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A review by seventhaurora
The Science of Being Angry by Nicole Melleby
5.0
*4.75 stars*
my second nicole melleby book and another one i absolutely loved.
melleby does family dynamics SO well and writes such complex yet largely sympathetic main characters, your heart can't help but to both hurt and cheer for them.
in particular, The Science of Being Angry follows a family with two lesbian moms, their triplets, and the triplets' big brother from one of the moms' first marriage. this particular family dynamic is a huge part of the book and is a cornerstone in 11-year-old joey (one of the triplets)' journey to figure out why she is so angry all of the time, and why she sometimes hurts the people she loves, despite her best intentions.
we follow joey as she tries to navigate 6th grade, her complex relationship with her twin triplet brothers, her complicated feelings towards her ex-best friend, and the ball of anger inside her that she feels might make her explode at any second.
this book perfectly encapsulates the feeling of knowing you are hurting someone and wanting to stop, but not knowing how. not even knowing how to articulate what is going on inside your mind and your body. being autistic, i know this feeling all too well, and i felt a kind of kinship with joey.
nicole melleby is a seriously strong contender for being my favourite middle grade author. this is a book i will keep on my shelves and keep in mind to recommend to all the 10- to 13-year-olds i can.
my second nicole melleby book and another one i absolutely loved.
melleby does family dynamics SO well and writes such complex yet largely sympathetic main characters, your heart can't help but to both hurt and cheer for them.
in particular, The Science of Being Angry follows a family with two lesbian moms, their triplets, and the triplets' big brother from one of the moms' first marriage. this particular family dynamic is a huge part of the book and is a cornerstone in 11-year-old joey (one of the triplets)' journey to figure out why she is so angry all of the time, and why she sometimes hurts the people she loves, despite her best intentions.
we follow joey as she tries to navigate 6th grade, her complex relationship with her twin triplet brothers, her complicated feelings towards her ex-best friend, and the ball of anger inside her that she feels might make her explode at any second.
this book perfectly encapsulates the feeling of knowing you are hurting someone and wanting to stop, but not knowing how. not even knowing how to articulate what is going on inside your mind and your body. being autistic, i know this feeling all too well, and i felt a kind of kinship with joey.
nicole melleby is a seriously strong contender for being my favourite middle grade author. this is a book i will keep on my shelves and keep in mind to recommend to all the 10- to 13-year-olds i can.