I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

TW: social anxiety, mention of panic attacks, toxic/unhealthy relationship, emotional cheating

I would like to preface this review by saying I did go into this completely blind other than the fact I adored the cover and I am a sucker for a friend's to lover romance! That being said I am a huge advocate for character development and healthy relationships and I felt that this wasn't really shown in the best way. I did not like Caleb right off the bat, mostly I thought he came off a bit obsessive and used unhealthy tactics to admit his feelings towards Evie. I will leave my main concerns at the bottom of this review to ensure no one is spoiled! Overall, I enjoyed the writing style and regardless of some of the cringy/ awkward moments there were a lot of cute ones too. I particularly liked the dynamic between Caleb and Beth a lot and that the characters did grow throughout the story. It did feel a bit dragged out at the end but overall I would give it a 2.5/3 stars.


SPOILERS!!!!!

[ - ] things I did not enjoy:
- there was a moment mentioned that Caleb tried to kiss Evie during a panic attack??? That is a major no.

- Caleb's almost list made me hella uncomfortable (gave me major Joe from You vibes)

- Was not rooting for Caleb at all and wished Evie had time to process things without him around.

- Evie just forgave Caleb for lying and impersonating someone else to get close to her.... there wasn't even a moment of debate.

- The emotional cheating was pretty brushed over in my opinion and I know Evie and Leo weren't endgame but it still felt wrong.

- For someone so in love (Caleb) he made judgemental comments in regards to Evie: ex. her profile.

[ + ] things I did enjoy:

- the writing style

- the mental health representation and attention to detail

- the character development (even if it wasn't much)

- the science!

- the storyline structure

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This is a very entertaining audiobook. I enjoyed everything about it. The friendships and the relationships were exquisite. The narrators did a fantastic job reading this book.  The author did a great job writing this book. The pace of the story is great. I highly recommend listening to this audiobook to anyone and everyone. It will be in stores on January 5, for $24.99 (USD).

The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss by Amy Noelle Parks
Narrated by: Nick Mondelli; Elizabeth Cottle
Publication Date: January 5, 2021
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Description from NetGalley...
“Seventeen-year-old Evie Beckham has always been too occupied with her love of math and frequent battles with anxiety to want to date. Besides, she’s always found the idea of kissing to be kind of weird. But by senior year, thanks to therapy and her friends, she’s feeling braver than before. Maybe even brave enough to enter the national math and physics competition or flirt back with the new boy. Meanwhile,

Evie’s best friend, Caleb Covic, has always been a little in love with her. So he’s horrified when he is forced to witness Evie’s meet-cute with the new guy. Desperate, Caleb uses an online forum to capture Evie’s interest—and it goes a little too well. Now Evie wonders how she went from avoiding romance to having to choose between two—or is it three?—boys.”
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Thank you to @NetGalley @dreamscape_media for the ALC in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts...
Adorable! This is a debut YA novel from Amy Noelle Parks, and it was a really good story and so fun to listen to the narrators. I thought Parks did a great job in addressing Evie’s mental illness and mental health issues. The way Evie confronted, and not, her challenges were raw and realistic. She was a math genius, who felt vulnerable and anxious in social settings; but she was so relatable that we walked alongside her as she fought her battles. There was insight to the gender-issues in STEM, and I was just rooting for her all the way. This book could be an inspiring and encouraging read for all the young people (and adults too). This was a story about love, friendship, standing-up for your beliefs and believing in yourself. It was such a nerdy, sweet romcom, and every second was so adorable.

This book was so adorable. I enjoyed Evie's quirky personality and Caleb's quick wit. I found Caleb's support of Evie very endearing and was not surprised they'd fall for each other.

Evie struggles with anxiety and it doesn't help that her mother is almost just as anxious about Evie's anxiety which puts a huge strain on their relationship. I could feel the tension between the two of them and felt that it was very representative of how a parent can also be consumed by the ailments of their children because they just want to take away any pain or anxiety their children may face. Evie has come a long way since her last anxiety attack and when she gets to participate in a science competition that will help her get a scholarship and possibly help her face her anxiety she's going to need all the support she can get.

