Kerry Winfrey
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
In this heartwarming debut by HelloGiggles blogger Kerry Winfrey, a young agoraphobe begins a journey of first love that leads her to the true meaning of home—just by taking one small step outside of her house.This, for me, was the right book at the right time. I had just set aside a book that I was not getting into, and I found myself immediately absorbed in Love and Other Alien Experiences.
My name is Mallory Sullivan.
My therapist says I have an anxiety disorder.
My brother says I’m an “optimistic recluse.”
Everybody else says I'm a freak.
And they kind of have a point, because I haven't left the house in 67 days and only attend class via the webcam on my laptop. The person I talk to the most other than my mom and brother is the completely obnoxious BeamMeUp, and all we do is argue on New Mexico’s premiere alien message board.
But after yesterday, I have something: a chance. If I can win the homecoming crown by convincing resident hot popular guy and Friday Night Lights spawn Brad Kirkpatrick to go as my date, then maybe #stayathome will never appear next to the name @Mallory_Sullivan ever again.
First, I have to leave my room.
FIVE REASONS TO READ LOVE AND OTHER ALIEN EXPERIENCES
- The Sullivan Family: I was a huge fan of Mallory and Lincoln. They had a very special sibling bond. It was endearing they way they looked out for each other, and seriously, how could I not love a family with the motto: "Why Be Serious When You Can Be Sarcastic?" I have found my people.
- AlienHuntress and BeamMeUp: I was shipping this online couple from their first interaction. The banter and nerdy talk made me all sorts of happy, and I really thought that Mallory had found a kindred spirit in BeamMeUp. I know I would love a bouquet of Twizzlers.
- Mallory and Her Battles: Mallory had anxiety disorder which blossomed into agoraphobia. I thought Winfrey really did an admirable job capturing that struggle of wanting to be able to conquer something, but not quite being able to. Mallory was trying to manage her disorder by working with a therapists and making small efforts such as going out into the backyard. Sometimes it was one step forward, two steps back. I thought Winfrey handled her disorder with care, and her journey seemed realistic to me.
- The Nerd Culture: Mallory was an X-Files fangirl who speculated about aliens online. She was science savvy, and was fluent in nerd. I so enjoyed all the science and pop culture references. You couldn't imagine how exciting it was to me that they kept brining up physics. But don't worry, this was balanced out with sports, makeup, and puppies.
- The Boys Next-door: I will not lie, I loved both Kirkpatrick brothers. Brad was the happy-go-lucky sweetheart, and Jake was the brooding and often overlooked brother. I admit, I fell harder for Jake, because I was into his quiet but awesome ways, and I fell a little more in love with him as I learned more of his backstory.
"It's not like I'm Anxious Beauty and the touch of his lips is going to cure me. I still have my problems, and he still has his."
There are definitely more reasons to read this book. It was such a cute and touching story of friendship, love, support, and tapping one's own inner strength. I laughed tons, and had also swooned. I rooted for Mallory and celebrated each of her successes. This book made my heart full and I just wanted to jump for joy.
Mallory works on a physics project during this book and Jake is a physics genius. My undergrad was in Chemical Engineering and my graduate degree is in physical science education, so every time they talked about physics I was pretty excited.
Do you like physics?
Let us know in the comments!
I love it when it feels like you're reading the right book at just the right time and it just - works. As if the stars aligned. And I'm guessing the science geek in you was loving the physics talk. LOL It sounds as if Winfrey handled the topic of Mallory's disorder well.
ReplyDeleteAs a former Xanax carrying, anxiety plagued person, I thought it was legit. There were times in the writing, where I flashed back to some of my worst episodes. I liked that she wasn't "cured", because I am not cured, I just am higher functioning as an adult. The one thing I miss about teaching (aside from snow days and summers off) is talking about science every day. Science was my first love.
DeleteSounds like you're able to critique Winfrey's portrayal from first-hand experience. And that fact that it still holds up is is a good sign. I can appreciate the "not cured" aspect as well. It's there... I just have tools to deal with it these days.
DeleteI understand that mental health is not a one-size fits all thing, but I saw a lot of reviews bashing the rep, whereas, I sort of nodded my head. Agreed, the many, many, many years of doctor's care has given me more tools. I know what my stressors are, and when I cannot eliminate, I try to reduce. I struggle with going to work, but reading helps distract me.
DeleteAh this is new to me and sounds so good!! I love all your reasons to read this and will have to add this to my TBR. I also loved physics in school. I was such a nerd :) Great review!!!
ReplyDeleteYou know how some people have a type when it comes to men/women. I have a type when it comes to books. I like them to have humor, but also heart and some depth without depressing me. This one ticked off all those boxes. Yes!!! A fellow physics lover. I knew there was a reason I liked you so much. 😘
DeleteI went to a terrible high school and never learned physics. So every time I see a YA book that references physics (and there are a lot) I start to sweat a little..
ReplyDeleteJen Ryland
Oh, my heart is breaking! I look at the world so differently because of physics. Definitely my favorite of the three hard sciences
DeleteWe're so glad you enjoyed this one, Sam! It sounds adorable and so enjoyable. We love books that are heavy on the nerd dialogue, so we'll have to check this one out! It's also great to know that the author handled Mallory's anxiety and agoraphobia well and realistically. Thanks for putting this one on our radar :)
ReplyDelete~Mckenzie & Michele
This was a win for me. I have been really lucky with my debut picks, and I always love when one talks nerdy to me.
DeleteAw, I'm glad you liked this one! It sounds like Mallory's agoraphobia was handled with care and sensitivity, which is always a plus in books. I loveee nerd culture in books as well, and the light hearted feeling this one has despite heavy topics makes it sounds like a good read! Awesome review!
ReplyDelete- Aila @ One Way Or An Author
That is exactly what I like, when the topic is heavy, but the feeling is kept on the lighter side. I know some people like really heavy and sad books, but they are too much for me, and can pull me into the dark side.
DeleteI love that GIF! :D Glad that you loved this one. Haven't heard too much about it, but it sounds like a lot of fun. Yay for books with nerd culture!
ReplyDeleteCass @ Words on Paper
I adore the Despicable sisters almost as much as the minions. And yeah, nerd culture will almost always win me over.
DeleteOkay, totally hadn't heard of this book but I totally want to read it now. I love that it seems to handle the anxiety disorder well and has Mallory working with therapists to help her handle her disorder because I always worry any mental health problem won't be handled well but this certainly is. I think this both sounds like a cute read with good issues in it. And any family that deals with stuff with the use of sarcasm is a star in my books.
ReplyDeleteThis book was fun, cute, sweet, adorable, heartfelt, and sensitive to Mallory's agoraphobia and anxiety. I loved it to shreds.
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