A calculus nerd enlists her surly classmate’s help to win back her ex-boyfriend, but when sparks start to fly, she realizes there’s no algorithm for falling in love.
THE CALCULATION OF YOU AND ME
by Serena Kaylor
Wednesday Books, June 2024
(via Dystel, Goderich & Bourret)
Marlowe Thompson understands a lot of things. She understands that calculus isn’t overwhelmingly beautiful to everyone, and that it typically kills the mood when you try to talk Python coding over beer pong. She understands people were surprised when golden boy Josh asked her out and she went from weird, math-obsessed Marlowe to half of their school’s couple goals. Unfortunately, Marlowe was surprised when Josh dumped her because he’d prefer a girlfriend who was more romantic. One with emotional depth.
But Marlowe has never failed anything in her life, and she isn’t about to start now. When she’s paired with Ashton Hayes for an English project, his black clothing and moody eyeliner cause a bit of a systems overload, and the dissonant sounds of his rock band make her brain itch. But when she discovers Ash’s notebook of love songs, Marlowe makes a desperate deal to unleash her inner romantic heroine: if Ash will agree to ghostwrite some love letters, she’ll calculate the perfect data analytics formula to make Ash’s band go viral.
As the semester heats up with yearning love notes and late nights spent with a boy who escapes any box her brain tries to put him in, Marlowe starts to question if there’s really a set solution to love. Could a girl who has never met a problem she couldn’t solve have gotten the math so massively wrong?
“A delightful, richly characterized slow-burn romance about figuring out what you want.” –Kirkus, starred review
“A celebration of embracing differences, trusting the process, and demanding better for oneself, Kaylor’s sophomore novel shines as a delightfully fun romance filled with an abundance of humor and hope…A one-sit read rom-com with lots of heart and plenty of sarcasm, perfect for Jenny Han or Emma Lord aficionados.” –School Library Journal
Serena Kaylor is a neurodiverse, romcom super-fan, who is always moments away from cornering you and outlining all her favorite ships. Her books are stuffed with awkward moments, angsty kisses, and jokes that at least she finds funny. She is the author of Long Story Short.