I think there's a huge crossover between readers and crossword lovers, and so to that segment of the reading population, this book is like catnip. I like that it feels like it skews to a somewhat older YA audience, too.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Net Galley.

Young Adult. This book was a DNF for me. I got about half way in but found it so implausible that I couldn't continue. Scott is a junior in high school, but his parents have left the country for the summer and he's supposed to be working at an internship. He quits within days of starting and heads to Washington DC where he is befriended by a female college student and hijinks ensue. It was all such a stretch that I called it quits. Not recommended

I loved this book. It's pretty far fetched, but it's a funny, spunky story, and I think teens will enjoy it. It has a little Basil E. Frankweiler to it that is very appealing. And my husband is a crossword-nerd, so I have a soft spot for the topic.

Down and Across is a YA/Coming-of-Age book about Saaket "Scott" Ferdowsi who never seems to have a hold on his life. The realisation of his care-free and commitment-phobic attitude leads him to a journey to find the true meaning of 'grit' in present-day Washington DC. Along the way, he makes friends with characters like Fiora and Trent and they help him on his runaway business while his parents spend time with his grandparent in Iran.

This is one of the books that make you wonder why you picked it up in the first place. I was enjoying the beginning of the book but by the time I was halfway done, I almost gave up. Arvin makes a good attempt at righting YA as his debut but doesn't quite do justice with the genre. The concept of the book wasn't exceptional and neither was the storyline but somehow you manage to finish the book with nothing great left in your heart

I really hoped this book would make me adore crossword puzzles and everything to do with it. However, I'm still the same old person who just read through only to know how the main character finds himself.

CONCLUSION: If you find yourself in a reading slump and are looking for a light read, this might just do the job fairly well.

This was so-so for me. The characters were well developed, the plot well paced, and the main character's struggles were relatable. It's funny, and smart, but there was just something missing for me. The diversity, realistic plot (and ending!) combined with the powerful friendship make this worth a peek.

This was such a nice surprise of a book. Especially for this cruciverbalist! AND, I love that there is no real romance...the story is plenty without that element taking away from it or complicating things. The crosswords as synonyms for life though....mind-bogglingly accurate! I loved this book!!! ☺♥

This is a pretty solid little book for a debut. The plot isn't as consistent as I would have liked and it didn't seem to have much of a story arc, but the characters were pleasant enough. The teen prankster cruciverbalist may be the most MPDG of all the Manic Pixies, which grated on me. Weird hobby, odd name, mental illness, unusual looks, devil may care attitude, and she even gets a pixie haircut for God's sake. She literally checks every box. I also feel like all the boys in this novel needed a healthy dose of self-respect. I think his exploration within Scott's character was very good, as was the part about pursuing grit. Otherwise this one is pretty meh.

Down and Across is about the Iranian Scott who is forced by his father to do an internship he doesn’t want to do. But Scott doesn’t know what he does want to do in his life. I could definitely relate to Scott. Like him, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to do in life, rethinking my choices and so on, but like him, I realized that not everything needs to be planned out. He is a very relatable character and also a very likable one. I think a lot of teens (and older readers too) could relate to him and his experiences. I’m not Iranian, so I can’t say anything about whether the representation was accurate, but it felt really realistic. I loved how Scott’s identity was woven through his personality and family.

“I imagined the big bang, which created our scattered universe: scattered, but acceptable. Indefinitely incomplete. I wondered: Why aren’t I allowed to be indefinitely incomplete too?”

Though I did enjoy reading about the side characters, they weren’t all as likable. They were flawed, a little flat at times, but yet they were interesting and different. I can’t say I liked Fiora or Jeanette much but I did really like how they influenced Scott and changed him as a person. You could really well see how he changed, and not just by the characters but also by the things he learned along the way.

“Of course I didn’t mind. Who was I to mind? Who was anyone? I was Iranian, and Jeanette was Christian, and Trent was gay. These were facts, and the world kept spinning.”

The story itself is funny, interesting, and also inspiring. It’s about being gritty, about persevering to do the things you want to do and not giving up and it has definitely inspired me. There were a few plot twists I really didn’t see coming and there was always something going on to keep you intrigued in the story. Though it wasn’t a happily ever after, I loved the ending. It wasn’t romanticized, it was just real. Like the story is.

“Two steps forward, one back. Five forward, twelve back. Left, right, diagonal, down, across, and right back around the block. We’re all just trying to keep moving. Sometimes we know where we’re going and sometimes we get lost. But as long as we move, we grow.

I am giving this book 4 stars, it is a really good story that’s funny, relatable and inspiring! There’s some diversity in the book, which I really liked. I definitely liked reading from an Iranian boy’s perspective, which I haven’t done before and I really liked how that affected the story. I loved how quirky, yet flawed the characters were and the story was just a joy to read. I definitely recommend it!

DOWN AND ACROSS by Arvin Ahmadi will be appearing on our shelves soon. No doubt there will be student readers who relate to 16 year-old Scott Ferdowsi, the main character who cannot seem to hold a thought for much more than a paragraph. At first, that trait was endearing, but it became old quickly.

The son of Iranian immigrants who are travelling back to see relatives, Scott (Saaket) takes off to visit a professor at Georgetown to learn about grit, meets a young woman named Fiora and … well, has some misadventures. Although underage drinking, drug use and depression all are mentioned in this debut novel, I would say that this rather immature character will likely find more fans among relatively younger readers.

DOWN AND ACROSS had starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal (specifying grades 8 and up).

I had a hard time finding a connection with this book. I am well acquainted with children's books and young adult books, but this one just didn't do it for me. I found myself rushing to finish.

A smart, well-written story that compels the reader to keep going until they're done.

2.5 stars. This book just wasn't for me, but I know a lot of people will enjoy it!

Down and Across is a sweet coming of age story set in DC. It has unique features such as a focus in grit where Scott does profiles on people he finds gritty as he is in search of grit. Anyone looking for something fresh in YA contemporary fiction will want to check Down and Across out.

This is a nice debut work from Arvin Ahmadi and a recommended purchase for most libraries. I think Ahmadi's strengths are his narrative voice and his ability to balance serious and comic tones. His protagonist is a young man who - like Q in John Green's Paper Towns - is generally responsible and thoughtful and neither "popular" nor "nerdy." And like Q, this protagonist embarks on a summertime adventure in search of confidence and a sense of self (and a girlfriend, kind of). I do think the story suffers from conceptual weaknesses though. The crossword motif doesn't work as well as it should, and the entire focus on grit and determination falls flat; I don't think many teens will care much about either of these things. While the two main female characters are well-developed, one is a play on the manic-pixie-dream-girl and the other is fairly unlikeable. I cared very much about Scott, but found myself less attached to the supporting cast of characters.

Recommend to: middle and high school readers who enjoy realistic fiction and male narrators

Arvin Ahmadi's 'Down And Across' brought to mind the early books that made John Green famous; the road trip, weird but brilliant female character, the male main character dealing with some sort of internal turmoil...it's all here in Ahmadi's debut. But this time we get to see it all from an Iranian American 16-year-old. Basically, this might not be anything entirely new, or innovative, or shocking, but it is an entry into the lexicon of diverse YA that many will appreciate, and see themselves in.

DOWN AND ACROSS is a very charming, funny, and relatable debut about a kid figuring out his place in the world. The cast of supporting characters are fun, although Fiora is a textbook Manic Pixie Dream Girl. But if you like that kind of thing, you'll love her. :-)