So much angst, so many feels!! I’m having a hard time putting my feelings about this book into words—hence why it’s taken me several weeks to write a review that would typically take me an hour.

There were little things that made me like but not love this book—but I appreciated, so much, its rep of an MC who is messy and cynical and scared of love. A lot of that resonated.


✅ Five Ways to Fall Out of Love is quite angsty and I am a GLUTTON for angst.
❌ The angst got messier as the book went on and ended up feeling like a (somewhat unnecessary; definitely repetitive) emotional rollercoaster.

The moment I read the premise for Five Ways to Fall Out of Love, I knew I had to get my hands on this. After all, Aubrey’s story promised heap-loads of angst: after she is totally and unceremoniously rebuffed by her crush Webster in junior year, Aubrey resolves to never let herself be so vulnerable again. She and Webster fall into an antagonistic relationship (that borders on bullying, to be frank), and Aubrey doesn’t think this will ever change—until she’s convinced by her best friend, Reese, to crash Web’s NYE party, where Aubrey meets—or, more accurately, meet-cutes—the charming and funny Holland.

Holland, who happens to be Webster’s cousin.

Suddenly, Aubrey finds herself drawn to Holland, even while she’s forced to become lab partners with Webster for the year. (One of their projects involves co-parenting a fake baby, and it’s HILARIOUS.) As Aubrey has to navigate her growing cynicism about love and finding “the one,” she must also grapple with changing friendships and her parents’ own conflicted relationship.

And the book definitely delivers on the drama!! There are betrayals galore. There’s a love triangle. There’s pining and miscommunications and snubs and patch-ups and meaningful moments of reconnection.

This certainly kept me engaged, the same way a soap opera would keep me on the edge of my seat. But as I read on and realized that the “angst” mostly arose from characters not talking with each other and being open about their feelings and intentions… it became frustrating.

Aubrey’s relationships—with Webster, Reese, Holland, and others—became misunderstanding after misunderstanding, with so many mean and hurtful things said by both Aubrey and the others. I have mixed feelings; on the one hand, this sort of messiness, the characters’ pettiness and selfishness, felt genuine. It resonated. And while I think it’s naive to expect teenagers to be perfectly inoffensive and emotionally mature in every situation, the total lack of communication (particularly between Aubrey and Webster) got so repetitive, it became harder to believe that they cared for each other. I sympathized with the first misunderstanding that shattered Aubrey and Webster’s friendship, but each subsequent misunderstanding felt less and less believable.


✅ The writing is very readable and the banter made me laugh!
❌ But the storytelling was also kind of predictable.

This novel was genuinely cute and funny—and less cheesy/cringe than I thought it’d be. Reese, for example, was relegated to the textbook bubbly-best-friend role, yet her character was fleshed out in a way that felt oddly, nicely, nuanced. I flew through this book and read it in a day; ultimately it was an entertaining, if predictable, story.


✅ The MC is cynical about love, which I don't see repped in YA fic very often and I appreciated IMMENSELY.

Contrary to many readers’ experiences, I actually really liked reading Aubrey’s “pessimism” about romantic relationships. It didn’t feel draining to me; rather, it was an affirming experience reading about someone who feels apprehensive about love and who isn’t eager to jump into a relationship—a refreshing change from YA’s insta-love trope.


❌ The way Aubrey engages with Webster's bisexuality felt uncomfy-weird to me and I can't exactly put my finger on why.

Aubrey says several ignorant things re: bisexuality throughout the book. One could argue that she’s modelling the ways in which most people—cishet people especially—are ignorant about bisexuality and the experiences of bi folks. That sort of messiness could be read, on the one hand, as authentically imperfect, especially since Webster usually calls Aubrey out on her weird comments. (And hopefully, by extension, this signals that the author is aware of the stereotypes and prejudices faced by bisexual people.)

For example, there’s the time she thought he’d go off to college and meet more potential partners because he’s attracted to several genders—reinforcing the belief that bi people are more promiscuous and less “choosy” than monosexual people. Web pushes back on this assumption. Then there’s the time Aubrey keeps inquiring about the boys/men Webster has had romantic relationships with (though she’s never asked about the girls he’s been with), and again Web calls her out for being weird.

