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The First Kiss Hypothesis #1
The First Kiss Hypothesis
Nora Reid believes scientific laws control everything, even love. With her grandparents’ epic first kiss story cemented in her brain, Nora develops a hypothesis she’s determined to prove: for each person in the world, there is exactly one other person, and at first kiss, they’ll experience an immediate and intense reaction.
But after four years of zero-reaction kisses, she comes up with a new theory: maybe that pesky crush on her stunningly hot best friend Eli Costas is skewing her results.
She needs to get rid of him, and fast.
Eli Costas is an injury-prone lacrosse star with a problem—the one chance he had at winning over the girl next door resulted in the most epically sucktastic first kiss ever. And now she’s…trying to get rid of him? Hell no. It’s time to disprove her theory and show her exactly what she’s missing.
Game. On.
Disclaimer: This book contains a stunningly hot lacrosse player who isn’t above playing dirty to win over the stubborn girl-next-door of his dreams.
But after four years of zero-reaction kisses, she comes up with a new theory: maybe that pesky crush on her stunningly hot best friend Eli Costas is skewing her results.
She needs to get rid of him, and fast.
Eli Costas is an injury-prone lacrosse star with a problem—the one chance he had at winning over the girl next door resulted in the most epically sucktastic first kiss ever. And now she’s…trying to get rid of him? Hell no. It’s time to disprove her theory and show her exactly what she’s missing.
Game. On.
Disclaimer: This book contains a stunningly hot lacrosse player who isn’t above playing dirty to win over the stubborn girl-next-door of his dreams.
277 pages, ebook
First published November 6, 2017
64 people are currently reading
984 people want to read
About the author
Christina Mandelski
8 books115 followersWhen I was a kid, I loved to read and write, and I loved going to the library. It was in the children's departments of the libraries I frequented that my dream of becoming a writer took hold. I'd find the place on the shelf where my name would fall, put my finger in that spot and say "that's where it'll go."
After quite a few detours, my dream of having a book on that library shelf is finally coming true this May. My first young adult novel, The Sweetest Thing, published by Egmont USA will be released.
It's a story that's dear to me, about a girl who is passionate about creating art. Here's a little synopsis:
Sheridan is happy making phenomenal cakes in her safe little world. All she needs is for her mother to come home and everything will be perfect. But when her super chef father gets his own reality TV show in New York City, Sheridan comes up with a desperate plan to find her mom and convince her dad to stay put.
After quite a few detours, my dream of having a book on that library shelf is finally coming true this May. My first young adult novel, The Sweetest Thing, published by Egmont USA will be released.
It's a story that's dear to me, about a girl who is passionate about creating art. Here's a little synopsis:
Sheridan is happy making phenomenal cakes in her safe little world. All she needs is for her mother to come home and everything will be perfect. But when her super chef father gets his own reality TV show in New York City, Sheridan comes up with a desperate plan to find her mom and convince her dad to stay put.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
October 27, 2017
(I received an advance copy of this book for free. Thanks to Entangled Publishing, LLC and NetGalley.)
This was a YA contemporary romance story, about a girl with a scientific theory about first kisses.
I liked Nora and Eli, and I liked how relaxed they were around each other. It was also nice the way that Eli always drove Nora to school after she broke someone’s leg during drivers ed.
The storyline in this was about Nora having a scientific theory, that when you met the right person your first kiss would be wonderful. Unfortunately, she had kissed Eli when she was younger, and had thus written him off as a possible boyfriend because the first kiss wasn’t great. It was sweet how she tried to ignore her feelings for Eli though, and it was nice that Eli secretly felt the same way about her and wanted to disprove her hypothesis. That second first kiss was a long time coming though.
The ending to this was a happily ever after, and it was nice that we got to see what happened to Nora and Eli after high school finished.
6.5 out of 10
“A kiss with chemistry is different from a kiss without chemistry. Period.”
This was a YA contemporary romance story, about a girl with a scientific theory about first kisses.
I liked Nora and Eli, and I liked how relaxed they were around each other. It was also nice the way that Eli always drove Nora to school after she broke someone’s leg during drivers ed.
