Name: What to Say Next
Rating: 3.887755102040817 (98 reviews)
ISBN: 9780553535686

Julie Buxbaum

When an unlikely friendship is sparked between relatively popular Kit Lowell and socially isolated David Drucker, Kit asks David for his help figuring out the how and why of her father's tragic car accident.

What to Say Next

Rebecca Briesemeister

peyton 

I enjoyed this book but it was nowhere near as good as tell me three things!!!

"What to Say Next reminds readers that hope can be found in unexpected places." –Bustle From the New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Three Things comes a story about two struggling teenagers who find an unexpected connection just when they need it most. Nicola Yoon, the bestselling author of Everything, Everything, calls it "charming, funny, and deeply affecting." Sometimes a new perspective is all that is needed to make sense of the world. KIT: I don’t know why I decide not to sit with Annie and Violet at lunch. It feels like no one here gets what I’m going through. How could they? I don’t even understand. DAVID: In the 622 days I’ve attended Mapleview High, Kit Lowell is the first person to sit at my lunch table. I mean, I’ve never once sat with someone until now. “So your dad is dead,” I say to Kit, because this is a fact I’ve recently learned about her. When an unlikely friendship is sparked between relatively popular Kit Lowell and socially isolated David Drucker, everyone is surprised, most of all Kit and David. Kit appreciates David’s blunt honesty—in fact, she finds it bizarrely refreshing. David welcomes Kit’s attention and her inquisitive nature. When she asks for his help figuring out the how and why of her dad’s tragic car accident, David is all in. But neither of them can predict what they’ll find. Can their friendship survive the truth? Named a Best Young Adult Novel of the Year by POPSUGAR “Charming, funny, and deeply affecting all at the same time.” –Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star “Heartfelt, charming, deep, and real. I love it with all my heart.” –Jennifer Niven, New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places

Victoria

Contrary to some of the other reviews, Kit didn't actually just start liking David after he was made over by his sister. If you actually read the book, you'll realize this.

Anyway, this was a really good read. And I recommend it.

***

CURRENTLY READING

I just noticed: Julie Buxbaum likes the word "anyhow" a lot and uses it so much that the word's starting to annoy my brain.

Jeannette Ordas

An enjoyable enough quick read. Follows the usual high school movie trope of nerd gets a makeover and gets super hot. Still, not terrible but I was hoping for better.

Shan

Very cute book with fun character development and twists! If you like Netflix's Atypical, you'll like What To Say Next.

Meredith Boster

** spoiler alert **
           YEAH! YEAH YEAH!! I really liked this book :) David’s character was well written and made me feel like he was an actual person. The way he actively struggled with “fitting in” to the status quo of high school was cool - it was consistent through the whole book, not just scattered throughout. Also I predicted the Uncle Jack + mom thing. I started the book and then I told my mom, “I bet this guy and her mom had an affair” and then, not even two chapters later, I was proved correct. Anyways. I really liked the chapter after his diary was revealed to the whole school, where he didn’t understand why it was a big deal, and then Miney explained it to him and then he understood. I feel that the step by step break down of the emotions was very true to David’s character. Also I hate Gabriel. 

Overall: suspenseful and heartwarming but also heartbreaking :) 4/5 stars

Recommend: Gianna Aldrett!!!!

Kit's father died in a car accident a month ago and today she can't handle how normal her friends are acting so she sits with David instead. Throughout their high school career, he's sat alone at lunch with huge noise-cancelling headphones on. Kit is taken aback by David's straightforward honesty, but finds it more refreshing than the way everyone talks around the subject of her father's death. David appreciates Kit's questions and attention when most find him odd and annoying. A friendship develops between the two, confusing everyone at their school, including themselves.

David is on the autism spectrum and the fact that "autism" and "Asperger's" where basically treated like dirty words throughout the novel was disappointing. There was a continual feeling that David always had to be the one to change and act more "normal" and no one else had to accommodate him or adjust their behavior for him. For example,David's makeover at the hands of his sister felt supremely unnecessary. He dressed the way he dressed because it was comfortable. His new clothes were too stimulating and distracting, which is why he didn't want to change his clothes in the first place. Why should it matter whether he's wearing fashionable clothing or not? Why does he need to be suddenly attractive to be liked and respected by his peers? On the one hand, Lauren's desire to see David treated better is laudable but why does that have to happen just because he's wearing different clothes? Her gift of the journal feels like a more sympathetic way of helping David navigate difficult social situations without changing who he is or what he's comfortable with.

