This was my second book from this author and I loved them both! I’m currently in the process of identifying my neurodivergence as an adult, and I have found both books so helpful. They are unique in featuring neurodivergent teen girl characters. I identified with Marlowe so much in how hard she was trying to make a relationship work by analyzing it - I did that as a teen too! I loved her sweet friends and was so happy for the three of them that they had each other. Ash was a great romantic lead and the romance unfolded realistically. No spice other than a couple of off-hand references to sex and a couple of kissing scenes. I would recommend this!

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I possibly enjoyed this even more than the author's previous book. The bad boy/autistic nerd pairing was so great, and I loved the MC's emotional development as she realized how much she was enough all along and how much her previous boyfriend held her back. I also loved that she discovered her love for romance novels. All the side characters were quirky and lovely and real. I just overall really enjoyed myself and I'd recommend it!

3,5 stars

In this book, we're following Marlowe as she goes through her first-ever breakup. Her ex-boyfriend doesn't think that she's very good at love, but she can prove him wrong. All she wants is to gethimback so she enlists the help of the class musician, Ash, so she can learn to be more 'romantic'. In return, she will help his band go viral by improving their online presence. This sounds terrific on paper, a win-win situation until Marlowe has to face the very pressing question: what does she *actually* want? And is it her ex?

The writing was easy to follow and funny. The plot didn't drag and was well-paced. But my favourite thing about this book was the main character, Marlowe. I like that it de-stigmatizes those on the spectrum. Marlowe is autistic and that doesn't make her unrelatable or quirky. She's simply a teen navigating complex emotions. I love this type of representation where it is acknowledged that neurodivergent people face problems others don't, but they're still just human.

On top of that, I really related to Marlowe's arc. As a people-pleaser, I too struggled in high school with not conforming to other people's ideals. It is always hard to let go of first loves, and also hard to spot toxic dynamics (no matter the age, I fear). But she starts to learn what healthy relationships look like as she goes deep into her romance reader era.

Ash was a fun love interest to read about, but I wish we would've gotten to know more about him. As it is, while I found him kind, patient, and funny, I was still unsure of his personality by the end of the book. However, to be fair, the story wasn't about him so there's also that.

All in all, I think this was a very entertaining, wholesome YA romance read. Perfect if you want to indulge in nostalgic feelings and memories (if you're old like me), or if you want to escape your current school experience by reading someone else's who might be going through similar things.

What a cute, easy, and fun read! This book has tons of good stuff in it: pining, yearning, a bit of a slow burn, lovable characters (especially the side characters!), humor, autism rep, and queer rep.
I finished this book SO fast (would have been in one sitting if I hadn't had to work). It's a great YA romance with all of the good things you want from a YA romance.
The only gripes I have are personal preferences: I just don't like grand gestures and cringed through the last couple chapters. And I hate having so much buildup without getting to see the characters actually BE together for more than a couple pages.
Otherwise I really, really enjoyed this book!

I absolutely loved Kaylor’s debut, Long Story Short so of course, I was so excited about her new book. Just like with Beatrice in LSS, I absolutely adored Marlowe. It absolutely broke my heart when she doubted herself and her worth when Josh told her she wasn’t “good at love”. Seeing her fight to fit herself into someone else’s ideal hit very close to home and I just wanted to hug her. I teared up several times. Her journey to realizing she deserves more than comfortable and that she’s not difficult or broken was so beautiful to see. I really loved Poppy and Odette and how they supported Marlowe, but were honest and real with her. Also, I enjoyed seeing Marlowe understand her mom and sister better and feel like they understood her better as well. And of course, ASH. Ash was absolutely amazing. This book completely lived up to the hype I had in my head and I can’t wait for everyone else to read it too.
CW: toxic relationship

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Serena Kaylor and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had a lot of fun reading this book. I decided to pick up this book a little earlier than I planned because I was in major need of a palate cleanser and a fun, easy read. I am so happy that I decided to.

This was such a fun, cute read. I devoured it in a day!

I really liked Marlowe as an FMC. She's funny, smart, and has a good head on her shoulders. I also loved her friends and especially Ash! I like how they were there for her, even if they didn't agree with the choices she was making.

There was never a dull moment, and I even laughed out loud a few times!

Overall, this book was so much fun, and I am so glad I had the opportunity to read it!

Make sure you pick this up if you're looking for a fun, YA read!

The Calculation of You and Me is so cute!! This is such a fun, witty, clever book. I thought the character are very intentional and this story gave me such a sense of nostalgia.

I really enjoyed this book. I did go into this book thinking it was a sapphic contemporary romance a la Ali Hazelwood just from the title and cover art. It was not in fact either of those things.

That said, this book is a very sweet young adult romance. I LOVE how autism is handled in this book. Ash is the absolute best too. I love how they go from forced proximity to reluctant allies as she fixes their website and he teaches her about love using literature and a whole lot of smut to slowly falling for each other. They are very sweet together.

Ash is a really well done character. I like that there is a lot more to him that she didn't see and that we get to watch her understanding of love grow as her understanding of him grows as well. Marlowe is trying so hard to mask herself as normal. I love that she goes through a personal journey of growth over the course of the book. I can see how this book could be healing for some readers.