The storyline in this was about Nora having a scientific theory, that when you met the right person your first kiss would be wonderful. Unfortunately, she had kissed Eli when she was younger, and had thus written him off as a possible boyfriend because the first kiss wasn’t great. It was sweet how she tried to ignore her feelings for Eli though, and it was nice that Eli secretly felt the same way about her and wanted to disprove her hypothesis. That second first kiss was a long time coming though.
The ending to this was a happily ever after, and it was nice that we got to see what happened to Nora and Eli after high school finished.
6.5 out of 10
January 24, 2018
I´m continuing my "read everything and warn people if it sucks" mission. This one definitely did. I hate characters that can´t realize things on their own until the very last page. Writing was okay, but I don´t think it was edited(well).
November 6, 2017
3.5 “Science, Friendship and Love” Stars
ARC via NetGalley
Thank you, Entangled Teen (Crush)!!
I’ve been on a BFF-to-more trope vibe lately, and this is probably the one with one of the most unique premise I’ve read lately. That’s because of Nora Reid’s obsession with the first kiss hypothesis and finding true love.
While with the BFF trope we normally have characters fighting their attraction to each other because they’re afraid to lose their friendship, here we have Nora refusing to move her hot best friend Eli past friend-zone because their first kiss back when they were eight years old didn’t make her heart stop and the earth move under her feet. Nora seriously believes that for each person in the world there’s only one other person and that they’re able to see they’re soul mates from their first kiss. Since her first kiss with Eli was too wet and not all that life-changing, she ruled him out as her soul mate, even though she still has a huge crush on him.
Eli, on the other hand, is tired of seeing Nora test her theory and ignore him as a viable candidate to love of her life. He then decides to make a move and prove Nora’s theory wrong.
Despite the whole theory being a little out there, it works in this context because of Nora’s relationship with her grandmother and the disease that is slowly taking her grandmother away. Implausible as it was, it felt like a link between Nora and her grandmother, and it worked well to build tension between Nora and Eli. And as I said before, it served its purpose as a different and fresh reason for the best friends to hold back on moving into romantic zone.
The chemistry between Nora and Eli was pretty great, and I also appreciated that Eli had an arc aside from the romance, even though the solution to his problem felt a little too easy.
Overall, the romance worked really well, and this turned out to be another cute read.
November 10, 2017
Friends-to-more romance and lots of science nerdy talk - I was bound to love it! This one was really sweet and cute and totally hit the spot, although it left me wanting some pie.
When I saw a science term in the title, I jumped at the opportunity to read this book, and I was really glad I did, because this one gave me miles of smiles.
•Pro: First and foremost, this was a friends-to-more story, and I love those.
•Pro: These two had soooooo much history, ten years worth, to be exact, and Mandelski gifted us with lovely flashbacks that were meaningfully woven into the story.
•Pro: Of course I liked Nora. Any girl that in love with science will always rate high on my list.
•Pro: I was immediately cheering for Eli to succeed in his plot to win Nora's heart and get out of the friend zone. He committed some very sweet and adorable acts that had some swoon. How could I not want him to get the girl?
•Pro: Eli's friend, Koviak, actually grew on me. At first, I thought he was a total meathead, but as I saw him interact with Eli more, I realized he had a little depth, and he was a really good friend to Eli too.
•Con: I cannot say the same for Nora's friend, Abby. She sort of disappointed me.
•Pro: The "Hail Mary" plan was one of my favorite parts. It was classic and rom-com worthy. I think I almost squealed, I enjoyed it so much.
•Pro: There were a lot of great family moments. Between Nora's grandma, Eli's adorable little brother, their moms, and Eli's dad, who sort of reminded me a little of my own, I felt like Nora and Eli were in good hands with such an awesome support system.
•Pro: I am always elated to see an epilogue, but this one really made me happy. I loved the symbolic thing they did together, and that's all I am saying, because it was so sweet.
•Pro: Did I mention what a large role pie plays in this story? Yes, because "PFE - pie fixes everything".
Overall: An adorable and sweet friends-to-more story, filled with sports, science, memories, and lots of pie.
*I would like to thank the publisher for the review copy of this book.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
When I saw a science term in the title, I jumped at the opportunity to read this book, and I was really glad I did, because this one gave me miles of smiles.
