Odd One Out by Nic Stone

Odd One Out by Nic Stone



                    Courtney and Jupiter have been best friends since he moved into the house next door eleven years ago. And even though she proclaimed she was a lesbian years ago, that hasn’t stopped him from falling head over heels in love with her. Everyone knows them as Coop and Jupe. They’ve always been inseparable and none of his relationships have ever stood a chance because of how close they are. Then there was Rae, some girl Jupiter had been texting for a while. All three ended up being friends and while Jupiter may be developing feelings for her, Rae is trying to sort out her feelings for Cooper. And Jupiter.
                    Love is complicated. Sexuality is complicated. Stone created a book that shows just how complicated and disorienting it can be figuring out your sexuality while also trying to be regular high school students. I really liked Coop, Jupe and Rae. They were extremely well developed and felt genuine. Each one is in a different place in their teenage lives but all three are trying to work through their emotions, what it means to fall in love or be in love with someone who may or may not be attainable. The plot revolves around the friendship between these three characters and how they evolve over time. It is separated in three parts which each character getting their own narrative. That ends up being a great narrative choice for this book. It broke up the story nicely and allowed each character to shine for a moment. It also kept the pace of the novel going while exploring each character on a deeper level. 
                    Books like this give space to everyone, not just kids, to realize that these emotions and feelings are okay. Everyone is different and this book has some really important conversations at its center. I will forever be grateful to books that have conversation about consent. The way in which these conversations were handled in this book was really well done. I'm not a teenager, I have a child nearing the pre-teen years and I am glad that books like this exist. Books that will spark necessary conversations and make these conversations the norm. 
                    My hat is off to Stone. I really enjoyed Dear Martin and this book, though extremely different in subject matter, is as well written as her first book. I was lucky enough to win an ARC of this book and honestly, I couldn’t put this down and completely devoured it. Stone is a great writer and she is telling stories that people need to read. She is just able to make people connect with her characters and their journeys, their stories on so many different levels. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars!

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