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A review by opalmars
The Calculation of You and Me by Serena Kaylor
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Cute book, but definitely lacking in some departments.
➤ I really liked the autism rep, and I think Marlowe was an interesting MC.
➤ I liked Ash as a LI, and I especially appreciate that he’s different from the typical LI in m/f books: he’s queer (and has openly dated guys previously), he wears makeup, nail polish and jewellery, he loves romance books… He’s also quite sweet and understanding, which I 100% love in guys! I’ve seen him being described as a “bad boy”, and like….. no???? He’s just emo and wears black lol 😅.
➤ Marlow and Ash’s reasons to come together were definitely a bit… farfetched. 😕 This book has that whole “you help me get my ex back but OH NO I ended up falling out of love with my ex and falling in love with YOU instead haha” trope, which is very cliché and overdone, but I wouldn’t have minded it, if the reasons made more sense. However, Ash just randomly asks the teacher to pair him up with Marlowe in a group project, even though they didn’t know each other, and then he “saves” her from humiliation when she’s trying to get her ex back, also for no reason. Ash then accepts to teach Marlowe how to be more romantic, before she even offers him anything in return. Like, why?? I kept wondering why he was so willing (and enthused) to help her. For her side of the deal, Marlowe says she’ll help Ash’s band with their website, social media, etc, which like, fine, but Ash didn’t even know she could help him there, and he had already basically decided he would help this complete stranger… 🫤 To help Marlowe become more romantic, he recommends her romance books to read, and takes her on “field trips” (aka date ideas). These didn’t feel substantial enough, and I wish the author had given them more importance and more time on page. Overall, the main plot was not only an overdone trope, but it was also unfortunately lacking a bit.
➤ I also think Marlowe and Ash’s friendship developed a bit too fast. I would’ve liked to see more of their interactions.
➤ There were several eye-roll-worthy scenes in this book, likewhen Marlowe begged Ash to kiss her to “prove” she’s not broken and to remember what it’s like to kiss someone (so she could write it in her love letter to her ex ofc) 🙄; their stupid misunderstanding where she refused to explain she was over her ex and dragged it for god knows how long 🙄; and that fuck-ass scene where she decided (on her own) that their group presentation would be them acting out a scene she wrote, and then she goes off-script and uses the characters they’re portraying as a way to explain how she feels to Ash 🙄. Criiiiinge 😬
➤ At the end of the book, at prom, Ash confesses his love for Marlowe on stage, in front of everyone. I haaaated this scene because, 1) CRINGE; 2) Marlowe was the one who’d been stringing Ash along, and was planning to confess to him for a while, so I was sad we didn’t get that; 3) he admits he started crushing on her when he got to school the previous year, so like… he already liked her, even though they were strangers??? 😟 Which means… the reason why he instantly asked the teacher to partner with Marlowe was because he already liked her???? Boooooo I wanted them to fall in love during the book! I really didn’t like to find out he apparently already liked her before 😭.
➤ The ending was a bit abrupt and anticlimactic, ngl. Gimme an epilogue next time!
➤ I cant get over the fact that Marlowe had to EXPLAIN to Ash that his band’s online presence was shit. You’re telling me that in a group 5 teenagers there’s not *ONE* person who realizes they should PROBABLY post their music online? Or have a decent website? Update their social medias?? 🥴 C’mon now…
➤ Sometimes things were mentioned and I’d be like “When did that happen???”, and then I’d realize that it actually happened *off-page*. 😐 SO MANY things happened off-page, and, sure, they were usually smaller things, but they definitely added up. I wish the author hadn’t skipped these things, because not only did it make the book confusing at times, but it also meant we lost opportunities to see Marlowe and Ash bond.
➤ I think that the MC (and the story itself) had a bit too much going on. Marlowe loved maths, mushrooms, developed an obsession with romance books, was apparently good at photography and web design (which is how she helped Ash’s band), had confidence issues because of her family, was still into her ex and was actively trying to get him back, did this by striking a deal with a stranger, ended up having weekly “field trip dates” and romance book discussions with Ash, had her group project, her 2 best friends and her little sister…… There was just SO MUCH going on in Marlowe’s life, and YES, that makes her a more realistic and well-rounded character, but it also made this book have a little too much going on, and unfortunately, not everything felt fully actualized. I wish the book had been a little longer, or some of these things were removed. The story definitely didn’t need them all.
