Summary
It starts with a text message.
Haley gets a text about her AP history essay from Martin Nathaniel Munroe II, a guy in her class.
Believe it or not, there are TWO Martin Nathaniel Munroe IIs in her class (cousins – it’s a long story). But this Martin says he’s “the good one.” And Haley assumes that means he’s the one she doesn’t hate.
Next comes the mistake text. She thought she was texting someone else, but she starts another text exchange with Martin. And that turns into a regular exchange of texts – about school, parents, quirks, TV shows, books, friends, and all manner of things as they get to know one another. A real friendship starts to form. But there are hints in their exchange that clue Martin in on the fact that Haley thinks she’s talking to his cousin. He’s actually the Martin she hates. But their new relationship is so important – and too fragile – for him to spring the truth on her. So they keep texting. And he keeps hoping Haley will catch on.
Review
This was so cute! I was reading two text-exchange books at the same time. One I finally had to put down because I just didn’t care. But I was captivated by this one from the beginning!
For 300+ pages of text messages, the conversation was full of sass and bantering, which I loved. And the progression of the messages from reserved and shallow to vulnerable and rich felt honest and real. And the author did a great job with subtext and inference (like when Martin figures out who Haley thinks she is texting) with such a sparse medium like text messages.
There are a couple conversations about sexuality in the book – the Kinsey scale, bisexuality, and demisexuality – that drove me to Google for more information. So I felt like I learned some things along the way as well as enjoying a good story.
If you are a fan of teen/young adult rom-coms, don’t miss this one!