Love and Other Unknown Variables

by Shannon Lee Alexander

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 the solutions to the universe's greatest unanswerable problems. He's that smart. It's only a matter of time before there's a Nobel Prize in physics engraved with his name. The future has never seemed very kind to Charlotte Finch, so she's counting on the present. She would rather sketch with charcoal pencils, hang out with her best friend, sing in her pitch-perfect voice, or read her favourite book than fill out a college application. Charlie's future blurs the moment he reaches out to touch the infinity tattoo on Charlotte's neck. She's not impressed by the strange boy pawing at her until she learns he's a student at Brighton where her sister, Ms. Finch, has just taken a job as the English teacher. At Charlotte's request, Charlie orchestrates the biggest prank campaign in Brighton history. But in doing so, he puts his own future in jeopardy. By the time Charlie learns Charlotte is ill and that the pranks were a way to distract Ms.
Finch from Charlotte's illness, Charlotte's gravitational pull on him 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).

• ISBN10: 162266468X
• ISBN13: 9781622664689
• Publish Date: 7 October 2014
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Entangled Publishing
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Sorry, my vision is blurry from tears, both happy and sad. This book was about Charlie's journey. He saw his life as a straight line, but then these women infiltrated his world and made him see there was more to him, and his life, than the numbers and formulas. All of them: Becca, Charlotte, Mrs. Dumwity, Ms. Finch, Greta -- they all added a dimension to Charlie's single-plane life. The first half of the book is quite fun. The characters are very amusing and I probably was especially amused, because I, myself, am a math/science geek. With that said, the second half of the book is a lot tougher -- stuff gets real in the second half of the way, but the whole time we are treated to Alexander's beautiful writing. AND as if I had not been through enough, the author writes us, the reader, a personal letter, which just pushed me over the edge. Happy-sad tears, I cried, happy-sad tears, but I was glad I got to take this journey with Other Charlie.

[Jo]

Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

With it's brilliant cover and a blurb that sounds like heartbreak is inevitable, I absolutely had to read Love and Other Unknown Variables by Shannon Lee Alexander. However, despite it being a really sweet story, I was left feeling a little disappointed.

Charlie's life is turned upside down when he reaches out and touches the tattoo of the girl in front of him in a queue at Krispy Kreme's. He was all set; one seriously smart guy, he is graduating this year to hopefully head off to MIT where he will change the world. But then he meets Charlotte, and everything changes. When Charlotte discovers he's going to the school where her sister just started as the English teacher - a school which does it's best every year to force the English  teacher to leave by playing pranks - she makes it clear that if Charlie was to make Ms. Finch's life hell at school, it would make her life easier at home. Wanting to impress and help this beautiful girl, Charlie suddenly finds himself leading the class in doing whatever it takes to wind Ms. Finch Up, despite the fact it might damage his future prospects. The more he sees of Charlotte, the harder he falls, and then he discovers she's ill. She has terminal cancer. But now it's too late for him to walk away to save his heart.

Love and Other Unknown Variables was ok. Charlie was the main appeal for me. He's really sweet and has an innocence about him. Being a geek, he's sadly not had much experience with girls, and so his reactions to and social-stumbles around Charlotte are so endearing. I'm really into geeks as people, so I loved all the awesome science and maths facts, and how Charlie related various parts of the story to scientific theories. And good ol' Schrödinger and his cat were mentioned, and I just love that whole idea! So Charlie was cute, and I quite liked him.

But this story just didn't move me. I don't feel we get to know Charlotte enough. We just see what we see of her, and yeah, she's nice enough, but other than she's really into art and reading, and how she feels about her cancer, we don't get told very much. Never at any point did it feel to me that she felt more than just friendship for Charlie, even when their relationship moved forward. So I just couldn't get behind their relationship, or her really. So when the inevitable happens, I wasn't left  bereft. I felt sad for Charlie, which is when the book starts to get emotional for me, reading how he reacts, but only small scale. My heart did not break as I was expecting, so I was quite disappointed. This might be because I had just finished reading a book that blew my mind and wreaked havoc with my emotions, and I guess I was expecting something similar and it just didn't match up.

