Chaos Theory

 

My Thoughts:

It is the end of the school year and the beginning of summer when things are starting to get hot and muggy. This is graduation season here in Hawai'i, so a perfect time to read a YA romance about a "certified genius living with a diagnosed mental disorder and a politician's son who is running from his own addiction and grief."

This starts with Shelbi receiving a drunk text from some stranger. He is obviously in need of some support and a kind ear, so Shelbi agrees to be his anonymous support stranger. Except that he does not stay a stranger to her for very long. As soon as he promises his new drunk dial message buddy that he will not drive in his condition, he drives and gets into an accident. Shelbi happens to drive past the crash site and sees Andy Criddle, the school salutatorian outside of the car with a police officer. Shelbi's fascination with the physics of crashes takes her back to the scene where she finds Andy's wallet. She soon realizes that Andy is the drunk message buddy and she does eventually fess up that she has been on the other end of his texts, so anonymous no longer.

This book is about mental health and family trauma. It is about addiction and self harm. If any of those things are triggering for readers, they need to know that going in. But at the end of the day, it is also about two teens who are really trying to find friendship and love despite all of the chaos both within them and outside of them. It is about friendship, and despite the weird contract, I do believe that these two would be friends for life, however, trust is difficult for Shelbi. 

This is not a book to teach or do activities with. Instead, it is a book to enjoy. Their love story, despite all the barriers and setback, is enjoyable. As a reader, I am rooting for these very broken people. So buy it. Read it. Borrow it. Listen to it. Either way, someone will pass through your classroom doors and need to also enjoy this book for no other reason than because they will also want to root for these two young adults. 

From the Publisher:

Scars exist to remind us of what we’ve survived.
 
DETACHED
Since Shelbi enrolled at Windward Academy as a senior and won’t be there very long, she hasn’t bothered making friends. What her classmates don’t know about her can’t be used to hurt her—you know, like it did at her last school.
 
WASTED
Andy Criddle is not okay. At all.
He’s had far too much to drink.
Again. Which is bad.
And things are about to get worse.
 
When Shelbi sees Andy at his lowest, she can relate. So she doesn’t resist reaching out. And there’s no doubt their connection has them both seeing stars . . . but the closer they get, the more the past threatens to pull their universes apart.
 

Publication Information:

Author: Nic Stone

Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers (February 28, 2023)

ISBN-13: 978-0593307700

Grade level: 9-12

Hardcover: 288 pages