Every Variable of Us

This is a voice-driven YA novel with intense characters and really self-aware writing: “And can I just point some messed up shit out? Two high school girls stealing a frozen pizza and hair extensions, and this guy feels it’s necessary to draw his weapon. And they wonder why there’s a new hashtag against the police every week.” (Copaganda rating? Zero. Excellent job.) One of the things I hate most about YA novels is their frequent refusal to name specifics or make pop culture references, and this book absolutely does not have that problem. However — and I realize this book was probably drafted before 2020 — there are a lot of Harry Potter references and it is now generally considered bad form to include Harry Potter references in queer novels, so I do wish that that had been edited before this book hit ARC metaphorical shelves. Love the casaul queers-in-STEM rep. Four stars.

It’s a great book with pretty awesome representation as far as I’m concerned. The main thing is the homophobia and Islam phobia that happen especially from Lex’s supposed group of friends. It really made me uncomfortable at times but other than that it was enjoyable and I loved seeing different characters (autistic character, Indian American lesbian etc) I did like how Lex came to terms with herself and how she eventually overcame most if not all of the obvious issues that she had at the beginning of the book. overall it’s a good story with a few downfalls. *thank you Net Galley for this ARC

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own. Book: Every Variable of Us Author: Charles A. Bush Book Series: Standalone Rating: 5/5 Diversity: Black Bisexual MC, Indian American Lesbian love interest, Autistic character, Asian character, Physically disabled background characters Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary, 2SLGBT+, romance Publication Date: March 1, 2022 Genre: YA Contemporary Age Relevance: 16+ (violence, gore, gang related activity, poverty, romance, Islamaphobia, homophobia, transphobia, abelism, drugs, drug addiction, parental abandonment) Explanation of Above: The book shows the MC getting shot in a gang-related incident and her injuries afterwards. The book goes into detail about the MC’s life, which includes living in poverty along with many other characters. The book has a romance in it, which is very sweetly done. There are incidences of islamaphobia, homophobia, transphobia, and abelism in the book. There are drugs and drug addiction shown in the book. There is also an incident of a character getting kicked out. Publisher: North Star Editions Pages: 400 Synopsis: After Philly teenager Alexis Duncan is injured in a gang shooting, her dreams of a college scholarship and pro basketball career vanish in an instant. To avoid becoming another Black teen trapped in her poverty-stricken neighborhood, she shifts her focus to the school's STEM team, a group of nerds seeking their own college scholarships. Academics have never been her thing, but Alexis is freshly motivated by Aamani Chakrabarti, the new Indian student who becomes her mentor (and crush?). Alexis begins to see herself as so much more than an athlete. But just as her future starts to reform, Alexis’s own doubts and old loyalties pull her back into harm’s way. Review: I really enjoyed this book! The book was so well written and while I hated Alexis’ struggle I loved seeing how she handled it. The book did well with having so many diverse characters and the character development for each of them was well done. The book also had a sensitivity reader for the autistic community go through the book, which I highly appreciate. The book was honest and unashamed in how it displayed the story, which I appreciated greatly, and I also loved how well the world building was described. The only issue I had is that the book got a bit slow in the middle and some of the pacing was a bit off, but other than that I loved the book. Verdict: Highly recommend!