Sadly, Love and Other Unknown Variables is pretty forgettable for me. But check out a few other reviews, it might be something you would enjoy.

Thank you to Entangled Teen via Foyles for the reading copy.

[Kim Deister]

Love and Other Unknown Variables is the debut novel by Shannon Lee Alexander and I loved it! So much of YA fiction is told from the female point of view so I loved that this one was from the POV of a guy. Charlie Hanson, the most adorable nerd on the face of the planet. He's more intelligent than the average human being, at least when it comes to the world of academia. His social skills are a little less honed, seen by his journal-like ruminations strewn throughout the book like entries in a science journal.

And then he meets Charlotte, the girl who turns his world on end. She is everything he isn't and she is a complete enigma. And nothing about her is easy. She blows hot and cold with him, two steps forward and three steps back. She also happens to be the new best friend (and only friend) of his little sister and Charlie doesn't want to do anything to get in the way of that. The good big brother that just makes him that much more adorable. And then there is the fact that Charlotte's sister just happens to be his new English teacher, someone he is honor-bound to torment. That is a subplot that cycles through moments of hilarity and moments of almost cruelty by a bunch of socially awkward and often arrogant super bright teenagers.

There is so much to love here. There are moments of hilarity, moments of kindness, moments of sadness. But they are all moments that are real and raw and emotionally charged. There are a lot of subplots in this story, but it doesn't get muddy. Instead, they weave around the main story and allow the other stories to be told, stories that, in their own ways, are just as important. There is a wonderful balance between the serious themes and the sweet and funny moments.

Things to love...

--The guy's POV
--The supporting characters. I loved some of these just as much as those at the front of the story.
--The honest take on serious themes.

My Recommendation

There is no denying that it is reminiscent of The Fault in Our Stars, a book that touched my soul in ways that I can't even explain. But in no way is this the same story. It has its own moments, its own story to tell. It is emotionally charged and raw and real and I love that so very much. This is a read that will stay with you! I gave it 4.5 mugs!

[Angie]

As a math geek, I was super excited for this nerdy romance, and Love and Other Unknown Variables does not disappoint! Charlie goes to a school which specializes in Math and Science, and has a reputation for not being able to keep an English teacher. That is, until Ms. Finch is hired. She’s knows all about the brainiacs who hate literature, and she’s come prepared with lessons plan to pique their interest. However, Charlie is the kind of leader of his class, and he’s determined to win this war. Especially since he falls for Ms. Finch’s younger sister, who desperately wants him to succeed for her own reasons, which she refuses to share. Soon Charlie is caught between doing what makes Charlotte happy, and actually caring about his English class.

Love and Other Unknown Variables is so cute! At first, I found the whole pranking the English teacher plot kind of far fetched and silly, but eventually I was really into it. Charlie and Ms. Finch are well match opponents, so it was entertaining to see what they would do next in order to “win.” I had also never really thought about math in literature before, so I also found some of the lectures quite interesting.

While this plot was fun, the focus is definitely on the romance. Charlie is totally lost when it comes to love, since none of his logical thinking can explain his feelings for Charlotte. He just knows that he really likes her, and enjoys her company, and she’s very pretty. She also has a secret, of course. But it’s not what I thought at all. In fact, my brain never even went into that direction, so it was quite a surprise. It’s not my favorite thing to read about, but it does go in a different direction that other books I’ve read with the same theme. There are ups and downs, laughs and some sad scenes, but over all, I really liked it.

Love and Other Unknown Variables ended up being nothing like I thought it would, but that was a good thing. It far exceeded my expectations, and really made me think about some things. The romance was really sweet, and I loved Charlotte’s friendship with Charlie’s not-so-social sister, too. The ending was predictable once Charlotte’s secret is revealed, but I thought it was handled well, even if it didn’t pack an emotional punch.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Leah]

When I saw Love and Other Unknown Variables on Netgalley, I was intrigued. Me and maths (with an s as I am British!) go together pretty well, I think; I was top of my class, I do cash at work, it's just something I've always been good at, so Love and Other Unknown Variables sounded right up my alley. I went back and forth a bit wondering whether to request it or not, and in the end I went for it. The synopsis intrigued me that much, and I really wanted to read it. It also spoke to the Big Bang Theory fan in me - all about science and mathmatics, and Charlie sounded like a young Sheldon Cooper, and he very much was, actually, but more on that later. Before I started, I had semi-forgotten the synopsis; or, more likely, I had just forgotten the sad parts that was going to occur. I blanked 'em right out of my mind, so it was like a smack in the face when I learnt of Charlotte's illness, and it just broke my heart.