On the OTHER hand: is that enough, though? While Aubrey would defend Webster against the blatant biphobia of their classmates, there is only Webster to defend himself against Aubrey’s (more insidious) biphobic comments. In these instances it felt like the sole bisexual character had to stand up for himself and all bi folks—like the responsibility of challenging biases fell solely on Webster’s shoulders. I think I would’ve preferred if there were more characters who were queer (or were better allies than Aubrey) calling her out on her weird, problematic comments. This would make it more apparent, for me at least, that the author was subverting stereotypes about bi people instead of reinforcing them.


❌ Webster’s feminism rubbed me the wrong way.

Intentional or not, this book pushes the idea that feminism is a reactionary event—that is, feminism only shows up when injustice is present, and then feminism makes a big splashy social-justice statement.

In practice, in reality, feminism is SO much more than that. Feminism needs to be upheld at both the macro (societal/political) and micro (interpersonal and intrapersonal) levels.

Webster understands the former; he is totally clueless about the latter. The book really takes the time to underscore that Webster is a “feminist.” For example, he wears a t-shirt that openly proclaims his feminist status. He protests the school’s sexist dress code after Aubrey gets punished for wearing an off-the-shoulder top—which, great for him.

But Webster is also the same guy who straight up BULLIES Aubrey after he misunderstood something she said about him. His hurt feelings were 100% valid. His cruel response? His taunts and harassment in the year that followed? NOT valid. NOT feminist.

Feminism is political—AND it’s personal. I wish the book had reflected this.


✅ Lastly: Aubrey loves dogs and there are several goodest boys and girls in this book. 🥺


BOTTOM LINE: This book made me feel a lot of feels. I REALLY appreciated the rep of family conflict, of friendship breakups (and make-ups), and above all—I very much appreciated its depiction of the messiness of someone who’s cynical about love. I would recommend this if you don’t mind an angst-fest riddled with miscommunication and misunderstanding!



Thank you NetGalley and Inkyard Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am here for all the teen romances that depict love as difficult and messy. I am even more here for young female protagonists that are equal parts messy, cynical, and terrified of falling in love. Five Ways to Fall Out of Love tackles that difficult narrative by allowing Aubrey Cash to make mistakes and close herself off; rather than be completely okay with falling for her arch-nemesis. It's a realistic portrayal of the pressure media puts on women to find love at first sight when so many relationships are falling apart around them and they can't open up the way they should to others.

Unfortunately, that's where the relatable parts of this story give way to the over-the-top drama of this romance. The enemies to lovers trope is one of my favourites and for the first half of this book, Aubrey and Webster’s complicated past nearly sells me on this premise. They hate each other but they also don't go out of their way to avoid each other, a juicy combination for this trope.

Unfortunately, Webster’s cousin Holland is introduced as a blatant red herring and ultimately becomes a catalyst for a ton of horrible storylines between Aubrey and Webster as they push the enemies part of their dynamic past the point of enjoyment. By the time Aubrey dumps Holland to be with Webster, the couple’s likeability is all but replaced with irritation rather than longing.

Five Ways to Fall Out of Love has a character problem I can't overlook. Initially, Aubrey is a promising protagonist but every time this book has the opportunity to demonstrate growth after a huge misstep, we instead find her doing something equally as awful to further the plot. She becomes a byproduct of what the story calls for, rather than a character who makes decisions based on her established personality. Webster is no different, lying to give this couple one last hurdle before their happy ending.

Any love I have for these two is all but gone by the last chapter, which is a shame because the bones of this story are there and they are promising. For the first half of this journey, the heavy teen angst is a welcoming catalyst for this couple. But once Aubrey and Webster cross that line from loveable angsty teens to irritable plot devices, it's difficult to fall back in love with this book.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I found these characters awful. I think the story could have been great had the characters been easier to relate to.

When a new guy moved in across the street, Aubrey starts up a friendship with him. Friends all summer, Aubrey asks Webster to a dance once school starts. When he stands her up, her heart is broken. Add in that her parents are constantly fighting and Aubrey doesn’t know if she believes in love.
Opinion
I cannot say enough about this story that navigates through first loves, heartbreaks and relationships. Aubrey had it all figured out but we realize she doesn’t know the first thing about what should happen. This story is perfect for teenagers but also for adults who like to reminisce.
Please note: this book does touch on sex.
Many thanks to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Aubrey Cash has seen first hand that love doesn't last just by living with her parents and their ever deteriorating relationship the past few years. So when she meets and forms a close friendship - that is slowly evolving into something more - with new next door neighbor Webster, the heartbreak is even more devastating when he stands her up at Homecoming.