•Pro: First and foremost, this was a friends-to-more story, and I love those.
•Pro: These two had soooooo much history, ten years worth, to be exact, and Mandelski gifted us with lovely flashbacks that were meaningfully woven into the story.
•Pro: Of course I liked Nora. Any girl that in love with science will always rate high on my list.
•Pro: I was immediately cheering for Eli to succeed in his plot to win Nora's heart and get out of the friend zone. He committed some very sweet and adorable acts that had some swoon. How could I not want him to get the girl?
•Pro: Eli's friend, Koviak, actually grew on me. At first, I thought he was a total meathead, but as I saw him interact with Eli more, I realized he had a little depth, and he was a really good friend to Eli too.
•Con: I cannot say the same for Nora's friend, Abby. She sort of disappointed me.
•Pro: The "Hail Mary" plan was one of my favorite parts. It was classic and rom-com worthy. I think I almost squealed, I enjoyed it so much.
•Pro: There were a lot of great family moments. Between Nora's grandma, Eli's adorable little brother, their moms, and Eli's dad, who sort of reminded me a little of my own, I felt like Nora and Eli were in good hands with such an awesome support system.
•Pro: I am always elated to see an epilogue, but this one really made me happy. I loved the symbolic thing they did together, and that's all I am saying, because it was so sweet.
•Pro: Did I mention what a large role pie plays in this story? Yes, because "PFE - pie fixes everything".
Overall: An adorable and sweet friends-to-more story, filled with sports, science, memories, and lots of pie.
*I would like to thank the publisher for the review copy of this book.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
October 26, 2017
Hypothesis: "For each person in the world, there is exactly one other person who, at first kiss, causes an immediate and intense reaction."
Nora believes this Hypothesis and is trying to find her first kisses. Her methods include charity Kissing booths and plenty of first dates. Her grandmother found her soulmate after one kiss and married 2 weeks later. Nora wants her experience.
Eli is trying to prove the hypothesis is untrue. Nora and Eli have already shared their first kiss and it wasn't magic. Nora sprang it on him and he wasn't ready. It was awkward and a total disaster for there relationship. Luckily they got over it and now are back to being best friends. I've read a lot of best friend romance books lately and I liked the fact this one was a little different. Both characters already know they like the other they just need to find the right page.
Nora wants to be a scientist and is a believer in proven theories. She studies hard and spends her free time with Eli. She dates, but unsuccessful thanks to her hypothesis. It has made her distance from other students at her school. She wants to get over her crush on Eli, but she needs his help first.
Eli has had enough of Nora's one and done. He intends to show her she may miss out on true love if she doesn't give up her science project. With some intense driving, some delicious pie and a cute younger brother- The first kiss hypothesis is a sweet original story.
4 Stars out of 5. *I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of the Chapter by Chapter blog tour*
My blog tour date is 7th November 2017.
http://chaptersthroughlife.blogspot.c...
Nora believes this Hypothesis and is trying to find her first kisses. Her methods include charity Kissing booths and plenty of first dates. Her grandmother found her soulmate after one kiss and married 2 weeks later. Nora wants her experience.
Eli is trying to prove the hypothesis is untrue. Nora and Eli have already shared their first kiss and it wasn't magic. Nora sprang it on him and he wasn't ready. It was awkward and a total disaster for there relationship. Luckily they got over it and now are back to being best friends. I've read a lot of best friend romance books lately and I liked the fact this one was a little different. Both characters already know they like the other they just need to find the right page.
Nora wants to be a scientist and is a believer in proven theories. She studies hard and spends her free time with Eli. She dates, but unsuccessful thanks to her hypothesis. It has made her distance from other students at her school. She wants to get over her crush on Eli, but she needs his help first.
Eli has had enough of Nora's one and done. He intends to show her she may miss out on true love if she doesn't give up her science project. With some intense driving, some delicious pie and a cute younger brother- The first kiss hypothesis is a sweet original story.
4 Stars out of 5. *I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of the Chapter by Chapter blog tour*
My blog tour date is 7th November 2017.
http://chaptersthroughlife.blogspot.c...
