Love and Other Theories

by Alexis Bass

Overview

Love and Other Theories is a fast-paced twist on the coming-of-age novel and the romantic comedy that Kirkus Reviews called "careful, subtle, and aching" in a starred review.

Aubrey and her best friends made a pact to play by the guys' rules when it comes to dating. They're hoping the rules will keep them from experiencing high school heartbreak—they don't realize that these rules could just as easily keep them from opening their hearts and minds.

And when new boy Nathan Diggs moves to town, Aubrey starts to think that some rules are meant to be broken.

With equal parts bite and romance, topped off with an irresistibly engaging voice, Alexis Bass's novel is one you won't want to miss.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062275349
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	12/30/2014
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	697,827
File size:	981 KB
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Alexis Bass grew up in Washington, went to college in Arizona, and currently lives in Northern California, where she works in marketing. This is her first novel.

Editorial Reviews

10/06/2014
Aubrey Housing and her friends begin their senior year feeling invulnerable. They’ve come up with a set of guidelines to protect themselves from getting hurt, the first being, “Don’t expect anyone to fall in love with you, because even if they do, it doesn’t matter. They’re just going to leave you.” Resolved to treat relationships with the opposite sex lightly, the girls keep their emotions in check until a new student, Nathan, shows more than a passing interest in Aubrey. The relationship between the two of them is intense from the start, and Aubrey finds it challenging to keep her cool, especially when Nathan begins flirting with her best friend. In her debut novel, Bass provides honest, incisive, and sometimes uncomfortable insights into the complicated intersections of friendship and romance, the ways sex can be wielded as a weapon, and the measures some teens take to protect themselves from pain. Readers navigating the tempestuous emotions and relationships of high school should readily connect with these characters’ hopes, sorrows, and missteps as they prepare to strike out on their own. Ages 14–up. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

Warning: Bass’s debut novel will ignite ALL your feelings!” — -Wendy Higgins, New York Times bestselling author of the Sweet Evil trilogy

“I loved LOVE AND OTHER THEORIES. Alexis Bass writes a compelling critique of the ways society expects girls to behave in their relationships, the lies girls tell each other—and themselves—to keep from getting hurt, and, when all is said and done, how only the heart knows the truth.” — - Kristin Halbrook, author of Nobody But Us and co-founder of YA Highway

“Alexis Bass masterfully captures all the complexities of high school relationships. A lovely debut.” — - Amanda Maciel, author of Tease

“A bold debut that authentically captures the frenzy of love, lust, and senior year of high school!” — Julie Murphy, author of Side Effects May Vary

“Careful, subtle and aching. ” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Love and Other Theories challenged my assumptions, dared me to think differently and burrowed into my heart. A heart-achingly beautiful story about whether it is better to protect your heart or to take the biggest risk of all.” — Daisy Whitney, author of The Mockingbirds

“In her debut novel, Bass provides honest, incisive, and sometimes uncomfortable insights into the complicated intersections of friendship and romance, the ways sex can be wielded as a weapon, and the measures some teens take to protect themselves from pain.” — Publishers Weekly

“Bass’s debut is an entertaining perspective on the battlefield of the teen dating world.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

From the Publisher

Warning: Bass’s debut novel will ignite ALL your feelings!

Wendy Higgins

Love and Other Theories challenged my assumptions, dared me to think differently and burrowed into my heart. A heart-achingly beautiful story about whether it is better to protect your heart or to take the biggest risk of all.

Daisy Whitney

Alexis Bass masterfully captures all the complexities of high school relationships. A lovely debut.

Amanda Maciel

Bass’s debut is an entertaining perspective on the battlefield of the teen dating world.

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

A bold debut that authentically captures the frenzy of love, lust, and senior year of high school!

Julie Murphy

I loved LOVE AND OTHER THEORIES. Alexis Bass writes a compelling critique of the ways society expects girls to behave in their relationships, the lies girls tell each other—and themselves—to keep from getting hurt, and, when all is said and done, how only the heart knows the truth.

Kristin Halbrook

10/01/2014
Gr 9 Up—High school relationships aren't meant to last forever. So says Aubrey Housing and her three closest friends: Melissa, Danica, and ringleader Shelby. They've navigated high school living by their "girl code," which doesn't allow for relationships, jealousy, or hurt. When they are done with a guy, they move on, sometimes employing an "exit strategy" should he get too clingy. Any girl who doesn't live by these theories, like ex-friend Chiffon, is to be ridiculed and belittled or pitied. But when Nathan Diggs shows up in Aubrey's senior drama class, it sets into motion a chain of events that causes Aubrey to question why she was living by the code in the first place. She might just be falling in love and trying her hardest not to be. And when other girls, even Shelby, move in on Nathan, Aubrey finds it hard not to become the jealous girlfriend she's sworn she'd never be. While this is written in a style similar to Deb Caletti or Sarah Dessen, there's a little too much introspection. Also, the story feels far too long, which drags down the action. Plenty of drinking, sex, and profanity are met with a moral in the end, but it's too late to save the relationship, and the ending seems forced.—Kelly Jo Lasher, Middle Township High School, Cape May Court House, NJ

School Library Journal

★ 2014-09-14
A system for avoiding heartbreak falls apart in an unexpectedly insightful tale of friendship and loyalty. Aubrey's friends spend their weekends making out with boys at parties, drinking Slurpees mixed with vodka, and hurling insults at their ex-friend, Chiffon. Now that Aubrey has gotten into her dream school and eased off her work schedule, she can join them. Just before the start of their junior year, Shelby, the de facto group leader, developed the titular theories. High school boys, according to the theories, are incapable of commitment, so girls should enjoy sex and never expect anything afterward. But when good-looking outsider Nathan Diggs shows up in Aubrey's drama class, and Nathan and Aubrey quickly become inseparable, Aubrey is tempted to forget that she's become "evolved." What looks poised to be a romantic comedy (girl meets boy; theories fail; love triumphs) turns into something far more complex and bittersweet. Each character's life is carefully imagined, from Chiffon, the target of the girls' ridicule, to Shelby herself, whose carefree armor slowly begins to crack. The bullying is never forgiven. The lovers, once estranged, are never entirely reunited. The theories are indeed debunked, but what is left in their place is a kind of vulnerability and regret that can't be summed up in a romantic platitude. Careful, subtle and aching. (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews