Early Review- Love and Other Unknown Variables

 Love and Other Unknown Variables

By Shannon Lee Alexander

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Publication Date: October 7, 2014

Genre: Young Adult

From Goodreads:

Charlie Hanson has a clear vision of his future. A senior at Brighton School of Mathematics and Science, he knows he’ll graduate, go to MIT, and inevitably discover solutions to the universe’s greatest unanswered questions. He’s that smart. But Charlie’s future blurs the moment he reaches out to touch the tattoo on a beautiful girl’s neck. 

The future has never seemed very kind to Charlotte Finch, so she’s counting on the present. She’s not impressed by the strange boy at the donut shop—until she learns he’s a student at Brighton where her sister has just taken a job as the English teacher. With her encouragement, Charlie orchestrates the most effective prank campaign in Brighton history. But, in doing so, he puts his own future in jeopardy. 

By the time he learns she's ill—and that the pranks were a way to distract Ms. Finch from Charlotte’s illness—Charlotte’s gravitational pull is too great to overcome. Soon he must choose between the familiar formulas he’s always relied on or the girl he’s falling for (at far more than 32 feet per second squared)

 I love this book x 100!

Shannon Lee Alexander has written a true jewel. Charlie will endear himself to you on the first page. Hearing the story from his perspective is so unique. He is incredibly smart and sees the world in numbers and values. He is sweet and innocent and dedicated to his future, but I sensed a longing in him to be a “typical” teenager. He has his life impeccably mapped out. Then one day he meets a beautiful girl who possesses a free spirit. She seems to have just that something that pulls him in and tempts him to split his focus.

Charlotte is a mystery. There is joy and sadness in her every movement, every word, every action. It is clear that she needs to escape…something. She finds solace at Charlie’s house, especially having befriended his younger sister. Charlie and Charlotte reach a fork in their roadmaps when they meet. Each other.

“Simply put: time is fluid. The faster your world spins out of control, the slower timer crawls. The more time you need, the less you're sure to get. It's all relative” 

The decision whether or not to be with Charlotte when he finds out about her illness, is a choice that no teenager should have to make. Charlie is faced with the opportunity to accept something that will force him into adulthood, or to walk away and grasp the little time he has left as a teenager.

“It doesn't take much hope to infect a person. Hope is worse than vampire venom. It takes hold and changes a person. Fast.”

Charlie and Charlotte will captivate you. They are both so special and I grew closer with them in every chapter until their pain became mine. Their heartbreak was tangible, leaping off of the page and breaking mine right along with them.

Just a warning, have tissues handy. Be ready to laugh and cry.  This is a beautiful story and as hard as it was to walk this difficult road with Charlie and Charlotte, I will always treasure their journey. 

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About the Author

Shannon Lee Alexander is a wife and mother (of two kids and one yellow terrier named Harriet Potter). She is passionate about coffee, books, and cancer research. Math makes her break out in a sweat. Love and Other Unknown Variables is her debut novel. She currently lives in Indianapolis with her family.

http://www.shannonleealexander.com/