Member Review
Review by
Adriana G, Reviewer
Rory Prince is the very public face of his parents' academic tutoring empire. He's supposed to be a genius, but he always loses to handsome, charismatic Luca Melendez. When he finally snaps and throws a smoothie at the one guy who has been besting him at every single competition without seemingly putting any effort, he's sent to the most cutthroat academic competition in the US, BRAIN. He's determined to win, no matter what, even if it means making Luca fall in love to distract him.
Rory, Luca, and the rest of the teens at BRAIN are fantastic. You get the hormones and uncertainty of teenagers with a genius that justifies them being put together in a high-pressure environment that pretends not to be dangerous. I enjoyed the way each of their motivations was organically introduced into the story, so they become more than just high-strung, high-functioning geniuses and become teens with relatable issues.
Rory is so overcome by everything his parents push on him that he doesn't even know how to be friendly, let alone get someone to fall for him. His bumbling attempts might have a darker motivation behind them, but they're still incredibly adorable. It's the story of a teen who already fought to be their authentic selves having to once again explore what they want and who they want to be to get there. How can you not root for him?
I am discovering that I am not a fan of main characters who have high anxiety when they're this expertly written because they trigger my own anxiety. It's a testament to Powars' writing and possible anxiety that Rory's continuous freaking out and worrying about every little thing feels real enough that I considered not continuing with the book because I was getting sympathy hives. The poor kid is seen as a tool for success by his mom and his dad seems to have checked out completely. Rory's been brainwashed into thinking every little move they make will make or break the family business. Everything he does is being judged because he's the company's poster boy for academic success, which puts an insane amount of pressure on him and leaves him with no way to decompress. His anxiety is justified. It's also a little too realistic for most of the book, which is the only reason why I'm not giving this fun book the full 5-star rating.
Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for the read!
Rory, Luca, and the rest of the teens at BRAIN are fantastic. You get the hormones and uncertainty of teenagers with a genius that justifies them being put together in a high-pressure environment that pretends not to be dangerous. I enjoyed the way each of their motivations was organically introduced into the story, so they become more than just high-strung, high-functioning geniuses and become teens with relatable issues.
Rory is so overcome by everything his parents push on him that he doesn't even know how to be friendly, let alone get someone to fall for him. His bumbling attempts might have a darker motivation behind them, but they're still incredibly adorable. It's the story of a teen who already fought to be their authentic selves having to once again explore what they want and who they want to be to get there. How can you not root for him?
I am discovering that I am not a fan of main characters who have high anxiety when they're this expertly written because they trigger my own anxiety. It's a testament to Powars' writing and possible anxiety that Rory's continuous freaking out and worrying about every little thing feels real enough that I considered not continuing with the book because I was getting sympathy hives. The poor kid is seen as a tool for success by his mom and his dad seems to have checked out completely. Rory's been brainwashed into thinking every little move they make will make or break the family business. Everything he does is being judged because he's the company's poster boy for academic success, which puts an insane amount of pressure on him and leaves him with no way to decompress. His anxiety is justified. It's also a little too realistic for most of the book, which is the only reason why I'm not giving this fun book the full 5-star rating.
Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for the read!
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