Cover Image: The First Kiss Hypothesis

The First Kiss Hypothesis

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Member Reviews

A fun, best friends romance with a twist. I enjoyed this story, it was so well written, with excellent character development, and an age appropriate dialogue.

The story did become a bit much in places but overall it was a great story.

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Another fun read in this crush imprint of books! I loved the relationship between Nora and Eli and the way that her hypothesis on love was tested. I loved the way the alternating view points added to their history and how the characters bonded over pie. I read the story wishing I had a best friend like Eli! Super cute and fun romantic read that I know some of my freshman girls will enjoy!

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What a fun contemporary! Although, contemporaries are usually always fun. There were so many positives in this book, it made my heart happy. Even though the MCs drove me a bit nuts at times with their really irritating teenage thought processes. But hey, teenagers of all ages drive me nuts. I think it's because I'm old.

Like I said, this book has a lot of positives. One them is that Nora is huge into science and is all about advocacy for a variety of different things, like autism and tortoises. Which is amazing! So many girls don't pursue science because it's not "girly" or considered an appropriate career for women. So major shout out to the author, Christine Mandelski, for showing that girls can be into science and it's completely okay. The side character, Abby, was also involved in science, which is another added bonus.

There was also really good representation of anxiety while driving. I know that it's a bit of a minor thing but driving can be so anxiety inducing. I didn't get my license until I was 18 years old because I was utterly terrified of driving. What Nora experiences while driving is a very real fear and I completely understand it.

The concept of the plot was very interesting. Nora is trying to find the right boy for her by kissing them and get hit with that spark, like her grandparents had. She has kissed a ton of guys and it made her a bit of social outcast at school, which is sad. But Nora is a scientist and is determined to get an answer to hypothesis.

Eli was the real star of the show. His POV was hilarious. He sounded like such a typical guy and it made me laugh! He knew when he was being a horrible person and (eventually) owned up to it. Plus, I love how much he loves his brother, Ari, who is on the spectrum.

Overall, this was a great read. Nora and Eli were hilarious, with Eli stealing the show. The concept, I think, was original and it was done very well. There was love and acceptance for girls involved in science and education on those on the autism spectrum. I couldn't be more pleased with this book.

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Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

This is another cute YA novel with the standard one could expected from Entangled Crush. I'll never say enough how much I live for their releases. I always feel sad when I can't pick more to review but I always make sure to find room at least one. I don't regret picking this one up.

Nora had a hypothesis she's formed based on the story of how her grandmother knew her grandfather would be the person with whom she's live happily for forty years. It's all about the first kiss; you just know it if that person is just a crush doomed to disappointment like her parents, or if he's the right one. In practice, she has kissed almost every boy at school and obtained no results. She suspects her perception has been altered to along-lasting crush over her best friend Eli Costas. She doesn't know it but now Eli is determined to disprove her theory.

This was fun, cute. A delight to read! I had just finished Love, Life and the List, which is also about best friends falling in love so I was afraid it could be a bad idea but I could only read it now so I had to risk it. Yes, this book passed.

Of course, a lot of the story is the expected cliché. But as stubborn as Nora was about her theory, her adventures were quite fun. I kept cheering for things to work out. I appreciated the subtle discussions on choosing universities, overcoming fears, seeking for your parents' approval. They were well mixed into the story and brought up good advices for the teenage readers.

Eli didn't charm me much, and I thought the climax was a little silly—why are most YA writers so lazy with that? However, all that wasn't enough to spoil my guilt pleasure. Christina Mandelski is a name to watch for. So if you want some upbeat YA contemporary romance, it's a good pick for this Fall.

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Hypothesis: "For each person in the world, there is exactly one other person who, at first kiss, causes an immediate and intense reaction."

Nora believes this Hypothesis and is trying to find her first kisses. Her methods include charity Kissing booths and plenty of first dates. Her grandmother found her soulmate after one kiss and married 2 weeks later. Nora wants her experience.

Eli is trying to prove the hypothesis is untrue. Nora and Eli have already shared their first kiss and it wasn't magic. Nora sprang it on him and he wasn't ready. It was awkward and a total disaster for there relationship. Luckily they got over it and now are back to being best friends. I've read a lot of best friend romance books lately and I liked the fact this one was a little different. Both characters already know they like the other they just need to find the right page.

Nora wants to be a scientist and is a believer in proven theories. She studies hard and spends her free time with Eli. She dates, but unsuccessful thanks to her hypothesis. It has made her distance from other students at her school. She wants to get over her crush on Eli, but she needs his help first.

Eli has had enough of Nora's one and done. He intends to show her she may miss out on true love if she doesn't give up her science project. With some intense driving, some delicious pie and a cute younger brother- The first kiss hypothesis is a sweet original story.

4 Stars out of 5. *I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of the Chapter by Chapter blog tour*

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(I received an advance copy of this book for free. Thanks to Entangled Publishing, LLC and NetGalley.)


“A kiss with chemistry is different from a kiss without chemistry. Period.”

This was a YA contemporary romance story, about a girl with a scientific theory about first kisses.

I liked Nora and Eli, and I liked how relaxed they were around each other. It was also nice the way that Eli always drove Nora to school after she broke someone’s leg during drivers ed.

The storyline in this was about Nora having a scientific theory, that when you met the right person your first kiss would be wonderful. Unfortunately, she had kissed Eli when she was younger, and had thus written him off as a possible boyfriend because the first kiss wasn’t great. It was sweet how she tried to ignore her feelings for Eli though, and it was nice that Eli secretly felt the same way about her and wanted to disprove her hypothesis. That second first kiss was a long time coming though.

The ending to this was a happily ever after, and it was nice that we got to see what happened to Nora and Eli after high school finished.
6.5 out of 10

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Nora and Eli are the cutest. For reals. I really enjoyed this light hearted YA Romance.
Nora meets Eli. Nora is a scientist and she has a theory. The first kiss should determine whether or not this person is going to be the love of your life….that is what happened to her grandparents so that’s feasible right? When she and Eli have that first magical kiss it is so bad that Eli is placed in the friend zone for years!
This story made me smile. It was light and well written. Christina does a great job writing teenagers. It was refreshing and different than all the dark and gloom that I have read this October. I loved that Eli and Nora did not throw everything aside for love. It was very realistic that their lives were to go on within all the drama. The story wrapped up well and I was left with a settled feeling. I would absolutely recommend The First Kiss Hypothesis to anyone who enjoys YA Romance.

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