by John Corey Whaley
Dial Books, 2016, 249 pages, Young Adult Fiction
Sixteen-year-old Solomon is agoraphobic. He hasn't left the house in three years, which is fine by him.
Ambitious Lisa desperately wants to get into the second-best psychology program for college (she's being realistic). But how can she prove she deserves a spot there?
Solomon is the answer.
Determined to "fix" Sol, Lisa thrusts herself into his life, sitting through Star Trek marathons with him and introducing him to her charming boyfriend Clark. Soon, all three teens are far closer than they thought they'd be, and when their walls fall down, their friendships threaten to collapse as well.
This is a great coming-of-age tale about accepting people for who they are. John Corey Whaley’s skill at crafting a novel is fully evident here. He could have easily painted Lisa as a villain (her reasons for befriending Solomon are horrible), but by telling the story from the perspectives of both Solomon and Lisa, in alternating chapters, everyone becomes more relatable. This book is also one of those rare young adult novels with characters who are funny and clever without the dialogue seeming forced. Fans of books like All the Bright Places; Me and Earl and the Dying Girl; Everything, Everything; and the writings of Matthew Quick and Rainbow Rowell will enjoy this book.
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