This was cute as heck! I loved the pop-culture references, the main character's geeking out, and the overarching romance plot -- I love opposites attract as a trope, and this did not disappoint. Secret relationships are ALSO a favorite trope of mine, so Cam and Karla were absolutely lovely, and I found myself loving Cam so much. There are not enough male MCs in YA novels, so Cam was a breath of fresh air I didn't realize I needed. Overall, I'd highly recommend THE WRONG KIND OF WEIRD for anyone looking for a heartwarming and fun contemporary novel.

Humorous, sarcastic, and vibrant. For lovers of anime and other nerdy things, and Pride and Prejudice.

Since summer, Cameron (Cam) has been secretly hooking up with Karla, the student council president, but nobody can know because their friend groups are Iike day and night. Cameron, part of the multicultural Geek and Nerds United (G.A.N.U), and Karla, part of the Caravan, the most popular teens at school, couldn’t be more different. Then Cam unexpectedly bonds with Mackenzie, the new girl, and he starts to wonder who might become more than a friend.

The above synopsis reads like a mainstream high school romance, but this story is far more than that. James Ramos tackles important topics such as masculinity, sex and consent, and of course, the social order at schools (loved the reference to Pride and Prejudice). Still, the story is easily readable and light, and I laughed out loud at all those awkward moments. If I’d compare the writing to another author, I’d say Simon James Green. I also loved the casual queerness of some of the side characters, even though Cameron is straight (James Ramos is non-binary themselves).

Thanks so much, Inkyard Press, for trusting me to read and review this ARC! I can’t wait for this book to enter the world, and James Ramos is an author to watch out for!

Cameron is a GEEK and is secretly dating the student council president, Karla, after having spent time working together at the local coffee shop over summer. Now their senior year has started and they cant be seen in public together. Karla’s ex is Cameron’s biggest tormentor and all of Cameron’s friends hate Karla for being perfect. Then enter Mackenzie, she is the twin sister of Karla’s Ex and actually has way more in common with Cameron then anyone, ever. They get along great, when the banter allows for it. With his secret girlfriend snubbing him in public and Mackenzie and him getting closer in club activities Cameron is starting to wonder who he is really meant to be with.

A big thank you to Netgalley.com and the publisher for the pre-published copy of this in exchange for an honest review. This was slow for me to get into, but it is chock full of cultural references, big words, and friends that can be a bit much. So of course I like this one, but there is a lot of cursing in this when it really didn't need it to keep the story going. Basically Anime Geek and Class President get together over summer, but are too embarrassed to make the relationship public. At which point enter the Anime Geek Art girl who Anime Geek starts to fall for while trying to integrate himself into the Class President’s world of friends. It was a cute one that made me smile.

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

It was really nice to read a YA Contemporary with a male MC, written by a male, and done well. This sort of "YA romcom" subgenre is, unsurprisingly, dominated by female MC/female authors, so some change is nice. Cameron was a great MC who was very well written and easy for me to empathize with. HS is hard and it can be tough to navigate relationships when between different, opposite, cliques/friend groups. Plus those teen hormones don't make rational decision making easy.

While I liked Karla, especially as we got to see more of her, I didn't like that she hid her relationship with Cam until he "became popular" and her friends decided he was "accepted". If she'd had the guts to be open about their relationship and not try to change him to fit her world, she may have been able to keep him. However, I'm cool with that not working out because I loved Mackenzie from the start. She and Cam obviously had some grievances to get over, but once they stopped trying to NOT be friends and just let themselves get along, they were so well matched. I also think Mackenzie helps Cam be *more* himself, in a way. Her comfort in her own skin, if you will, was a good example for him.

All in all, this was a fun and enjoyable read and I would suggest it for any in the mood for some low stakes HS love triangle vibes.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Inkyard Press and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

James Ramos is one to watch out for. The Wrong Kind of Weird is a dynamic novel you'll be talking about for years.

Thank you, Inkyard Press, for allowing me to read The Wrong Kind of Weird early.

James Ramos is an author to watch out for. I loved this book so much! It's heartwarming and witty and Cameron was such a great character! I will highly recommend the story to my students!

The Wrong Kind of Weird follows Cameron, a high school senior as he tries to figure out his feelings for two girls in his class. There’s Karla, student body president with the perfect body and Mackenzie who Cameron feels comfortable with. All in all, this was an okay book. It wasn’t special; there wasn’t anything amazing about it. I did enjoy all the nerding out the author did though!

One particular part I enjoyed was Mackenzie knowing her worth at the end. Quite refreshing!

I literally have nothing to say about this book except that i loved it so much. It was just the perfect read i needed. I LOVED every single aspect about this book. It was just so funny and cute and heart warming. I just loved how it was just about this boy and his current life just unfolding in front of us. (i think i may have liked it even more because it was a book abt a poc) And ofc looking at the romance aspect, I just adore when the mc and their friend whos not really their friend but they enjoy hanging out gets together. So this entire book was like perfect, i would tell everyone to read it because i just fell in love with it completely.

I absolutely ADORED Cameron ! He was the super relatable unpopular high school kid. Totally obsessed with all things anime & I was totally HERE for it. I

Reading how Cameron decides he wants one thing and then works so hard to obtain only to realize it isn’t everything he always thought he wanted was SOOOO cute.

I loved all of his awkward moments, with his mom and sister Cassie, to the awkwardness of a seniors first time.

This story was truly a pleasure to read & I’m so glad I had the opportunity to be chosen to review this book before it’s published. I honestly can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy to add to my personal library !