I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review! I've not read a book with these tropes before, so I was curious.
Blue and Green follows main character Remi, a teenager who was born premature, spending the first few weeks of her life in an incubator to keep her alive. Her biological mum couldn't afford the therapy and surgeries, so Remi was eventually adopted by Nora.
The author paints visual scenes vividly, and each of the characters is easy to differentiate and become attached to; Remi's steadfast bravery made her a character I wanted to cheer for. One quote that stuck with me was: "What she loved was the freedom to linger, to stand before a single work of art and take in every detail with quiet consideration." As someone who loves wandering through art galleries, it resonated with me.
The story begins quickly, so by chapter three, Remi’s halfway through school, friends with Harper and Ava, and getting into AI studies. This is when she meets Oren, a machine created to learn, sense, and perhaps eventually replicate emotions, and their friendship begins to change how she sees and interacts with the world.
By chapter eight, Oren's adjusting to school as a transfer student in a body that looks and feels near-human. I wanted a bit more explanation on how that worked, but this is a short book for younger readers, so it makes sense that the target audience would probably accept it more easily.
The high school parts felt a little slow for me, and that's likely because I’m not the target age, but Remi and Oren’s witty banter kept me reading. I could feel their connection in Remi's lyrical diary entries and Oren's internal entries, showing how both are trying to grapple with new feelings. Another quote I enjoyed was "A digital whisper. A thread of connection. You're not alone, she had coded. Remember the warmth of a hand. The sound of laughter. Remember us."
The Library of Everything is described in such perfect detail that I literally want to live there. I'm not going to give away the ending, but it wraps up everything well. This book would be great for early readers who would appreciate its blend of friendship, self-discovery, and sci-fi elements mixed with coming-of-age. While the school environment isn't naturally my cup of tea (because I'm old 😂), Remi and Oren made this a warm, enjoyable read.