Hank has Asperger's syndrome and his fixation is on music. His social skills are less than stellar and figures he will never get to kiss a girl. Liana is fixated on astronomy and until recently, kissing. On the last day of school Liana found a note in her locker with one word, "slut." Her relationships have never gone past kissing but she is determined to prove to herself that she doesn't have to kiss to be in a relationship. That summer their paths collide. Hank realizes that Liana understands him as much as anyone possibly can and thinks he might be in love with her. Liana realizes that she might just love Hank too, for his quirks not in spite of them.
Told in alternating first-person chapters, Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin write a sweet, funny love story. Halpin's writing is definitely stronger than Franklin's and I enjoyed Hank's view of things much more than Liana's. Hank has a razor-sharp sense of humor (although his character probably doesn't realize it), but honestly sometimes Liana just comes off as whiny and shallow. So extra brownie points to Brendan!
* Lyrics from "Love Hurts" by Nazareth, capitalization by me.
Note: This book was read for possible inclusion on the 2011/2012 YARP list.
No comments:
Post a Comment