Author: Leigh Ann Kopans
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | author website
1 crush on your best friend +
1 gorgeous, scheming new girl +
1 Mathletics competition =
1 big mess
SIMPLIFY.
Ashley Price doesn't have much in life after being bullied so hard she had to leave her old school to live with her aunt and uncle in Pittsburgh. But the camera she borrowed from her best friend and secret crush Brendan, and her off the charts math abilities, make things a lot more bearable. Plus, since Brendan is the captain, making the school Mathletes team should be easy.
But when gorgeous new girl Sofia rolls in and steals Brendan, Ashley's place on the team, and her fragile foothold on the Mansfield Park Prep social totem pole, it’s on. Sofia is everything Ashley left her old school to escape. The only thing Ashley didn't count on is Sofia’s sexy twin brother Vincent.
Vincent is not only the hottest boy in school, he’s charming, sweet, and he’s got his eye on Ashley. He’s also not taking no for an answer. There's no real reason Ashley shouldn't like Vincent, but with the battle lines being drawn between her and Sofia, Ashley’s not sure which side he’s on. Or which side she wants him to be on.
She does know Sofia is trouble with a capital T, and she’s determined to make Brendan see it.
SOLVING FOR EX is a YA contemporary romance that remixes Mansfield Park as Clueless meets Mean Girls in a crazy mix of high school society, mathletic competition, and teenage romance.
If you haven't already seen me flailing about this book, well, I don't know where you've been. I absolutely love this book. I love main characters who are nerds, so that was all I needed to know that I had to read this book. And I was not disappointed. (I have not read Mansfield Park. Or, um, any Jane Austen novel. So if this mirrored that, which supposedly it does...then cool. I wouldn't know.)
Ashley has moved in with her aunt and uncle after being bulled in her old school. Brendan has been there for her since she moved, and Ashley realizes she has fallen in love with him. She decides this is going to be her year, to tell Brendan how she feels, and get on the Mathletes team. Until Sofia, that is.
I definitely loved the characters in this one. Ashley was a main character that you could relate to. We all know how terrible high school can be. Usually, I have issues with female main character's because they annoy the heck out of me. Of course, Ashley had her stupid moments, just like any other teenage girl. But for the most part, she was sensible and fun to read about.
Brendan. Oh Brendan. I wanted to smack him upside the head a few times. He is definitely your cute, sweet, nerdy boy but he could be quite dense. Then again, so are all teenage boys. I can understand some of his feelings and the actions that went with them, since Ashley had never told him she liked him and he had no way to know (he's a guy after all). He with all his faults and stupid decisions, he is still probably one of my favorite swoony boys.
Sofia. There isn't much to say except that she was your perfect, stereotypical preppy girl. I can only say that, even being part of the nerd crowd in high school, there were never really any girls like this that I had to deal with. Or if there were, they left us alone. I can't say I hated her or anything, but she did have plenty of really unlikable moments.
Although there is a love triangle, it was done very well. Usually I hate them, but not this time. I think it's also more because Ashley herself was never sure with Vincent. Wasn't sure whether to like him, to trust him, or to be suspicious of him. I wasn't ever sure what to think of him myself. I just didn't trust him either. He was just way too good to be true, which was Ashley's problem as well.
I also loved the setting, how normal everyday school activities were shown. Most of the time, books just gloss over that, unless it's lunch or talking in the hallway etc. It wasn't in a mundane way, but instead showcasing how teens really do act. I suppose the book being centered around mathletes helped with that. I also loved how the interaction with Ashley's aunt and uncle, who were actually a part of her life and not absent parents.
The writing was very well-done. The book kept me intrigued and interested all the way through. Even though what happens at the end is pretty predictable, it was still very well executed. I'm not really a romance person, but I absolutely loved this book, which is definitely saying something. The little math notes throughout the book were so cute and just added to the overall effect of the story. (And I could figure most of them out! yay!)
But even all of that isn't suffice to really tell you guys how much I love this book. I just really, really...do.
So...yeah. If you haven't already realized, I love this book. So, so much. And I think every one of you should read it too. (Hey, it would make a great Valentine's Day read.) I also can't wait for the companion novel about Sofia, First World Problems. Definitely sounds like it's going to be amazing too.
Check out Leigh Ann's dream cast!
I received an eARC from the author in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinion in any way.
This review can also be found on 
Leigh Ann Kopans:
Ashley has moved in with her aunt and uncle after being bulled in her old school. Brendan has been there for her since she moved, and Ashley realizes she has fallen in love with him. She decides this is going to be her year, to tell Brendan how she feels, and get on the Mathletes team. Until Sofia, that is.
I definitely loved the characters in this one. Ashley was a main character that you could relate to. We all know how terrible high school can be. Usually, I have issues with female main character's because they annoy the heck out of me. Of course, Ashley had her stupid moments, just like any other teenage girl. But for the most part, she was sensible and fun to read about.
Brendan. Oh Brendan. I wanted to smack him upside the head a few times. He is definitely your cute, sweet, nerdy boy but he could be quite dense. Then again, so are all teenage boys. I can understand some of his feelings and the actions that went with them, since Ashley had never told him she liked him and he had no way to know (he's a guy after all). He with all his faults and stupid decisions, he is still probably one of my favorite swoony boys.
Sofia. There isn't much to say except that she was your perfect, stereotypical preppy girl. I can only say that, even being part of the nerd crowd in high school, there were never really any girls like this that I had to deal with. Or if there were, they left us alone. I can't say I hated her or anything, but she did have plenty of really unlikable moments.
Although there is a love triangle, it was done very well. Usually I hate them, but not this time. I think it's also more because Ashley herself was never sure with Vincent. Wasn't sure whether to like him, to trust him, or to be suspicious of him. I wasn't ever sure what to think of him myself. I just didn't trust him either. He was just way too good to be true, which was Ashley's problem as well.
I also loved the setting, how normal everyday school activities were shown. Most of the time, books just gloss over that, unless it's lunch or talking in the hallway etc. It wasn't in a mundane way, but instead showcasing how teens really do act. I suppose the book being centered around mathletes helped with that. I also loved how the interaction with Ashley's aunt and uncle, who were actually a part of her life and not absent parents.
But even all of that isn't suffice to really tell you guys how much I love this book. I just really, really...do.
So...yeah. If you haven't already realized, I love this book. So, so much. And I think every one of you should read it too. (Hey, it would make a great Valentine's Day read.) I also can't wait for the companion novel about Sofia, First World Problems. Definitely sounds like it's going to be amazing too.
Check out Leigh Ann's dream cast!
I received an eARC from the author in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinion in any way.
This review can also be found on
Leigh Ann Kopans:
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