When Shelbi moved to Georgia, it was for a clean start. Due to some difficult experiences in her previous school, she has decided not to make friends. Better to be alone than to be betrayed by someone. When Shelbi receives a text from a stranger, she decides that maybe trying to open up to someone might not be the worst thing she can do. Andy Criddle is struggling with the overwhelming grief of losing his sister and he has been medicating himself with alcohol. When Shelbi finds Andy's phone, the two start a friendship. Slowly, Shebi opens up to Andy about her mental health diagnosis and decides that having a friend can be a positive thing. As Andy continues to spiral deeper into alcohol as his parents' marriage starts to unravel, Shelbi tries to help him the best way she knows how. As they continue to get closer to crossing from friendship into a romantic relationship, their universe starts spinning out of control with the possibility to destroy everything that they have built with each other. An amazingly powerful novel about love, friendship, mental illness, and the power of chaos theory. Another wonderful novel by Nic Stone.

I read this book in a day- it was that good….Nic Stone has done it again for sure. Andy is struggling and his drinking has become a problem, more than he realizes. Shelbi is neurodivergent and while she is in a healthy place now she knows that her brain, and the chemicals that make it up, can change at any time and make her feel differently. When these two humans meet they fill a space for each other, they hear and listen to each other, and at their core they understand each other. That understanding doesn’t mean however that things will be great, or easy or “normal”. What it does mean is that like anyone else who deals with mental health deserves the same love, compassion, understanding and respect as anyone else. The author ends the novel by asking readers to say aloud “MENTAL HEALTH IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS PHYSICAL HEALTH” and the power of those words and that message are not lost on the reader. Based on NIc Stone’s intro and her own transparency, I know this book has been in the works for a long time and it was soooo worth the wait. A fantastic read

I wish I could give this book more stars. I’ve been a fan of Nic Stone since she first emerged and this book certainly did not disappoint. It is perhaps my favorite of hers to date and I’ll likely read it again after the official release.

Shelbi Camille Augustine is not okay. (Which is perfectly okay.) Shelby and Andy are an unlikely pair who meet through a series of happenstance events.

They quickly learn how different, yet similar they are while helping each other navigate through their respective set of differences. They find themselves depending on each other for support while also counting on the help of understanding friends and family.

This is a refreshing take on mental differences for the newer generation.

Just like any MCU fan would know, stay for the credits!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance eCopy.

Mental health is just as important as physical health.
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Shelbi is new to Windward Academy and when she sees it’s Golden Child and fellow senior, Andy Criddle, getting arrested for driving drunk and crashing, she reaches out to him. They are both in a place in their life where they need a friend, but Shelbi is hesitant to start a friendship after her last one went south. Entering into this relationship with eyes wide open doesn’t stop the past from creeping into both of their lives, threatening to ruin what they spend the summer building.
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This holiday season I am thankful for @nicstone for sharing this YA romance book that deals so openly and honestly about mental-health. So many students need to be aware of what might be happening in their brains and might not have the words or knowledge about it to do so. I’ve said for years that books save lives. This is a perfect example of that right here. This book releases 2.28!

CW: depression, bipolar disorder, hospitalization, self-harm, suicide, suicide ideation, abortion, alcohol, alcoholism, mental illness, cheating, adultery, car crash, drunk driving, death of a sibling, death of a grandparent (both recounted), drowning

Sheesh! I’m very much grateful for the care Nic Stone took in writing this story. Weaving friendship, romance, and mental health into a story while keeping the plot has to be quite a task. Aside from making the gentleness of being in relationship with someone who lives with a mental disorder prominent, I think the supporting cast in this novel is hugely important. Some I wanted to fight and others hug tight. This story is definitely going to allow some young people to feel and be seen while evoking empathy in some others.

We need to talk about Nic Stone.

About her absolute domination in every book she writes.

About how she writes characters that you sink into and miss when the book is done.

How she continues to unflinchingly put topics in front of us that we so need to speak about and then dares us to look a way.

About how she sees kids, and treats kids with respect.
About how she doesn't dumb down or uncomplicate complicated lives.

Her latest book, Chaos Theory, is out in February 2023 but should be pre-ordered now if you teach teens or care for teen readers.

It is an unflinching look at how you try to maintain order and balance when a diagnosed mental illness is part of you. It's about alcoholism and how the bottle can feel like the escape you need when life continues to be hard.

But more so, it is about love. ABout finding yourself despite the paths you take. About taking chances. About being vulnerable and how do you navigate giving someone your heart when it means you also give them all of the power.

It is about what we need to be seen.
And it is brilliant.

The care and love that Nic has for her characters shines through.

This is such a necessary book as we continue to try to remove the stigmas of mental illness, of what it means to live as a teenager in a world that seems to constantly beat you down.

It is bold. It is raw. It is real. It is a must read.

Thank me later. Or better yet, pre-order the book and thank Nic.
She is out here changing lives, one word at a time.

Thank you, Random House Children's, for allowing me to read Chaos Theory early.

I loved Nic Stone's previous books and was eagerly waiting for this one. Chaos Theory touched my whole being. The mental health rep is sublime and I wanted to hug Shelbu and Andy at times to tell them they would be okay. Highly, highly recommended!

This is why mental health representation is so important! I don't think I've ever read a romance that had such detailed description of how mental health impacts one's own ability to trust in a romantic relationship. Truly beautiful writing, I definitely recommend this!

This was a really well done story from Nic Stone, I had enjoyed Nic Stone's Shuri series so I was excited to read an original story from Nic Stone. It was what I was hoping for and it did everything that I was hoping for from the description. The characters were interesting and worked in this universe. I was glad I read this and look forward to more from Nic Stone.

"Andy’s pretty sure the only reason his dear ol’ dad didn’t throttle him (to death) the moment he opened his eyes is that Bibi happened to walk up, kaapi in hand, and say, “Ah, the memory of being young and how it keeps us humble. Wouldn’t you agree, Charlie?”

This was a great YA romance with two very interesting and new and nuanced characters. Nic Stone has created a mashup that is sure to be a hit.