October 30, 2017
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
This is another cute YA novel with the standard one could expected from Entangled Crush. I'll never say enough how much I live for their releases. I always feel sad when I can't pick more to review but I always make sure to find room at least one. I don't regret picking this one up.
Nora had a hypothesis she's formed based on the story of how her grandmother knew her grandfather would be the person with whom she's live happily for forty years. It's all about the first kiss; you just know it if that person is just a crush doomed to disappointment like her parents, or if he's the right one. In practice, she has kissed almost every boy at school and obtained no results. She suspects her perception has been altered to along-lasting crush over her best friend Eli Costas. She doesn't know it but now Eli is determined to disprove her theory.
This was fun, cute. A delight to read! I had just finished Love, Life and the List, which is also about best friends falling in love so I was afraid it could be a bad idea but I could only read it now so I had to risk it. Yes, this book passed.
Of course, a lot of the story is the expected cliché. But as stubborn as Nora was about her theory, her adventures were quite fun. I kept cheering for things to work out. I appreciated the subtle discussions on choosing universities, overcoming fears, seeking for your parents' approval. They were well mixed into the story and brought up good advices for the teenage readers.
Eli didn't charm me much, and I thought the climax was a little silly—why are most YA writers so lazy with that? However, all that wasn't enough to spoil my guilt pleasure. Christina Mandelski is a name to watch for. So if you want some upbeat YA contemporary romance, it's a good pick for this Fall.
This is another cute YA novel with the standard one could expected from Entangled Crush. I'll never say enough how much I live for their releases. I always feel sad when I can't pick more to review but I always make sure to find room at least one. I don't regret picking this one up.
Nora had a hypothesis she's formed based on the story of how her grandmother knew her grandfather would be the person with whom she's live happily for forty years. It's all about the first kiss; you just know it if that person is just a crush doomed to disappointment like her parents, or if he's the right one. In practice, she has kissed almost every boy at school and obtained no results. She suspects her perception has been altered to along-lasting crush over her best friend Eli Costas. She doesn't know it but now Eli is determined to disprove her theory.
This was fun, cute. A delight to read! I had just finished Love, Life and the List, which is also about best friends falling in love so I was afraid it could be a bad idea but I could only read it now so I had to risk it. Yes, this book passed.
Of course, a lot of the story is the expected cliché. But as stubborn as Nora was about her theory, her adventures were quite fun. I kept cheering for things to work out. I appreciated the subtle discussions on choosing universities, overcoming fears, seeking for your parents' approval. They were well mixed into the story and brought up good advices for the teenage readers.
Eli didn't charm me much, and I thought the climax was a little silly—why are most YA writers so lazy with that? However, all that wasn't enough to spoil my guilt pleasure. Christina Mandelski is a name to watch for. So if you want some upbeat YA contemporary romance, it's a good pick for this Fall.
November 6, 2017
As my first book ever from Christina Mandelski, I would have to say that this won’t be my last. I just love friends-to-lovers stories. Absolutely love them. And that they’re neighbours is even better.
Nora and Eli have been best friends ever since Nora moved in next door when they were eight. Nora’s grandmother told her a story about how when she and Nora’s grandfather kissed for the first time, the earth shook etc and they knew right then that they were meant to be together. Nora has been trying to find that one person to have this experience with. When she kissed Eli when they were both thirteen, it didn’t go so well. So why is she still crushing on him hard?
I have to admit. There was so much frustration with Nora and her scientific testing. How she wouldn’t give Eli another chance despite her attraction to him. Thank God Eli was determined and wouldn’t give up on getting his second chance. There were a few twists in here that I wasn’t expecting and I did not want to stop reading because I just had to know how it all ended. I was really happy with the ending. Swoon!!
I received an advanced copy of this book and VOLUNTARILY decided to review it
Nora and Eli have been best friends ever since Nora moved in next door when they were eight. Nora’s grandmother told her a story about how when she and Nora’s grandfather kissed for the first time, the earth shook etc and they knew right then that they were meant to be together. Nora has been trying to find that one person to have this experience with. When she kissed Eli when they were both thirteen, it didn’t go so well. So why is she still crushing on him hard?
