I was extremely hopeful about this book. It advertised a couple of elements that are infrequent in YA books I have encountered. One is a plot connection to math, which is technically there, but not prevalent to the point that anyone would suggest that math is what this book is about. The other is Jewish teens, who are still so under-represented in YA novels. The Calculus of Change does a better job of handling Aden's struggles with Judaism, her weak connection, felt only through her mother who passed away ten years prior, and now rekindled interest due to her friendship with Tate.

There were some pleasant components to this book, but I don't suspect I will end up recommending it much. Aden and her cast of family and friends dealt with one serious, life-changing issue after another, but there was something lacking. The issues were introduced and dealt with in a way that made them feel forced so they didn't really resonate. It's nice to see some of these tough subjects introduced in potentially realistic scenarios, but maybe having them all in the same book was just a bit too much. I also didn't love how Tate treated Aden, though she stood up for herself in the end.

This is not a terrible book, but it just didn't speak to me much and I don't think kids will connect with it either.

I did not, could not, and would not ever finish The Calculus of Change.

I gave up on this book extremely early (48 pages in, for the sake of specificity). That's really not enough material for me to say much about this book or to gauge whether its content is as problematic as a few reviews from other readers have pointed out. But it is enough for me to confidently say that the writing style really did not work for me. At all. Reading those 48 pages felt like a self-inflicted punishment.

I was so desperate to find any motivation to continue reading this that I went ahead and read the ending in advance, just to check if the payoff would be worthwhile (spoiler alert: it wasn't).

I won't be giving this one a rating, as per my personal policy on books I didn't finish, but I think I've made my feelings about The Calculus of Change pretty clear.

Disclosure: I received a physical copy of The Calculus of Change from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I think I went into this thinking it was going to be a light read but didn't realise it deals with a lot of heavier issues. I found it was a slow start and did not grab my attention like I was hoping but I did finish the book, just a lot slower than usual for me! I would recommend this book for an older young adult audience only.

I couldn't get this book to download no matter how many times I tried...I am sorry but I don't feel as though I can rate it fairly without reading it!

Aden becomes romantically obsessed with Tate because of his newfound commitment to his religion. The two become study partners for calculus, but this relationship continues to grow into a deeper friendship and potentially more. However, Tate already has a girlfriend, who he wants to stay with. Aden is not the only one in her life who is experiencing issues related to love. Her father is still deeply impacted by the loss of her mother, her brother is collapsing under the pressure of their father and is doing drugs with his new girlfriend, and Aden's best friend wants to pursue a relationship with her teacher.

I had difficulty connecting with this book simply because it was about subjects that I do not typically enjoy. I thought it was well written. I didn't connect to the characters, though that could be as a result of my dislike of the subject.

Wow. This book. It was way more than I expected. I was thinking this would be just a cute contemporary. But it is so much more than that. It is about loving yourself. Knowing your worth. Things will be okay no matter the mistakes you make. If someone doesn’t love you the way you deserve then you don’t need them. Everyone is beautiful in their own way. Once you learn to love yourself then I think you will realize you’re worth so much more than what you were settling for.

The plot hit me hard. I feel like I was reading about my past self through Aden’s eyes. Aden doesn’t love her self but loves others with her whole heart. But still doesn’t see what she deserves. Her family are still trying to learn to live without her mother. As time goes on she learns that change is okay. Sometimes for the best. I would like more explanation from the romance. I needed more detail from the guy later on in the book. But I am happy with it. I can’t say too much without spoilers.

I loved the character development. Aden struggles with body image almost through the whole book. Like she can’t imagine someone loving her because she isn’t thin. Girls, please never feel like this. Or anyone for that matter. Tate thinks he has found himself but really he has no idea. Her best friend Marissa has troubles of her own. Her parents are pretty much non-existent. Jon has the pressures of a teenage boy fall on him.

Actual Rating: 4.5/5

This is a novel about grief, unrequited love, and becoming comfortable in your own skin.

Aden isn't looking for love in her senior year. She's more focused on getting gigs and keeping her brother from getting high. But when Tate wearing a yarmulke walks into class, she is smitten instantly.

The two develop a strong friendship. Complete with long drives and road soundtracks. Being around Tate and his faith makes her feel closer to her mother who passed away several years ago. Everyone else sees their connection, but does Tate?

This book covers some pretty heavy issues, so proceed with caution because stuff gets real. Aden has alot going on and has many issues she tries to help her family and friends through. Some circumstances are completely ridiculous and really dark. Proceed with caution guys.

2.5 stars ... The Calculus of Change had several elements that make a YA contemporary appealing to me, but somehow the execution was off. Page one, you meet the MC, Aden, and she’s already Insta-loving Tate, a guy in her class. He needs help with Calculus, and they strike up a friendship while she helps him. They hang out and have great chemistry. She has countless swooning moments, but THAT’S ALL that happens for the first half the book! The story basically centers around this infatuation with bigger topics like grief, verbal abuse, faith, inappropriate relationships, sexual assault, and drug use hovering in the background. The plot finally moves along at that point, in which every teen in the book makes pretty terrible teen decisions. I need to point out that the teens actually talk and act like real teens in this, so I think the author has a handle on a genuine voice. I actually really like heavier topics, but there were too many without enough depth to evoke feelings from me. The lack of depth made it hard to connect. Now, the book did end differently than I anticipated, which was an unexpected surprise. There was also a good bit of refreshing self-discovery by several characters. However, the ending seemed much too tidy, and all that was not quite enough to save this quirky contemporary.
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Thanks to the publisher for the eARC through NetGalley

The Calculus of Change by Jessie Hilb was refreshing. Yes, it's a YA Contemporary and yes it does have teen drama, but it's more than that. The lead character is Aden who's dealing with a lot. This book covers a lot of topics like grief, body image issue, religion. romantic dynamics, family & friendships and religion; abusive & inappropriate relationships, drug use, sexual assault. This book sounds like it should be heavy but the writer covers it all while never leaving the story.
With Aden having body image issue I was on the edge of how that would play out, but the author wrote it in a way where it felt real. That yes, not everyone loves their bodies every single moment of the day, I enjoy how even though she is on the heavy side she still found herself pretty. Also, like how in the end she started a swimming class, not because she wanted to lose weight but she wanted to swim, she felt the need to be in the water and have a way to feel free.
This story kinda broke my heart because I love Aden and Tate playful relationship. The only problem I had with this story is that we don't really get to know more about Tate side and why things played out the way they did.
Family is a huge part of this book, and it seems that there are more and more YA Contemporary books that are having families. This family came with its own problems, it's nice seeing a family that is both broken yet still together. It's not either or. The sister and brother role in this book it great. I'm close with both my brothers, so I liked the sibling parts and related to the older sister wanting to help her younger broth moments.
Friendship was also a big part of this book. Aden's brother's girlfriend is one I enjoyed reading because she seems nice when she could easily be mean. There was one bit that I didn't like and that was the student-teacher relationship with Aden's best friend Marissa.
Overall, this was a strong read for me that brought both smiles and saddened too. Yes, it was filled with characters making bad choices but everyone makes bad choices, small or big and they all have an effect. The title of this book could be any better.