And don't get me started on the school principal and the way she was willing to punish David for self-defense without addressing the root issues of the bullies because the bullies were football players. David should not have gone through 12 years of school in the same district without these problems ever being addressed. He definitely shouldn't be the only one punished because he was more capable of defending himself than anyone expected. The fact that there was no real resolution to this problem with the principal felt wrong. There should have been more follow-up, rather than having the whole episode be dropped. 

David's stealth social skills tutor also felt incredibly sketchy. Why not tell him from the beginning that that's what Trey was? Why hide it under the guise of guitar lessons? It seems infantalizing not to be upfront with him. He's capable of making these decisions himself. And as he displayed when he did find out, he would have agreed to the social skills tutor anyway because he knows that's something he isn't going to get on his own and that he can't learn online. 

For the most part, the book was good. The relationship was nice. I loved David as a character and Kit was pretty wonderful as well. I loved David's relationship with Lauren (A++ siblings) and Kit's relationship with her mom was nuanced and compelling. But some of the ways the narrative treated David was very disappointing, which prevents this from being any higher rated.

Emi Gilmore 

3.01/5 stars

 "They seem to understand that the world is a big, diverse place, and that different is not the same thing as scary. It’s amazing to me how many people mistake the two."   
*whispers*  I don’t really remember how to write reviews, as I am so out of practice, so I apologize in advance for its suckiness.

So you may or may not know, I am currently in the Great Slump of 2k17™ aka the Worst Slump to Ever Exist Ever and reading hasn't really been a priority in my life right now, as much as I wish it would be. But I can see the finish line of this slump in my peripheral vision and I figured that last boost I need to cross it is to stop watching reruns of  Teen Mom 2 and type up some half-assed review and hope for the best. So here we are. I miss writing reviews very much. I miss everyone who would read my reviews and lie to me telling me they are okay. 

 Also, if any of you are caught up on  Teen Mom 2, hmu and let's discuss everything

Now, my friend  Scrill  has somehow stuck with me through this slump pit hole and still talks to me on a somewhat daily basis I know, she's insane and told me about this book.  She also bribed me with a reread of Six of Crows and a map of the Grishaverse that still hasn't made it's way to me... So I drugged the Slump during one of those rare moments when it wasn't tormenting me and actually sat down to read for once. And I finished it! Me! I finished a book!

Me @ my slump: 



But enough about me. I know none of you are even here for that. Let's talk about  What to Say Next shall we?


   The Part Where I Finally Talk About the Book 
 

Also the part of the review where I have writer's block. How does one write about a book? I don't remember.

Have any of you ever read a high school contemporary before? Anyone? I mean, if you are on this website, I doubt it. Nobody here reads. Well, with high school contemporaries, there always see to be a nice recipe authors use to churn them out:

• 2 cups of attractive 17-year olds. 
• A dash of parent death
• A teaspoon of "Are we friends? Are we more?"
• 3/4th tablespoon of antagonistic popular teenagers
• A pinch of social outcast

There are other ingredients too, but those are some of the prominent ones found inside of this book. Now, if you are to one day cook up your very own high school contemporary, you don't want to follow the recipe too closely. Experimentation and creativity can help create something truly unique and well written. And, while this book did follow that recipe, it also strayed from the norm and create something quite beautiful. I did have my problems with it, as I do most book except SoC, hence the three stars, in the end, I truly did enjoy  What to Say Next.

Now, if I didn't have any self-control, I would probably end the review here. Like look! I have something written! Isn't that enough after four months? But I won't do that to you. And also, I have gifs that I have been sitting on for months and I wanna find a way to sneak them into this review.

So I guess we can talk about the plot? If you haven't read this book, the plot might be useful to you I guess.


  The Plot.


What to Say Next is about Kit and David, two teens that are on opposite sides of the social/popularity scale. Kit is the pretty girl with the supportive group of friends and an overachiever attitude. David, on the other hand, is on the Autism spectrum—he has what used to be known as Asperger's—and is very content being by himself. Things change after Kit's father dies in a car accident. Kit, in her grief, struggles to be near her friends and decides to sit at David's table during lunch. From this, a friendship forms. 

