This was such a cute book! I'm glad it exists in a world where people who need to see themselves represented can have that.

I really enjoyed this fun & sweet YA! Marlowe wants to learn how to be romantic to win back her ex-boyfriend so Ash agrees to help her learn all about romance. I absolutely love that Ash used romance books to help her learn the difference between romance and toxic love.

*2.5 stars
I didn’t dislike this book heavily or anything, but I did just feel disappointed reading it most of the time. The characters were mostly fine, but they annoyed me sometimes. I also wished we focused more on Marlowe’s love of math considering it was mentioned in the summary as much as the romance novel reading aspect, but we didn’t get a lot.

Nerdy math-centric Marlowe is on a break with her boyfriend but their future is all but written. Only he wants a permanent split because she's not romantic enough. Her unexpected love coach is none other than Ash, the boy in black with a rock band and a secret stash of love songs.
Marlowe is pretty lovable and I very much enjoyed how Serena wrote her character. I thought it was very clever to use Wuthering Heights to help Marlowe dig into emotions and see Ash as more than his façade.
I had the opportunity to meet Serena a few months ago and won a copy and cute swag from a giveaway. I was able to tandem read with the audiobook (only the best way to read 😉). The narrators did a great job exploring young love in this coming of age story.
Loved the nerdy girl and the misunderstood boy coming together and how Serena took care with her autism. Didn’t love how long it took for Marlowe to get her head out of her bum with how terrible her ex is and I wanted just a tad more from the supporting cast, particularly her family.
Thank you to @wednesdaybooks, the author, and @librofm for the advanced copies and audiobook. All thoughts are my own.

The Calculation of You and Me by Serena Kaylor is a charming exploration of love, logic, and unexpected connections. The main character, Marlowe Meadows, is a math whiz navigating the start of a new school year after her breakup with high school golden boy Josh. Determined not to fail at romance, Marlowe strikes a deal with Ashton Hayes, a moody and enigmatic classmate, to help her win Josh back with love letters in exchange for making Ashton's band a viral sensation.

As Marlowe and Ashton spend more time together, their relationship takes an unexpected turn, challenging Marlowe's preconceived notions about love and its equations. The book beautifully captures the twists and turns of their relationship and proves that love is often found in surprising places.

Kaylor's writing is humorous and engaging. It captures the highs and lows of teenage emotions—especially in a world that can be difficult to manage. This heartfelt and memorable story leaves a lasting impression and the desire to read more.

Cute teen romance. Heterosexual but include lgb characters. The basic premise is that this girl gets dumped for being “bad at love” and she wants desperately to get the guy back. But the guy she enlists to teach her about romance ends up being the right guy for her. Who is shocked? Absolutely nobody. But it’s still a fun read. G-rated. I will likely recommend this to my 12 year old daughter.
Thematic inclusions: autism, high school.

I received an eARC of this book free from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so cute and impossibly sweet- I loved the autism rep with our main character Marlowe and the way she interacted with her people and her world. So empathetic and such an excellent story to have in the world to connect to! And Ash- wow- I found my inner child swooning over how sweet his little romance loving, edgy goth heart was. I loved the journey the story took us on and the way Marlowe was so supported by her friends and family and how they never shamed her for what it took for her to figure out how things had been with Josh. There was just the right amount of pining and angst and I was rooting so hard for this happy ending!

This book was ADORABLE! If you're in the mood for a sweet YA romance then definitely give this one a read! The main character, Marlowe, is dumped by her first long-term boyfriend over the summer and she is determined to get him back. She makes an agreement with a newer classmate, Ashton, for him to help her win her ex back while she revamps his band's social media pages. Cue everything cute and adorable and swoon worthy! Ashton was the type of boy I WISHED would have been interested in me in high school so I ate every bit of this story up! Marlowe's friend group was also so fun and appropriately challenged Marlowe and her thinking. This was a very well-rounded book in terms of characters and story. I would definitely read something from this author again!

