Laura Creedle

Lily Michaels-Ryan is a highschooler with ADHD. When breaking something lands her in detention with Abelard, a beautiful and brilliant guy who has Asperger's, she can't help but feel intrigued. He seems thirty seconds behind in a conversation while she's thirty seconds ahead. When a paper gets posted online - one that never should have been posted in the first place - Lily and Abelard discover that they both love old novels, especially The Letters of Abelard of Heloise. The two fall for each show more other hard but their relationship isn't going to be an easy one.

Those black lines through the hearts got my attention. I was hooked from the very first page. The writing is so good - the whole book flowed smoothly, the characters were three-dimensional and they were interesting. We get a glimpse of what it's like for Lily being a teenager with ADHD. School is hard for her and nobody understands her. She feels like she's dragging her mother down. She has to make some tough choices. I like how the author showed how naive she was and also how she grew and took charge of her life. Lily and Abelard were so cute together and you can't help but root for them. This is one of those stories that will stick with you long after you've read it.

I won a copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads. Thank you to HMH Books for Young Readers for an ARC. show less

One of the hallmarks (to me, at least) of an emotionally powerful story is when I want to put it down because rough seas are on the horizon, but I can't. This is one of those stories. I had that feeling not once, but twice. Each time, the author steered the story and the feelings I was experiencing into safer waters. This is a unique love story that also addresses how life looks to teens with disabilities, in this case, Lily with ADHD and Abelard with autism. Both come across as both real show more and highly likable. The story takes a couple well crafted turns that are dealt with very effectively. The stresses families with such teens are described in very realistic terms. You can't help but feel empathy for them, especially Lily's mom. I read it quickly and was extremely satisfied when I closed the cover. It's an excellent choice for any school or public library. show less

This was recommended to me by one of my book clubs, and I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it or not. But I was immediately drawn into the characters, and their unusual tribulations. I don't know the accuracy of all of the symptoms and treatments, but they did sound vaguely familiar. I didn't worry too much about accuracy though as I just enjoyed the story. I liked both of the main characters, and I cared what happened to them, and that's the thing I look for in books. I'm glad I read it.

There was so much about this book I loved.

First, it features not one, but two neuroatypical protagonists—even in this day and age, that’s unusual. Second, it approached the subject matter with an honesty and balance I found refreshing. Novels of this type seem to either go too far in one direction (quirky and lighthearted) or another (tragic and serious) and this had a good mix of humor and gravity. I like that the author didn't shy away from some of the difficulties that would show more inevitably arise from this pairing. Abelard, as someone on the spectrum, has a deep need for structure and predictability in his routine, while Lily is impulsive and struggles with time management. This leads to problems that impact both their mental health, and while the characters both strive to adapt to each other's needs, there's no easy solution. Still, their love for each other remains strong.

The characters are three-dimensional, and Lily especially felt fully realized and complex, since we’re seeing the world through her eyes. She had so many insightful observations about reality and in certain ways was intelligent and mature for her age. She’s acutely and painfully conscious of her own flaws.

The ending is especially poignant and intense. I’ll try not to spoil anything here, but Lily has to make a big decision in regards to her ADHD, and she goes back and forth over the course of the novel as to whether or not she wants to undergo an experimental treatment. I genuinely didn’t know what she was going to choose until the very end, and at first I had mixed feelings about the way it ended. But ultimately, it felt right. Bittersweet, uncertain and ambiguous, but still hopeful...like the book itself.

There were only a few things that bugged me. For one, Abelard isn’t quite as well-fleshed-out as Lily. By the end of the novel he still felt like somewhat of a mystery, and at certain points he felt a bit too idealized. But the novel does touch on his home life and his issues, so he was still an interesting character, just not quite as fully realized as Lily…perhaps inevitably, since we never get his POV. It’s more Lily’s story, really.

For another, toward the end, Lily’s mother makes a remark about how you shouldn’t try to change for other people. This really irritated me, considering that throughout the entire story her mother has done virtually nothing BUT try to change Lily. Lily does mentally remark on this contradiction, but I would have liked her to actually call out her mother’s hypocrisy here. I felt that the whole emotional conflict between the two of them was left unresolved; it felt like things were building up to a confrontation and a catharsis of sorts, but then that never happens. Which is perhaps realistic, but still frustrating.

Ultimately, these issues didn’t detract from the story enough to make me give it less than five stars. This was a moving, heartfelt novel full of memorable characters. Highly recommended. show less