Caleb's energy and awareness of Evie's anxieties helps to center her but over time it's also fueled his feelings for her. When a past attempt to show Evie how he really feels backfires he's not sure how to go about making another move.

I enjoyed the banter between Evie and Caleb. Their connection is definitely strong and it was fun to see how each of them navigate their feelings throughout the book. I also really loved the setting and how science was used as a language in a way. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun YA Contemporary romance read!

The narrators did a great job and are familiar to those who listen to many YA Contemporary audiobooks.

***2.5*** Trying to read this book has been a world wind of emotions. I was so looking forward to this book. Honestly, judging by the synopsis and cover this should be everything I love but it just wasn’t and I am so sad. I usually love a friends to lovers romance but I just wasn’t a fan of Celeb and Evie’s “romance”.

Somethings I didn’t quite like:

Celeb made his intentions known to Evie and she declined his advances (which she was perfectly in her right to do) however, I found it off putting that she didn’t want to pursue a relationship with him but was okay doing other relationship type things such as holding hands and letting him kiss her on the forehead. repeatedly. These things scream intimacy and honestly felt kind of insensitive to Celeb especially since she knows he wants more from her. Now the book states that Evie doesn’t really understand other peoples emotions and can’t recognize this in facial expressions (which also annoyed me because why set up the idea that Evie is autistic but never actually mention it on page considering you are so forward with her mental health struggles) but she understood Celeb’s intentions enough not to speak to him for awhile after he told her he wants to kiss her.

Now onto Celeb he comes off as kind of an a*shole in this book because he is a jerk to Evie’s love interest Leo even though he is a nice guy. Celeb is so much of a jerk that he decides to infiltrate Evie and Leo’s relationship and break them up and he does this by catfishing Evie on the internet. This whole plan honestly came off as conniving not cute.

Somethings I liked:

I really did love conversations in this book about mental health, friends and family, concern/help. Evie’s mother is so concerned for her daughter and tries to “help” so much with her anxiety that it has become quite the opposite to the point that she herself becomes a “trigger” for Evie.

I also loved the inclusion of all the math and physics that was weaved into the narrative. The audiobook was also narrated wonderfully.

Overall, this book was a little disappointing but I also can understand that I am not the target audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost- Kiss by Amy Noelle Parks is a cute YA book, but just not for me. I felt the beginnings was a bit rushed and then it just seemed slow, and then it ended. I definitely liked that the characters had some substance to them. I’m sure many will enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

Thank you to Dreamscape Audio and Amulet Books for alc & arc of the book.

The Quantam Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss was a really cute YA book. I loved that the heroine Evie, is unapologetically one of the smartest kids at her tech high school. She has two best friends, Caleb and Bex, and I loved the supportive relationship she had with these two. The story is a romance with a heavy emphasis on friendship. The book also does a good job addressing bullying and the deeply harmful effect it can have on a person's confidence.

I listened the the audiobook for this one and the narration was spot on. Elizabeth Cottle and Nick Mondell both do a great job bringing their characters to life. The book rotates between Evie and Caleb with the narrators switching off.

The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss is a book about math. social anxiety, weird parents., high school, physics, romantic entanglements. old friends, new crushes, attachment, growth and independence.

* What I love *

The more we talk about therapy and the decisions around taking medication, the better we’ll all be.

I love how the therapist made sure Evie knew that her treatment and mental health were in her own hands, not that of her parents.

As a kid who coped with anxiety, these are the stories I wish I ‘d had around when I was a young adult.

Smart female characters and the prejudice (both subtle and not so subtle) that they encounter is real and I’m glad it was addressed in the book.

I enjoyed seeing Evie’s growth and how she does still have ways to continue building on what she’s learned over the past year.

* What I didn’t love *

The relationship between Caleb and Evie was very intense. To my way of thinking, it delved into obsessiveness, enabling, substitution for lack of parents meeting needs. and co-dependence.

