I had heard good things about this book before going into it, and I was quite nervous about it because of the topics it might hit. While I wasn’t completely blown away by this book, I think it’s showcasing a story that is not often told, and one that deserves to be known.

Though this book is mainly told in Spencer’s perspective, it was broken up a bit by the occasional letter from Hope or Janie. I think that helped move the story along in a nice way, and it allowed us to experience this story on a deeper level.

One of my biggest pet peeves in stories are characters who don’t communicate and they just assume that the other character knows what’s going on by reading their mind, and I have to be honest, I was not a big fan of Hope because she fits that mold perfectly. I began to like her more as the story progressed, but not enough to like her and Spencer together.

While there were a lot of nice things in this book, there were a lot of bad things as well. I feel like the good and the bad kind of evened each other out and I decided to rate this book 3/5 stars. It’s definitely worth a read, but be wary going in. Also, it’s out now if you want to check it out!

At heart, this is an entirely predictable remance with the standard increasingly forced circumstances and misunderstandings keeping our fated couple apart. It does address some bigger issues (racism, parental expectations, perceptions) but these are simply elements that further a standard romance plot.

*RECEIVED FROM NETGALLEY

We. Need. More. Books. Like. This.
I never knew someone who had Tourette's but this made me realize what it is actually like. The fact that the author not only talks about TS, but racism as well. You get to see both sides of the argument and how two-sided it is. I know several people who think it is great for the flag to be up/not good to have it up and I'm glad the author addresses that. Blog post to come.

This book had its high points and its low points. Although, overall, the low points won out on the high.

A lot of the reviews on Goodreads are overwhelmingly positive about this novel - mostly because it has a main character (Spencer) with Tourette's Syndrome and a cute romance as the central plot.

Unfortunately, I don't think that the author actually understood Tourette's. To put it plainly, Spencer's Tourette's was used when it was useful for the author to use it as a plot point, or at least that's what it felt like to me, reading it. It felt like lazy writing to only just mention the effects of his disorder once or twice in a chapter.

The writing also ground my gears a lot - it just wasn't interesting. It was formulaic, repetitive and I didn't find any of the main characters especially likeable. Hope, the other protagonist, was someone I genuinely despised. She was shallow, self-centred, and she was so ignorant of other people's feelings that it spoilt the plot for me.

This book follows several years in the life of Spencer and Hope, and the timeline is impossible to keep track of. There was a point when two characters started a sexual relationship, and I thought they were both still eight and ten.

Good points about this book: I will admit, the romance was very cute. It's a friendship to romantic relationship, and it doesn't rush into the romance too early on. It gives us a little substance to the fluff, as well.

Overall, I gave this book a halfhearted 2 stars. Just... This book could have been so much better if the characters had actually been nice?

A Taxonomy of Love had ALL the feels. It was cute, it was happy, it was sad (omg, was it sad!), it had me tearing up, it had me laughing, there were times I was annoyed, and times I was angry. Like I said, it had all the feels. I think all that makes for a good book, especially if you’re able to connect with the characters and experience all of the feelings and emotions they are going through. I felt that when I was reading this book and Rachael did a good job with writing it.

The book stars off with Spencer and Hope being in just seventh grade and it following them all through high school. It was really cool getting to see all the characters in this story grow and navigate life and high school. It wasn’t always easy for Spencer (especially in his younger years) since he has Tourette Syndrome. I felt so bad for him a lot of the time and I was rooting for him every page. It felt like he had to try 100 times harder than everyone. Hope had her own struggles through the years as well. It wasn’t always easy for her, but I think in ways both Spencer and Hope got through things because they had their friendship.

