I love a good YA novel that features girls in tech, and Seven Percent of Ro Devereux is one of the best I’ve read so far!

The story follows Ro, a high schooler who created an app (with the help of a good family friend who happens to be a behavioral scientist) based on the popular children’s game MASH (honestly, this took me back!! I didn’t know the kids were still playing MASH these days LOL). The app has a 93% accuracy rate (hence the 7% reference in the title) and hits all of the main points of the original game except for the partner match. Ro creates the app for a school project, but hopes that it can catapult her into start up success so she can skip going to college. When her influencer cousin mentions the app on her socials, it goes from being a school project to an online sensation, thrusting Ro into the tech world faster than she anticipated when a larger tech company offers to buy 50% of the rights to the app and help her distribute it.

Despite Ro’s father’s initial skepticism, she goes ahead with the partnership, and they immediately pressure her into adding the “match” portion, which gives the app a dating app type feel. In order to sell the “success” of the matching feature, they ask Ro to match first and then publicly date her match. This turns out to lead to a fake relationship because -surprise!- her match is her old bff who hates her now. If you like the fake dating trope, I think you’ll definitely enjoy this story, as it was cute and emotional at the same time, and I really did think Miller was an adorable YA love interest.

However, the romance wasn’t the main draw for me in this story, but rather the exploration of ethic surrounding Ro’s app. The science her and her family friend input into the app’s creation had been diligently tested and only focused on predicting a few categories. When the larger tech company gets involved, they not only pressure Ro into adding the dating/match element, they also start adding all kinds of random categories (breed of pet?) using some rather shady science to back the results. It soon turns into a runaway train that leads to long term relationships breaking up, teens dreams of certain careers dying, etc. It’s the classic case of something small turning into a massive monster that has escaped its creator’s control. It also brought up some interesting questions around fate vs. choice and how different characters interpreted the meaning of MASH on their lives.

Of course, in true YA fashion, Ro and Miller pull a stunt in the last act to “fix” things that 1) Probably wouldn’t actually work and 2) Would probably get them sued IRL, but it’s a YA novel so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ There was also an interesting plotline regarding Ro’s estranged mother that was interesting but felt a tad convenient at the end.

Overall: I think this novel is a really strong addition to the girls in STEM sub genre of YA books, and is very on trend for the current times.

3 stars. It was a good debut novel. The premise kind of reminded me of the love hypothesis and the soulmate equation books which I have already read and I thought it would do something different or take it in a different direction but it just didn’t

What a unique, amazing storyline that truly captivated me from the very first page. I loved Ro and I loved this book. I'm excited to read more by this author!

I was unable to provide review due to time constraints of me starting college. I look forward however to reading this book in the future simply as a fan, not a reviewer.

unfortunately I don't want to say much right now because it's a HC book and I support the strike.

But this is also a really great book and I loved both the writing style and the depth of the relationship between Ro and Miller!!

Ro Devereaux dreams of being a software engineer. For her senior project, she creates an app based on the children’s game of MASH, which “predicts” your future. In the connected world in which we live, Ro’s app gets out in the wild. What happens when users download the app in droves and tech incubators get involved?

There is much to enjoy in this novel. The romance is sweet (I don’t want to give anything away). I love that Ro is a complex character who makes mistakes and experiences profound loss. One of the best things about the story is a consistent message that life is full of unexpected, and sometimes devastating, events and we work through them as best we can with what we have at the time.

The novel also explores the impact of social media on the lives of teens and young adults. What happens when you have a dream, but an online “test” tells you your life will go in a different direction? In Ro’s world, the MASH app is accurate 93% of the time. But what about that other 7%? It turns out that 7%, our free will, our dreams, and our aspirations, might be the most important of all.

This story is great for anyone who likes stories with a slow-burn romance or issues of modern society. I will definitely get a copy for my classroom library.

Thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins Children’s Books: HarperTeen, and Ellen O’Clover for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Additional disclosure, last week I won a signed copy of the book from Ellen O’Clover.

Ro Devereux is eager to convince her dad she doesn't need to go to college to make her dreams come true so she uses her senior project to create an app to prove it!

Using the simple childhood game MASH Ro is able help predicts all the adult lifestyle choices and it takes off once her cousin, a big social media influencer prompts it without her permission. In order to make it worth a companies while she has to prove all aspects work including who you end up with.

To make it work she must fake date her former best friend Miller. She learns not only has she been missing his friendship but how important it is to realize predicting the future isn't always what it seems.

I really loved this book. It provided the perfect amount of funny, sweet and emotional situations. It had a great story and was a fantastic way to inspire people to do what's right.

I can't wait to read the next book from this author!