I have to admit. There was so much frustration with Nora and her scientific testing. How she wouldn’t give Eli another chance despite her attraction to him. Thank God Eli was determined and wouldn’t give up on getting his second chance. There were a few twists in here that I wasn’t expecting and I did not want to stop reading because I just had to know how it all ended. I was really happy with the ending. Swoon!!
I received an advanced copy of this book and VOLUNTARILY decided to review it
November 1, 2017
Fun read with a lot of pie. Nora and Eli are very cute together and have been friends as well as neighbors since they were little. Nora is trying to find the right guy by kissing them all and seeing if the earth moves. She had tried with Eli when they were younger but it was a miss due to a ill-timed kiss and Coke. Their relationship has a pretty good base with them helping each other with life but it hits a bump when they each realize that they want to be more than friends. Of course, they just can't come out and say that to each other. I really enjoyed this one the most from Eli's POV. His relationship with his team and his brother was a plus for me. Nora was a bit stiff with her science for me and her fear of driving drove me nuts. If she was so science-y she would have figured out what happened to make her afraid of driving was just something that happened. This would have been a five if I had liked Nora a bit more. Received an ARC for which I voluntarily provided an honest review.
May 18, 2022
https://celebrityreaders.com/2017/11/...
3.5 stars -- I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.
Well that was an up and down ride!! It started off really strong, I absolutely adored the author's voice in this one. There was a bit of sassiness and snark that was delightful. I spent time both loving and hating BOTH characters, but in this case (unlike my previous read), I'm happy to say they redeemed themselves and showed those two words I love in characters: GROWTH AND CHANGE!
Nora was an intriguing, if frustrating, heroine! It's funny, b/c at first I thought she was going to be really snarky, but that didn't really last. I felt for the damage she sustained from her divorced parents, and their rather toxic relationship. I also liked that it wasn't something we saw that much (as we never met the father), but you could see the damage in so many subtle little ways...not the least of which was her ridiculous hypothesis. As a reader, I found it really hard to watch her hang onto her theory with such a tightfisted grip. But I guess she really wanted to believe she could avoid her mother's mistake. I sometimes think the smartest people can just not see the most obvious things sometimes. Hence the frustrating part of Nora. She also had a bit of high school damage. By holding on to this theory, and testing it out on all the boys, she'd kind of alienated herself from many of her fellow students...and my heart broke for her trying to navigate that.
Eli was just as intriguing, and honest to god, just as frustrating...but in a completely different way. I had completely different expectations for this story, and particularly for Eli. I honestly thought he was always in love with her, and figured this was his chance. But it's not quite that. Quite frankly, that confused and frustrated me. If he just knew he loved her and was finally making his move, I'd have been immediately on board (I love those stories). But he was so confusing!! And confused! He wanted to get another chance with Nora and he wanted to prove her hypothesis wrong using himself as an example, but he kept initially framing it as though that was all he wanted...like for her own good, so she wouldn't be lonely. But dude, that's kind of dickish. And so I was confused how that was going to go. And worried. But I'll get back to that in a moment. I was also startled by his personality and attitude sometimes. I expected a more laidback sweet guy, and he wasn't quite that. Honestly, he actually felt like a really realistic depiction of a teenage guy. He had all this anger bottled up sometimes...which from what I understand from my husband is a common teenage boy problem, testosterone and all. He didn't always appreciate his parents. He wasn't the most tactful with Nora. It was odd. And yet I still liked him. He still had these great moments. And I guess I kind of liked that he was a bit oblivious to his own feelings, at least it was different.
I was honestly REALLY concerned when I got to what I thought was the climax. Eli behaved VERY BADLY. Like, a total jerky douchebag. Like, yelling and sneering. I was ready to wash my hands of the story, I didn't think it could turn around. But there was more story left than I had anticipated. And you know what? To my GREAT surprise, I actually appreciated how the story played out afterwards. I'm still not super impressed with how Eli handled that particular moment, but I actually felt like I saw him go through all the emotions after that. I saw him grow up a bit. I saw him make realizations. And Nora too! I was freaking ecstatic with the final scene! Like it was actually everything I was wanting! I was shocked! I'm not saying everyone will be happy with it...just like I'm not saying everyone will have as big a problem with the climax. But it worked for ME.