Now, as Aubrey heads into Senior year, she's just focused on getting out of there, going to college, and leaving everything behind. When she meets a cute guy at a party, she thinks she might want to let down her barriers again, but when she finds out this guy is Webster's cousin, she's pulled back into his orbit and forced to confront what may, or may not, have happened on Homecoming night.

It's pretty apparent from the getgo that things don't add up when it comes to that fateful Homecoming night. So I think that kind of drives the story quite a bit. When are we going to understand where things went wrong between Aubrey and Webster? Not really from Aubrey's perspective, because the entire story is told from her point of view, but from Wester.

So readers have to go through the process of Aubrey and Webster getting to the point where they can move beyond the hurt they've caused one another and actually talk. And really since it's only Aubrey's POV, it's Aubrey coming to terms with the dissolution of her parents' marriage which tarnishes her ideas of love. She's also at a precipice in her own life, where she's getting ready to go off to college by herself, away from her best friend.

It certainly wasn't hard to discern why Aubrey closed herself off so much, and why she kind of begins to hold herself apart from others: self-preservation, protecting herself from a broken heart. I just wish that we got to see more of her finding her way. More of the moments that she does decide that her parents' relationship is, yes, one way a relationship can go, but it's not the only way. More of Aubrey understanding that starting a new chapter in her life, doesn't mean things have to end. By the time we get to that point with Aubrey a majority of the book is done. While one could say that this encompasses Aubrey's journey - which is true - I would have loved to see Aubrey living with her more open persona.

The moments between Aubrey and Webster, you can just feel their connection. You feel them inching their way towards one another. I kept finding myself reading faster to get to their moments together and then savoring those moments when they would come up. I think that Emily Henry utilized this dynamic in the best way possible to keep the story flowing.

I think that Five Ways to Fall Out of Love speaks a lot to the transition time between childhood and adulthood. Having to grow up and be on your own and realizing that you don't have to give up who you are and where you came from to move forward with your life. I just wish we had seen Aubrey have this realization and see her incorporate that into her life a bit before ending.

Sadly this one was just not for me. I love a good hate-to-love story but this relationship just felt toxic to me. I had trouble connecting with the main characters. I like complicated characters but these two just didn't give me any reasons to root for them or care about their story. The ending was disappointing too.

I'm sad - I wish I had liked this one more, but it just wasn't for me.

Five Ways to Fall Out of Love was an alright book. I didn’t feel that it was super special but I didn’t think it was horrible either. I felt it was shorter than most but still long enough for a plot and progressive storyline. I have conflicting opinions about Aubrey, who is having an internal battle with love and the center of the story. She is incredibly cynical in an annoying way and definitely wasn’t a great friend in more than one part. And for a main character, she was incredibly toxic with little to no resolve or acknowledgement. I did expect a bit more from this title and description of the book but overall it was still good.
I really loved how the bisexual character was handled in the book, it addressed biphobia and microaggressions, as well as made the character unique outside of his bisexuality. However, I felt that even Webster was unlikable in his own way. His relationship with Aubrey was incredibly wishy-washy and honestly they should’ve just given up on it. They fought up until the very end which left the ending dissatisfying.
Holland was the most enjoyable character along with his cute dog, Lucy. He was very cheated in the end and deserved way better than he received. He was so kind, sweet, and incredibly accommodating to Aubrey, who just brushed him off and hurt him when he’d done nothing wrong.
I also think the overall toxicity and depressing themes were just too much. For a rom-com coming of age story, it felt more like a bad example and a character that desperately just needed therapy. Having toxic relationship and depressing themes is fine, it’s just about how it was handled. I felt that there was more to be done and I had a higher expectation.
I received an ARC for an honest review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Five Ways to Fall Out of Love

Whew, what a different and wonderful YA!

This story follows Audrey, who has watched her whole life as her parents fight more and more and ultimately can’t stand to be around each other, while her best friend Reese swears she has now met “the one”. After a particular humiliating night if being stood up at Homecoming, Audrey tries to use science to prove that love doesn’t exist and all relationships are doomed, but then she meets Holland....

This story was filled with so much raw emotion and relatable insecurities: divorce, college stress, long distance relationships, peer pressure, friendships, grades, alcohol, sex, and sexist dress codes.
This story was filled with ups and downs, and learning how to navigate relationships and the insecurities and new (unknown) feelings they bring.
I think high schoolers would be able to relate to this story, and feel that during their turbulent time as a high schooler, they are not the only ones feeling this way.

