Arvin Ahmadi

Scott Ferdowsi has a track record of quitting. Writing the Great American Novel? Three chapters. His summer internship? One week. His best friends know exactly what they want to do with the rest of their lives, but Scott can hardly commit to a breakfast cereal, let alone a passion. With college applications looming, Scott's parents pressure him to get serious and settle on a career path like engineering or medicine. Desperate for help, he sneaks off to Washington, DC, to seek guidance from a famous professor who specializes in grit, the psychology of success. He never expects an adventure to unfold out of what was supposed to be a one-day visit. But that's what Scott gets when he meets Fiora Buchanan, a ballsy college student whose life ambition is to write crossword puzzles. When the bicycle she lends him gets Scott into a high-speed chase, he knows he's in for the ride of his life. Soon, Scott finds himself sneaking into bars, attempting to pick up girls at the National Zoo, and even giving the crossword thing a try-all while opening his eyes to fundamental truths about who he is and who he wants to be.

Down and Across

"John Green fans will appreciate this tale." —USA Today "[A] humorous, deeply human coming-of-age story." —The Washington Post Scott Ferdowsi has a track record of quitting. His best friends know exactly what they want to do with the rest of their lives, but Scott can hardly commit to a breakfast cereal, let alone a passion. With college applications looming and his parents pushing him to settle on a “practical” career, Scott sneaks off to Washington, DC, seeking guidance from a famous psychologist who claims to know the secret to success. He never expects an adventure to unfold. But that’s what Scott gets when he meets Fiora Buchanan, a ballsy college student whose life ambition is to write crossword puzzles. When the bicycle she lends him gets Scott into a high-speed chase, he knows he’s in for the ride of his life. Soon, Scott finds himself sneaking into bars, attempting to pick up girls at the National Zoo, and even giving the crossword thing a try—all while opening his eyes to fundamental truths about who he is and who he wants to be.

Raven K

this book literally felt like a comedy to me. it was really good and I loved that in so many ways I could relate to the main character. He was so relatable and I honestly love when I can connect with any character in a book. I loved Fiora and Scott's friendship. I also loved Trent and Scott's friendship. I smiled and laughed so many times reading this and I couldn't even help it. it was that good 😭. but these characters are definitely memorable and I'm glad I got to meet them.

"John Green fans will appreciate this tale." --USA Today "[A] humorous, deeply human coming-of-age story." --The Washington Post Scott Ferdowsi has a track record of quitting. His best friends know exactly what they want to do with the rest of their lives, but Scott can hardly commit to a breakfast cereal, let alone a passion. With college applications looming and his parents pushing him to settle on a "practical" career, Scott sneaks off to Washington, DC, seeking guidance from a famous psychologist who claims to know the secret to success. He never expects an adventure to unfold. But that's what Scott gets when he meets Fiora Buchanan, a ballsy college student whose life ambition is to write crossword puzzles. When the bicycle she lends him gets Scott into a high-speed chase, he knows he's in for the ride of his life. Soon, Scott finds himself sneaking into bars, attempting to pick up girls at the National Zoo, and even giving the crossword thing a try--all while opening his eyes to fundamental truths about who he is and who he wants to be.

Saima A

I read this in a few hours and I kind of expected it to be longer for some reason?

I enjoyed this, it was kind of like reading the right book at the right time. It's made me want to read more into grit and get back into crosswords

Skye Landau

** spoiler alert **
           The premise of this book is great, but it has a major issue. It glorifies a relationship between an adult an a minor. And in a very strange way that attempts to make the reader okay with it. Because the adult, Jeanette, doesn't know that the main character Scott is a minor. I'm outraged at the fact that the author seems to think that he can make a completely inappropriate relationship okay to have in his story without pointing out how wrong it is. The only "problem" is that Jeanette turns out to be a terrible person. It also glosses over the fact that Scott was encouraged to enter into this relationship by another adult who should have realized how wrong the situation was. And the fact that so many people have read this and seemingly have no problem with it?

Samiha Tasnim

Why aren’t I allowed to be indefinitely incomplete, too?




“Our lives aren’t so different from a crossword puzzle, sure. But the thing about life is we don’t get to draw the grid; we take the rows and columns we’re given. Our bodies, parents, mental health issues, all that. What we do get to do is fill the cells. And rather than filling mine with anxiety over medical school or Greek politics—instead of feeling trapped by my circumstance—I fill them with arbitrary words. An eight-letter word for ‘snowstorm’ or a three-letter word for ‘soda.’ Silly shit that’s true but doesn’t mean anything. I can live with my downs and acrosses; I accept the larger truths of my life. But I don’t take the cells so seriously.”




It was the opposite of a walk of shame. It was a walk of game. Stride of pride. Pace of Ace.

Liv Rockwell

A good growing up/ figuring it out novel. 

Honestly, until the very end I was going to give this novel a three star rating. The writing is fine, but nothing truly blew me away about this book as up until about 75% of the way through it was your average, modern YA novel. 

What changed the rating I am giving it is the diversity of the cast. I appreciated this, as a reader who is not impressed with the rather limited background narrators we tend to get. Thankfully, modern day literature has been expanding upon the narrator diversity, which I can be grateful for. However, this does not mean that these novels are well-written (an issue that has arisen with other novels). 

Ahmadi does not struggle with this. His narrator is diverse, and so is the rest of the cast. While still pursuing a story about growing up/ figuring it out he also manages to discuss and point out how stereotypes affect the narrator in a casual, day-to-day way, subtly sliding its way in the with introduction of the character Jeanette. I appreciated this, and found this discussion a highlight of the novel. 

Overall, a good read. I would recommend this if you are into YA literature and looking for a book with character, as this one has plenty. Thank you Arvin Ahmadi for this wonderful and diverse contribution to the literary world.

Down and Across

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