I also really like that the elusive ex boyfriend is realistic. I feel like a lot of books featuring girls who want to get back with their ex has them kind of a caricature of evil proportions. He mostly was just terrible for her and a very human character. Well, on the surface at least. That particular reveal was very well done.

I like the normalizing reading grandma's ripped bodices style romance books as well. That was very relatable. And the little romance bookstore was a really nice touch too. I love that she was able to finally find common ground with her mother through literature.

Also, let's talk a bit about her utterly fantastic friends! I love that the FMC has such a great support system!

There was one little comment relating phone usage to being an EpiPen of sanity that I really didn't care for as an aunt to two of the sweetest and most amazing lil nephews who are anaphylactic to dairy, peanuts, and tree nuts and can't go anywhere publicly without their EpiPen handy.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book!

Absolutely devoured this book. A YA book with positive and supportive parents is so fabulous. Loved the autism rep. Lovely teen romance.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Pretty fun read. I usually don't like too many ya romances so went in with some trepidation but this was good. A bit childish at points but overall, A solid read

This was a very cute YA romance. It follows Marlowe (a girl on the spectrum who loves mushrooms) and Ash (a hot goth singer in a rock band). Ash is tutoring Marlowe on how to be romantic after her ex boyfriend breaks up with her because she’s “not romantic enough” (Josh is trash). They work together throughout the semester on winning Josh back but maybe fall in love a bit themselves?

I would die for Poppy who was probably my favorite character. While I loved to watch relationship develop between Ash and Marlow I wish we had gotten to experience more of it on the page. Overall, a nice light little YA romance with some added mushroom and jellyfish facts. Would recommend!

A BIT OF A LETDOWN.

I loved the authors previous book and it had made me all the more excited to pick this one up, and I’m not quite sure what to do about my thoughts.

My biggest issue was that for 90% of the book it was focused on the FMC getting back together with her ex. This left very little room for the new relationship to form and for a spark of true chemistry to be there. I was so tired of the constant focus on her ex. What I got of the romance was so sweet and I needed more.

I did like the general themes. I loved the acknowledgment of the power of romance books and how we can all love in our own ways and how important that part of our selves is. I liked the tight friendship group for Marlowe and a realistic family life too.

Overall audience notes:

YA Contemporary Romance
Language: low
Romance: kisses

I thoroughly enjoyed this super cute YA novel by Serena Kaylor that is Abby Jiminez-esque. I was sucked in from the first chapter and while it was predictable (what love story isn't), I couldn't help but root for Marlowe and her quest for romance. I loved that Math was involved and enjoyed the autism portrayal of Marlowe. I will absolutely read more books by Serena Kaylor! Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A sweet trope-y YA rom com with a good neurodivergent character in Marlowe and a cool male lead in Ash. I liked this for the characters and the reference to romance novels. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Perfect for the younger YA crowd.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books.

The main character of Marlowe was tough to connect with. She came across as being neurodivergent (though that isn't specified in the story), but didn't have a lot of vulnerability that made me want to root for her.

This would be a better read for a younger audience, which is fitting given that it’s YA. But I as a twenty six year old had a hard time not rolling my eyes at some of the dialogue.

There’s a lot of character development with the side characters in this one, almost more so than with the love interest. I would’ve liked more of a focus on their story than the overall story world. It was a bit slow, so I was glad to have it on audio also so I could just mindlessly listen to portions which weren’t keeping me entertained.

Overall, would recommend for ages 13-17 but I don’t know that anyone who is older would enjoy the story.

I devoured this book in one night, unable to put it down. It had me giggling and kicking my feet the entire time.

What I adored about this book:
- The portrayal of a beautifully complex autistic female main character, Marlowe, was captivating. I found her journey incredibly sweet and nuanced.
- The character Ash was written in a way that left me awestruck. He was the ultimate grumpy, quiet boy who falls first, and I became completely obsessed with him.
- The book's in-depth examination of reflecting on a past relationship and realizing its unhealthy nature struck a chord with me. Having been in a toxic relationship during high school without realizing it at the time, I deeply related to this aspect of the story.
- The emphasis on the importance of true friendships was heartwarming and resonated with me on a personal level.

What I didn't love as much
-It ended. That's it. I loved it

The second I ended it, I wanted to start it again. If it was 2am, I probably would have.

I give The Calculation of You and me 4.5 Starts (adjusted to 5 for Goodreads and NetGalley)

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Serena Kaylor, and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of The Calculation of You and Me in exhcange for my review

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc.

Unfortunately, it just didn’t hit the spot for me.
2-2.5/5 ⭐️

This book had so much potential but it fell a bit short for me. The beginning was rough and took me forever to get into, I probably put this book down and restarted at least five times. There was nothing captivating about the first chapter at all. Finally grabbed my attention and I needed to finish once I hit about 65%, and then was sadly disappointed by the very short and abrupt ending. Marlowe and Ashton deserved more time! I love the autistic representation in this book, but was not the biggest fan of Marlowe and found her character to be a bit boring. I was more drawn to Ashton and Odette.

Overall, this wasn’t a bad book and I see it has many glowing reviews, but it just wasn’t the right fit for me.

The Calculation of You and Me by Serena Kaylor is a delightful romantic comedy that can be enjoyed in one sitting. This novel is filled with heartfelt moments and clever sarcasm, making it a truly engaging read.