This is the first YA book in a hot second that I have felt emotionally invested in. I loved the characters and absolutely adored the female friendships. The themes of autism of the fmc were handled really well and this is the only time I ever felt a connection with someone who is grunge. Thanks to the mmc lead, Ash. Great writing and story and super interesting acknowledgement at the end. Thanks #netgalley for such a sweet find.

Loved this book about Marlowe asking herself “What do you want, Marlowe” when she realizes that she may not want to get back with Josh after he broke up with her. Marlowe asks Ashton, a fellow classmate, to help her write letters or songs for Josh so he’d think she’s romantic. Ash says no but then changes his mind. As Marlowe gets to know Ash and they spend time together she realizes she might like Ash. “What do you want, Marlowe? Who does she end up with?

This was an adorable YA romp through a whole boatload of romance tropes. Enemies to lovers! Kind of fake dating! With a great cast supporting characters that felt representative without feeling like the author was attempting to tick off boxes. I also loved the neurodivergent representation in the main character. I think fans of the tv show Never Have I Ever would also enjoy this book.

Marlowe’s first boyfriend Josh turns their break into a breakup, claiming she’s rotten at romance. Desperate to become Josh’s perfect match, she makes a deal with hot musician Ash: he’ll teach her about romance and she’ll create a professional online presence for his band. But the more time Marlowe spends with Ash the more she wonders if being with Josh is what she really wants.

This book is an absolute joy. Marlowe is smart and sweet while Ash is wicked cool. Team Marlowe includes Odette and Poppy, her quirky ride or die besties and her mother, stepfather, father, her Meemaw’s spirit, her younger sister Bluebell, and bookstore owner Sloane. Various characters are voracious readers and there’s plenty of discussion about romance books and tropes, as Marlowe moves toward her own happy ending.

The southern setting is infused in Marlowe’s references to various family members. Love of reading books, particularly romance books, is a reoccurring theme and I am here for it. Marlowe’s take on a classic novel and a rom-com, allow her to make parallels to her own life and serve to illuminate her character arc.

The great characters, witty writing, and Marlowe’s desire for answers and a return to status quo with Josh quickly won me over as did the clear hero, teenage rockstar Ash. While I found the ending satisfying, I would have liked an epilogue to get a little more time in this wonderful world.

THE CALCULATION OF YOU AND ME is a great addition to the STEM romance genre with a neurodivergent heroine and plenty of humor and heart.

In the acknowledgments, the author mentions how the pandemic affected her mental health and writing, which was very candid and relatable. Note, the novel has zero mentions of the pandemic.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Wednesday Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group, for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley.

This was such a wonderful book. The journey that Marlowe takes to try to win her ex back is so relatable. The struggle to get over a first love is always hard and this story really takes you through all that. The FMC has two of the greatest friends ever, it was a joy to read about them. All the side characters were interesting. My only (tiny) complaint is that I wish the book was longer. I would of loved to read about more of Ash and Marlowe because every interaction they had was so cute. And Ash was incredibly swoon worthy and every scene with him was my favorite. Serena Kaylor has been added to my favorite author list, her writing is amazing!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday books for the eARC!

The Calculation of You and Me by Serena Kaylor, 336 pages. Wednesday Books (St. Martin’s Press), 2024. $14.
Language: R (79 swears, 1 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: G
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
When Josh told Marlowe they needed to take a break the summer before senior year, Marlowe expected to get her boyfriend back at the start of the school year. Instead, the break becomes a breakup because Marlowe isn’t romantic enough. Marlowe is determined to show Josh she is enough, and she begs Ashton to help her win Josh back.
The best part about this book: celebrating romance and healthy relationships. Kaylor’s characters poke fun at common tropes and point out the toxicity of romanticized relationships. Kaylor balances the real with laugh-out-loud one liners and makes a space for anyone—and everyone—to love love the way they want to love love. It was an absolute delight to read.
Marlowe has autism. Poppy is described as having “brown” skin, Hazel is described as having “dark brown” skin, and Mateo is implied Latino. Several of the main characters are part of the LGBT community, though very few are explicitly defined. The mature content rating is for underage drinking; mentions of drugs, condoms, pornography, and sex; innuendo; and partial nudity.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

