Love & Other Theories is not your typical fluffy contemporary romance. In fact, there is nothing typical about Love & Other Theories. While it wasn’t exactly what I was hoping it would be, I did find myself hooked from the start and smiling when I finished it.
Aubrey and her best friends are the mean girls of the school. They hook up with all the hottest guys, they shun girls that go against them, and they tend to get up to no good behind each others backs. They are not girls that are easy to like and that was by far my biggest issue with Love & Other Theories. Aubrey was a smart girl but she was really stupid when it came to her friends and boys. As for her friends, they weren’t all the worst but Shelby was a bitch. I didn’t understand why everyone was so under her spell. She was so full of herself and what she did to Aubrey was so hurtful. I was also not so impressed with Nathan. At first I was completely in love with him, especially with Aubrey. They were so cute together. Then I met Trip. Trip was a guy who got what he wanted and expected that to always be true. However, he was also a really sweet guy who clearly cared a lot for Aubrey and would do anything for her. By the end of the book, my heart was his and I couldn’t remember who Nathan was. Oops.
There was a lot of terrible communication between Aubrey, her friends, and all the boys in their lives. So much stuff could have been cleared up if they had just talked about things. Aubrey was pretty afraid to speak out but she wasn’t the only one. There were so many secrets surrounding all of her friendships and other relationships, including with her family. When Aubrey finally started speaking her mind I wanted to jump for joy. However, it took a lot of heartache for her to reach that point and I felt terrible for all of it, especially since it could have so easily been avoided.
The story itself was not all that action packed but it was entertaining. I love books that are set right around college time. There was a lot of focusing on getting into college, what life was going to be like in college, and learning to say goodbye to friends from high school. While Aubrey and her friends had a weird relationship, they really did see each other as life long friends. Leaving them behind was a hard thing for Aubrey to even contemplate. Also, while the whole partying thing was a little overdone, it made things interesting. Aubrey and her friends had this crazy high school experience that was similar to that of my high school. Not necessarily me (I was a nerd) but I totally understood it because my friends partied it up like them. The drugs and alcohol might get to some people but I found it pretty realistic.
Overall, Love & Other Theories definitely won’t be topping my favorites list but I’m glad I gave it a chance. I found myself flipping pages as fast as I could and by the end of the book I was really attached to the characters. That’s the mark of a good book, to me.