As soon as I started Love and Other Unknown Variables, I knew I was in for a winner. There was just so much fun and hilarity in the opening part of the novel - the fact that Charlie would so brazenly touch a girl's tattoo (despite his prior history with girls and touching and being punched/kicked/attacked in general); the Harry Potter shout outs; the awesome geeky maths stuff that lots of people find boring but that I thoroughly enjoy. The novel just made me chuckle in those early pages. It had a buoancy about it, it was full of life, even more so after the introduction of Charlotte, who bamboozled Charlie. There's no other word for it - she came into his life, and she steam-rollered him in the best way possible. All of a sudden, Charlie's map that sees him go off to MIT and win the Nobel Prize is at risk of being blown off course by this force of nature with an infinity hope tattoo. Despite the fact that girls is something Charlie has never really gotten (which is what reminded me that he was like a young Sheldon Cooper - they're both eternally clueless about the ladies). And then it all went sad.

What I liked about Love and Other Unknown Variables is that Shannon Lee Alexander didn't sugarcoat Charlotte's illness. We were told in no uncertain terms that Charlotte had brain cancer, had had it for over 7 years, and had come to terms with the fact this is what would take her life, and instead of letting her get it down, instead she let herself live. Drawing awesome pictures, spending time with Charlie's sister Becca (which is how Charlie and Charlotte got to know each other better, via Becca), and having mudfights with Charlie while he puts a ruined garden back together (it was Charlotte's fault he ran over the garden...). Charlotte wasn't moving off her position for no one, and I admired that. Why spend the time you have left in the hospital when you could be having a picnic in a garden of roses? It's a no-brainer, and for that I loved Charlotte, and I loved that once Charlie and Becca and everyone knew of her illness, they knew that was that and they knew it was going to come. It was handled with such grace. Sure, it was totally and utterly devastating to learn Charlotte was dying, but I knew up front. (I just forgot.)

Probably what made me most upset about the entire novel was that from that very first meeting Charlie and Charlotte just had something special. Something you rarely see, they just clicked and it was beautiful. Which also made it devastating for Charlie. This is a guy who has his life planned out, and when someone comes along and messes with that plan, it should be forever, and ever, amen. It shouldn't be for such a short amount of time. That's cruel. But, life is cruel. (As I have learned in the past few weeks.) Charlie was just one of those narrators who you don't wish to see sad, he had this fantastic way of looking at the world, and the way he cherished Charlotte was something else entirely. It surprises me how much was packed into this novel, now that I'm reviewing it, because it wasn't just about Charlie and Charlotte, or Charlotte's illness, there was also a very amusing side story about Charlotte's sister Jo (or Ms Finch as she's known to her students) - there's a running gag at Brighton, the school Charlie attends where the senior class try to get rid of the English teacher (their life is all about maths, not English). It was amusing to see bits of Charlie's class life, particularly the vomiting incident (the first one...).

I am so, so glad I requested a copy of Love and Other Unknown Variables, I'm so glad I went with my gut and requested it, and downloaded it, and read it, because it was such an immense read. So, so good. It made me laugh, it made me cry, the maths jokes were awesome, the banter between Charlie and his friends James and Greta was awesome and I loved that everyone who was in the book was very, very clever. GEEKS RULE. It's time the world knew that. But the novel also made me immeasurably sad. As it was wont to do, let's be fair. I was warned, I just didn't heed that warning, or I didn't want to heed that warning. But for all the tears, and all the heartbreak, it is so worth it. So worth me trying to read through my tears. It left me sitting there after I'd finished wondering just what to write, which has seen me type in a pretty hefty review, but this book deserves all of the plaudits I give it. Everyone should read this beautiful book. You will cry over it, but it will be SO worth it. I promise.This review was originally posted on Girls Love To Read

[Ashley]

Nose Graze — Book reviews & blogging tips

Love and Other Unknown Variables is a tough one for me to review. It had a lot of pros and cons. I guess there were two big cons for me:

Things I didn't like

I wasn't sold on Charlie and Charlotte's relationship.