➤ I can’t forget those 2 instances where the MC broke the 4th wall for no reason (one at the very start, one at the very end). Just to fuck with me, methinks.
Overall, this was cute, and I’d recommend it, but I definitely think it could’ve been better. Missed opportunity, for sure.
➤ I really liked the autism rep, and I think Marlowe was an interesting MC.
➤ I liked Ash as a LI, and I especially appreciate that he’s different from the typical LI in m/f books: he’s queer (and has openly dated guys previously), he wears makeup, nail polish and jewellery, he loves romance books… He’s also quite sweet and understanding, which I 100% love in guys! I’ve seen him being described as a “bad boy”, and like….. no???? He’s just emo and wears black lol 😅.
➤ Marlow and Ash’s reasons to come together were definitely a bit… farfetched. 😕 This book has that whole “you help me get my ex back but OH NO I ended up falling out of love with my ex and falling in love with YOU instead haha” trope, which is very cliché and overdone, but I wouldn’t have minded it, if the reasons made more sense. However, Ash just randomly asks the teacher to pair him up with Marlowe in a group project, even though they didn’t know each other, and then he “saves” her from humiliation when she’s trying to get her ex back, also for no reason. Ash then accepts to teach Marlowe how to be more romantic, before she even offers him anything in return. Like, why?? I kept wondering why he was so willing (and enthused) to help her. For her side of the deal, Marlowe says she’ll help Ash’s band with their website, social media, etc, which like, fine, but Ash didn’t even know she could help him there, and he had already basically decided he would help this complete stranger… 🫤 To help Marlowe become more romantic, he recommends her romance books to read, and takes her on “field trips” (aka date ideas). These didn’t feel substantial enough, and I wish the author had given them more importance and more time on page. Overall, the main plot was not only an overdone trope, but it was also unfortunately lacking a bit.
➤ I also think Marlowe and Ash’s friendship developed a bit too fast. I would’ve liked to see more of their interactions.
➤ There were several eye-roll-worthy scenes in this book, like
➤ At the end of the book, at prom, Ash confesses his love for Marlowe on stage, in front of everyone. I haaaated this scene because, 1) CRINGE; 2) Marlowe was the one who’d been stringing Ash along, and was planning to confess to him for a while, so I was sad we didn’t get that; 3) he admits he started crushing on her when he got to school the previous year, so like… he already liked her, even though they were strangers??? 😟 Which means… the reason why he instantly asked the teacher to partner with Marlowe was because he already liked her???? Boooooo I wanted them to fall in love during the book! I really didn’t like to find out he apparently already liked her before 😭.
➤ The ending was a bit abrupt and anticlimactic, ngl. Gimme an epilogue next time!
➤ I cant get over the fact that Marlowe had to EXPLAIN to Ash that his band’s online presence was shit. You’re telling me that in a group 5 teenagers there’s not *ONE* person who realizes they should PROBABLY post their music online? Or have a decent website? Update their social medias?? 🥴 C’mon now…
➤ Sometimes things were mentioned and I’d be like “When did that happen???”, and then I’d realize that it actually happened *off-page*. 😐 SO MANY things happened off-page, and, sure, they were usually smaller things, but they definitely added up. I wish the author hadn’t skipped these things, because not only did it make the book confusing at times, but it also meant we lost opportunities to see Marlowe and Ash bond.
➤ I think that the MC (and the story itself) had a bit too much going on. Marlowe loved maths, mushrooms, developed an obsession with romance books, was apparently good at photography and web design (which is how she helped Ash’s band), had confidence issues because of her family, was still into her ex and was actively trying to get him back, did this by striking a deal with a stranger, ended up having weekly “field trip dates” and romance book discussions with Ash, had her group project, her 2 best friends and her little sister…… There was just SO MUCH going on in Marlowe’s life, and YES, that makes her a more realistic and well-rounded character, but it also made this book have a little too much going on, and unfortunately, not everything felt fully actualized. I wish the book had been a little longer, or some of these things were removed. The story definitely didn’t need them all.
➤ I can’t forget those 2 instances where the MC broke the 4th wall for no reason (one at the very start, one at the very end). Just to fuck with me, methinks.
Overall, this was cute, and I’d recommend it, but I definitely think it could’ve been better. Missed opportunity, for sure.