.

There's nothing better than being in the head of the right protagonist, and her voice was so amusing to read from. Her sarcastic but good-natured comments had me laughing again and again. What I especially love about her is that her disorders aren't fixed overnight. They're things that Mallory experiences throughout the entirety of the novel and will in the future.

"You try to leave your house when leaving your house feels like having eight heart attacks while your insides turn inside out."

In terms of the other characters, I loved them all, too. My absolute favorite being her brother, Lincoln. Talk about #siblinggoals. He was such a sweet little puppy and he absolutely needs his own book. Speaking of little puppies, Brad Kirkpatrick is the sweetest jock ever. He's such a nice, kind, and wholesome person and, oh look, I'm swooning.

Speaking of swooning? The romance! *fans self*. Those Kirkpatrick boys have set a new standard for book boyfriends, ladies and gentlemen, and let me tell you, it is high.

Notice I said boys. Love triangles aren't exactly my favorite thing. But you can hardly call this romance a love triangle. I won't say much, but it's really clear who the true love interest is and I absolutely love him. And on a side note: the banter in this book had me grinning the entire way through.

While I loved the romance, it wasn't the main plot, which I really appreciated. At the heart of this story, Mallory is just trying to figure herself out. Trying to open herself up to the world. It's beautiful. And hilarious.

"'So you want to launch this rocket?' It takes me a second to realize that this isn't some weird sexual euphemism."

The writing pulled me into the story immediately. Winfrey's words are addictive and I was so upset when I got to the end because I needed more of it. I am crossing my fingers that she writes ten more books in the future.

While the ending was a little predictable, I didn't mind in the slightest, and I enjoyed it all the same!

I read the whole thing in just a few hours because I just couldn't get enough! So yes. I highly recommend Love and Other Alien Experiences.

What a surprise this book was! The title didn't lead me to think that it would be as emotional as it was and this story really was a delight to read. Mallory hasn't left her house in 67 days, since her anxiety attack after her father left her family. She skypes into school and she has a best and brother who are her support system. While spending time in her online world, she finds herself chatting with someone who interests her and challenges her. In her real life world, Mallory is nominated for homecoming and has to win in order to receive the $500 that she needs to attend her father's bird watching trip. Mallory finds herself partnered with her next door neighbor, sports star and perfect guy to help her gain points towards a homecoming victory. She doesn't know his brother Jake and finds that after a slight mishap with a tree, that Jake may be just the kind of person she needs in her life. This is a fun read but a serious read as Mallory deals with finding her way back to her real life before her anxiety took control.

The truth may be out there, but the world from inside my house seems pretty comfortable. Overcoming anxiety and coming to understand and accept some truths about life feature prominently in Kerry Winfrey's Love and Other Alien Experiences.

Mallory hasn't left her house in over two months, after her father mysteriously left and she had a breakdown in the Cheesecake Factory, and anytime she sets foot outside her house, she experiences severe anxiety attacks. Spending most of her time in her bedroom, attending class via webcam and rewatching The X-Files and commenting on a space/alien related message board, particularly with the annoying person whose handle is BeamMeUp, Mal is surprisingly nominated for homecoming queen. Motivated by the cash prize for winning homecoming queen that she's convinced could be the key to helping her find her father, Mal starts to more earnestly tackle her anxiety issues. As Mal explores further away from home and expands her comfort zone, she learns more about herself and the world beyond her home.

Infused with some delectable sarcasm and witty retorts from the clever cast of characters, the writing and presentation of those characters helps to make this story captivating. The narrative moves quickly, albeit perhaps a little too quickly toward the end, and is a thoroughly enjoyable and easy to relate to read. The romantic aspect of the story was a bit too blatantly obvious for my preferences, but it was still cute in the way it was presented and how Mal came to the (belated) realization. While there are some rather serious topics related to mental health discussed throughout the narrative, the optimism and sarcasm the characters have to view and deal with those issues, along with their meaningful yet light relationships with one another, helps to prevent the book from being too heavy.

Overall, I'd give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

A sweet and nerdy novel, replete with underdog/outsider protagonist and plucky ensemble of supporting friends and family. Ooh, and mean girls too!