3.5 stars
*Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review
THE QUANTUM WEIRDNESS OF THE ALMOST-KISS was a smart, sweet story following two best friends as they start to fall for each other. Caleb and Evie were such smart, likable main characters. Their friendship was so realistic and their relationship progression over the course of the book was so well done. I did think the online portion of their romance, mentioned in the description, could have had more of an impact on their story. It didn't make an appearance until later in the book, and it didn't have as much significance as the summary made it seem. I loved the discussions that took place about math and physics throughout the book. The setting is a math/science academy and we saw so many talks about different theories, which was so interesting and added a lot to the story, even though I didn't understand them all, lol. Evie struggles with anxiety, and I thought this was represented really well. She attends therapy and there is a lot of talk about her coping mechanisms and her experiences, which made it all the more real. This book was the perfect summertime friends-to-lovers read that I think everyone can enjoy.

I was really iffy with this book honestly. I got bored at some parts when they were talking heavily about math. Math was my least favorite subject in school but I do think it was a really cute love story. I also think it might help girls know it's okay to like math and science and find a career in it. I also really liked how it showed that Evie could overcome her anxiety. Overall, I think the writing was very well done and liked the story.

I was provided with an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.

This was SO cute!! I will be the first to say that math makes NO sense to me, nor do I have any interest in it, but this book threaded the math/physics parts through so well that I was super invested. It’s like Big Bang Theory meets HS angst and I loved it!
Evie and Caleb were amazing MCs and I loved the dual POVs. This is best-friends-to-lovers at its very very best.

“Entanglement, like love, isn’t something that happens to you. It’s a choice you make.”
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.
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.

This was an adorable nerdy, YA romance. It hit all the right notes for me. Best friends fall in love, lots of nerdy school stuff, a little bit of Shop Around the Corner/You've Got Mail vibe as well.

This was a great read and will appeal to those young adult book lovers who really love physics and math! There was a sweet love story and alternating points of view, but my favorite part was the way the author dealt with anxiety and the treatment of those who suffer with anxiety in our society. The light shown on therapy and discussion of medication was something that I found refreshing and well done. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was a DELIGHT. I loved the strong, female lead who is a kickass Math genius. There have been a lot of books in the past year published that include anxiety and other mental health issues, but I think this one does it especially well. Descriptions of Evie's anxiety episodes were really detailed, and helped us to better understand her. Also, the way that she learned to manage her attacks showed strength. The lead male in this romance, Caleb, is really wonderful. He supports Evie completely even when she choose someone else. And although I am not a Science/Math lover, I learned to appreciate it and be interested in it through this book. It's not giving it enough credit to say that the book was sweet, but it was just so good, and felt true to first love and best friends. I loved all the characters in this book. I loved that there wasn't a bad guy necessarily (although the mom is certainly flawed). There's just so much to love here. Highly recommend.

What is a TV show friends group you wish you could be a part of?

One friend group I wanted so desperately to be a part of was Big Bang Theory. Reading this book, a little bit of me got to live out that dream.

First the writing in this book is phenomenal. To take something as complex as Adinkras or Hammering Code and intertwine it with an entertaining and captivating friends-to-more love story is extremely impressive. I never thought I would see the day when I would crave an angsty teen story with mathematical equations and string theory and have it be a hit.

At times the writing was stagnant only because the subject was completely overwhelming. Talking about theory, equations, or binary code I was completely lost. I felt completely inadequate and utterly intimidated by the intelligence of each character because I couldn’t understand what they were saying. The author did bring a light to a world that I wish I could understand. I never thought I would ever try to google error correcting code or even try to understand how to use that to demonstrate mathematics. So I’m really grateful to the author for this chance to enter a world that is completely fascinating.

Evie is a strong force but has everything stacked against her. Not only is she a mathematician genius, but she is a female who is working through anxiety in a male dominated field. All her life she was trained to use the analytical side of her mind. Base her decision off proven facts or things she can prove and she finds anything that is subjected or open to interpretation irrelevant. Plus how could I not relate to someone when we share the same preferred state for other people, silence 😉.

Honestly there’s no way I couldn’t have fallen in love with Caleb. He is completely friend zoned with no end in sight and has to watch situations unfold on the sidelines. He’s a guy who has kept track of all 14 almost-kiss and had the most adorable games and traditions with Evie. From “can you help me find..” to a HOGWARTS CHRISTMAS! I mean c'mon. I didn’t stand a chance. There was no way I couldn’t root for this kid.

There is a lot of strength with the relationships in this book. I love Bex and Evie. Their friendship is pure and unwavering. How they stand for each other and boost each other when needed is something I love seeing in a book. They balance each other so perfectly. Leo was the underdog I didn’t want to root for but couldn’t help it. I loved how he wasn’t intimidated by Evie and loved the intellectual match he was for her.

I love that Evie is strong enough to have a positive outlook with her anxiety. She let it take over her so many times and has let her mother control her because of it, but now that she’s coming into her own she is able to take control over it and not let it define her. I love that these are not the stereotypical teenagers worried about superficial problems. They are driven young adults with a brilliant mind with the same intricate emotional range that every teenager experiences.

This book left me gobsmacked 😏. It was witty and intelligent without being stuffy. It had well rounded characters and a story that I completely adore. Thank you to NetGalley and Amulet Books for this ARC and thank you to the author for this story.