As an aside, can I say that I really liked a lot of the secondary characters?? The parents were actually pretty great. Flawed, but great. Eli's friend, Koviak, was cooler than I was expecting... And even Tex was an OK character. Abby was meh though. BUT the secondary character star for me was Eli's little brother (who is on the autism spectrum). Both Eli and Nora showed their best selves with Ari. And he was just kind of delightful.
So yeah. I thought this was going to be a 3 star. But I'm even rounding up! Just shows how important a great ending is.
3.5 stars -- I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.
Well that was an up and down ride!! It started off really strong, I absolutely adored the author's voice in this one. There was a bit of sassiness and snark that was delightful. I spent time both loving and hating BOTH characters, but in this case (unlike my previous read), I'm happy to say they redeemed themselves and showed those two words I love in characters: GROWTH AND CHANGE!
Nora was an intriguing, if frustrating, heroine! It's funny, b/c at first I thought she was going to be really snarky, but that didn't really last. I felt for the damage she sustained from her divorced parents, and their rather toxic relationship. I also liked that it wasn't something we saw that much (as we never met the father), but you could see the damage in so many subtle little ways...not the least of which was her ridiculous hypothesis. As a reader, I found it really hard to watch her hang onto her theory with such a tightfisted grip. But I guess she really wanted to believe she could avoid her mother's mistake. I sometimes think the smartest people can just not see the most obvious things sometimes. Hence the frustrating part of Nora. She also had a bit of high school damage. By holding on to this theory, and testing it out on all the boys, she'd kind of alienated herself from many of her fellow students...and my heart broke for her trying to navigate that.
Eli was just as intriguing, and honest to god, just as frustrating...but in a completely different way. I had completely different expectations for this story, and particularly for Eli. I honestly thought he was always in love with her, and figured this was his chance. But it's not quite that. Quite frankly, that confused and frustrated me. If he just knew he loved her and was finally making his move, I'd have been immediately on board (I love those stories). But he was so confusing!! And confused! He wanted to get another chance with Nora and he wanted to prove her hypothesis wrong using himself as an example, but he kept initially framing it as though that was all he wanted...like for her own good, so she wouldn't be lonely. But dude, that's kind of dickish. And so I was confused how that was going to go. And worried. But I'll get back to that in a moment. I was also startled by his personality and attitude sometimes. I expected a more laidback sweet guy, and he wasn't quite that. Honestly, he actually felt like a really realistic depiction of a teenage guy. He had all this anger bottled up sometimes...which from what I understand from my husband is a common teenage boy problem, testosterone and all. He didn't always appreciate his parents. He wasn't the most tactful with Nora. It was odd. And yet I still liked him. He still had these great moments. And I guess I kind of liked that he was a bit oblivious to his own feelings, at least it was different.
I was honestly REALLY concerned when I got to what I thought was the climax. Eli behaved VERY BADLY. Like, a total jerky douchebag. Like, yelling and sneering. I was ready to wash my hands of the story, I didn't think it could turn around. But there was more story left than I had anticipated. And you know what? To my GREAT surprise, I actually appreciated how the story played out afterwards. I'm still not super impressed with how Eli handled that particular moment, but I actually felt like I saw him go through all the emotions after that. I saw him grow up a bit. I saw him make realizations. And Nora too! I was freaking ecstatic with the final scene! Like it was actually everything I was wanting! I was shocked! I'm not saying everyone will be happy with it...just like I'm not saying everyone will have as big a problem with the climax. But it worked for ME.
As an aside, can I say that I really liked a lot of the secondary characters?? The parents were actually pretty great. Flawed, but great. Eli's friend, Koviak, was cooler than I was expecting... And even Tex was an OK character. Abby was meh though. BUT the secondary character star for me was Eli's little brother (who is on the autism spectrum). Both Eli and Nora showed their best selves with Ari. And he was just kind of delightful.
So yeah. I thought this was going to be a 3 star. But I'm even rounding up! Just shows how important a great ending is.
November 17, 2017
Rating: 2.5
When it comes down to it, this book was a fairly decent book. I got from it exactly what I expected form this type of YA contemporary romance novel. There was nothing really new added to the table here and that would have been fine by me, it’s just that a lot of the YA contemporary tropes it had have always been a bit problematic for me.
