Seven Percent of Ro Devereux

by Ellen O'Clover Narrated by Alexandra Hunter

Overview

Fans of Emma Lord, Rachel Lynn Solomon, and Alex Light will love this clever, charming, and poignant debut novel with a masterful slow-burn romance at its core about a girl who must decide whether to pursue her dreams or preserve her relationships, including a budding romance with her ex-best friend, when an app she created goes viral.

Ro Devereux can predict your future. Or, at least, the app she built for her senior project can.

Working with her neighbor, a retired behavioral scientist, Ro created an app called MASH, designed around the classic game Mansion Apartment Shack House, that can predict a person's future with 93% accuracy. The app will even match users with their soulmates. Though it was only supposed to be a class project, MASH quickly takes off and gains the attention of tech investors.

Ro's dream is to work in Silicon Valley, and she'll do anything to prove to her new backing company-and the world-that the app works. So it's a huge shock when the app says her soulmate is Miller, her childhood best friend with whom she had a friendship-destroying fight three years ago.

Now thrust into a fake dating scenario, Ro and Miller must address the years of pain between them if either of them will have any chance of achieving their dreams. And as the app takes on a life of its own, Ro sees that it's affecting people in ways she never expected-and if she can't regain control, it might take her and everything she believes in down with it.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"An exhilarating, wholly original debut that explores the nature of human behavior alongside a gorgeous slow-burn romance. I’m obsessed with everything about this book, from the immersive Colorado setting to the clever plot twists to the love story that had me pressing a hand to my chest. Ellen O'Clover writes with an unforgettable voice that instantly makes her characters feel like real people—the kind you want to wrap in a blanket so nothing bad happens to them ever again. Seven Percent of Ro Devereux has one hundred percent of my heart." — Rachel Lynn Solomon, New York Times bestselling author of Today Tonight Tomorrow

“Gorgeously written, full of intelligent heart, Seven Percent of Ro Devereux is a captivating love story within a vivid modern update of questions of designing your future and decoding the love you’re meant to find. We’re 100% in love with this wonderful debut.” — Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, authors of If I'm Being Honest

“Both masterful and effortless, Seven Percent of Ro Devereux broke my heart and mended it anew. With gut wrenching prose and a timeless slow burn romance, Ro and Miller’s story will ensure Ellen O’Clover is your new favorite author. Stunning.”
— Kelsey Rodkey, author of Last Chance Books

"Unlike anything I’ve read before. These characters tug at your heartstrings and refuse to let go until the very last chapter. Memorable, romantic and a poignant comment on human connection. My favorite book of the year.”
— Alex Light, author of The Upside of Falling

"Interesting ideas explored along the way about free will and ambition, and Ro’s family experiences, including Vera’s illness, provide for convincing emotional drama... the central focus of the story is on the romance, which will please fans of the genre. A thoughtful meditation on some weighty questions wrapped in a well-drawn romance." — Kirkus Reviews

"O’Clover’s prose, brimming with dry wit, pensively ponders existential questions regarding free will and the “gray area” of human behavior that no computer can measure. A nuanced cast navigating evolving interpersonal struggles and natural-feeling dialogue elevate this tech-driven debut about love, fate, and change." — Publishers Weekly

"This story isn’t simply a teen romance with an enemies-to-lovers trope. It’s also about finding yourself and realizing that life is unpredictable. Fans of Rachel Lynn Solomon and John Green will not be able to put this one down."  — School Library Journal

"Balances a whirlwind of love, grief, and fame in a perfect contemporary novel that reminds us life isn’t dictated by algorithms. You may think you can predict how this book will end 93% of the time, and still, that 7% will make your heart race with eager anticipation."  — Pine Reads Review

Kirkus Reviews

2022-10-11
For her senior project, a coding prodigy invents an app called MASH that predicts users’ future outcomes in life, never imagining it will become a public sensation.

Eighteen-year-old Rose Devereux lives with her devoted father in small-town Colorado, having largely put her tech genius mother’s abandonment of their family when she was little behind her. Her behavioral scientist neighbor, Vera, is like a grandmother to her and has been battling cancer for the last three years. Vera and Ro worked together to develop the predicating theory behind MASH. When the app is unexpectedly promoted by Ro’s social media influencer cousin, Ro is drawn into a partnership with a Silicon Valley firm that insists the hook is the aspect that predicts someone’s life partner. Pushed to win over funders by using herself as an example, Ro publicly stages a relationship with Alistair Miller, a sensitive, brainy boy she grew up with but from whom she is estranged. There are some interesting ideas explored along the way about free will and ambition, and Ro’s family experiences, including Vera’s illness, provide for convincing emotional drama, but the central focus of the story is on the romance, which will please fans of the genre. The main characters read White; there is some ethnic diversity suggested by secondary characters’ surnames, and Ro’s best friend is in a same-sex relationship.

A thoughtful meditation on some weighty questions wrapped in a well-drawn romance. (Romance. 13-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175882231
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/17/2023
Edition description:	Unabridged

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