Highly Illogical Behaviour by John Corey Whaley

04 Dec 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Audiobook, Young Adult Tags: , , , , ,

Published: 01 September 2016 (print)/10 May 2016 (audio) Goodreads badge
Publisher: Faber and Faber/Listening Library
Pages: 258/6 hrs and 17 mins
Narrator: Robbie Daymond and Julia Whelan
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
★   ★   ★ – 3.5 Stars

Teen and adult fans of All the Bright Places, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and Everything, Everything will adore this quirky story of coming-of-age, coming out, friendship, love…and agoraphobia.

Sixteen-year-old Solomon is agoraphobic. He hasn’t left the house in three years, which is fine by him. 

Ambitious Lisa desperately wants to get into the second-best psychology program for college (she’s being realistic). But how can she prove she deserves a spot there? 

Solomon is the answer. 

Determined to “fix” Sol, Lisa thrusts herself into his life, sitting through Star Trek marathons with him and introducing him to her charming boyfriend Clark. Soon, all three teens are far closer than they thought they’d be, and when their walls fall down, their friendships threaten to collapse, as well. 

A hilarious and heart-warming coming-of-age perfect for readers of Matthew Quick and Rainbow Rowell, Highly Illogical Behaviour showcases the different ways we hide ourselves from the world–and how love, tragedy, and the need for connection may be the only things to bring us back into the light.

I’m glad I didn’t look at the novel comparisons in the blurb because I may not have picked this book up. It can be a blessing and a curse those things. I did pick it up for the plot though because it grabbed my attention and I wanted to see how Whaley explored the issues involved.

I didn’t like Lisa at the beginning, and when you start to think she’s changed her mind as she realises Solomon’s situation and gain his friendship but then you go back to not liking her. She appears nice, but she is also manipulative and uses people for her own advantage. Justifying to herself that there’s no harm done and it’s for people’s own good. Even when you think she is going to grow a conscience she still goes around meddling.

I am fascinated by people like Lisa who cannot understand two people becoming close friends who have similar interests without thinking they like one another. Clearly she doesn’t have someone who is into the same stuff as her she can connect with because why else would Solomon and Clark be such good friends if they weren’t in love with one another?

The dramatic irony is the most frustrating part because we know things Lisa doesn’t so seeing her manipulating characters and tamper in their lives is annoying and doesn’t help her favour. It is important to remember that Lisa is 16 and dreams of escape. It’s something I need to remind myself of as I judge her ethics and morals severely through this story.

Lisa aside I did enjoy these characters. Solomon’s situation with his parents is presented in a great way, and one that they’ve managed successfully. There are still complications and work to do but I liked that Solomon is trying to save himself as much as anybody else. He is guiding his story without it being unrealistic.

I liked Solomon’s approach to this being tricked/used thing. He is sensible and despite being housebound he isn’t entirely a fool. He manages to use people as much as they used him and it was great to see a character not easily forgive being played but still allowing it to get their own advantages from it.

It’s hard to avoid falling into the ‘loving Star Trek’ side of geeky kids, but given Solomon’s obsession with the show I was surprised he wasn’t as online as he could have been. The balance between his nerdiness and his real life involvement was great. I could have easily enjoyed him being on forums and so deeply online since it was his only connection, it could have helps given him friends even if they weren’t in person. But Whaley puts Solomon in the real world a lot and with a strong connection to his family and it was nice to see the shift. This also helps solidify his connection to Clark since he finally has a friend who he can gush about his favourite show about.

The portrayal of a gay character as well as an exploration of mental illness, anxiety especially, was well done. Fully formed and rounded characters alongside a disorder that is debilitation and uncontrollable was great. Neither felt subpar and both were treated with respect. Whaley highlights when and why Solomon has anxiety, includes great coping mechanisms, and also shows that yes, sometimes it will result in highly illogical behaviour that can appear scary or dangerous to other people.

Whelan and Daymond did a great job on the audiobook and I never once was taken out of the story. The alternating perspectives worked well and seeing the same friendship through different eyes really drives home Lisa’s goals and Solomon’s trust. A great contrast and one that drives you on to see the resolution.

It is a reasonably short read but Whaley has written an interesting story that explores the complexities of life in a light hearted, but also serious and respectful way. There are no easy solutions but there is a chance at growth and redemption.