I never felt like I got to know Charlotte that well. I think maybe the problem is that Charlotte was actually Charlie's sister's friend. So Charlie was rarely hanging out with Charlotte, it was more like Charlie was in his house minding his own business and Charlotte would be there (hanging out with his sister). But since we only saw her indirectly like that, I never really connected with her or felt like I knew her. But then Charlie would be going totally gaga for her and practically foaming at the mouth. I just couldn't relate that well. For most of the book, all we really hear about Charlotte are things like:

I pull a box of cereal from the pantry, trying—and failing—to ignore the flickering light from the TV in the family room. But then Charlotte laughs, and I'm done for. Attracted to her laughter like a month drawn to the TV's soft light, I drift into the family room.

As a result, [Charlotte] (and her tempting long legs) have practically moved into my house

I guess what I'm trying to say is that a lot of Charlie's attraction was based on just how awesome her smile/laugh/legs were. Yes they had a few moments talking together, but it seemed like most of the time he was just staring at her and drooling.

I wasn't on board with the whole "terrorize Ms. Finch" plan.

I honestly thought the reasoning was kind of weak. Basically Charlotte is Ms. Finch's sister and Ms. Finch is the English teacher at Charlie's school. Charlotte approaches Charlie and says, "Can you make her life a living hell at school? Because if she's distracted with you, she'll pay less attention to me at home and I could use the break." (paraphrasing) Does that sound like weak reasoning to anyone else?

And the things they did to Ms. Finch were really mean. Her papers were glued together, a stink bomb was thrown in her house, a fetal pig was planted in her classroom, etc. There were some really mean things and I couldn't even get behind the reason for them. It seemed stupid. I just felt bad for Ms. Finch!

Things I did like

Wow this book is nerdy.

It was pretty awesome! I loved how math, engineering, and general nerdiness were so woven into the story. It was so fun! It really made me want to be friends with all the characters.

True sign of a geek: my heart just stuttered at the idea of taking time away from school.

Engineer? I stare at her for a second longer before looking at my pitiful wall. Of course it's falling down. I'm just grabbing at stones and stacking them, but if I were to apply some geometry and basic physics, adjust the angle of the stack, and add some drainage to reduce internal pressure... My brain starts to race as I pull down the bit of wall I've already built. I run to the car for paper and a pencil to sketch a plan.

"We're going out," James says, grabbing his sweatshirt.
"Where?" I ask.
James stops in the middle of tugging his sweatshirt over his head. "Good question," he says, muffled from inside the fabric. Pulling his head out he asks, "Where do teenagers go, and why don't we know this?"

The relationship did grow on me

Although I never felt like I knew Charlotte that well, her relationship with Charlie did grow on me towards the end.. maybe in the last 30%. Charlie and Charlotte finally started to talk more and spend more time together just one-on-one.

Mrs. Dunwitty was one of my absolute favourite characters.

She's this funny old, grumpy lady who tells it like it is. Always.

"Those are the ugliest fucking flowers ever. Where did you steal those? You better have stolen them. Please do not tell a dying woman you paid good money for those crappy excuses for roses. Didn't I teach you anything? Get them out of here."

I love how her relationship with Charlie developed throughout the book.

Good, but not great

I can definitely say that I liked this book. Towards the end, it may even became a little un-put-downable. But there were a few things that really prevented me from enjoying the book more, which was a bummer. Also, the formatting on my eARC was sooo messed up. It almost hindered my enjoyment of the actual story, which sucks. Every single page was like this:

There were huge blank spaces, completely blank pages, and every chapter beginning had some kind of pattern on it and I would have to turn the page three times to get to the actual text. My Kindle even crashed once!

After I finished the book, Entangled was kind enough to send out a new copy with better formatting. Props to them for listening to our formatting rants! ;)

Aaaanyway. I did enjoy the book and it definitely got better towards the end. I just wish I was more into the romance, and I thought the pranking was kind of stupid.