There were also times where Hope made me pretty angry as well. I felt so protective of Spencer, so anything that was against it made me mad or annoyed me though. So many other great characters in this story as well as the MC; like their families, although Dean (Spencer’s brother) was questionable at times. There were also times I did think things were a little weird or didn’t make sense to the story. It also jumped around quite a bit without warning. Like first they were in seventh grade and then all of a sudden it would be months or a year later without warning. So had to figure that out. I’m also not sure if that’s just the way that the e-ARC was setup, because there weren’t always breaks or headers other than “chapter numbers” or when Spencer created a taxonomy list.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I am really happy that I was given the opportunity to read it. There were a lot of things to take away from this and it was interesting to learn a little about Tourette Syndrome. I haven’t read any books that had a character with TS, so that was also cool about reading this one. New experiences and learning things I don’t know a whole lot about. It was just released earlier this month, so definitely go check it out!

Recommended if you liked: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

TL;DR – I learned about Tourettes. The characters were moderately deep and had a good developmental arc, but I wasn’t a huge fan of how the author chose to pace the book.

First off, I’ve never read a book with a character who has Tourette Syndrome. To be honest, I knew very little about it before reading this book, but I feel like it does a really good job of treating it in a very frank and honest way while also being extremely respectful. I feel like I’m more prepared now if I were to ever interact with someone who has Tourettes.

I thought that the characters had a pretty good developmental arc throughout the book, but the pacing was a little weird sometimes. I was reading from a digital galley and I think some formatting things were lost in translation because all of the sudden the next chapter had skipped to the next summer and I felt like I had to catch up. I’m sure this is resolved in the final physical copy, but it made it hard for me to enjoy the book at first (I think my copy was just missing some headings or something). The book spans from when Spencer and Hope are around 13 to 19 so there are huge sections of these characters lives that are “left out”. At the same time, it gives a pretty good picture of how people change throughout high school and in response to life events, etc.

This book is less plot-centric than character driven so there isn’t too much to comment on in that area. I will say, it felt a little lazy to me that the author had Spencer and Hope’s friendship rebuilt “off-screen”. We leave them at a tentative truce and then in the next chapter it’s a year later and they’re friends again? I would have liked to have seen more of that develop than just having it be handed to me as a reader.

Overall, I thought this book was pretty good, but not necessarily mind-blowing. I did come out of it feeling more educated than I had been going in, but I had a really hard time adjusting to the pacing and time skips, etc. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn a little more about Tourettes in a casual setting or to anyone who wants a break from the YA female narrator.

Overall Rating: 3
Language: Modereate
Violence: Mild
Smoking/Drinking: Mild
Sexual Content: Moderate

Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Beautiful book. Life is always mapped in in perfectly checked boxes. This is a great addition to my classroom library.

I loved this book. The characters were well constructed, adorable and charming. I loved that it spanned over quite a few years and you saw how the characters developed and grew. A classic coming of age, will-they-won't-they type story. I enjoyed every minute.

"Please tell me you have lattes because if you don't, I am going to lose all hope in the universe."

3.5/5 stars

When I was a small, little seventh-grader, I was fascinated with books and finding the existence of dragons. Nothing has changed there, except now that I am THE DRAGON; however, I have always been classified as a reader and a nerd.

[Insert gif of Snape saying "Always"]

See. Snape understands.

Anyway, getting away from my harry potter addiction, Spencer is a nerd as well and he likes Harry Potter(cause who doesn't) and loves to classify people into different groups. I found Spencer to be very likable as he is very intelligent, kind, and can sing "The Schuyler Sisters" at the top of his lungs like there is no tomorrow! He is also courageous, especially once he starts getting older and gains more confidence, and what really stood out was that he deals with Tourette Syndrome. I have never heard nor read of this disorder and it seems as if my computer does not recognize it as there is that red squiggle underneath Tourette. When I was reading about Spencer and how he deals with Tourette's, I was dancing at the thought of some more diversity in books and sympathizing with how he would express his nervous energy through tics.

However, just because I like Spencer and want him to be happy does not make him perfect. He is very impulsive and will say things, such as rude comments or funny come-backs, that get his butt whooped. Also, he is quick to judge others and not let other characters say what they need to say, such as when Hope is trying to tell something to him that could have made this book shorter if she had the opportunity to explain what she was going to explain. I would tell what Hope was trying to say; however, it has some spoilers within the conversation and I want to make sure that you are just as frustrated with this as I am.