Wow. That summary. I know. I know. Give me a break, I'm a little rusty. 

This book was more than the friendship though. It was a book about grief and accepting differences. I was concerned going into it that there wouldn't be that much that would happen thoughout it, but I was quickly proven wrong. There were way to many scenes that had me like:



Which I quite like in books. I want all the #ohShit moments that I can get. 

Is that enough summary? I hope so. Let's move on.


   Characters.


 Kit.  I liked Kit. I really did. Except, I'm sitting here, trying to remember everything about her and I'm struggling. But that isn't a bad thing. The purpose of her character wasn't for us, the readers, to know everything about her, but instead to see how she navigates life after the death of her father. Her actions are more prominent to me then her personality. Like any reader, I've read many books where MC's parent died unexpectedly, but it's been awhile since I've read a book where I felt like the MC's emotional state was accurate. If my father was to die, I think I'd be acting the exact same way that Kit did in the beginning of the book. I liked that. It made this book feel real. 


   David.
 #ProtectDavidDrucker. Now, I don't know a lot about autism. I have cousins who have high functioning autism similar to David's, but they live out of state and I don't know them well enough to even say I have experience with autism. So while it is a big part of David's character, I don't feel comfortable enough to state how accurate his representation was. Besides, it wasn't the only part of his character. He was sweet, funny, and passionate. He was a great friend and a great person. And all the shit he had to go through wasn't deserved at all. David is one of the best characters I've read in awhile. Hands down. 

  So, Emi, If You Liked This Book So Much, Why Three Stars? 

Well, person, like I said earlier. I had my problems with the book. 

I think my major problem was the romance. It was in here, because it is a YA contemporary novel and that's what some people seem to want, but I don't think it was necessary. To be honest, I wish it wasn't even a factor in this book. I haven't been in a relationship, obviously, but I assume that they take a lot of time and patience and focus. Neither Kit nor David were at a place in their life where I felt like they were emotionally stable enough to be together. Made in a different book. But I just wanted them, mainly Kit but David too, to put themselves first and focus on healing themselves. 

Also, a more annoying problem, was the constant talk of being attractive. Sometime in this book, David got one of those *magical* makeovers that happen in a lot of books where everyone is suddenly like, "Woah, he was a good looking person all along!" and that really grinded my gears. I know many people probably interpreted this a different way, but I felt like this suggested that somehow people that society views as "unattractive" are lesser than those that they view as "attractive" and this isn't the case. At all. No human being is lesser than another. David is great no matter if he has a haircut or not. This book could have definitely done without this element. 



I'm also one of those people who knows that she should't compare books to one another, but still does it anyways. Especially when the books are by the same author. And I absolutely love Julie Buxbaum's other book, which I usually refer to as the YA Waffle Book, but is actually called 
  Tell Me Three Things
 and, to me, this book wasn't as good and that affected effected? the rating. I know it shouldn't. But it did. #SorryNotSorry.


  To Conclude...


Hey look! I actually finished this review! I'm so proud of myself. Don't expect another review anytime soon. In fact, I'll see you in four months for my next review. 

Anyhow, this book is a great, easy read. You should pick it up if you haven't. Or not. You do you.

Kit, biracial, a popular girl in school but dealing with the death of her father; David, is relatively socially isolated, functionally autistic. He and Kit eat together at the same table one day and develop a poignant connection - David, because of t

Aleeya Metro

Leonie 

Die Geschichte erzählt von Kit, einer beliebten Highschool Schülerin, die kürzlich ihren Dad bei einem Autounfall verloren hat und von David, der das Asperger Syndrom/ Hochfunktionalen Autismus hat und eher Außenseiter an der Schule ist. Durch den Autounfall von Kit‘s Dad zieht sich Kit zurück von ihren Freunden und sucht Ruhe und Ehrlichkeit an Stelle von Fragen und Mitleid. Dadurch kommen Kit und David beim Mittagessen immer mehr ins Gespräch und lernen sich kennen.