Ro creates an amazing app that helps "predict the future" using the childhood game, MASH. When her app takes off and no longer is just a senior year project, she finds her life changing at a quick pace. Based on her MASH results, she is meant to be in a relationship with Miller, her for BFF, and that causes quite a situation since they haven't spoken in three years. This is a ex-friend's to more story, set in the world of technology. Ro struggles to find her footing in her relationships, as well as with her future plans as she starts to realize that not everything in life can be predicted. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I will post this review in its entirety after Harper Collins reaches an agreement with the union. You can (and should, because it is an awesome book!) support this author with a purchase. And if you are able, be sure to donate to the workers who have been without pay for far too long:


Bottom Line: Pay people livable wages. Commit to hiring diversely. Support unions.

Wow. This one really affected me, and I know it will be one of the ones that sticks with me. I have been reading a lot of books, and lately, they have all left me feeling a bit let down. Like I didn't quite connect with the story or the characters in the way that I love, the way that makes me love to read. Reading about Ro and her life finally flipped me back to the person who feels connected, even changed, by a story. I'm grateful to Ellen O'Clover for that; I'd really been missing it.

Ro is a high school senior who lives with her dad in a small Colorado town. She's pretty sure she has it all figured out - she has written an app called MASH for her senior project that can accurately (at least 93% accurately) predict the future. Based on the elementary school game of the same name, and formulated around behavioral science and the human brain, the app tells users who their match is, where they will live, what job they will have, and how many children. Overnight, the app blows up and seemingly becomes exactly what she has planned for her life; a career in tech, moving to California, not needing college in order to be a success. She finds herself with a contract and a way to build the app and the brand, and ends up matched to her childhood friend, with whom she had a falling out a few years back. Can she successfully promote her app while pretending to maintain a loving relationship with Miller, despite their estrangement?

Everything about this story, from the various relationships in it, to the idea for the MASH app, had me sucked in from the start. I found myself laughing out loud at parts, sniffling and weeping at others. Ro was likeable and I really wanted things to work out for her, for the best. I am sure I will read this one again, maybe even save it for my daughter to read in a few years.

*I received a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book!

Full of heartbreak, love, fake love, second chances. This book will tug on all your heartstrings.

I loved the unique storyline. Ro’s senior project (MASH app) accidentally goes viral and in order to bring it to her full potential she will have to work with her current nemesis/childhood best friend. Will they be able to pull this off in front of the entire world? While dealing family abandonment? And overprotective parent? And health crisis? All while not being 100% honest about the app.

The characters will make you fall for them. Don’t skip this one!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book early in exchange for a review.

4.25/5⭐️

This was a debut and a cute YA romance with more depth than some others.

For her senior project Rose (Ro), along with her behavioral scientist neighbor, has developed an algorithm, that with some simple questions can predict a person’s occupation, city of residence, number of children and even match you to your future mate, with a 93% accuracy rate. The app goes public by mistake and spreads like wildfire.

She is recruited by a company to market and tweak her app and thinks she’s on her way to her dream STEM career. However, when she takes the test herself (for publicity), she is matched with Miller, her ex-best friend that she had a terrible falling out with 3 years before, and they must “act” publicly like a couple falling in love. As she is met with losses in her personal life and grapples with maintaining control of her creation, she begins to question the accuracy and human nature variants involved in the app’s process.

Yes, this storyline is a bit out there, but it serves to highlight the unpredictability and uniqueness of each of us. It also delves into the messy and sometimes fragile relationships in our lives…those we regret losing, those we never really had and those that are lifeboats for us. This is a well-written and thoughtful insight into our modern lives and how that 7% unpredictable margin can be the most important and precious part of ourselves. Nicely done.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and HarperTeen for providing the free early arc for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

This coming-of-age novel follows Ro Devereux, who has just created an app called Mash. If that sounds familiar, you may have played this paper game in middle school. You know the game that puts down all your crush's names, and it will pick your future partner, car, job, location, and of course, if you will, live in a mansion, apartment, shack, and the dreadful hut.
The Mash app can predict your future by 93%, which is impressive.
Of course, her app catches the eyes of a tech company that wants to invest in her app. The only issue is that she must prove to the world that her app works. That means she must date the soulmate that her app had assigned. This happens to Miller, her ex-best friend whom she hadn't spoken to in years.

If you are fans of the enemy to lovers, friends to lovers, and fake dating, please check out this book. This book not only has tons of loveable characters but also deals with serious issues. Now the serious topics of the books aren't overwhelming nor too dark. The writing in this book was very engaging, which made it easy to fall into the world. Every spare time I spent reading this book was as if I couldn't put it down. This is one of the books that will suck you in and be difficult to put down.

The romance in this book was *chef kiss*; I loved Miller and Ro as a couple so much that even when they hated each other guts, I still loved their banter. We had tons of flashbacks throughout the novel, so you could see Ro and Miller being best friends. I loved that because you can see them being friends and understand that what Ro did to Miller was even more heartbreaking.

