Member Reviews
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
This book will have you shipping Caleb and Evie from the beginning! I loved that they were intelligent, thoughtful characters compared to the usual hormone ridden teen flings. I appreciated Evie’s social challenges, it added another layer to her relationship with Caleb and other characters. Overall, an entertaining teen romance with meaningful characters.
This book is a great book about young romance, the awkward moments that never seem to go right, and the many chances that you can take to go for that love again.
Caleb and Evie seem to like each other, but they are stuck in the best friend zone. Caleb tries to break out of this a few times, but the almost kiss never happens.
This book takes you on a journey of their friendship, but do they ever get together???
I enjoyed this book because the perspective changed throughout, it was nice to see the story from Evie's perspective and from Caleb's. It makes you feel like you have insider knowledge to the story before the characters do. I would recommend this book to any young adult to adult. Enjoy!
YA readers will fall in love with this inventive and engaging story. Expertly capturing teenage friendships and relationships, Parks also does a good job showcasing a female main character who has a variety of interests outside of the opposite sex. Highly recommended.
I don't rate books I DNF (but for the sake of NetGalley, I have to rate it on there), but just know that someone may love this, it's just not me. I think I'm honestly just done reading YA rom coms because I can't take the humor, drama, and immaturity of the characters...I don't want to force myself through a book I can tell won't be any more than a 3 star read, just because I like the friends to lovers trope.
Anyway...
-Book Hugger
Such a cute YA contemporary romance! I love the friends-to-more tope so much and I think this author executed it really well. There were some aspects that reminded me of Fangirl (mainly how the main character deals with anxiety).
I will be recommending this to so many people! Just plain adorable
I was really excited to read this book because it sounded super cute and I loved that the main character loves math, but unfortunately, the execution didn't work so well for me. There are some things I really enjoyed about this book. For example, I thought the mental health rep was really good and I liked seeing Evie's journey in working through it, as well as the struggles she put up with from her mother not understanding what she needed. I also enjoyed all of the characters on their own (Bex was my fave though I think). But I really struggled with how much of the story relied on a pointless love triangle. I don't necessarily mind love triangles, especially if they are done well and if they aren't a main focus of the story. Unfortunately, I don't think this one was done particularly well and it was also the main focus, which just didn't work for me. It made me struggle through the book at times, because I knew where the story was going, and this seemed like a cheap way to make it take longer to get there. In retrospect, I should have realized it was going to be such a big part of the story based on the description, but I guess I thought it would have been done differently, and I wish it were. Overall, the story was fine, but I don't recommend it to people who dislike love triangles.
Evie and Caleb have known each other pretty much forever. Where Evie goes, Caleb follows. This includes the exclusive Newton Academy, a boarding school for math and science geniuses.
Evie knows her physics inside-out and understands much of her own personal knowledge and lack, but she doesn't understand relationships yet. Even at 17, and nearing graduation, Evie has never kissed a boy and has always firmly rejected the idea.
So far, Caleb has been OK with all of that. He loves Evie and all of her quirks. He knows her better than anyone. He has always suspected that it would just take time, but that when Evie figured out how good kissing could be, it would be with him.
But things suddenly shift when Evie gets her first boyfriend, and her first kiss, and it's not Caleb.
Now Caleb must do what he can to support his best friend, but also try and shift her attention back to him without being the villain of the story.
Final thoughts: This is a modern retelling of The Shop Around the Corner (aka You've Got Mail), with teens, math, physics, and a slightly psychotic mother. Cute cotton candy fluff.
Rating: 3/5
https://librarytalker.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-quantum-weirdness-of-almost-kiss.html
ARC thanks to NetGalley
This book was so cute!!! I read it in a day because I could not put it down. If you love books that make your heart flutter and wish it was your life this book is for you! I will be purchasing this book for my library and recommending it to everyone!
Absolutely loved this YA romance! I adored Evie, I think it was great that there was a big focus on woman in STEM. I didn’t like the drama with Evie’s mom but everything else was fantastic! If you’re looking for a fun and creative YA romance then I think it’s a great pick!
This book grew on me, it took a few chapters to be fully invested but it was a really original book. I enjoyed Yola and her family, I liked that there were some political, romantic and family dynamic plots! Netflix is also pick this up! It not like most novels I’ve read and I enjoyed its uniqueness!
Thanks to #NetGalley for the advanced copy.
I probably can't state enough how much I love this book. As a math teacher and a lover of math, it's so amazing that this novel shows math as the beautiful, creative, imaginative thing that it is. As someone with anxiety, this book is so very real in its portrayal of Evie's anxiety. I love that she is this strong young woman who grows and recognizes that she isn't broken. I also appreciate how the author addresses the treatment of women in STEM fields. As a math teacher, I experience that on a lesser basis. People expect women to be teachers, but no math teachers. Overall, this book is amazing and definitely a good read, especially for young women or those who think math is pointless.
