I Have An Idea!: Some Bonds Begin With Survival

by Jeremy Scholz

"I have an idea," she said and with those four words, Ethan Parker’s quiet life was set on fire.

Janet Rhodes doesn’t fit in anywhere, least of all in a high school classroom. She's fierce, impulsive, and impossible to ignore, exactly the kind of girl who turns detention into destiny. When she crashes into Ethan’s life, what starts as annoyance becomes intrigue and then something deeper neither of them expected.

Thrown together by circumstance and later by choice, Ethan and Janet navigate school, secrets, and the messy reality of growing up too fast. But as their bond deepens, life throws curveballs that no teenager should have to face.

Told with sharp dialogue, aching tenderness, and unflinching emotional depth, Ethan & Janet is a powerful story of two teens learning what it means to fight for love, to choose family, and to believe, against all odds, that broken things can still become whole.

162 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2025

About the author

Jeremy Scholz is a writer, educator, and lifelong storyteller. From his early days sketching comic books in middle school to writing poetry and lyrics in high school, Jeremy has always been driven by the need to create. Whether through art, music, photography, or fiction, storytelling remains his truest passion.

Before entering the world of publishing, Jeremy spent 25 years as a science teacher, where he inspired curiosity and creativity in his students. He was named County Teacher of the Year during his fifth year in the classroom, and he continues to bring that same energy and imagination to his writing.

Later in life, Jeremy was diagnosed with ADHD and dysgraphia, an experience that unlocked decades of untamed creativity and explained the challenges he had faced in school and writing. With the help of treatment, the characters and worlds that had long lived in his mind finally found their way onto the page.

His writing blends depth, heart, and raw authenticity, often drawing from his diverse life experiences, from working blue-collar jobs to studying organizational behavior to navigating the world through the lens of neurodivergence.

Jeremy is currently writing fiction that explores resilience, identity, and transformation, often set in immersive, emotionally rich worlds. He lives in Arizona and continues to teach and write, passionate about connecting with readers of all ages.

Reviews

[Jeremy Scholz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an emotional rollercoaster, several parts of the story stirred memories and brought back feeling. What a fun and honest look at life and lookout for each other.

[Janet Evanovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This book hit different, Janet is chaotic in the best way bold, unapologetic, and a total wild card. Ethan, He’s that quiet guy everyone overlooks until he surprises you. Their relationship felt like an actual teenage rollercoaster awkward moments, inside jokes, and heart crushing drama. Nothing felt fake or over the top. It made me think about my own friendships and how life can change with just one decision. If you like stories that feel like real life but with a little extra drama, this one’s for you.

[MikeLikesBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This coming of age story is about two teenagers with hurt and tragedy in their lives. Somehow they reconnect and find that through diversity live can still bloom.

I was rooting for these two even though they were so young. This is a fast read and can be done in one sitting. It’s an emotional novella. It had me in tears at the end and a big smile on my face.

The author reached out and offered to send me a copy of his book. I’m glad he did. This one is worth the time to read. My review is completely voluntary.

[Lila Everett · Rating 5 out of 5]

At Roosevelt High, seventeen year old Janet is known for her fire. No one sees the scars she hides under her armor of defiance. Then Ethan walks into her life, all quiet compassion and unwavering kindness. Their friendship grows in the cracks of their broken lives, until it becomes something more. As her home life crumbles and Ethan’s health falters, their love is tested by forces beyond their control. In the end, Janet is left holding the story they built and the strength to keep going.

[Theo Ramsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janet and Ethan meet by accident, but nothing about their connection is an accident. It begins in a moment of violence and grows through late night talks, shared music, and the quiet presence of someone who stays. But life has other plans. While Janet battles the chaos at home, Ethan fights a battle inside his own body. What they build together is fragile, beautiful, and real. And when the worst happens, Janet finds strength not just in surviving, but in remembering love.

[Sydney Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janet is all fire and fight, Ethan all quiet and calm. Their worlds collide at a boiling point, then soften into something they don’t have a name for. It isn’t perfect. It isn’t easy. But it’s real. Together they face every obstacle from broken homes to dying dreams. And when Ethan’s body gives out before his heart does, Janet is left with his memory, and the strength he believed she always had. Some loves don’t end. They transform.

[Eli Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love comes to Janet when she’s not looking for it in the form of a boy who sees past her armor and refuses to leave. Together, they weather storms: the violence at school, the chaos at home, and the weight of secrets too heavy for teenagers to carry. Their love is a place of warmth in a cold world. And when Ethan’s health fails, it becomes a legacy. Janet will carry their story, because some bonds outlive even the people who forged them.