The other side to the main relationship is Hope Birdsong. Although she may not sing a bird's tune, she does sing along to the Hamilton soundtrack. I bet my mom and dad are shaking their heads in shame at how many times I have mentioned Hamilton, which I will tell you is so expensive for a seat in the worst section of the theater. When did life become so complicated?! Okay, so back to Hope. She is very much a dreamer as she wants to travel the world with her sister, Janie, and Spencer and is a nerd. I am so glad that there were so many smart and fandom-loving characters included in this story as I resonated with almost all the characters. As how Spencer deals with Tourette's, Hope also has to deal with a hard part of her life, which happens to be her sister's death. I thought that this would bring Spencer and Hope closer; however, it did not. Hope has to probably be on of my least love interests; however, she will never be close to Rowan from Throne of Glass series. Never will anyone be close to him. Anyway, I did not like her so much as she was so frustrating to read about since she liked Dean and Spencer, and she would always. Also, sometimes, when I would not be liking Hope so much in certain passages, I would hope for her to go away. Oh, Hope just got roasted! Though, in all seriousness, I just really found Hope to be extremely annoying and predictable in her actions when fighting with people and making decisions. However, even though I may not have enjoyed her the most, she seemed to be very fun and adventurous in the first few days of knowing her. Once she started growing up, though, is another story as she got too boy-crazy and way too troublesome.

Next, remember how I told you that Spencer and Hope are a bit geeky and nerdy? Well, if you like Hamilton: The Musical, Harry Potter, Laini Taylor, Pokémon, or fandoms in general, you will probably like this story. I cannot tell you how many times I laughed and/or snickered due to Hamilton being sung or someone is thought to be reading the latest book by Laini Taylor, which "ahem* is Strange the Dreamer if you did not already know. I felt as if Rachael Allen added her own twist on a cute contemporary romance/ friendship story by adding some of her personality and interests...unless, if she actually *gasp* hates Hamilton, *double gasp* Harry Potter, *triple gasp* Laini Taylor and *biggest gasp to allow myself to blow the biggest breath of fire I can* all the rest of the fandom discussed and mentioned. Then, I must breathe fire all over this book except I would never as I love books and this is not Fahrenheit 451.

Although I may have enjoyed the overall plot, the way it was told was very confusing and not executed very well; however, it may have just been my arc format. It definitely was an interesting format that I have never read of before in a book, jumping from present tense to letters and emails from Janie and Hope to some classifications made from Spencer; however, no matter how creative it is it was a bit confusing to follow as too much jumping around from different timelines as this story follows Spencer and Hope's lives from the ages of and between 13 to 19 and the different types of formats that tell this story.

Also, within the story, the cute contemporary romance was not the only part. There were also some deeper parts that I did not expect very much discussion of because the topics, which I will not write since they are semi-important to the story and require one's reflection, are mostly open to the public to discuss freely. I was surprised to learn a lesson or two or as many as a dozen; however, I was more happy than surprised in the end since I had gotten more coming out of the book, which only took a day to read if you will believe me! All of the moments that discuss these topics I will not name take part in little snippets so it may be hard to find, but they are very much important and stand out if one is looking.

This review, hopefully, sums up how I feel about Rachael Allen's A Taxonomy of Love, which comes out on January 9th. Also,today's January 9th so get your booties to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Book Depository(where free shipping is guaranteed for wherever you live), or any other book shopping center you visit to order this book. I may not have a good catchphrase to make a pitch; however, I hope my review entertained you or inspired you to pick up a copy.

Until next time, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

Love,

newbookcats

This is an anticipated read for 2018 and honestly, it was so cute. I also loved that the main character, Spencer, is completely diverse because he has Tourette’s syndrome. I’ve only ever seen anything about this disease on a documentary show, so it was definitely interesting to read about it in a character.