Im ersten Moment, war ich mir nicht ganz sicher ob das Buch im Genre Young Adult etwas für mich ist, aber der Klappentext und das schlichte aber wirklich schöne Cover hatten mich vorweg sehr überzeugt. Ich kann sagen, die Geschichte hat mich absolut nicht enttäuscht.
Kit und David sind beides sehr tiefgründige und vielseitige Charaktere, die sich während der Geschichte stark weiter entwickeln. Kit findet einen Freund in David, bei dem sie lernt, was wahre Freundschaft und Liebe ist. Sie schafft es über das Trauma mit ihrem Dad zu reden und die Beziehung zu ihrer Mutter zu verbessern. David findet ebenfalls eine echte Freundin, in die er sich verliebt. Er lernt mehr seine Emotionen auszurücken und die der anderen zu erkennen, aber auch nicht jedem zu vertrauen und gefährliche Situationen besser zu erkennen. Er wächst über sich hinaus, wird selbstbewusster und verteidigt sich.
Mir haben diese Charakterentwicklungen wirklich sehr gefallen, da sie nicht klischeehaft und absolut nachvollziehbar waren.
Das Buch thematisiert auch näher den Autismus von David und seine negativen Erlebnisse in der Schule. Es vermittelt sehr tiefgründig, dass es keine Definition von Normal gibt, jeder einzigartig ist, wie er ist, aber auch dass keiner über zum Beispiel Autismus definiert wird und auch nicht jeder Mensch mit Autismus verallgemeinert werden darf.
Der Schreibstil war durch die kurzen Sätze und die Gedanken der Protagonisten, sehr persönlich, wie im direkten Gespräch.
Auch das Ende der Geschichte ist sehr nachvollziehbar aufgebaut und bildet einen tollen Abschluss zu einem wirklich schönen Buch.

Candyce Kirk

This was a beautiful book. I loved the subjects she used in this book and how she did it.

laura

I really enjoyed this read. I thought the mystery elements could have flowed a bit better. I adored david character and loved how this book focused on harder issues like grief and also autism in kids. I loved the relationships dyamnics between the characters. I found this read to be so refreshing. I wish i liked Kit character a bit more but this book such a fast pace read with some harder tones. I would def read more by this author in the future.

Prachi Jaiswal

I am in love with David. The way David's and Kit's emotions are expressed is raw and beautiful. Had a lovely experience witnessing their growth.
Definitely going to my reread list.

Original review posted on Caity Reads.

“I think about my dad’s favorite expression: People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. What is my house made of? Paper, I decide. Like in a pop-up book. Easily collapsible.”

Julie Buxbaum has done it again. I read this book in one day (with the exception of the 50 pages I read the night before). And for the most part, I read it in one sitting, only to break for food with a friend. Her books are just so sweet. I love her characters, her writing style that makes the books fly by, and her story telling. Not to mention, this book has some moments I was actually laughing out loud. And a few where I almost cried.

David Drucker is the sweetest cutie on the planet. I just want to hug him and love him for forever. I’ll stop now because I could go on like that for a long time. David has Asperger’s syndrome, though it’s only really mentioned a couple of times, and kind of brushed off by him. I don’t have much experience with autism, so I can’t say how accurate the representation was, but it was nice to read about a character with high functioning autism. I don’t believe I’ve ever read about a character with autism before.

David is very sweet, funny, and passionate about science. He undergoes some really traumatic things in this book, things he definitely did not deserve. I know high school kids can be mean (I mean, it’s only been almost seven years since I graduated), but damn.

Kit, at the beginning of the book, has recently lost her father in a car accident. She’s a character that I related to really well. I lost my father in high school, and could totally relate to her grief and feelings of dissociation. I feel like she didn’t go through gobs of character development, but she did work through her grief a little. I did appreciate that.

There are some occasions in which she stands up for David, and doesn’t let the fear of what people might think of their friendship get in the way. I really appreciated that, because I feel like anytime we see a character who is not neurotypical, the character that befriends them, at some point, feels embarrassed to be their friend. I never got that vibe from Kit.