I was happy to see a bit of independence toward the end of the book, but I will admit that if a niece, nephew or cousin had a similar relationship with someone, I would be concerned. I know, I know, these are fictional characters in a book, but I don’t know about you — when I’m reading a book, it’s like the characters solidify and I start to be concerned for them and their struggles. That’s one of the greatest things about characters and writing, I think.

* Overall *

I appreciate it greatly when main characters are different from what I typically see or read. I feel like visibility is increasing more and more, especially with YA books.

It’s great to see characters who battle crippling anxiety and still have to figure out how to go to work, school, deal with relationships. etc. That feels authentic.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the chance to listen to this audiobook. I enjoyed the dual narrators. It was well done and added to the enjoyment of the audiobook.

What a way to start off a year of reviews! This was such a joy to read and my first audio arc from Netgalley. It was a really great audiobook, especially because we got to hear the perspectives of our two main characters, Evie and Caleb.

Caleb has been in love with his best friend, Evie, for years—they've even had 17 almost-kisses over the years. Evie struggles with anxiety after a childhood of bullying, and her one saving grace is her closeness with Caleb—he is her constant. He doesn't know what to do or how to feel when she starts to date the new kid in town. Evie's whole world revolves around math and physics, she doesn't have time for boys when there's a massive science competition that could set her up for college—that is until Leo commented on her physics equations.

Evie had incredible character development throughout the book. You could see her get a handle on anxiety, learn what it means to have a boyfriend and new friends, and not rely so heavily on her friendship with Caleb. Their relationship was wonderful. I loved that even when she was in a relationship, she didn't compromise her friendship with Caleb, much to Leo's chagrin. Despite not liking Leo and Evie together, Caleb didn't dislike Leo, as much as he wished he did.

The math and physics concepts went a little over my head and at times took me out of the story to try to understand what they were talking about, but this wasn't that big of a deal. I think the author represented anxiety and panic attacks really well and showing Evie's success and improvement through therapy was a really important plot point.

I think this was such a really strong debut and I highly recommend.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

1.5/5

There is nothing sadder than being let down by a book that, for all intents and purposes, you were really exited to read. The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss follows two best friends, Evie and Caleb, as they navigate academics, life, and their complicated feelings for one another. Caleb has always felt like he and Evie were meant to be more than friends, but kept his distance as to not ruin their friendship. When Evie expresses interest in another student, he takes that to mean she is ready to date, and decides to pursue her romantically on an online forum under a false identity.

Usually I like being taken aback by a story, one that surpasses all of my initial expectations to create something wholly different. The synopsis for this book is what caught my attention at first. I'm a sucker for the friends-to-lovers trope, so I thought this would be right up my alley. There are two aspects of this book that I think were done really well, the two narrators of the audiobook, and the research put into the physics competition that Evie competes in. It's clear that the author knew what they were talking about when it came to that aspect of the story. As for the narrators, they definitely did the best they could with the material they were given. I absolutely would have dnf'ed a long time ago if it weren't for the narrators, so that's a positive. The central focus on women in mathematics and science was also a small source of enjoyment.

On to the things about this book that made me seethe with anger, it boils down to the base of the plot. Caleb, who has made quite a few moves on his friend Evie over the years, can't bear the fact that she has found someone else that she's romantically interested in. He decides to catfish her on an online forum associated with the students in the physics competition. He uses his intimate knowledge of her and her interests to gain favor with her. Now I have no problem with the whole "we're talking to each other online and we don't know each others identity" plot. This has been used time and time again in many films and novels such as You've got Mail, and Tweet Cute by Emma Lorde. What I do have a problem with is the fact that Caleb expects her to fall in love with him, sees that she has found happiness outside of their relationship, and ultimately decides to lord over her life under a new identity. Outside of the online interactions, he exhibits truly toxic behavior in the form of his savior complex and the whole "I'm the only one who truly gets Evie" viewpoint. He uses this to invade her new relationship and get what he wants. This is not at all romantic and I am tired of seeing this narrative pushed on young readers. Examining these manipulative behaviors is important, but marketing this as a romance is......not it. The books glimpse into women in math and science was really interesting, and I would have loved to see more.

