Book Review: Love and Other Unknown Variables by Shannon Lee Alexander

---

Love and Other Unknown Variables
Author: Shannon Lee Alexander
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary | Romance
Released: October 7th 2014
Review Source: Entangled: Teen

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).

Love and Other Unknown Variables was a great heartfelt story that any fan of a contemporary romance will enjoy. Charlie Hanson, a senior at Brighton School of Mathematics and Science, has one goal in mind to get into MIT and solve all the mysterious unsolved questions. Until one day, while waiting in line, he reaches out to touch a beautiful girl’s tattoo and from that day on his whole world changes, everything he knew starts getting thrown out of whack. The mysterious girl, Charlotte Finch, who turns out to be the newly hated English teacher’s younger sister, keeps popping up everywhere, messing up Charlie. Charlotte has inevitably become best of friends with Charlie’s younger sister and just so happens to always be around and throw Charlie through a crazy loop of unknown emotions.

At a school focused on math and science the students don’t feel the importance of an English class, so every time a new teacher arrives the students do anything in their power to get the teacher to run away screaming for the hills. When Charlotte discovers that Charlie is in her sister’s class she begs that he does everything and anything to prank her sister, keep her busy and out of her hair. And as I’m sure you assumed Charlie does everything in his power to annoy the new teacher, keeping his new crush happy, which may put his future in jeopardy.

This book was like The Big Bang Theory meets John Green, intelligence, love, heartache, all rolled into one. While I was reading this book I was going through some heartache of my own and this book was just what I needed. I love when we get a contemporary romance through a boy’s perspective, and this one was just so perfect. Shannon Lee Alexander gets what it’s like to fall in love young, she knows the awkward moments, and the moments that are completely blissful and it’s inevitable on every page of this book. I enjoyed every aspect of this book, from the math and science, to the best friends, the crazy old lady, his sister, everything, and it was truly enjoyable page to page. Every relationship Charlie made through this book was something special and a lessoned learned; everyone had a significant purpose in Charlie’s life.

I absolutely loved this story from the very beginning and this will be one people will want to pick up. It’s a cutesy love story that makes you really appreciate everyone and everything around you. Any fan of John Green will enjoy this, and if you haven’t read any of his books but love a great contemporary romance with a great voice this one is for you, you won’t want to miss out.