This book does a great job at depicting anxiety and mental illness. Main character, Leo, is a high schooler who likes to knit and suffers from anxiety. After a fight, his father wants him to man up and take a self defense class, but Leo would rather do literally anything but that.

Leo had been told before, by his Greek grandma, to leave the Paros family alone, but when he shows up at the gym for his self defense class, Evey Paros is there. Her family is the reason that Leo's family had bad luck, but Evey secretly enrolls Leo in a yoga class, instead of the self defense class he was supposed to talk.

I really enjoyed this book and thought that the characters were very fleshed out, especially Leo. I don't read many books were the main character is a main and thought this was a good change from that, especially a male main character like Leo who isn't a typical manly guy. This book was compared to Dear Evan Hansen in the description, but I haven't seen/read it so I'm not sure about whether it is or not.

Review will be posted on Goodreads and my blog two weeks before publication date as requested in publishers approval preferences. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this.

I seriously had my doubts about this book.

When I first started reading it, I just really didn't understand what was going on. If you look back at my reading progress, you can clearly see my confusion...But then I read it and ended up giving it 5 stars, so I guess you don't really have to read my review to know how I felt about this book.

Please do keep reading anyway.

WHAT CHANGED MY MIND:
1. I started to fall for the characters very, very quickly. Leo is a SWEETHEART. He gives off a very detached vibe at the beginning, but his development really turns him into someone you can understand. The exposition made him seem very cold and tsundere-like, but I think as the writer warmed up to the story, readers can really feel like they're in Leo's mind rather than standing outside of it, watching as the events of his life unfold without really understanding. Walton does an excellent job of giving her characters heavy stakes that cause readers to form an emotional attachment!
2. Callbacks! I personally find this very difficult to do in my own writing, but MAN is it one of the most satisfying things to see in writing! When I say callbacks, I mean when something is referenced at the beginning of the book offhandedly, but then is brought up again in a changed manner by the end. *chef's kiss* It's a gift for readers who are paying enough attention to catch these easter eggs, and suCH A GRATIFYING THING. I found the callbacks in Leo's story to be very purposeful. They served well as a tie to character development and to emphasize the parallels in the plot. It's definitely points to an eye for detail on Walton's end. :D
3. Simple, yet powerful writing. Not gonna lie, I wasn't really in love with the writing at the beginning. I felt that the writing gradually flowed more easily as you got deeper into the book, which makes sense (since an author will warm up to their characters the more they write about them). I don't know if it was purposeful, but the almost...elementary style at the beginning nearly made me stop reading it right away. I'm glad I stayed until the end though. It wasn't hard to keep reading after...I don't know the 30-40% mark? The writing loosened up and was very easy to understand from that point on. It was definitely worth marching through the muddy beginning in my opinion.

Would I recommend this book?
- Do you like reading about underrepresented characters?
- Do you like reading about characters who might struggle with mental disorders/anxiety?
- Do you like reading about stAKES?
- Do you like reading about heartbreak and suffering with the angst that comes along with it?
- Do you like having a good time?

If your answer to any of these questions is a resounding YES, then I'd say go for it. On December 29, 2020. Which is when this book is going to be released.

Until then, you can stare out your window longingly as you wait for the day to come. ;)

**I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! Thank you to Random House for gifting me this beauty.

This book was described to be like Dear Evan Hansen, which is my favorite musical and a 5-star book for me, so I was left kinda disappointed after reading this. It’s definitely not a bad book, but the marketing tactic of comparing it to DEH was not a good move since it will draw fans in, then make them upset. 3/5 stars.

Leo is a great character for young men to read about. He's not macho. He likes knitting. He doesn't fit the mold of what a "guy" should be. And yet, he has self-assurance at times. He's not afraid to look weak, and usually, not to admit he's wrong. I loved getting to know Leo, and seeing a sensitive guy who was actually appreciated by those around him in the end. Get this book right away!

A genuinely delightful and funny novel despite the very serious themes of mental illness, grief, and isolation. It's shame that there is so much swearing throughout because while it does honestly depict the way teenagers speak and think, the presence of several f-bombs and other obscenities is sure to keep this book from being an assigned text or even in some school libraries. Here's hoping public and school librarians can slip this one past the censors, because it is a diverting tale.