Trigger warnings: anxiety, panic attacks

Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for the audio arc of this book. I really enjoied it a lot more than I first expect!! The characters are relatable even though they are very intelligent and sometimes talk about thing most people wouldn't know. In some books that throws me off and I get bored but this book did a very good job of keeping it brief and understandable. Love love loved it!!

Thanks to NetGalley for a arc copy for a honest review.

The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss was a contemporary YA. I loved Caleb I didn’t think he deserved Evie. I did not like her no matter how I tried. I like the premises of the story a 3 star read

Happy Reading
Lisa

TW: Anxiety and Munchausen's By Proxy

Childhood friends Evie and Caleb know each other better than anyone in the world. Evie is a brilliant math prodigy, and Caleb is an intelligent coder and their friendship has been stable for years. That all ends when Evie gets interested in boys for the first time, and it's not Caleb she wants to kiss. Evie, who has anxiety, has never been interested in boys and tends to keep to her small circle of friends. Caleb always assumes that when she does want more, she will choose him because he has loved her for years.

Before you stop reading, Caleb is not a jerk about it and he is supportive of his friend. While some of his behaviors are borderline toxic, he is not a toxic character. He continues being her friend and does not try to interfere with Evie’s new relationship, much. He does toe the line at times, but it is mostly for his development as a character. He learns more about himself and what makes relationships successful through trial and error. Evie’s growth through the book is also very self centered. She learns to trust herself and makes strides in managing her mental health.

The book takes place in a high school for gifted STEM students and mixes lighthearted YA romance, with deep discussions of math and physics. It reminded me of a less toxic Big Bang Theory. If you are a nerd and you like science fiction, you will probably enjoy this. If you just want romance and find deep dives and discussion of philosophy tedious, then you may not enjoy this because the discussion of theory and the mechanics of code, math, and physics principles are prevalent in this book. Personally, I love reading intelligent discussions within a story, but I know a lot of people don’t.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I listened to the audiobook and found the narration to be enjoyable. Nick Mondell and Elizabeth Cottle created a story that I could sink into and made this world that is so different, yet familiar, feel like a place I could enjoy.

**Potential Spoilers in next paragraph**

There were some aspects of the book that felt disjointed. Like side stories that didn’t feel complete; a dramatic decision by the mom that felt more serious than the tone of the book would suggest, Bex’s journey, and Caleb’s decision to create Milo. There were a lot of elements and storylines, and character development in this story and I was here for all of it, it just didn’t come together into something that blew me away.

Note: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Was unable to finish reading because the narration grated on me so much. Sadly, I had to DNF, even though I very much would’ve liked to continue.

Totally adorable! OK first of all you guys that title! Not going to lie that’s why I requested this book I just could not resist that title... so good! Lucky for me the story was just as cute as the title. Evie and Caleb have been BFFs since kindergarten. they now are even at the same prestigious boarding school that emphasizes STEM. Caleb has a huge crush on Evie but has never confessed this to her thinking she was not ready for a relationship. So when Evie starts dating Leo Caleb does not know what to think. to further complicate things the three of them are headed off to a prestigious STEM competition that could possibly change their futures.

This book put a big smile on my face and a pitter patter in my heart. Loved that it was the boy pining for the girl this time, it always seems to be the other way around. Evie was such a great character. An introvert who struggled with social anxiety and panic attacks, a math/physics genius always needing to prove that she was as smart if not smarter than the boys, a good loyal friend with a heart of gold. Caleb has been Evie‘s rock forever. He stood up for her in kindergarten and still stands up for her today, even though she doesn’t need it as much as she used to. I really liked the fact that we saw pieces of Caleb and Evie‘s pass it really gave a clearer picture of these characters adorable friendship. The audiobook was narrated by Nick Mondel and Elizabeth Cottle. they both did a wonderful job voicing the lovely characters in the story. Such a sweet satisfying story with the perfect ending.