Thank you netgalley and Inkyard Press for this free advance copy in exchange for an honest review

Aubrey Cash is a cynic when it comes to love. After the disaster that was getting stood up for the Homecoming dance, who could blame her? But not everything is always as it seems and as senior year flies by, Aubrey might have to accept that love isn't as formulaic as she'd hoped it could be.

While Aubrey's story was enjoyable, it didn't live up to its full potential. It felt a bit like a roller coaster at times—jumping from one conflict to the next. And while I understand that's exactly what high school can feel like, it ended up not giving enough time to fully explore each of these conflicts. It didn't help that neither Aubrey nor her main love interest, Webster, were likable characters. I just wasn't rooting for them.

Still, I appreciated the book's attempt at depicting the realities of love and relationships. Honestly, I would have loved to hear more about Aubrey's friend Reese's story. That, I think, says it all.

Thank you to Inkyard Press for providing me with an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Aubrey had never been in love, and she wasn't sure she would ever want to be. All her first, and second hand, experiences pointed to love as a fleeting thing. She tried to resist it! She even employed math to confirm her anti-love stance. However, her heart and her head couldn't seem to agree, and Aubrey had to decide which to follow.

I re-read the synopsis for this book before starting my review, and I seemed to disagree with a few things. I think we are being a little to liberal with the "rom-com" label, or maybe it's just me, but I didn't find this to be a rom-com. Did it have fun and funny moments? Yes, but it also had a fair bit more angst and drama than your average rom-com.

Maybe the book didn't live up to that label, but it was still great. For me, this was a story about a young woman at a crossroads in her life. She was faced with the decision to continue making safe choices and risk missing out on wonderful things, or to take a leap of faith, open herself to possibilities, and discover something wonderful. That story, I fully embraced and throughly enjoyed.

The book was divided into five parts, five ways to fall out of love. Each involves people in Aubrey's life, but all don't focus on her love life. Rather, they frame relationships which influenced Aubrey's ideas about love. Friendships, her parents' marriage, her bestie's romantic entanglements, as well as her own romantic relationships are examined. I liked that we got these glimpses into these relationships, because it really helped me understand where Aubrey's head was at, even if I didn't agree with her.

I appreciated all the life changes Aubrey was anticipating. She would be going off to college without her best friend. She would have to get acclimated to a new environment and new people. I can understand being ambivalent about the future, when it comes with so many unknowns. So, after she was burned, I don't blame her for not rushing to give her heart away. Like I said, I didn't always agree with how she handled things, but I sort of understood why Aubrey made the choices she did, and I liked that many of her poorer decisions drove her into an introspective mode. I would say, that most of her missteps resulted in some meaningful soul searching, and she learned a lot from her mistakes.

Aubrey joins a long line of messy characters I have grown to love. It wasn't always easy to like her, but I know I did. The proof? There were tears! Tears are my way of showing I care and am invested. I went into this anticipating a hate-to-love sort of romance, but this was about more than Aubrey's personal romance or even romantic love. It was more about taking chances and opening yourself up to possibilities, while also being about how we can't expect things to stay the same as time moves forward, and I enjoyed struggling with Aubrey as she accepted some of these things and learned more about herself.

What? Bethany coming at you with another romcom review? How {novel}. And this time, it’s YA edition! Thank you to @netgalley, @thatemilymartin, and @inkyardpress for the eARC to review.

When Aubrey is stood up at Homecoming by her neighbor and crush, Webster, she vows to never be friends with him again. However, when she starts dating his cousin, she’s forced to acknowledge his existence.

FIVE WAYS TO FALL OUT OF LOVE by Emily Martin is a YA, enemies to lovers novel - and it is incredibly refreshing in its portrayal of teenage sexual exploration. I feel like so many books have characters jump from all to nothing, but here we get to follow along as the MC explores when and what feels good to her.

This was just a cute, solid read - perfect when you want something a little lighter, but with real characters. Basically, grab it once it releases in March 16.

I would like to thank #InkyardPress for sending me an #ARC of #FiveWaysToFallOutOfLove by #EmilyMartin via #NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.