This book was packed with so many impactful moments that it made it feel real. Of course, the characters aren't perfect, and that is okay. Because even if you code the ideal world, there are still imperfections. This book was so fantastic, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Oh my gosh, I am now and will forever be obsessed with this book! Ro and Miller were both so complex and interesting and flawed and lovely. I laughed and cried, and I really enjoyed seeing their character development. And I really loved the ending! Such a great book and an excellent debut.

I found the title and cover of this Young Adult coming-of-age/romance novel irresistible. The plot was difficult to believe at times, but I loved the characters and their emotional journey. I enjoyed the slow-burn romance between childhood friends turned enemies Ro and Miller, but I found Ro’s evolving relationships with her family and friends just as satisfying. This novel deals with some difficult subjects (child abandonment, sexual assault, death from cancer, mob violence) and has some tearjerker moments, but it emphasizes honesty, trust, cooperation, and personal agency.

There is some swearing and one scene with underage drinking, but this should be suitable for a wide audience.

Thanks to HarperTeen for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley, which I volunteered to review.

This was such a sweet story about a STEM-lovin girl and the people who love her!

While I loved the overall story about Ro creating MASH, the app turning into something she never imagined, then getting matched with her childhood bestie Miller, fake dating and then falling for him for real, and the aftermath of MASH …. The side characters were what really made this for me.

Ro is so loved by so many people, let’s chat about ‘em:
- Maren. Her best friend who believes in her always. YES to empowering girl friends!
- Ro’s dad. YES to encouraging dads who just want to run a restaurant and want the best for their daughter
- Miller. What a sweetie pie who’s authentically himself!
- Willow and Vera. Mothers to Ro in every way. They are such strong women, and I want to be like them in the future, loving on my kids’ friends and making them feel at home
- Felix and Jazz. So precious! They believe in Ro and her decisions and opinions when no one else at XLR8 does. They stand up for what they believe in. They always made me laugh.

If a book makes me cry, then she automatically gets 5 stars!!!! Didn't expect this one to hit so hard but we love starting 2023 with a bang *sighs*

I AM STILL PROCESSING THIS EMOTIONAL WHIRLWIND GIMME A SECOND!!!!!

Seriously not exaggerating here. I was crying because I related SO HARD to the main character. Here's the formula to get Ruby to cry: grief + abandonment anxiety = tears

Truly, every single time. It hits oh so very close to home and I don't know what to tell you.

Alright, let's attempt a review here!

A minute of silence for the cover also folks!!! Everything in this book is just hitting.

Okay now I'll actually review. I'll say straight up that this book is very much YA and I definitely do not mean that in a bad way. But you do need to remember that these characters are young and frustrating and make mistakes and yeah same here I relate. I'll save characters till the end of this review, but I did want to preface that. And also a round of applause because Ellen O'Clover writes teenagers SO WELL! Perfect narrative voice, setting, dialogue . Twas all A++++

I actually struggled with the plot at first. You need to suspend your disbelief but also this author makes this whack-o viral sensation very believable in the end. But I was frustrated at times because you can see the mistakes these characters make. But it made the book all the more good watching Ro learn from this. Serious brownie points for the development.

The writing was... actually I don't know how to describe it. On the surface, it's very simplistic but underneath she really packs a punch. Those quotes HIT ME RIGHT WHERE IT HURTS I STILL AM IN PAIN. I do not kind when I say I cried. I was glued to these pages and then all of a sudden every single pain Ro had was my pain and the tears kept on coming. For a debut? To be THAT good? Love to see it.

And Ro. OH! MY! GOD! I didn't think I would relate so hard but I did. As soon as she talked about her mother leaving, she had me by the neck and I would literally jump in front of a bus for this silly but insanely smart girl I LOVE YOU BBY. SCREAMING INTO ETERNITY!!!!!! The way that she talks about her fears and anxieties about people leaving,,, um I don't think I've read about someone who experiences that nor put into words exactly how I feel sometimes. Not to be sappy, but it's true and... I guess we went to therapy in this book.

Also, who gave this book rights to start telling me about how unpredictable life is and most is never going your way and listen to the people who love you and!!!! I did not sign up for that P-A-I-N!!!!!

