This was an adorkable high school romance with a friends to lovers trope that I didn’t mind! It was actually pretty sweet. Well, when Iris wasn’t so stuck on her experiment.

Her thoughts and Wiki moments were too scientific for me, so I did get bored at times, but it was really interesting seeing into a very literal, logical mind like hers. She sees the world so differently from me, so I appreciated the thought and care the author took to craft such a unique character.

One thing I would have liked better was if Seth’s nickname had been something other than Squeak. I didn’t like seeing him referred to as Squeak throughout the novel. I understand the importance of the characters using nicknames or given names, I just thought a different nickname would have been better.

I loved the friend dynamics between Iris, Seth, and Esther. The two friends completely understood Iris and her quirks, and they loved her the more for it. I would love to see this novel play out in movie form so we can see all the actions Iris does, and the glances holding deeper meanings between Seth and Esther.

In the end, I really enjoyed reading this story. The romance was sweet, the friendships multi-layered and deep, and while a little cliche, it was still a fun, nice read.

𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑁𝑒𝑡𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛 𝑒-𝑎𝑟𝑐 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤!

𝑁𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑟:

Since I read the arc, I know the book will have a little more editing, and maybe some little revisions. For the editors and author, I noticed one inconsistency (I believe, unless I just totally missed it, then you can ignore this). At the end, Iris talks about her kiss with Theo, but I don’t remember them kissing at all.

One other thing, there was the scene at the carnival when Iris and Esther saw Seth with Taylor, and Esther told Iris Seth asked Taylor to Prom, and then she was going to tell her what happened. But Esther never told Iris how or why Seth asked Taylor out. Esther just talked about the fight that happened between Seth and Theo.

This was cute! I loved the rep throughout the book and it's definitely a great read for young readers. Plus there's something that always makes me feel nostalgic when a book adds going to prom to the mix. ;)

Initial Thoughts

I was excited to read this book because I love a good rom-com and I also love a lesser known retelling. This book is tagged as a spin on The Rosie Project so I was interested to see how that would work.

Some Things I Liked

Iris’s narration and “wiki mode”. I thought Iris was an observant and witty main character. She made a ton of interesting observations about the world around her and I really enjoyed the spin she put on them. She was definitely quirky but I loved that she owned that.
Experiment notes. I loved that each chapter ended with Ester and Iris’s observations and lab analysis. I thought this was a fun touch.
Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory vibes. I thought this was also a fun addition to the story. Iris reminded me of what Sheldon would have been like thinking about Prom today. She was very scientific and it was an interesting contrast to Ester, her best friend, who reminded me of Leonard.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

The pacing felt slow and then very rushed at the end. I didn’t love the way Prom night happened and I thought that it was more mean than conclusive. At least Iris is a junior so she can always make good memories at Prom next year.

Series Value

There’s not much series value here. Pretty much all of the characters we meet are in a good spot at the end of the story with not too much left to the imagination. Iris could be a fun character to see in a new setting, college perhaps? But, I don’t think this book warrants a sequel. I was satisfied with the how everyone left things.

Final Thoughts

I thought this was a cute story. I didn’t love the scenes involving Prom itself, but overall, I liked the message. I liked the set up of the story and the premise of the experiment and I enjoyed the main character’s POV.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

Today, Tonight, Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon – if you enjoyed the themes of science vs. love and the themes of high school rites of passage, try this standalone novel about the last day of senior year.
The Code for Love and Heartbreak by Jillian Cantor – if you liked the ideas of trying to quantify love, try this modern retelling of Emma by Jane Austen.

I might be telling my age just a bit, but I absolutely love anything to do with the Prom!! I went to three when I was in high school and I loved every second of it. Getting to "relive" it in any novel just makes my day. This story was just to best! For young adult readers-seriously, you need to pick this one up. Thankful to NetGalley for allowing me to read this novel.