Now, this could have totally been a five star book for me. It was definitely well on it’s way. However, I thought the plot twist at the end was not needed. While it did surprise me, and I wasn’t expecting it, it felt like too much. Along with that, the constant talk of how attractive the other was felt a little unnatural. We get it, he/she is cute. You don’t have to mention it literally every chapter.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. It’s chalk full of cute, sweet moments. It’s full of so many other things like grief, friendships, family relationships, romantic relationships, discovering yourself, etc. The book was so engrossing, I just wanted to keep reading to find out what happened next. I can’t wait to read more from Buxbaum.

Hala Abdulaziz 

This book handled grief so well in my opinion . I mean I’ve been reading a lot of books that talk about grief lately for some reason , but I have never read anything like this book .. It felt like I know exactly what kit was going through , I know exactly what that feels like even though I don’t , the author did a great job in delivering all the emotions in a heartbreaking way .

Alejandra Bran

I’m going to miss Little D and Kit. My chest hurts just thinking about it.

Tiffany Engler

"The thing is, sometimes people grow from breaking."

I think I'm going to enjoy everything that Julie Buxbaum writes. I really liked this book. I think it was super adorable. I don't think I've read a book where one of the main characters has Autism before. I have a younger brother that has Autism and I feel like this book depicted it well.

David is my favorite. I love him. He's such an amazing character and my heart is with him throughout this entire book. When we get little flashbacks of him being bullied. When someone doesn't understand him. I was rooting for him and Kit this entire book. At times, I didn't even want Kit to have him. I was very jealous of this fictional character. 

"I think about what it would be like to kiss her, to touch my fingertip to her clavicle cluster, to not worry about our physical boundaries. I imagine it would be like splitting an atom, a distillation into component parts. Everything is small enough to be countable. Everything as perfect and forever as pi."

This book shows you just how cruel high school can be to those who are different. I think this book is really important in showing how people who have autism or any other type of impairment thinks and feels. I think everyone should be educated on how to act and react around people like David. 

I really enjoyed my time reading this book. That little plot twist at the end really surprised me. I wasn't really expecting that but it made a few other little things that went on in this book click. I wasn't expecting it. 

I'm pretty sure that Julie is an autobuy author for me now. I've read two of her books now and loved them both.

4/5 Stars

This book had a kind of slow start. It took me about half the book to become invested and to question what was going to happen next, but once I started questioning it I couldn’t stop. This book was sweet and a nice read if you’re looking for something cute.

Ciska van Bokhorst

Een lief en best grappig boek, die toch wel bepaalde "belangrijke" onderwerpen aanstipt. Maar voelde me te "oud" om het echt goed te kunnen waarderen...

Nadia Leontescu

I really really really loved the look on social deficits and the autism spectrum in this book, even if the popular and weird kid/nerd friendship is cliche. I loved David as a character, and his flaws (along with the rest of the characters flaws) made it more genuine. I would read this book just for him :)

I definitely would recommend this book. Although at times it is quite predictable, it has some elements of suprise. No doubt will you fall in love with the two characters and their new friendship, and experience the ups and downs in the book. Overall this book is a must read, and a feel good type of book.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into What to Say Next. I don’t have very much personal knowledge concerning autism, but I felt it was handled quite delicately and realistically, again, based on the little bit I know. I’d honestly love to hear from someone who has first-hand knowledge. I have a feeling they would be quite satisfied with how it was dealt with as well.

Kit has just lost her father and is struggling with her current group of friends, who want her to focus on clothes and boys. David has autism and is often by himself and without friends. In Kat’s desire to escape her friends and their mundane issues, she sits with David at lunch. From there begins their adorable relationship, sure to have you grinning, cringing, and sobbing. Yes, the feels are strong, guys. This book will tear you apart, at least it did me.

I basically adored both Kit and David right from the start. These two teens both struggled from different issues, yet seeing how they affected their daily lives impacted me quite a bit. I adored the way their “labels” didn’t define them in this story. Kit didn’t want to be known as “the girl whose father died”, and David struggled to prove he was better than what his autism spectrum diagnosis portrayed to others about him. Julie Buxbaum is wonderful at addressing such sensitive topics so gracefully. This was a quick, easy read in the sense that I was able to fly right through it… but at the same time, it was a powerful one, and I basically sobbed through the second half of the book. This is definitely one I would suggest adding to your TBRs! Yay for a new fantastic diverse read!

(Thanks to Delacorte Press for the review copy!)

Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!

What to Say Next

Reviews

Highlights