A neurodivergent math nerd on a quest to be a romantic? Sign me up. Our main character, Marlowe is exactly what is missing from the current YA scene. She is perfectly imperfect. Yes, this is a story about finding love, but not in the way many will anticipate. Marlowe embarks on this journey with an unlikely emo boy in her English class to be the best girlfriend after a devastating breakup with her first love, Mr. Popular. Through romance novels and rebranding a band, Marlowe and Ash become the most unexpected pair. My favorite part of this book is the love and appreciation Marlowe has for her best friends, Poppy and Odette. Many books push aside the friends or use them as plot devices to communicate the feelings the main character has for the love interest, but they are not that. They are very present characters throughout the book and understand her at a level that makes your heart want to explode in the best way possible. These characters feel real, almost like I stepped into a high school and found an unlikely group of kids who would never think their story was worth telling. I laughed out loud many times throughout this book and once I started it I couldn't stop. The Calculation of You and Me has put Serena Kaylor on my auto-buy author list and I am sure I will not be alone in this venture.

This book was everything I didn’t know I wanted it to be. I’ve been reading so much fantasy lately and I figured I’d read a contemporary as a sort of palate cleanser, but instead I was reminded of why I fell in love with young adult contemporary novels in the first place, so many years ago. Because it’s just so wholesome and satisfying watching someone’s journey to find themselves and to realize that all their eccentricities and idiosyncrasies are what make them amazing and so incredibly deserving of the right kind of love.

And that’s exactly what this book was. It was entertaining and funny and emotional and made me giddy and I loved every minute of it. Were the side characters fully fleshed out? Not really. Did that make them somewhat stereotypical and cliché? Sure. But you know what? I could barely care because this story, because Marlowe, just made me so happy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book was such a great read! The characters literally jumped off the page. Scene development was so good I was actually in every scene. I had a movie going through my mind while reading. I love when a book can do that.

I love Marlowe and how she processes her thoughts. I absolutely loved Odette and Poppy, her two best friends. Ash is my new book boyfriend, he was such a great person. How he accepted Marlowe was so great.

I think I have found another great author.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

CAN I GIVE IT AN 8?!!!?!? Seriously!!!! This book! For the love!!! So ridiculously beautiful and sweet and poignant and well written and just really really lovely. I adored it so hard. Here’s why:
I am an old broad. But, as a high school librarian and lover of story, I read almost exclusively YA titles. So, I learn A LOT as I read a title like this. See, in the olden days when I went to school, we had a very limited view of what it meant to be autistic. And a book like this, from an author with the gift of “instructive” writing that is still so very soulful, can educate me about neurodivergence in all its, well, glory.
Thank you, Serena Kaylor. You are a new favorite and I so look forward to your next gem! 💜💜💜💜💜📚

“The Calculation of You and Me” gets off to a slow start. And it is somewhat disappointing that Marlowe is so desperate to get back together with Josh, who clearly is not good for her. However, once Marlowe and Ash start spending more time together and she allows herself to open up to new experiences and ideas, the story improves. I liked that the small town had a bookstore devoted to romance novels, and that it was Ash, a man, introducing romance novels to Marlowe and her friends (Odette and Poppy), flipping the stereotype.

This is both a love story and a finding-yourself story. As Marlowe navigates the aftermath of her first heartbreak (and aims to win his heart back), she finds herself in an unexpected new friendship with bad boy Ash. What really stands out about this book is the seamless integration of neurodivergence, with Marlowe’s autism portrayed as a layer of her identity and the way she navigates through the social world of high school.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

I adored this book! It was exactly what I needed. Marlowe made me smile throughout the book.