This book in emojis 👩🏼‍🎓 🎒 👓 🚌 ☕️ 👨🏻‍🎓

*** Big thank you to Dreamscape Media for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

I received an audiobook arc from Netgalley in return for an honest review.
First of all this book was cute and adorable and I think it will a lot of people will relate to the characters.
The audiobook was excellent, loved the duel narrations!
Nick Mondelli and Elizabeth Cottle are excellent!

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss was all kinds of cute and predictable. In it, you will meet two best friends that eventually start to become a bit more (romantically). After meeting Caleb and Evie, well - in the beginning it was a bit awkward. I honestly wasn't sure what was going on or what was going to happen between them. It was just a really awkward friend-zone thing going on.

Caleb and Evie both had some pros and cons. Eventually they started to get on the same page about one another but it took a long time for that to happen. Plus, while they were dating different people and then the whole weirdness about them liking each other as friends or more than was just meh to me. I just think if they liked each other then they should've said it instead of waiting till the very last second of this book.

In the end, it was a cute book that was easy to follow along with.

This book is definitely a cute YA romance. With friends to love, some jealousy and an awesome girl power math whiz. I recommend for anyone who enjoys YA romance. I had the privilege of listening to an early audiobook, since this is in both POV of Evelyn and Caleb. There are two narrators. They both do a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life

Actual Rating: 4.5

My expectations were low for this book, as I don’t typically enjoy main characters that prefer scientific explanations for everything that has ever happened. This book was so much better than any of those other books, though. There was a romance that I enjoyed and I found the characters very endearing. I loved the friendship between Evie and Caleb and every character’s personalities. There were many times this book had me laughing and grinning.

Since I listened to the audiobook, I thought I should mention that I enjoyed the voices of the narrators. The acting in this audiobook was great and I didn’t cringe when the male narrator tried doing a female voice.

I never wanted this adorable book to end and I hope there will be other books for the other characters!

The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss is a smart and funny story about life-long best friends Evie and Caleb as they attend an elite boarding school for geniuses. In the book we see Evie figure out how to navigate various anxiety disorders while exploring romance for the first time. Caleb, meanwhile has been in love with Evie most of his life but worries about ruining their friendship if he were to pursue it. This was a very sweet book that I listened to in a single day. I was extremely hooked and charmed by this book.
As someone who deals with anxiety, I appreciated the care the author took not only to portray this side of anxiety but also the narrative choices themselves were very anxiety friendly. There were several points in the story where things could have gone way worse and each time I felt my anxiety beginning to rise at a particular possibility, the author swooped in and subverted my expectations in the best of ways. Like I would be sitting there going oh no this is about to go very bad but then it would tilt and go in a more pleasant direction and I was pleasantly surprised and delighted. That is certainly not easy to pull off but goodness was it appreciated.
On the whole though, this book had such a healthy perspective on dealing with anxiety and it was refreshing for once to have the story take place after the big break down and to show the main character in therapy and healing from it instead of chronicling the big break that necessitated therapy. I loved that. I love any fiction that normalizes talking about mental health and therapy so this got two big thumbs up and a hearty thank for that if nothing else. We need more books like this that show that you can heal and learn healthy ways of coping and deal with mental health in constructive ways.
I also think it was a smart decision to go with the alternating POVs. I liked getting to see both sides and how that would let us in on some of the shenanigans and miscommunications. It was a lot more enjoyable and interesting to see how Evie and Caleb respectively thought of each other and what was happening.
I enjoyed both narrators as well, they both were good fits for their characters and well-matched. There are some audiobooks with two narrators that I really struggle with because sometimes one narrator is a better performer than the other but, happily, that wasn’t the case here. It is always nice when I can just listen to the story without being distracted by narrators I don’t like.
I had a good time with this audiobook, and I was thrilled to have been granted this from the publisher on NetGalley. This was a solid 4.5/5 star read for me and a great audiobook as well!