Review #14: Love and Other Alien Experiences by Kerry Winfrey
Copy received through NetGalley
Love and Other Alien Experiences by Kerry Winfrey
Publication date: November 15th 2015
Goodreads average rating: 4.38
Goodreads summary:
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 homeâjust by taking one small step outside of her house.
My name is Mallory Sullivan.
My therapist says I have an anxiety disorder.
My brother says Iâm an âoptimistic recluse.â
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 Mexicoâs 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.
Genre:
Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Review:
When I saw that Kerry Winfrey was the author of this book, I knew I had to read it. Iâm a big fan of HelloGiggles, so I know very well who she is. If you havenât read any of her posts related to YA books, you should give them a look, Iâll put the link below (that sounds fancy, as if Iâm a YouTuber).
Love and Other Alien Experiences is a cheeky little tale about a teenage agoraphobe, who by a surprise to everyone gets nominated for prom queen, and decides to win. Mallory, the badass lady in question who is determined to leave the house, has the support of her best friend Jenni and her brother Lincoln, who help her win more spirit points, that will help her get the title. During the whole thing, she befriends the next door neighbors, she makes clear improvements to her mental health and maybe falls in love. (Iâm trying not to give everything away, as I already did few hours ago, while on a coffee date with my friends.)
This book is charming, beautifully written and extremely entertaining. And this previous sentence is a statement I wrote down after reading the first three chapters (yes, I take notes while reading, can you blame me?)
Itâs funny at times. Itâs incredibly addicting. But itâs also so original and, Iâll allow myself to say, real. The characters are believable and colorful, youâll fall in love with all of them. If this doesnât convince you to get this book, Iâll just note that Mallory is obsessed with aliens. Now that you know that, I am sure youâre already putting this book on your must-read shelves on Goodreads, or maybe youâre already pre-ordering it on Amazon.
I recommend that you pick it up the day it comes out, or maybe even sooner. You will not regret it. Youâll fall in love with Mrs. Winfreyâs writing, and youâll thank me for obsessively talking about this book in the following months, as I suspect Iâll be doing.
While I mention it, I canât wait for Mrs. Winfreyâs next novel. I have a feeling that she is destined for greatness. Keep an eye on her. This debut is more than âpromisingâ, itâs brilliant.
P.S. Jake is the latest character I have a crush on. Send help. If you canât see me right away, youâll find me sitting in the corner, writing Jake Kirkpatrick fanfiction.
P.P.S. This book is definitely going on my physical-copy wish list.
Kerry Winfreyâs posts on HelloGiggles: http://hellogiggles.com/author/kerry-winfrey/