Spencer meets Hope before seventh grade and he immediately falls in love with her. Through the years, up until his high school graduation, he and Hope go through ups and downs and heartbreaks.

Details

This novel is in first person with Spencer’s thoughts, his taxonomies of different things in life and Hope’s correspondences with her sister Janie. It’s an interesting mix, but I think Rachael put it all together really well. I always think that first POV is tricky to handle because it shouldn’t be too casual or too idiotic or anything like that. Spencer’s thoughts are exactly perfect for first POV that I don’t think it would fit with third person. It was interesting to be inside his mind as he navigates his illness through middle school and high school while falling in love (albeit a few times). He learns to be his own kind of normal.

Spencer

Which brings me to the character himself! I absolutely adored this kid. He has a strange fascination of bugs and facts about different things that, with his illness, he can’t help but talk a lot about his knowledge for different things. It’s adorable and kind of crazy when he is young. However, he manages to hold back when he gets older. He gets to control his illness with medication and learn how to act around people in a public setting that may not handle his illness in an appropriate manner. He even becomes an athlete! I just absolutely loved that Rachael didn’t portray him as someone that has to be defined by their illness. He is simply defined as a character going through a normal high school experience while figuring out relationships, friendships and life in general. I loved it all.

Hope

She was definitely an interesting character. She’s kind of depicted, in her early years, as a tomboy with white hair. When she gets older and things get complicated between her and Spencer, she goes through a rebellious phase. However, due to certain events in her family and personal life, it’s all pretty self-explanatory. She definitely goes through quite a lot and it’s something that helps her connect with Spencer in the long run and it’s something that Spencer mainly needs to understand in order to reach that connection he wants. Above all though, I loved Hope’s character. She wants to travel the world like her sister and to make something of herself. She’s very fearless and that’s something we need more of in female characters.

The Bottom Line

This book was so beautiful, funny, heartbreaking, and heartwarming at the same time. It was so adorable and informative (thanks, Spencer!). I didn’t expect to love it so much, but I should have known by its immediate format and Spencer’s POV. It’s just perfect and if you haven’t read this yet, you need to right now. Or whenever you get free time. Don’t try to read in your sleep.

This is a sweet coming of age, romance story following the lives and shared moments from middle school through high school of Spencer and Hope.
I really wanted to like this one, but I'm feeling rather indifferent about it.

I enjoyed how Tourette syndrome brought up and dealt with, showing how one person's life with it is and the uses of drugs. I think it brought an additional quality to the book which may also help people understand it. I also liked how grief was handled -- it isn't always neat or overcome swiftly. The relationships between siblings is relateable and realistic.
The characters were likeable and all were very different from each other, making it easy to tell them a part.

I think what was difficult for me to like about this book is that it is very real life. There really isn't a climax or overall problem to the book, because life doesn't work that way. Unfortunately, much of the drama and development happens off screen, which I found to be weird. It would happen during time skips. This isn't to say nothing happens on page, but... I don't know, I just want something else from this book.

I found the dual narrative to be... weird. The book is mostly told through Spencer's POV and there is more from Hope in the beginning of the book through letters and messages with her sister. The letters were okay, but not totally my thing. I think other people would really enjoy them.

I can't comment on the Taxonomies, because with the ARC I was given they were all messed up and impossible to understand. I do want to see what they should look like, so I'll check out the physical copy when I can.


I think if I had read this as an audiobook, I might have enjoyed it more. I tend to like contemporaries more with that format. This is a book I think many people will enjoy and I'll probably recommend it down the road.

I really enjoyed this book a lot, it was such a fun and cute read. The only thing I didn't really like was the structure to the plot but apart from that I did really enjoy this book. My full review is on my blog

It would be more of a 2.5-star rating but that's not an option, is it? I'm not much of a contemporary enthusiast. It's that kind of genre that just does not surprise. A Taxonomy of Love has it all - a protagonist with Tourette's Syndrome, a cool love interest, a golden-boy brother, a diverse main-ish character, a love triangle (or a love square?) *sigh*, family issues, tragedy, even a representation of an LGBTQ+ relationship is thrown into the mix *cheers*. So why only two stars? Well, that's simple - because it was just like every other contemporary YA book.