I loved everything about this book. This was a highly anticipated read for me as I have been waiting for this since the author’s last release; it did not disappoint, From the moment Ashton steps up to partner with Marlowe for the term English project, he had my heart. How can anyone resist the boy that saves the girl from having to partner up with the boy that broke her heart?
Ashton is patient and kind. He proves to be a very good friend to Marlowe as she tries to win her ex boyfriend back. They make a deal wth one another that forces them to work closely with one another on their separate goals - Ash educating Marlowe in the ways of love and helping her to realize that she may not be as broken as her ex made her out to be, and Marlowe helping Ash and his band gain in popularity.
I loved that our dear grumpy goth was a huge fan of romance novels - his preferred reading material, in fact. While I enjoy a good romance, I never really thought about its impact on my life. This book actually helped bring those feelings to the forefront, while it answered some of my own questions on why I enjoy reading these types of books.
I loved Marlowe’s loud, too much at times, personality. I did not think she was too much. I found her so very much relatable. You know you’ve read a good book when you can feel its impact the way I felt this. Marlowe’s close friends were instrumental members of the cast, as were her sister and mother.
I cannot recommend this book enough if you’ve ever felt like too much and not enough all at the same time. This should be an addition to your summer reading list. I will be running out to pick up a physical copy as soon as I can. I need this book on my shelves.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an e-arc of the book. The opinions expressed are honest and my own.

I adored Serena's debut and this felt like an elevated version of everything I loved. The characters were fully realized and the autism rep felt so real. I love this sweet, rivals to lovers romcom!

I wanted to pick this one up since I liked the author’s first book!

The book is told from one-point-of-view and it comes from Marlowe. She wants to get back with her ex who dumped her stating that she wasn’t romantic enough. Through romance books and another classmates help, Ash, she sets out on a journey to win him back.

Marlowe has autism and I thought it was well done, but I do not have autism so I can’t really comment on it beyond that. She is a decent character, but I didn’t understand her fascination with Josh. The reader never really gets much from him besides what she felt with him previously and sometimes what he is up to now. He is definitely unlikable and continues to be that way throughout the book. Marlowe doesn’t realize this until the last 90% of the book and it really solidifies her last choice.

The one I was rooting for was Ash. He reminded me of myself in some way when it came to high school, especially his style. I wish that there had been more between them because it was slower than a slowburn and so the payoff didn’t feel that great.

I liked much of the side characters and enjoyed seeing Marlowe’s friends trying to steer her in the right direction.

Overall, this was a decent book and I can see teens really enjoying and relating to it.

This book made me sooo happy!!! I absolutely adored Marlowe Amelia Meadows and Ashton Hayes!!!

After spending the Summer on a break from her boyfriend Josh, Marlowe decides she wants him back and she’s willing to put in the work to be “more romantic” to be with him…only he’s not interested in getting back together. Following an embarrassing moment in English class, Marlowe is teamed up with her broody classmate Ash for their semester project. Marlowe then charmingly convinces Ash to help her get Josh back, and Ash follows through in a series of the utterly delightful lessons.

This was so warm, and a fantastic representation of finding oneself and loving oneself during those challenging teen years!! I requested this ARC for the neurodivergent representation and I stayed for the character development, the friendship and the mushroom facts.

5 stars, 5 well -deserved, I wish I could give it more, stars...Thank you Serena Kaylor for bringing my teenage dreams to life with The Calculation of You and Me!!!!!!!!!

Thank you also to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC!!

Yes to neurodiverse authors writing about neurodiverse characters! MORE please.
When Marlowe’s boyfriend formalizes their break up on the first day of senior year, she is determined to approach this like any other problem: figure out where things went wrong, fix it, and win Josh back. Since Josh says that Marlowe may be deficient when it comes to romance, Marlowe blames her autism and sets out to master love. Marlowe’s new AP Lit partner just so happens to work in a romance book store and need help with his band so they work out a deal. As Marlowe develops a plan to win back Josh, things get complicated with Ashton, of course. I liked so many things about this book. Marlowe’s growth is so relatable as she learns to trust herself and be her own advocate. Great character development includes not only our main characters, but also minor characters like the bookstore owner of my dreams, Marlowe’s Mom and 2 besties. Kaylor’s writing is strong, with a few quotable passages and a pace that keeps the pages turning. This book was such a sweet surprise and I cannot wait to talk about it with other readers.

I loved every second of this book and devoured it in a day.

Thank you so much Wednesday books for the free digital ARC for an honest review.

I love Marlowe; her mind, her passion for mushrooms, her friends, her honesty. She's amazing and I wish I could have had a friend like her when I was younger.