You can purchase Highly Illogical Behaviour via the following

QBD |  Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery |  Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Take A Bow, Noah Mitchell by Tobias Madden

20 Nov 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Audiobook, Aussie YA Challenge Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Published: 30 August 2022 (print)/25 October 2022 (audio) Goodreads badge
Publisher: Penguin/Penguin Random House Australia Audio
Pages: 384/9 hrs and 43 mins
Narrator: Matthew Backer
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
★   ★   ★ – 3.5 Stars

Seventeen-year-old gaymer Noah Mitchell only has one friend left: the wonderful, funny, strictly online-only MagePants69. After years playing RPGs together, they know everything about each other, except anything that would give away their real life identities. And Noah is certain that if they could just meet in person, they would be soulmates. Noah would do anything to make this happen—including finally leaving his gaming chair to join a community theater show that he’s only mostly sure MagePants69 is performing in. Noah has never done anything like theater—he can’t sing, he can’t dance, and he’s never willingly watched a musical—but he’ll have to go all in to have a chance at love.

With Noah’s mum performing in the lead role, and former friends waiting in the wings to sabotage his reputation, his plan to make MagePants69 fall in love with him might be a little more difficult than originally anticipated.

And the longer Noah waits to come clean, the more tangled his web of lies becomes. By opening night, he will have to decide if telling the truth is worth closing the curtain on his one shot at true love.

I know it is the point but I get so uncomfortable with lying in these types of novels when the character could organically weave it into a planned pretend surprise revelation. Which I know defeats the purpose of black moments and tension in the story and is more high concept than a love struck horny 17 year old can fathom, but it is always an interesting choice. Surely there can still be drama and twists by the manipulation of the facts than lying about them? Maybe for the next book.

Interestingly I didn’t actually want Noah and Eli to be together, not even because of the lies after a while, because I felt Eli wasn’t right for Noah. He is rash and emotional and quick to jump to conclusions. Even for Noah’s faults it felt like Eli would be a hard person to fully trust and be with if every move is under suspicion and always jumps to the worst conclusion.

Having said all that, what I did like is that the ending isn’t perfect. Something which works well for my opinions of the characters. While the story wraps up nicely, it is still tender and rocky for everyone involved. It felt better than full on acceptance, you can see growth in the characters, understand their reasoning and accept their decisions. I get a teenage boy not understanding the adult side of life, having a narrow viewpoint about their world view, and I also see how a parent can be lost in who they’ve become. The combination and culmination of both these plots was perfect and I loved Madden’s perspective and how each character felt real. The mother/son dynamic was honest and realistic, full of history and disappointment coming across with minimal effort. Everything Noah and his mother are, his sister and father as well of course, but everything these characters are is on the page perfectly.

The unspoken mystery was well worth the wait, I completely get Noah’s apprehension and choices around that. It is also so coded in pressure around friends and dramas, the emotional impact of events when you’re young far reaching years later and how it shapes who you are as a person. I get some concerns people have about cringe and no communication but from a teen mindset, of seeing consequences and social fallout, I totally get Noah’s caution. I only felt weird with the deception, which to be fair, so did Noah.

The LGBTQIA+ representation was great and I loved the variety of characters and cultural backgrounds. The gaming portion was well done too. It was balanced great between Noah being a gamer without falling into the trap of often inaccurate and overdone stereotypes. Madden treated it like a real hobby, one that was full of skill, friendship, and community.

I read this as an audiobook and Backer was a great narrator. The characters were distinctive with his voice and I loved how each character came across fully with his narrative style. As a whole the story felt wonderfully Australian without ever feeling cliché or trite. It captures the community of Ballarat, the issues with family, and the desires of getting out on your own while also embracing what you have.

You can purchase Take A Bow, Noah Mitchell via the following

QBD |  Dymocks | Booktopia

 Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Exit Through the Gift Shop by Maryam Master

11 Nov 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Australian Women Writers, Junior Fiction Tags: , , , , ,

Published: 21 July 2021Goodreads badge
Publisher: Pan Australia
Pages: 216
Format: Paperback
Genre: Junior Fiction
★   ★   ★ – 3 Stars

Anahita Rosalind Ghorban-Galaszczuk (yes, that really is her name but you can call her Ana) is discovering that life is absurd. As if dying of cancer at the age of 12.5 isn’t bad enough, she still has to endure daily insults from her nemesis, Alyssa (Queen Mean) Anderson. Ana’s on a wild roller-coaster of life and death, kindness and cruelty, ordinary and extraordinary. And she’s got a few things to do before she exits…

I enjoyed this book but it also got me really invested in some of the bullying aspects so there are some smidge spoilers in here. I tried to be vague but there are some mini spoilers ahead as my impassioned response took over.

Being a book about a child with cancer is going to divide a few readers. I think though that sometimes having a book where it isn’t doom and gloom is a powerful choice. It isn’t about the disease it’s about living life with the disease and Master has chosen that route well. The fact this side plots with a case of severe bullying was a wild decision but again, Master manages to tie into Ana’s life philosophy and really highlights her character and strength, even if I wasn’t pleased with some of the directions the plotline took.