Five Ways to Fall Out of Love by Emily Martin is a YA standalone novel, centering on high school senior Aubrey, who is not only trying to navigate her parents rough marriage, college decisions, and her cynicism of love in general, and how if affects her friendship with her best friend, who is a romantic, but also dealing with the pain and anger from being stood up by her best friend/crush Webster, at last years homecoming dance, and a year of them at each others throats. But when she finds herself dragged to Webster's NYE party, she meets his cousin Holland, and they immediately hit it off. The cynic decides to test the waters with Holland, and she learns she enjoys spending time with him. But as she gets closer to Holland, her and Webster get closer too. She finds herself wondering, what happened the night of homecoming, and is it possible to love someone, despite the chance of heartbreak?


Five Ways to Fall Out of Love is ultimately a coming of age story, of a young woman, preparing to embark on college, and adulthood. I usually find myself shying away from YA romances lately, but I was thrilled that I took the "leap of faith" and read this book. I was hooked from the first chapter, to the last, and I'm not afraid to admit there were tears shed. Five Ways to Fall Out of Love was original, and with a gripping plot, well-written characters, with realistic reactions to conflict. I love that! 90% of the YA I have read, the teenagers react like adults, but Emily Martin really honed in on her characters age and mental states, and it made this book feel so real.


I found myself very drawn to Aubrey's character. At eighteen, she has her whole life ahead of her. She's been accepted into her dream school - plus other schools - and knows what she wants in life. Academically, she is in charge. It's the other stuff - the admittedly messy, emotional parts of life - that have her in turmoil. I related to her issues stemming from her parents marriage. Not to spoil the book, or delve into details of my life, but I was very much like Aubrey at 17. I'd had my heart broken. My parents were having a rough time in their marriage (a years long rough patch), that I often felt caught in the middle. My experiences had left me cynical, and admittedly, had some pretty epic trust issues. So to say I got Aubrey, and her decisions, I mean it. I did. And as for the other characters in this novel - I enjoyed them all for different reasons. I honestly wasn't sure which love interest was the best for Aubrey, because I liked them both. I liked her friends, and their stark differences, yet their unwavering love and loyalty for one another. Every character had layers to them, which I loved!


In the end, I truly enjoyed Five Ways to Fall Out of Love, and while it is young adult, I think even adults, especially parents, should read this book. As a parent myself, it's a reminder that my husband and me the example in which our daughters look to. As a once-upon-a-time-teenager, I know I would have loved this book. Relatable. Real. Emotionally fulfilling. I encourage teenagers and adults to buy this book, and enjoy!

I wanted to like this more than I did. I was looking forward to a cute love story (which it is), but the Aubrey TBD Cash just seemed cruel at times. Most of her reactions to the events in her life (i.e. parents getting divorced, the stress of school, love lives, etc.) were warranted and even realistic, but I wasn't invested in her and Holland even though it was clear they liked each other. Aubrey was so wrapped up in her own life (again, totally fair) that she couldn't see how much her friends needed her help and support.

How do I hate thee…let me count the ways.
👨🏻‍🍳
Aubrey Cash had her hopes up when the boy she spent all summer with agrees to go to Homecoming with her Junior year. Only Webster Casey stands her up, which leads to a year of hated looks, annoying pranks and outright avoidance on both their parts. Until New Year’s Eve Senior year when Aubrey attends a party at Webster’s house…and ends up kissing his cousin at midnight. Now Audrey is dating Holland, but still going head to head with Webster when they’re paired together in Life Skills class. Aubrey is also anti-love because her parents’ marriage is falling apart. What will her heart tell her to do?
🧑🏻‍🍳
I enjoyed this YA book releasing March 16 for 5 reasons: 1. I have yet to see a bisexual male main character in a romcom before so 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 2. The friendship between Aubrey and Reese was adorable and real. 3. Aubrey’s fear of commitment was valid and I know many will be able to relate to it 4. Veronica and Sam’s storyline was a nice addition to flesh out the story. I’d like to see that in a book also. 5. The final couple (no spoilers) were super cute together. *I will add this should probably be YA+ because the romance was 🔥 so more appropriate for a HS library Thank you @netgalley for an ARC of this novel. Grab it soon!

It was a cute, enjoyable book about highschool love, friendships and family hardships. A classic enemies to lovers trope. The story was very realistic to true messy teenage girl drama.

In the novel we meet Aubrey the main character and follow her as she loves a boy, then watch as he hurts and humiliates her. She's left heartbroken watching the boy date girl after girl and then she meets his cousin. This definitely puts an interesting spin on the story.