This is about Nora, a girl who is determined to find her one true love, which she thinks will be revealed to her by the magic of their first kiss. Basically, she’s kissed a lot of guys in the search for love and has never kissed more than one guy twice.
It’s also about her best friend, Eli, whom Nora kissed once in the 8th grade and refuses to kiss again, determining him to not be her true love due to their failed first and only kiss. All of this despite the fact that Eli is deeply in love with her, and the fact that Nora is secretly in love with him as well.
Really, so many problems would have been solved had Nora been a little less stubborn and had Eli been a little more forward.
But alas.
A major trope in fiction is the best friend who is secretly in love with the main character. I personally have always really liked that trope. My problem is when the best friend starts to feel possessive of the person they love as if they were owed that person’s devotion. And there was a little of that going on in this book with Eli actually thinking about hurting a guy who was hitting on Nora, and I just wasn’t feeling it. I never think that this is cute in books.
Another thing, this one more annoying than offensive, is Nora and her refusal to see reason. She is basing her first kiss hypothesis on her grandparents who kissed only once before falling in love and getting married like two weeks later. She then refuses to kiss anyone more than once because obviously, in science, if an experiment works once then it must be a law of the workings of the universe. Had she just tried for a second kiss so many things could have been avoided.
Overall, this was a cute, if somewhat cliche, contemporary novel, in the vein of all cute, cliche, contemporary novels. If you aren’t trying anything to blow your mind, and are just looking for a quick read, then go for it. If not, well, then it might be best to skip over this one in my opinion.
When it comes down to it, this book was a fairly decent book. I got from it exactly what I expected form this type of YA contemporary romance novel. There was nothing really new added to the table here and that would have been fine by me, it’s just that a lot of the YA contemporary tropes it had have always been a bit problematic for me.
This is about Nora, a girl who is determined to find her one true love, which she thinks will be revealed to her by the magic of their first kiss. Basically, she’s kissed a lot of guys in the search for love and has never kissed more than one guy twice.
It’s also about her best friend, Eli, whom Nora kissed once in the 8th grade and refuses to kiss again, determining him to not be her true love due to their failed first and only kiss. All of this despite the fact that Eli is deeply in love with her, and the fact that Nora is secretly in love with him as well.
Really, so many problems would have been solved had Nora been a little less stubborn and had Eli been a little more forward.
But alas.
A major trope in fiction is the best friend who is secretly in love with the main character. I personally have always really liked that trope. My problem is when the best friend starts to feel possessive of the person they love as if they were owed that person’s devotion. And there was a little of that going on in this book with Eli actually thinking about hurting a guy who was hitting on Nora, and I just wasn’t feeling it. I never think that this is cute in books.
Another thing, this one more annoying than offensive, is Nora and her refusal to see reason. She is basing her first kiss hypothesis on her grandparents who kissed only once before falling in love and getting married like two weeks later. She then refuses to kiss anyone more than once because obviously, in science, if an experiment works once then it must be a law of the workings of the universe. Had she just tried for a second kiss so many things could have been avoided.
Overall, this was a cute, if somewhat cliche, contemporary novel, in the vein of all cute, cliche, contemporary novels. If you aren’t trying anything to blow your mind, and are just looking for a quick read, then go for it. If not, well, then it might be best to skip over this one in my opinion.
October 30, 2017
A special thank you goes out to Entangled Teen publishing for allowing me to read this early. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
What a fun contemporary! Although, contemporaries are usually always fun. There were so many positives in this book, it made my heart happy. Even though the MCs drove me a bit nuts at times with their really irritating teenage thought processes. But hey, teenagers of all ages drive me nuts. I think it's because I'm old.
Like I said, this book has a lot of positives. One them is that Nora is huge into science and is all about advocacy for a variety of different things, like autism and tortoises. Which is amazing! So many girls don't pursue science because it's not "girly" or considered an appropriate career for women. So major shout out to the author, Christine Mandelski, for showing that girls can be into science and it's completely okay. The side character, Abby, was also involved in science, which is another added bonus.
There was also really good representation of anxiety while driving. I know that it's a bit of a minor thing but driving can be so anxiety inducing. I didn't get my license until I was 18 years old because I was utterly terrified of driving. What Nora experiences while driving is a very real fear and I completely understand it.