I thought from the blurb this would be a general mean girl taunting situation, not full scale years of targeted horrific abuse. The description of bullying, and the years of emotional and borderline physical abuse this girls suffers is enough to break anybody. If she were a different person she could have taken it to heart and really withdrawn, hurt herself, or worse. It’s only that she’s kept a positive attitude and acknowledges the bad behaviour to make light of it, while still mentioning the dread it causes. ‘Recognise it, but ignore it’ is her approach.

I understand her plan of not saying anything, and not standing up for yourself. It’s hard. But I thought her new plan was brilliant. There are laws now, she found the right law, and she had the evidence. The plan was great, she finally told her parents. The fact she stops because she discovers something about her bully is ludicrous.

What if she never discovered that? What if the bullying got so bad she’d killed herself to escape it? What if she harmed herself because she believed what this girl was saying? I cannot believe after all the great things Master was putting in here that that was the result. There is being the bigger person and there is justifiable consequences for this horrific abuse.

“As horrid as Alyssa had been and continued to be, her life obviously sucked and getting the police involved wasn’t going to help anyone.”

Disagree. It will teach her a lesson and make her realise her behaviour. It might give her some help or support, or some perspective about other people. Tell her there are consequences for her actions and it could stop her doing it to someone weaker than Ana. Disgraceful.

I know we have to teach kids to be nice, but I think there is also an important lesson about teaching them when to avoid someone, tell and adult, and leave each other be. You can’t make someone forgive you or be nice to you after years of singled out, targeted bullying. Especially when it continued after the news came out this twelve year old was dying for goodness sake. If that doesn’t make someone come to their senses nothing will.

I wished there was less ‘make the bullied kid stand up for themselves’ instead of having a teacher and parents address the issue in a one on one situation. Let the adults know about what happens but make the kids deal with it isn’t a great solution.

I will stop going on about it, but it really got up my nose how Master executed this plotline, especially when we came so close to a real solution that could have real world positivity for readers who experience the same thing. Or might change their own behaviour as a result.

Other than that I enjoyed Ana’s approach to her diagnosis and her plan for the last part of her life. There are random references to hospitals and Ana’s weakening state but Master filters these in so well you forget sometimes that there is a physical toll of Ana’s condition. It is sad, but with Ana as our narrator she never makes us feel too depressed, she goes on with life plans and a smile and is taking her life into her hands. Ana’s voice is definitely the tone setter. It is surprisingly light-hearted and funny, she navigates things like family drama and puberty with grace and with as much ease as she gives her terminal diagnosis. She has a time limit on her life but there is still life happening in the meantime.

Her friendship with Al was great, he is a wonderful support for her as well as a distraction and a sounding board for her troubles.

I loved the ending because as readers we’re given no definitive answers. Ana’s philosophy about life is to be lived and how everything matters and nothing matters is a nice message and not having a solid ending leaves readers with hope even with the knowledge of the inevitability of it all.

You can purchase Exit Through the Gift Shop via the following

QBD |  Booktopia | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon Aust | Audible

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

23 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Audiobook, Fiction, Romance Tags: , , , , ,

Published: 14 September 2021 (print)/30 September 2021 (audio) Goodreads badge
Publisher: Little Brown/Penguin Audio
Pages: 384/11 hrs and 51 mins
Narrator: Callie Dalton and Teddy Hamilton
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Romance
★   ★   ★ – 3 Stars

When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman’s carefully calculated theories on love into chaos.

As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn’t believe in lasting romantic relationships–but her best friend does, and that’s what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.

That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor–and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford’s reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive’s career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding…six-pack abs.

Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.

I enjoyed the prologue; it was a creative way to bring in the characters and while you know where it will lead, it’s not total impossible scenario and plays well into this romantic plotline.

The beginning is a rough outline of easily ridiculous moments as well as various terminology. I don’t see how someone can be your ex after two dates, you certainly didn’t have a boyfriend after two dates. You just say you didn’t connect and move on. It hardly counts as an ex.

The scientific stuff is blended in creatively and isn’t hidden or dismissed. I enjoyed learning about Olive’s work and how her research is structured. Hazelwood doesn’t explain anything to the reader but things are implied through context so you don’t lose out not knowing exactly what is going on. It also saves readers being pulled from the story for unnatural discussion about science terminology. This works for conversations between Olive and Adam too, it is believable that two scientists would chat in this way about their work and not explain things they would already know. It’s a trap that happens far too often and I love when readers are given credit to gain context or use the internet to look something up if they really want to know. Having said that it isn’t all Latin terminology and scientific names, even the most clueless reader can understand what is going on enough to not be taken out of the story for not understand anything either.