[Elias Dalton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janet's life is a collection of broken promises and survival strategies. Ethan’s is a quiet determination to love despite pain. They come together in a school hallway and build something sacred in a world that gives them nothing. But when Ethan begins to slip away, their story changes. Janet must choose whether to shut down or to honor their love by living forward. Some bonds are formed through trauma but what they leave behind is a kind of grace.

[Talia Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janet never believed in soft things like safety, like love until Ethan. He walks into her life with an open heart and no demands, and somehow, she lets him stay. Their story is marked by small joys and looming threats. When tragedy strikes and dreams shatter, Janet is left with an impossible grief and a burning need to make it count. In the aftermath of everything, she learns what it means to love fully and live bravely, even in the face of loss.

[Brynn Ellison · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the outside, Janet is a storm, unpredictable, unapproachable. But Ethan doesn’t run. He listens, stays, and becomes the calm in her chaos. What starts as an unlikely friendship grows into something that anchors them both. But the world isn’t kind to kids like them. As Ethan’s body betrays him, and Janet’s home life crumbles, their love becomes a lesson in resilience. In the end, Janet is the keeper of a story written in pain and hope, a story worth telling.

[Emery Dalton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janet’s world doesn’t allow for softness. She’s had to be hard to survive at school, at home, and in her own heart. But Ethan, with his quiet strength and unwavering compassion, doesn’t ask her to change. He just sees her. When they form an unlikely bond, it offers a fragile glimpse of what life could be. But as illness strikes and dreams are lost, Janet is left to bear their shared story, a testament to a love that dared to grow in impossible soil.

[Addison McCoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janet is seventeen and already carrying more than most adults. Her only goals are survival and silence until Ethan disrupts both. His presence is gentle but persistent, and slowly, she lets him in. Together, they carve out something beautiful in the margins of violence and neglect. But when Ethan’s health collapses, their world does too. In the wreckage, Janet finds a strength born not from anger, but from the love they built brief, bright, and brave enough to change everything.

[Paige Dunlop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janet doesn’t believe in safety. Not at home. Not at school. Not with anyone. But Ethan doesn’t ask her to believe, he just offers it anyway. What begins with a violent encounter blooms into something delicate and life changing. As their connection deepens, the world around them crumbles. Her family breaks. His body breaks. And Janet is left with a future they dreamed together but never got to live. What she carries forward is more than grief, t’s proof that love is worth the risk.

[Cooper Jameson · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a high school where survival means emotional armor, Janet wears hers like steel. But Ethan, soft spoken and steady, sees past it. Through small, persistent acts of care, he chips away at the wall around her heart. Their love grows in the shadows of pain, slowly and then all at once. But life doesn’t pause for love. As Ethan’s health declines and Janet’s home turns volatile, their bond becomes a light in the dark. When the light fades, Janet is forever changed.

[Piper Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janet expects disappointment. It’s the only thing she can count on. But Ethan surprises her. He doesn’t flinch when she’s angry. He doesn’t run when she pushes him away. He just keeps being there. In a world that constantly threatens to take and never give, he becomes her reason to hope. But their time is limited. As Ethan fades, their love becomes Janet’s anchor and her responsibility. She learns that survival isn’t always about escaping pain, but sometimes about holding onto love anyway.

[Leah Harmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janet doesn’t let people in. She can’t afford to. But Ethan doesn’t ask he simply shows up, again and again. Their bond forms like a whisper in the chaos of abuse, neglect, and fear. And just when life begins to offer something close to joy, tragedy rewrites their future. Ethan’s illness steals the life they were building. But his love leaves a mark deeper than any scar. Janet emerges with something stronger than survival: a purpose to keep their story alive.

[Brooks Hendricks · Rating 5 out of 5]

All Janet has ever known is how to fight teachers, bullies, her own parents. So when Ethan responds with kindness instead of force, she doesn’t know what to do. Over time, his steady presence becomes the one safe place in her unsafe life. But just as she learns to hope, Ethan begins to slip away. Grief threatens to swallow her, but Janet finds strength in what they shared. Some love stories don’t last forever, but they change you forever, just the same.