Ash was amazing. I love how authentic he is and how much he cares for Marlowe. Even if we don't get his POV, we can feel it through Marlowe and it was really well-done.


Read this book if you love :

✨ Neurodivergent characters;
✨ YA Romances;
✨ Opposites Attract;
✨ Grumpy MMC;
✨ LGBTQ Characters;
✨ Small Town.

The Calculation of You and Me by Serena Kaylor s another remarkable young adult romance story!
I’m pretty positive Serena Kaylor can write anything and it will be phenomenal!
This story was so cute!
This is one of those books that will leave a perma-smile on your face. It's that stinkin' adorable. I knew the moment that I read the synopsis for this story that it was one that I had to read.
I adored these characters so much. The author has written these characters with depth that shows throughout the story.
The romance in the book was so heartwarming.

Thank You NetGalley and Wednesday Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

After reading Serena Kaylor’s debut novel Long Story Short I knew I was going to pick up her next young adult novel. She seems to favor math nerds for heroine’s and I love a good STEM romance. In The Calculation of You and Me Marlowe is on the spectrum as well as being a math nerd and her ability to read nuances and jokes are difficult for her. This made what her ex said to her especially brutal and Ash’s appreciation of these traits more romantic and sweet. Needless to say I wanted her to stop trying to win back her douchebag ex and fall for Ash but she needed to figure things out at her own pace and it was totally fun to read her journey.

Learning how to be more romantic included a series of “lessons” set up like dates, as well as reading all the different romance tropes. It was fun to see this young math nerd open up to romance by doing something all of us readers already enjoy. Reading romance novels! I loved how she and her girlfriends found this new world of happily ever afters. This was just icing on the cake of a very good story already but it did make it a bit more fun.

This book was cute, but ultimately, I don’t think it was for me. The beginning was really slow, and the pacing just felt a little off. Also, I wanted to see more of the main characters and less of the side characters. I know this is a YA book, but it almost felt younger than that. I think a lot of people will enjoy this book, especially those who are looking for a cute, wholesome YA book. I just don’t think I was the right audience for this book unfortunately.

eARC
I loved this author's book last year, so was excited to get an early copy of this one. Marlowe was absolutely so much fun to spend time with. I loved how she grew as a young woman throughout this novel. A first heartbreak is debilitating, and I could relate to a lot that she was feeling. I liked how the author had her own her autism, yet also wonder about fitting in life any teenager does. There are strong female friendships and such a patient new friend found in Ash. I thought this was such a sweet story, and I hope it's one that teens will love and appreciate.

Read this if you love:
🧡 hating on Heathcliff
🧡 the dating coach trope
🧡 autistic representation

With witty prose and an eclectic cast of characters, Kaylor’s sophomore novel has all the charm of her first. Marlowe Meadows went from calculus nerd to half of her high school’s “it couple” when Josh asked her out two years ago, so she’s shocked when he dumps her for being unromantic and “bad at love.” Like all equations, this problem must have a solution. Help arrives in the form of Ashton Hayes, a talented songwriter and Marlowe’s English project partner. Ash will help Marlowe write love letters to Josh and in return she’ll use her algorithms to help Ash’s band go viral. However, variables like date nights for “research” with Ash and the romance novels he assigns her to read threaten Marlowe’s carefully balanced equation for love.

Kaylor writes her protagonists so well. I truly felt as if I was in Marlowe’s head as she navigated the trials of love and high school dating. Her sense of voice was unique and compelling. It’s been a while since I’ve so thoroughly enjoyed a contemporary YA set in high school. In terms of the romance, Marlowe and Ash were fully fleshed out characters and their relationship was adorable. It was nice to see a teenage male lead with actual emotional intelligence!

I also loved the Wuthering Heights bashing. Kaylor clearly has a Heathcliff vendetta and I support her.

Thanks to NetGalley and @wednesdaybooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you St Martin's for the review copy, audiobook from Libro.FM ALC program (audiobook was great, I recommend it for a road trip with the family). This is a sweet slow burn YA romance, perfect for fans of Today, Tomorrow, Tonight and of Lynn Painter's better than the movies books. A treat that I loved because I appreciate YA books that allow for main characters to have depth, to be complicated, to be smart but still learning... and to offer diverse and well developed secondary characters. The Calculation of You and Me has this and was for me a welcome quick engaging read, perfect for your YA reader over the summer.