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jomarie's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
If you want a math-theme sort of love story, read An Abundance of Katherines by John Green.
If you want a story about teen pregnancy, watch Juno.
If you want a story about teen pregnancy, watch Juno.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion and Pregnancy
Minor: Alcohol and Death of parent
jmitschke's review against another edition
5.0
What a delightful book! Johnson has such a refreshing and sharp sense of humor. The story and characters were quite engaging, but my favorite part was his narrative device of using math equations to humorously and succinctly explain otherwise complicated emotional and social relationships. Very smart and very funny.
eowyns_helmet's review
5.0
Delightful book with a very difficult story-line handled cooly and with great affection for its lead characters.
kblincoln's review against another edition
5.0
Rhonda is a "sadder but wiser" high school student who loves math. Her friends are geeks, and she shies away from talking to anybody in the popular cheerleader/basketball star clique.
But then one day a cheerleader comes to her tutoring center and it turns out Rhonda has more in common with the cheerleader than she thought.
The story is how Rhonda becomes friends with the cheerleader, and learns to trust herself as she finally heals from a traumatic experience a few years earlier.
Throughout the book are little references to math and theories that are cute without being too overwhelming.
I loved the voice of Rhonda (and imagine my surprise when I found out she was written by a male author!).
Excellent book.
But then one day a cheerleader comes to her tutoring center and it turns out Rhonda has more in common with the cheerleader than she thought.
The story is how Rhonda becomes friends with the cheerleader, and learns to trust herself as she finally heals from a traumatic experience a few years earlier.
Throughout the book are little references to math and theories that are cute without being too overwhelming.
I loved the voice of Rhonda (and imagine my surprise when I found out she was written by a male author!).
Excellent book.
pikasqueaks's review against another edition
4.0
I really wanted to like this book. There was promise in Rhonda's character, but the writing fell so flat. There was not much to it, unfortunately, aside from straight storytelling.
catladyreba's review against another edition
4.0
I really, really liked this book. There was so much about it I liked; the characters, the plot, the concept, the fact that the author is a male, and tells the story of a teenage female so authentically. I can't wait to recommend this book to my students!
abigailbat's review against another edition
3.0
Rhonda used to be one of the popular girls at her prestigious prep school, but all it got her was trouble. Now she's a wallflower, a smart girl who tutors kids at the community center, dreams of going to Georgia Tech on a scholarship, and watches the popular kids with a mixture of envy and disgust. When popular girl Sarah Gamble comes to her for tutoring, Rhonda refuses at first. But they have much more in common than she ever could have guessed.
This book has a really interesting premise and it's refreshing to read about African American characters in a book that doesn't center around race. But the writing fell flat for me, so overall it was just okay.
This book has a really interesting premise and it's refreshing to read about African American characters in a book that doesn't center around race. But the writing fell flat for me, so overall it was just okay.
joyagoffney's review against another edition
2.0
I did not finish this book. I decided to not force myself to finish reading a book that I was not enjoying. Of course, I like that it was from a minority perspective without it being soley about race. I appreciate that it was a story about a very smart black girl among other smart and successful black people--that's great!! But I did not enjoy reading this. The writer is an engineer and his writing sounds like an engineer wrote it. Not to be harsh, it's not awful, it's just stiff.
cberlin's review against another edition
4.0
Many books about real teen issues written by adults come out sounding preachy and irritating. This is not one of those books. The author tactfully and realistically portrays teen struggles with friendships, relationships, and pregnancy. Rhonda and Sarah were both interesting, complex characters that I wanted to learn all about. I stayed up until 4 am to read this book, which is very rare for me to do with books that aren't full of suspense, like I usually read. Highly recommended.