Adam and Olive are an interesting match, they bump heads but at the same time are in similar fields so they have enough in common to be amicable and understand each other. Adam’s reasons to go along with the fake dating is plausible, and even if Olive’s is tenuous at best, if we put a lot of faith on her friend’s fragility in her emotions then it also works.

The romance element is well done. It’s slow and gradual, each party in it for their own reasons. There is one chapter that’s an incredibly detailed sex scene, but once you get through that the story gets back on track.

I liked their slow comfortableness, though Olive is a tad stupid at times. It’s unreasonable to think they’d know everything about each other after only two weeks, it wasn’t a big deal they hadn’t covered every aspect of their lives in that time, even if they were talking more than ten minutes a week. I did enjoy though that there was no blow up or misunderstanding as a conflict. It was also well done that they separated despite them both not wanting to, the rules of the contract were clear and neither of them wanting to admit any change was nice and spoke a lot to their character.

The in jokes were fun and the structure of the fake dating was realistic (as it can be). I do take issue with the notion  going on two dates with someone counts as having an ex. They are not your boyfriend and it’s perfectly reasonable to say you didn’t connect and move on and let your friend take a shot. But when you need a reason for your fake dating Hazelwood makes it work. The subtle nature of it and their agreement balanced out the reason behind it and it is an amicable thing to do if we play into the true love/doing it to help a friend aspect.

Not a lot of attention was given to side characters, but for the most part it was easy to forget they were even part of the story so their lack of depth wasn’t an issue (ironic since a side character starts this whole situation). They weren’t needed for the story though as the scientific aspect and Olive’s career trajectory was intrigue enough, her battles of being a woman in STEM and the hurdles she faces gave great conflict and internal struggles, and was a great connection between Adam and herself, solidifying their relationship further.

In my audiobook there was a bonus chapter from Adam’s perspective. When I started I wasn’t interested in it, but as I grew to like Adam through the book I was curious. Unfortunately it turned out to be a crude perspective of their hook up chapter which I didn’t enjoy and skipped through a lot. I thought, well wanted, the chapter to be his perspective of all the times he had spotted Olive through the years. The man essentially yearns for her so I was hoping his chapter would be the times over the years he’d seen her around the university and his thoughts about her and his longing to talk to her. But alas, it’s just gross ways he thinks about her when they are having sex. It was the full chapter again just from his perspective and it took so much away from his character development in the story I stopped listening.

Overall it was a good book. The plot is solid, the romance works if you don’t mind a few explicit and incredibly detailed descriptions, and I liked the scientific side and the few surprises even if they were expected. Olive and Adam are great characters, and their dynamic works well without either of them changing who they are. It is very much a case of a story that does what it says on the tin. It’s a feel good romance that’s light and fun which if that’s what you’re after it’s the perfect solution.

You can purchase The Love Hypothesis via the following

QBD |  Dymocks | Booktopia

 Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

The Duck Never Blinks by Alex Latimer

03 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: , , ,

Published: 11 July 2023Goodreads badge
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Illustrator: Alex Latimer
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★  –3.5 Stars

Do you see that duck over there?
That duck doesn’t blink.
Even if you look away then look back real quick.
Even if you tell it a really funny joke!
Perfect for fans of interactive stories like Do Not Lick This Book and Duck! Rabbit!, The Duck Never Blinks will have kids and adults alike bawling with laughter as they spend time with this one very sly duck.

I like books where the narration addresses the reader, but in a way where the author is trying to tell us about their woes. It’s like Latimer has pulled us aside and said, ‘hey, see that duck? It hasn’t blinked.’ And now we’re being pulled into their situation to help solve it.

In the same vein of the Pigeon series, I like that the story involves studying a creature. The creature in question is a duck, the most seagull looking duck you’ve ever seen, but a duck all the same. The comical design of the duck is great, and it is a design that plays well into the never blinking because despite the basic design, you can feel it staring into your soul.

It is a good book to read aloud and there are fun activities to do to help make the duck blink like shouting, telling jokes, and sad stories. Latimer uses the layout well to show the passing of time and they keep the focus on the duck with no real background or distraction.

It’s a cute story and one that is predictable in a fun way that gives satisfaction to the reader. It’s fun to watch this exasperated narrator try their best to make a duck blink and while you never find out why they need to see it, it’s great to watch them try.

You can purchase The Duck Never Blinks via the following

QBD |  Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery |  Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

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