What To Say Next

Author: Julie Buxbaum
Genre: Teen, Contemporary Fiction
Type: Hardcover
Pages: 292
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Delacorte Press
First Published: July 11, 2017
First Line: "An unprecedented event: Kit Lowell just sat down next to me in the cafeteria."

Book Description from GoodReads: From the New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Three Things comes a charming and poignant story about two struggling teenagers who find an unexpected connection just when they need it most. For fans of Sophie Kinsella, Jennifer Niven, and Rainbow Rowell.

Sometimes a new perspective is all that is needed to make sense of the world.

KIT: I don’t know why I decide not to sit with Annie and Violet at lunch. It feels like no one here gets what I’m going through. How could they? I don’t even understand.

DAVID: In the 622 days I’ve attended Mapleview High, Kit Lowell is the first person to sit at my lunch table. I mean, I’ve never once sat with someone until now. “So your dad is dead,” I say to Kit, because this is a fact I’ve recently learned about her. 

When an unlikely friendship is sparked between relatively popular Kit Lowell and socially isolated David Drucker, everyone is surprised, most of all Kit and David. Kit appreciates David’s blunt honesty—in fact, she finds it bizarrely refreshing. David welcomes Kit’s attention and her inquisitive nature. When she asks for his help figuring out the how and why of her dad’s tragic car accident, David is all in. But neither of them can predict what they’ll find. Can their friendship survive the truth?
Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Delacorte Press for providing me with a hardcover copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 4 stars

My Review: This book is about the unexpected relationship between two teens - a popular girl and a boy with Asperger's. 

Kit is struggling over the death of her father and while her friends have been supportive, they are ready for her to move on. But Kit isn't ready. Frustrated, she eats lunch with David, a boy known for his quirky behaviour, and finds his direct honesty refreshing and much needed.  

David is a unique character and, like Kit, I enjoyed getting a look at the world through his eyes. Kit and David are polar opposites on the social spectrum; he's a loner and Kit is popular but they seem to fill in the spaces that the other person lacks. Secondary characters are used well in the story and I appreciated that they aren't just fluffy sidekicks. Instead, they add a lot to helping the reader to better understand Kit and David.

This book has a lighter feel but still tackles some big issues and I liked seeing the underlying theme of diversity. Whether it's cultural diversity (Kit is half East Indian/half white) or social diversity in the school cafeteria, I appreciated how that theme was woven into the general story.

Overall, this was a good read but it wasn't until the twist at the end that this book garnered an extra star from me. I love it when authors can surprise me and Buxbaum's revelation made me view some relationships/events in a different light. This Teen read has its unique characters as well as cute, awkward, sad and uplifting moments making it a great pick for a summer read.