Definitions of Indefinable Things

by Whitney Taylor

Reggie isn't really a romantic: she's been hurt too often, and doesn't let people in as a rule. Plus, when you're dealing with the Three Stages of Depression, it's hard to feel warm and fuzzy. When Reggie meets Snake, though, he doesn't give her much of a choice. Snake has a neck tattoo, a Twizzler habit, and a fair share of arrogance, but he's funny, charming, and interested in Reggie. Snake also has an ex-girlfriend who's seven months pregnant. Good thing Reggie isn't a romantic.

• ISBN13: 9780544805040
• Publish Date: 4 April 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 22 December 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
• Imprint: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

This was a story of clinically depressed girl meeting a clinically depressed boy, whose burgeoning romance was complicated by the boy's pregnant girlfriend. For me, this book did not fit neatly into the romance category. I felt that it was more a story of Reggie coming to terms with her depression, and perhaps beginning to make her way out of it.

When I first met Reggie, this is the image that popped into my head:


Reggie was angsty and wore an armor of sarcasm. She struggled to see the good in anything, and she was battling with ghosts from her past. She found a perfect foil in Snake. Snake, though also clinically depressed, was trying to have experiences and connect with people. He was "bearable" in Reggie's eyes, and that was a good start. The first part of the book was filled with a lot of great banter and fun world observations.

Me during the first part of the book

But as Snake's and Reggie's relationship grows, Reggie revealed the triggers for her depression, and the heavier stuff sort of just keeps coming after that.


Me for a good part of the second half of the book

Romeo and Juliet meets Rosemary's Baby drama

I really loved Reggie and Snake together, but I have the admit, the Carla part was a little weird for me. It was an interesting complication, and I thought the relationship between Carla and Reggie brought something to the story, but from a romance POV, it was a little weird.

Hate. Apparently, it was my predominant behavior. I was hating again. But, for once, I wasn't hating him. I was hating the absence of him

I have read some reviews where people found the characters unlikable, but I liked them. Reggie wore this I-hate-the-world veneer, but we saw the softer sides of her. And Snake was flawed, but he was trying to be better, and make choices based on the right reasons. Reggie, Snake, Carla, and even Reggie's mom all experienced personal growth. They changed for the good over the course of the story, and I thought Taylor did a admirable job getting them there.

"Keep staring and I'll punch you in the jaw," I warned.
"I'm guessing you've never had a boyfriend." He smiled, "Guys stare."
"I've had a boyfriend, thank you. He didn't stare."
"Then he wasted his moments."

Overall: A very enjoyable read told by smart and snarky characters with struggles I could relate to.