I didn't love this book, it hit me wrong. I feel like crushing on someone who treated you terribly isn't healthy and created drama for drama's sake. Also, why even mention that Webster is bi if it really has nothing much to do with the story? The author does a good job with character development - you know their personalities almost immediately - I just didn't like any of the characters, except Holland.

Thank you NetGalley and Inkyard press for a copy of this book! I enjoyed reading it.
Aubrey had been stood up by her neighbor Webster at prom. Later on, she encounters his cousin at a party and a new relationship is forged.
Aubrey’s insecurities and her high school experience are well highlighted throughout the book. Martin portrayed her characters’ emotions and the story well enough. I found myself conflicted with the plotline. It felt as if there were many different plots happening at the time. For example, Aubrey’s parents’ divorce took up a good chunk of the book, and so did her and Webster’s newly found relationship, while Holland and she were dating.
I was really worried about the overlap in the Holland and Webster love triangle because they are cousins, which on a related note is slightly weird. Holland was extremely nice and respectful. There was definitely character development with him in their relationship. Webster was rude without excuse, however, it did feel as if he did care for Aubrey. It felt as if he had a lot of internal conflicts he needed to work out before entering a relationship, but none of those were mentioned. It also felt as if Webster being bisexual was added specifically for the representation purpose of the entire book.
Unlike other books, Aubrey’s real-life events and epic embarrassing moments were slightly more realistic and weren’t overdramatized. I love how the name of the story and the story itself shared a close relation, something not commonly seen in books. The book was not was I was expecting when I read the synopsis, however, it was still a good book.

Aubrey Cash has a lot going on. Her senior year, her best friend, her parents failing marriage, and the fallout from last year's disastrous homecoming dance where her date/friend/neighbor stood her up and humiliated her - and she can't figure out why. Since then, they've been enemies and avoided each other. When Aubrey attends a party and meets Webster's cousin, Holland, she is back in the dating game. But some part of her still wonders what really happened between her and Webster. Aubrey and Webster get stuck as partners for the semester, so will all the secrets come out?

Aubrey as a character is cynical about love after watching her parent's fight for years. She doesn't believe in love and marriage, and especially not high school love. But, she wants to try dating and starts with Holland. I loved Aubrey's best friend, she was such a good opposite for Aubrey to counteract her cynicism. Five Ways to Fall Out of Love is an easy read with good pacing and writing. One thing I really appreciated was normalizing sexual relationships in high school. It's happening, we don't need to pretend it isn't in books. So there are some more open scenes with detail - if this isn't your jam maybe skim through those parts.

I really felt weird about the cousin, possible love triangle situation. Not only is that breaking "bro code" I imagine, I just feel like it's heartless by both of the characters as well. I also feel like Aubrey and Webster needed more discourse throughout the book, and have better conversations. They both were terrible with communicating and a lot of issues could have been avoided.

For fans of high school contemporary romances, with a love triangle and friends to enemies to lovers trope, Five Ways to Fall Out of Love is a great pick coming out in March.

**Thank you to Inkyard Press and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review**

So I went into this thinking it was going to be a cute YA romcom and it definitely was not.

Aubrey has always been weary of love. She has long been surrounded by her parents tumultuous marriage and just last year she was stood up at Homecoming by her neighbor Webster. After a chance encounter with a boy at a party sparks fly for Aubrey. She now tries to navigate all that is going on in her life while also try to figure out how to have a relationship.

I didn’t love Aubrey or Webster and the only character I enjoyed was Holland who was kind of on the back burner. Though this title and cover made me feel like this was going to deal mostly with these teenage relationships there was also a whole second storyline of divorce going on. Overall there just wasn’t any spark for me and a lot of it was dull. I do think this book may be good for any late high school student with divorced parents.

Thank you @netgalley and @inkyardpress for my ARC

I really enjoyed this YA romance. Aubrey is a strong character, dealing with the struggles of preparing to leave for college, friends growing apart, and a disastrous family life. As she watches her parents fight, she increasingly doubts the ability to love and have a functional relationship. She tries to apply science to relationships and take emotions out of the equation. She grows a lot throughout the story, and finds her way. I loved the characters in the book, and I think the author presented their problems in a realistic way. There is some adult content, so it was a bit too mature for my middle school students, but definitely appropriate for high schoolers. I would highly recommend!