Author: Sarah Strohmeyer
Series: None
Pages: 352
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Date Published: May 10th, 2016
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Format Read: eARC provided by publisher (via Edelweiss) for honest review
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Summary:
Jane Austen’s Emma meets The Rosie Project in this quirky, irresistible, romantic comedy from Sarah Strohmeyer, the author of Smart Girls Get What They Want.
Addie Emerson doesn’t believe in love. Not for herself anyway. With one year left of high school, she’s more interested in snagging a full scholarship to Harvard than a full-time boyfriend.
That doesn’t mean she’s oblivious to the ways of the heart. Or, rather, the head. Because after months of research, Addie has discovered how to make anyone fall in love. All you need is the secret formula.
But will her discovery be enough to win the coveted Athenian Award and all its perks? (See above, full scholarship to Harvard.) Or will she be undone by Dexter, her backstabbing lab partner, who is determined to deep-six her experiments at their exclusive private school?
Those are the least of her problems now that she’s survived a death-defying flight with a mysterious, dark-haired boy, who has delicious chocolate-brown eyes and a few secrets of his own.
With an experiment to mastermind, an infatuated exchange student on her hands, and at least one great white shark (more on that later), can Addie’s prefrontal cortex outwit her heart? Or will she have to give in to her amygdala and find out, once and for all, if this thing called love is more than just her brain on drugs?
Addie Emerson doesn’t believe in love. Not for herself anyway. With one year left of high school, she’s more interested in snagging a full scholarship to Harvard than a full-time boyfriend.
That doesn’t mean she’s oblivious to the ways of the heart. Or, rather, the head. Because after months of research, Addie has discovered how to make anyone fall in love. All you need is the secret formula.
But will her discovery be enough to win the coveted Athenian Award and all its perks? (See above, full scholarship to Harvard.) Or will she be undone by Dexter, her backstabbing lab partner, who is determined to deep-six her experiments at their exclusive private school?
Those are the least of her problems now that she’s survived a death-defying flight with a mysterious, dark-haired boy, who has delicious chocolate-brown eyes and a few secrets of his own.
With an experiment to mastermind, an infatuated exchange student on her hands, and at least one great white shark (more on that later), can Addie’s prefrontal cortex outwit her heart? Or will she have to give in to her amygdala and find out, once and for all, if this thing called love is more than just her brain on drugs?
-Goodreads
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My Thoughts:
This book is extremely unique. It's clear going into it that this isn't your normal YA romance, and I loved that about This is My Brain on Boys. As the title suggests, this book is quirky, nerdy, and a little like an episode of "The Big Bang Theory" dropped right into it. If you like the show, you're sure to love this novel.
As a nerd myself, I was excited to dig into Strohmeyer's newest contemporary. And after finishing it, I realize that I'm not quite the same kind of nerd as Addie. Though I did find her to hilarious anyway. She's so socially awkward that it's pretty cute, and she's a total smartass to boot. She kept me laughing, that's for sure. I loved the fact that she's always in control in the book. Not many YA contemporary leads tend to have this good of a grasp on the world. Sure, she might be a tad annoying as well, but she's usually right, so I found myself forgiving her for moments I didn't think I would. Yay, for smart girls who are also smartasses!
Kris was also a great character. Though I'm not sure that I bought the whole "I love animals soooo much" thing. It felt corny to me, but I also thought it gave him dimension, so I'm just going to say that I have mixed feelings about him. He's great for Addie, but he's also a little strange for the story. But maybe that's just me.
The plot itself is a great one. Strohmeyer has this grasp on her story that makes it read really smooth. And the payoff is so good, that you'll have a smile on your face at the end. Because, once again, she makes sure that Addie gets the last word. So much girl power fills the pages of this book, even though the whole book is about love and such.
If any, and or all of this sounds good to you. Read it!
Rating:
3 Unicorns = I liked it a lot, but it had its issues!