Marlowe is lovely high school senior who loves math and her two best friends. Her high school boyfriend dumped her after two years at the beginning of the summer saying she wasn't good at showing her love to him. She gets paired with goth musician Ash for an English Lit project and Marlowe gets him to help her woo Josh back. Sweet young adult romance--highly recommend.

Let's say the world needs more teenage boys like Ash. He reminds me of Abby Jimenez's male characters which are just wonderful.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARC!

I had so much fun with this book! It was a bit slow to start, but the characters' characterizations drew me in. The main character's friendship with her friends was really realistic and reminded me of my high school experience. The autistic representation was welcome and well done. Overall, I enjoyed it a lot!

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC, I read it in one day!

This is how YA is done. Marlowe, Ash, Josh, Odette, Poppy, and Blue are all very much teenagers dealing with teenager things. Nobody seemed to be growing up too quickly, they are all trying to learn to be their own age, and dealing with heartbreak and moving on at an appropriate level. A lot of YA misses the mark, or honestly I could be getting too old to read YA.

The storyline is familiar but still manages to be unique. I did think the beginning was a bit choppy, and I did have some trouble placing people in the scene and certain timelines, but overall this was a great read.

I really enjoyed this book. I only picked it up because I'm a math teacher and the cuteness of calculation got my attention.
I finished this book in 4 days. Granted I have to teach.
Marlowe is the main character., struggling to get her ex-boyfriend back.. You know how life is. She teams up with her classmate Ash, and that romantic journey begins. Slowly simmering. Nice progressions.. The characters are entertaining. The fieldwork dates cute, adorable touches.
Enjoy this story!
I just reviewed The Calculation of You and Me by Serena Kaylor. #NetGalley

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher, Wednesday Books, in return for an honest review.

Neurodivergent/autistic Marlowe is a senior in high school whose boyfriend of two years, jock Josh, breaks up with her right as senior year begins. Josh breaks up with Marlowe because she is "not romantic enough". Simultaneously, Marlowe gets partnered with Ashton (Ash) the very tall, all-black wearing, guyliner adorned "new" kid for their senior English project. One thing leads to another and Ash makes a deal with Marlowe--if she will help with some grassroots PR for his band, Never Mind the Monsters, he will educate her in how to be more romantic.

I adored this book. The writing is snappy, funny, crisp, and clean. The characters are well developed, diverse, and friends anyone would love to have (Odette and Poppy are just delightful). The family dynamics of Marlowe's mom, stepdad, and half sister are supportive and realistic. Poor Ash's parents having to travel all the time felt plausible too. I thought this was a sweet story of helping Marlowe find out what she wants through "romance fieldwork" and reading romance novels for research. It's a little predictable and the scenes are just oh so perfect. I enjoyed the depiction of Marlowe's autism through her narrator perspective. And Ash is just...swoon. what a cinnamon roll wrapped in all black.

I also appreciated that Marlowe only gets kissed, nothing else physical, because I think that is appropriate and respectful for where the characters are age-wise and relationship-wise. Super cute, well-written, well-paced and it will stick with me awhile.

I didn't love it nor did hate it. It is a quirky YA rom-com. The characters are interesting but I had trouble resonating with them. Just wasn't the book for me when I read it

This was such a sweet YA romance with fantastic representation. The ending felt a bit rushed but this book gives all of the sweet and fuzzy feelings one could want from a romcom.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
This was described as Ali Hazelwood-esque and I do see that, but I also think this author has similar talent and dedication to neurodivergent representation that really reminds me of Mazey Eddings. Both of these comparisons are notable because I love both of those authors!
I WISH this book had been around when I was a teen, I think it would have made me feel seen and also been a story I could actually relate to, unlike most YA romance available in my day that was totally unrelatable and made me feel bad about myself for its lack of convergence with my own life. Bravo, I’ll look for more from this author.