Don't even get me started on her dad, and Miller's mom and Vera and her awful mother who I definitely hated. I will burst into tears.

ahhh still crying

And lastly, this beautiful beautiful romance that has my entire heart and I will protect Mo at all costs. Miller is... I mean too much of a sweetheart and maybe my new favourite. Where do I find a man who cries at giving away a hamster? I LOVE HIM TO BITS. Loved him faking being mad at her. Love their little enemies era. Love childhood friends to enemies to lovers as a whole. We all knew. Their relationship was far too pure for this world and must be protected at all costs. Maybe one of the best YA relationships I've read in a while? CHEFS FREAKING KISS

What else did this book not do? She ticked every single box and I will be screaming about it so we can cry together. If you're looking for a showstopper debut of a YA contemporary with a deeply relate character, discussions on parental figures, a glorious slow-burn romance and some tears, Ro Devereux has got you covered *sobbing wink wink*

YES! YES! YES!

This book was a nice breath of fresh air! It was very well written, I loved the main character and her story. When you read as much as I do, you tend to struggle to find something NEW. This book brings a new storyline to the table and I am so glad I gave it a shot. Reading about Ro's life and her newly created, future predicting app was such fun. I will be purchasing the physical copy asap!!!

This has absolutely everything I love in a book:
- a lovable, imperfect protagonist
- an endearing and charming love interest
- a captivating plot that adds to the romance and a compelling romance that adds to the plot
- insightful prose that makes a point about The Human Experience

Overall, a wonderfully brilliant debut. I will read any and everything Ellen O'Clover decides to write from here on out

I didn't expect to find another second 5-star read in January or for it to be another YA contemporary but lo and behold! There is SO MUCH to love about this book—from the friendships and family relationships to the romance, the honest exploration of self and the character growth, the writing, the tension, and the angst, it was all SO good and the fact that it's a debut actually stuns me. I don't know if it's too soon to say but I think I may have found a new favourite YA contemporary!

I know I'm going to sound like a broken record but I really can't be sorry because my gosh, I loved this book! From the moment I picked it up and we first meet Ro, I had a feeling this was going to worm its way into my heart and I wasn't wrong. I simply didn't want to put this down and it ended up being an all-nighter one-sitting read for me. This will obviously be different for every reader but what I especially enjoyed was how this book made me feel; it made me laugh and ugly cry, it made my heart ache and it filled me with a fond nostalgia for my own high school days and youthful experiences (something I honestly thought I'd never say about my own senior project days or about the childhood game MASH—which I was absolutely obsessed with btw)! The plot wasn't overly complicated and despite knowing how most elements would play out, there were still one or two turns that managed to take me by surprise. I really appreciated the topics the author touched upon including women in STEM, human behaviour and psychology, and the influencing role of social media apps and 'hot trends' on people's lives, particularly on younger audiences, whether it be good or bad. I took behavioural studies at uni and find human behaviour fascinating, so I really liked this angle in the story!

Ro was such a great character. She's clever, driven and passionate, especially about tech, coding and the MASH app she developed for her senior project. But when the app blows up faster than she could've ever expected it to, she finds herself pulled into the career and tech world of her dreams and finds herself willing to do anything to make sure it's a continued success, even if that means losing parts of herself and her work along the way. Oh, there were definitely moments when I wanted to give Ro a good shake after seeing her make rash decisions that I knew would quickly backfire, but her growth throughout the read was fantastic. Even when she was making these frustrating decisions, it was still so easy to root for her because she was such a personable character! It took a life-altering event and a hot minute for her to see and feel the impact of her decisions, but it was so satisfying seeing her openly acknowledge her errors and take active steps to fix them even if it felt impossible.

It helped that she had such a wonderful support system in Maren, Vera, her dad, and eventually, Miller too. Although many of them didn't get the same attention as Ro's character, I felt that they were all still well-rounded supporting characters who added so much to the story! I especially loved Ro's neighbourly mentor-turned-family relationship with Vera and also the relationship with her father—they fought as parents and children do, but their love and respect for each other were never in doubt, and there were so many heartwarming moments between them. These relationships were well-formed and really helped to flesh out Ro's character.

Then, of course, there's the romance between Ro and Miller. Can we talk about how swoontastic it was? BECAUSE IT WAS. There were so many delightfully angsty moments between them as they confront the reasons for why they've been glaring absent from each others' lives for the past three years, but also toothachingly sweet, heartstopping moments as they went from barely tolerating each other while fake dating to finding their way back to friendship and opening up to love. UGH, my heart! I loved them so SO much and their moments together were everything! 😍 Ngl, although they get their HFN (happy for now) ending, I wouldn't at all be mad if the author decided to write a follow-up of them through the college years or something, please? Anyway, if you like romances between once inseparable besties turned mortal enemies turned grudging acquaintances who fake date turned "I've always loved you" lovers, then you will most definitely love them.

Overall, this was exactly the kind of read I was looking for this weekend but I didn't expect to find a new favourite that hit me so deeply in my feels. If you enjoy coming-of-age YA contemporaries or have a young reader in your life to give a rec to, I would highly recommend this for its realistic characters, wonderful friendships/relationships, and a swoontastic romance,