[Delaney Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roosevelt High is a battlefield, and Janet is a soldier, scarred, fierce, and exhausted. Ethan is a stranger to battle, but his quiet resilience offers something new. Something she never dared hope for: peace. Their love is a rebellion against the chaos around them. But when Ethan’s health fails and her home falls apart, Janet is left clinging to memory and meaning. Through pain, she finds purpose and the will to turn loss into something that might help someone else survive.

[Hudson Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janet never asked for love. She never asked for Ethan. But fate doesn’t ask. It delivers. What starts with a confrontation becomes a connection. As they share wounds and wonder, they craft something gentle and real in the wreckage of their lives. When Ethan’s body turns against him, Janet has to carry more than grief, she has to carry the love they created. In the end, she learns that survival isn’t the absence of pain. It’s the choice to love through it.

[Alice Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a world that keeps failing her, Janet never expected anyone to stay. But Ethan does. He stays through the anger, the silence, the chaos at home. What begins with a moment of violence becomes a slow, healing love. They dream of escape, of a future, of raising a daughter together. But when illness strikes and time runs out, Janet must do the unthinkable: survive without him. What remains is more than memory. It’s a bond forged in truth and the strength to carry it forward.

[kane timothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, first off Janet is chaotic in the best way possible. She barges into Ethan’s quiet world with zero warning and totally turns it upside down. This book is messy, emotional, and real. It talks about school, broken families, and how sometimes the people who drive you crazy are the ones you need most. If you like characters who don’t have it all together but keep going anyway, read this.

[Olivia Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ethan & Janet stands out in the YA genre for its sharp, evocative prose and character-driven narrative. Janet’s rebellious energy and Ethan’s quiet depth create a compelling contrast, while the story avoids predictable tropes, favoring raw, authentic interactions instead. The novel excels in pacing, balancing tender moments with high-stakes drama, making readers emotionally invested without resorting to melodrama. Themes of identity, love, and resilience are explored with nuance, making this a strong addition to contemporary young adult literature

[Linda Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ethan & Janet’ completely surprised me. At first, I thought it would be another light teen drama, but it’s layered with real emotional depth. The pacing is perfect never rushed, never dragging and the characters leap off the page. Ethan is easy to root for, but Janet stole the show for me. She’s unpredictable, a little dangerous, and yet deeply human. The writing style reminded me of John Green meets Angie Thomas sharp, heartfelt, and unafraid to dive into tough topics. If you’re looking for a YA book that lingers with you long after you finish, add this to your list.

[Ernest Hemingway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Readers seeking emotional authenticity will find themselves fully invested. The dual perspective allows deep empathy with both Ethan’s quiet pain and Janet’s unpredictability. Their relationship doesn’t feel scripted it evolves in messy, realistic arcs, much like teen-focused coming-of-age novels like Perfect Chemistry

[Ellis Mercer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janet is a force: fierce, unpredictable, and achingly real. Ethan’s calm introspection balances her volatility, creating a pair that feels lived-in and authentic. The book shines in its deep character arcs each is irrevocably changed by the other. Their flaws aren’t brushed aside; instead, the story leans into their private struggles, making their growth feel earned and resonant.

[Dorian Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than just a high school romance, this novel weaves in themes of resilience, identity, and found family. As the duo confront secrets and setbacks, the story asks what it really means to love and to heal. Each scene pulses with emotional stakes, delivering gut punches alongside quiet moments of bonding. It’s a layered take on what it means to rebuild the broken.

[Kristina Stangl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Very Sweet Story

I was pleasantly surprised by this story. It’s very sweet and charming. Janet and Ethan come from different worlds. She’s loud and fierce, while he’s more shy and reserved. Together, they make a daring pair, ready to challenge the norm. But as much as I enjoyed this story, you’ll also need a box of tissues. This one is a real tear jerker.

[Avan Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poignant reminder of the struggles teens face behind the walls of a school. This book captures the confusion, rebellion, and fragile hope of adolescence with honesty. It made me think more about what kids go through and how much they need support during those turbulent years

[Angentsmari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ethan & Janet is a striking blend of sharp dialogue, deep emotional resonance, and characters that stay with you long after the last page. It avoids clichés, delivering a YA story that feels refreshingly real and unfiltered. Highly recommended for readers craving substance in teen fiction.

[Ray Bradbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ethan & Janet pairs two teens from opposite ends of the spectrum: quiet, thoughtful Ethan and bold, unpredictable Janet. Their relationship ignites gradually initial annoyance becomes fascination, then genuine care. It’s classic enemies-to-lovers but grounded, never cliched.