I did have a bit of an issue with the writing. I felt like the author couldn't decide what style she wanted to use, so she mashed up two incompatible ones and it just doesn't work out. One moment the narrator would use the teenage-boy speech, the next he would get into a poetic description of his deepest, most dramatic feelings which he would end with a phrase along the lines of "or something," as if the author suddenly realized that the main character was a 13-year-old boy not a middle-aged essayist. Talking about 13-year-old boys, I was immensely frustrated throughout the whole first half of the book. Spencer was almost unbearably annoying up until he turned 16. The second half turned out to be a huge improvement, though I still found myself rolling my eyes in exasperation here and there.

However mediocre it may have been, A Taxonomy of Love did deal with serious topics, which I do appreciate. First of them, and the one that was given the most attention, was Spencer's Tourette syndrome and how it caused him to be excluded, how it made him feel like he didn't belong. Albeism is a huge problem that is not given half the attention it should get. A Taxonomy of Love portrays this issue with respect and care. Racism, in my opinion, could have been handled better. Tragedy and coping, which were, once again, two of the main focuses of the book, were shown through Hope's characters and let's just say that it felt very raw and natural. The book also touched on the topic of bullying, but it wasn't really dealt with in any greater measures and kind of stopped once Spencer started wrestling.
In the end, the underdog wins the game and gets the girl, what more can you ask for?

The link to the review will be added once the review has been finalised.

This was such a cute and wonderful read, whilst also tackling issues that i've not seen in other YA books, it was just such a refreshing read

In the introduction by the editor, this book is cited as a YA When Harry Met Sally, and I have to say, that was a great reference for this story of friendship, family, love, and growing up.

I am a fan of male-female friendships, and this one was really special. When Hope and Spencer first met, I knew immediately that they would play a special part in each others lives. I loved that at 13 years old, Hope was able to see beyond Spencer's tics, and that Spencer was able to find a kindred spirit, who would listen to him talk about bugs and climb trees with him.

Watching Hope grow and change over the years was tough. She started out as a sort of Luna Lovegood (her own description), and she was very precious when we first met her. Her life had quite a few major ups and downs, and she didn't always deal with them in the best ways. I think I shed the most tears for her, but through it all, Spencer never gave up on her. *Crying*

From page 1, I was head over heels for Spencer. I knew when I started this book, that I would be spending several years with him, and the whole time I kept hoping that he would stay the sweet cupcake of a boy he was when I met him. I worried about him often, because things were not easy for Spencer. He experienced a lot of disappointments and was often targeted by bullies, but he was lucky enough to have some great people in his corner, who were looking out for him.

There were several things I loved about the format of this book. This book was broken up years, and each part highlights the major things that happened in Hope and Spencer's friendship. It's like a highlight reel, and I really got to see how their outlook on things changed as they matured. Most of the book is told in a narrative format from Spencer's point of view, which I loved, but we also got to be in Hope's head at times. Her POV was accomplished via emails and texts to her older sister, and they really added something special to the story.

Recently, I have been reading more and more books featuring neurodivergent characters, but this is the first one I have read spotlighting Tourette's syndrome. Like Spencer laments, I have only really seen swearing TS characters and some with tics, but I was never aware of all the different symptoms some people experience or how physically taxing they could be. Allen did such a good job conveying Spencer's feelings and his personal struggles, and I appreciated the bit of education Allen gave me on that and on the "social model of disability". Sometimes, it's good to have someone call my attention to such things, and I will admit, I went on to read more about both things.

