Aisha Pasha '20 returns to share two books that feature exciting, unanticipated plot twists.
Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley
Agoraphobic sixteen year old, Solomon ("Sol"), hasn’t been outside of the confines of his house in three years. Completely content in his little bubble, he doesn’t expect Lisa or her boyfriend, Clark, to completely change his life.
Lisa has been dreaming of getting into one of the best psychology programs for college and wants his help. Her elaborate plan is to encourage Sol, who doesn’t suspect a thing, to go outside and get over his phobia. She tells herself that this is the only way she can make herself stand out on her applications. However, when the three of them become closer than expected, Lisa starts to doubt her plan. She begins to wonder if after all of this, she can still hold onto the friendship that started out as a guaranteed college acceptance and morphed into a genuine, close bond.
I absolutely loved this book. It was relatively short—only 256 pages—so it didn’t take me long to get completely involved in plot and finish the book. Sol was such a quirky character and some of his dialogue had me laughing out loud. It was interesting to see how he interacted with Clark and Lisa after not seeing anyone other than his parents for the past three years.
Verdict: Highly Illogical Behavior was a funny contemporary about forming friendships that everyone should read. It is the perfect length to be able to read in a couple of days, so pick it up. This was a solid four out of five star book to me.
More Happy Than Not is a heartbreaking yet inspiring book about the pain of the past and resurfacing emotions. Aaron Soto is determined to reach his happy ending after he failed to take his own life and after his father committed suicide. Aaron has an amazing girlfriend, a fantastic mother, and a new best friend, Thomas, to help him through his struggles. But as his feelings and emotions start to warp into things he doesn’t understand, all Aaron wants to do is forget. He gets a chance to do so with the new Leteo memory alteration procedure, which will let him remember what he wants and forget what he doesn’t. With happiness seeming father than ever, what does he have to lose?
I was amazed at how well written the story was. Despite the book being relatively short, Silvera successfully described Aaron's entire backstory and integrated meaningful character development and an interesting plot. While reading, I thought I had figured out what was happening, but I was completely wrong. The plot takes an interesting turn I didn’t see coming, and the unanticipated twist made me anticipate the ending even more.
Aaron’s relationship with the people around him made him a real and raw character—someone that people could understand. His pains felt real, and I couldn’t help but sympathize with him. I felt connected to Aaron and was genuinely happy with how realistically his character arc wrapped up at the end.
Verdict: This book got me rooting for Aaron’s happiness and had me surprised at every page. If I could wipe my memory to read this book all over again, I would. Though the beginning of the book was a bit slow for me, I couldn’t put the book down after getting a little less than halfway through. I would recommend this book for anyone who likes a good “finding yourself” story—but make sure you have a box of tissues next to you, because this book will have you tearing up.
I absolutely loved this book. It was relatively short—only 256 pages—so it didn’t take me long to get completely involved in plot and finish the book. Sol was such a quirky character and some of his dialogue had me laughing out loud. It was interesting to see how he interacted with Clark and Lisa after not seeing anyone other than his parents for the past three years.
I think the most impressive character arc was Lisa’s. She started off as being okay with manipulating someone for her own benefit, but she grew so much by the end. I was surprised! Even though Clark was an important part of the story, I was glad that the book didn’t go off track and revolve around his relationship with Lisa. Their romance was just a small part of the novel, and Sol's growth is a more vital part of the plot.
Verdict: Highly Illogical Behavior was a funny contemporary about forming friendships that everyone should read. It is the perfect length to be able to read in a couple of days, so pick it up. This was a solid four out of five star book to me.
More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
More Happy Than Not is a heartbreaking yet inspiring book about the pain of the past and resurfacing emotions. Aaron Soto is determined to reach his happy ending after he failed to take his own life and after his father committed suicide. Aaron has an amazing girlfriend, a fantastic mother, and a new best friend, Thomas, to help him through his struggles. But as his feelings and emotions start to warp into things he doesn’t understand, all Aaron wants to do is forget. He gets a chance to do so with the new Leteo memory alteration procedure, which will let him remember what he wants and forget what he doesn’t. With happiness seeming father than ever, what does he have to lose?
I was amazed at how well written the story was. Despite the book being relatively short, Silvera successfully described Aaron's entire backstory and integrated meaningful character development and an interesting plot. While reading, I thought I had figured out what was happening, but I was completely wrong. The plot takes an interesting turn I didn’t see coming, and the unanticipated twist made me anticipate the ending even more.
Aaron’s relationship with the people around him made him a real and raw character—someone that people could understand. His pains felt real, and I couldn’t help but sympathize with him. I felt connected to Aaron and was genuinely happy with how realistically his character arc wrapped up at the end.
Verdict: This book got me rooting for Aaron’s happiness and had me surprised at every page. If I could wipe my memory to read this book all over again, I would. Though the beginning of the book was a bit slow for me, I couldn’t put the book down after getting a little less than halfway through. I would recommend this book for anyone who likes a good “finding yourself” story—but make sure you have a box of tissues next to you, because this book will have you tearing up.
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