I'll make it short.
3.5 stars
Cover 5/5
Evie 2.75/5
Caleb 4.5/5
Leo -3/5
Weird Mom Drama -11/5
What I loved: Finally girls in STEM I can relate to. Loved the math, physics, and science (my favorite subjects :)). It was a short and fast paced with just enough math that it didn't feel like an AP physics prep book.
What I didn't really like: The mom drama was really weird. I know Evie's mom is supposed to be the "villain" in this story but it just left me cringing and making weird faces to ease the second hand embarrassment. Also (I think it's just me being me) when Evie says she's only applying to one college, I spit my tea out. I know you're a prodigy but I mean in this day in age applying to one college is unheard of, as a high schooler myself competitive kids usually apply 10+ schools.
Maybe because I'm a high schooler this book just feels a little too unrealistic and not it. She's not even doing college apps for goodness sake.
The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss was the perfect YA romance. With adorable characters and a cute story, I loved every minute of this book. I can't wait to read another book by Amy.
Caleb and Evie are the cutest genuis teenagers I've ever read. Move over every TV and movie nerd and give me all the well rounded, emotionally intelligent, and incredibly smart boys like Caleb. I liked their friendship and even though I knew the main ending to the book there was no point where I was overly irritated with them or felt like they were being more insane than regular teenagers.
My one problem with the plot of this book comes towards the end and has to do with Evie's relationship to her mom. Evie talks about no matter what her mom does she's always her mom and I really am not sure I'm okay with that.
Super adorable teen romance between nerdy mathematician/computer programmer. I really enjoyed the characters and also felt like the author handled the main character's social anxiety really well.
This is an adorable and sweet YA romance!
Evie is a math genius attending an elite private school. She is very focused and with having to battle anxiety her entire life, she has not given much thought to boys or dating. That is, until a cute and smart new boy in school catches her attention. Caleb has been Evie's constant support and is always there for her when she needs him - he is her best friend and always be. But Caleb wants to be more than best friends, and now that Evie is starting to show interest in someone else, he knows he will have to do something to get her attention and have her understand just how much he really loves her.
This book is a must read! It is smart, fun, and feel-good while also touching on serious topics of anxiety and the struggle of being a smart girl in the male dominated 'math world'.
It is great to read a young adult book where the main character suffers from a mental illness like anxiety, and it is treated as something normal that doesn't dominate the plot.
Alternating first person chapters lends to the readability of this romantic comedy. It was especially enjoyable to read a story where the smart kids were viable romantic partners.
A satisfying read for a teen looking for a light hearted friends to lovers romance.
This was such a fun, cute YA contemporary. I loved the characters and found the pacing to be solid and engaging
If you're looking for a quick, sweet read -- look no further! "The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss" is an adorable romance between two high schoolers, both of which are mathematically gifted. I appreciated the way the author described Evie's social anxiety and how she learned to stand up for herself. And Caleb is the perfect romantic lead: sweet, funny, and loving. I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a fun summer read (even if I didn't understand any of the math concepts!).
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
Amy Noelle Parks new novel The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss was an absolute delight to read. This science and math driven romantic comedy will be a great read for all nerd out there (and non-nerds will like it too!)
This novel follows Evie and Caleb who have been best friends who grew up next door to each other. They currently both attend a very prestigious Math and Science Boarding school together. They have a very "complex" relationship. This story is told from both Caleb and Evie's point of view; which allows a very personal insight into their relationship and their interactions together. Evie has very intense anxieties and phobias that prevented her from going to a prestigious conference last year; but she has been working with her therapist dutifully and feel like things are getting better. Caleb has always been in love with Evie, and knows everything about her. She has never shown romantic interest in him- hence the 15 and counting almost-kisses. Suddenly, she gets her first boyfriend and things get even more complicated.
This story shows an accurate depiction of mental health struggles, complex (and sometimes dependent) relationships, and math genius. I think it reveals the inner strength of those who struggle with mental illness and those who love them. This is a quirky and adorable story that will pull at your heart strings.
The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss by Amy Noelle Park will be out in January of 2021! http://kaitlynrcarpenter.weebly.com/blog/the-quantum-weirdness-of-the-almost-kiss-by-amy-noelle-parks
Thank You to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review.
I found this book enjoyable, it was very cute and fun! I loved the characters and how strong-willed and independent Evie was. I love how she learned to show strength when she was struggling with her anxiety. I also loved how sweet Caleb was like how do you not absolutely fall in love with Caleb. He was so genuine, caring, and loving. I love all of the mental health representation that this book contained. This year lots of books have been representing mental health but I feel that this one did it especially well and was very descriptive which made it easier to put yourself into the character's shoes and better understand what the character was going through. While reading this book it felt like watching a rom-com because it went by very fast and I found it super intriguing.
There were times when I was a little confused and completely lost, like any time they were talking about coding, equations, or theories.