As previously mentioned, Spencer didn't have it easy, but eventually, he found his tribe. It was quite a wonderful and eclectic group Allen assembled for him, and I also loved that they embraced this idea of not changing in order to fit, but rather, finding people they fit with. It's a beautiful concept. I also got to see his relationship with his father and his brother improve, and his step mother and grandmother were always fabulous allies and supporters of his. In fact, I thought Mimi needed more page space, because she was one super-fabulous grandma.

My heart went splat quite a few times as I read this book. I got snippets of Spencer and Hope's lives from age 13 to 19, and it wasn't all sunshine and unicorns. Their friendship had many dark days. It evolved and changed as they evolved and changed. My heart broke, ached, and soared for these two. It was quite an emotional journey, which Allen wrapped up quite well. I pretty much jumped for joy reading the epilogue, because I got answers, and that is all I am ever asking for in an ending.

Overall: A beautiful and honest look at how messy relationships can be, which took me through a full range of emotions, but in the end, left me elated.

If I had read this book at the age of 16 I would have probably liked it more, it was very cute and everything but I can’t get rid of the feeling it’s ‘yet another typical YA romance book’ which is why I only gave it 3 stars.

The only difference from others was the fact that the main character has Tourette syndrome, which made me want to finish this book. I’m glad this subject gets discussed in this book as not many youngsters know what Tourette syndrome actually is and I hope with reading this book people will get a better look on it.

The story in general is very cute and so are the characters. It’s nice to see how the characters develop throughout the story and how romance comes out of it all, but like I said it’s a typical cute YA story, perfect if you want to read something light.

A Taxonomy of Love was an excellent book of a budding friendship, romance, love, and acceptance. This book has so many things going for it I can't even begin to explain them all. Spencer and Hope meet in the seventh grade and from there, we get a story that spans seven years, told in Spencer's perspective with Hope's journal entries, texts, or emails interspersed throughout the book. Something particularly amazing about this book is the fact that I don't feel like I'm lost or confused. It flows very well, and we don't get a one-sided story. I felt like I was watching a television show unfold before me, I knew what was going on with both characters, and I wanted to tell the other to avoid the misunderstanding. I haven't gotten this immersed with a novel in a while, and I definitely want to add this to my shelf!

A Taxonomy of Love is a sweet coming of age story about Spencer, and his discoveries on the complexities of life and love. After seeing the cover and reading the blurb, I knew I would love the book.
The story follows Spencer through his experiences leaving middle school to entering high school, all while dealing with Tourette's and his complicated relationship with the people around him, especially Hope. 
Spencer is such a wonderful narrator. His sincerity and softness is something that is so rare to see. His social anomalies usually lead to awkward silences within the story, and many other hilarious encounters. 
The story was split into two parts: when Hope came into his life... and when things got messy. I will admit that I liked the latter part much much more.
The book definitely gave of Love, Rosie vibes. The story between Hope and Spencer was honestly a big rollercoaster ride. I loved the BirdsongBarton moments. And hated it sometimes, too. I read their moments together and apart, aching over the bad timing, bad decisions, and lost chances. Like life. 
The books take a few leaps in Spencer's life, jumping over periods of his life. It makes the readers feel like they're jumping in and out of the life of Spencer as if travelling through time and looking at how he's progressed. This was definitely a new experience and a fresh read. It was evident how much Spencer has changed over the years.
What made me smile so much was how much the importance of his illness had diminished over the years. When beginning the book, it was evident how much of a toll it took on him and his ability to make friends. As the story progressed, you could see how he paid much less attention to it. Other than a tic here and there, he lived a completely normal life, drastically different from how he imagined it three years ago. The amount of change Spencer experiences is amazing and in a very good way. I literally wanted to enter the book at the end to slap him on the back.
His taxonomies before the chapters are absolutely adorable and sweet. As well, I loved the letters that Hope wrote to Janie. That was the only way where we got a bit of point of view from Hope.
The blurb states it so clearly: sometimes things in life can't be easily classified as one thing or another, and sometimes, it's a good thing.
If there was any book that has left me fuzzy and warm inside, it's this one.