The concept of the plot was very interesting. Nora is trying to find the right boy for her by kissing them and get hit with that spark, like her grandparents had. She has kissed a ton of guys and it made her a bit of social outcast at school, which is sad. But Nora is a scientist and is determined to get an answer to hypothesis.
Eli was the real star of the show. His POV was hilarious. He sounded like such a typical guy and it made me laugh! He knew when he was being a horrible person and (eventually) owned up to it. Plus, I love how much he loves his brother, Ari, who is on the spectrum.
Overall, this was a great read. Nora and Eli were hilarious, with Eli stealing the show. The concept, I think, was original and it was done very well. There was love and acceptance for girls involved in science and education on those on the autism spectrum. I couldn't be more pleased with this book.
What a fun contemporary! Although, contemporaries are usually always fun. There were so many positives in this book, it made my heart happy. Even though the MCs drove me a bit nuts at times with their really irritating teenage thought processes. But hey, teenagers of all ages drive me nuts. I think it's because I'm old.
Like I said, this book has a lot of positives. One them is that Nora is huge into science and is all about advocacy for a variety of different things, like autism and tortoises. Which is amazing! So many girls don't pursue science because it's not "girly" or considered an appropriate career for women. So major shout out to the author, Christine Mandelski, for showing that girls can be into science and it's completely okay. The side character, Abby, was also involved in science, which is another added bonus.
There was also really good representation of anxiety while driving. I know that it's a bit of a minor thing but driving can be so anxiety inducing. I didn't get my license until I was 18 years old because I was utterly terrified of driving. What Nora experiences while driving is a very real fear and I completely understand it.
The concept of the plot was very interesting. Nora is trying to find the right boy for her by kissing them and get hit with that spark, like her grandparents had. She has kissed a ton of guys and it made her a bit of social outcast at school, which is sad. But Nora is a scientist and is determined to get an answer to hypothesis.
Eli was the real star of the show. His POV was hilarious. He sounded like such a typical guy and it made me laugh! He knew when he was being a horrible person and (eventually) owned up to it. Plus, I love how much he loves his brother, Ari, who is on the spectrum.
Overall, this was a great read. Nora and Eli were hilarious, with Eli stealing the show. The concept, I think, was original and it was done very well. There was love and acceptance for girls involved in science and education on those on the autism spectrum. I couldn't be more pleased with this book.
November 6, 2017
Received in exchange for a honest review.
Love Eli. Poor dude was friend zoned due to a silly hypothesis and kiss in like 7th or 8th grade.. he was a sweet kind guy just trying to find himself and resigned to feel like he was not much. I think this was because he felt that is how his parents saw him. He was smart but didn’t really apply himself. He was hopeless in love with his next door neighbor. A girl he respects and trusts. A girl he believed in and wanted by his side no matter what.
Nora though friend zoned him due to a story from her grandma and her parents acrimonious divorce. Nora believes in what she calls her first kiss hypothesis. She believes that one kiss will be the telltale sign to the one you are meant to be with. this hasn’t exactly given her a warm and fuzzy reputation. Only one person knows of her hypothesis and it kills him inside. Nora even hurts him because of this silly hypothesis and in turn he lashes out at her.
Nora is a smart but dumb cookie. She is book smart but not people smart. She is inflexible in her beliefs and hides things from others. The secret she kept was the first to hurt Eli but also get him to go on a mission to get Nora to see her hypothesis was wrong and give him another chance. Nora though was stubborn even when her feelings were confusing her. She stuck to her guns and almost loses her best friend in the process.
The story is fun and light. Eli and his brother will have you from the beginning. They are both just to adorable. Eli is so kind and just adorable. He has so much going on that no one really sees. His POV you will love. Nora takes time to grow on you. She is very analytical and stubborn. She plays with Eli’s emotions a little to much and when he lashes out she reacts and finally shows him emotion. Nora needed to grow up and see what she had in front of her. Eli was the best friend and guy for her and she came close to letting this go due to her stubbornness.
A truly fun light hearted sweet romance with a great guy and a girl who needed to grow and admit she was wrong. A story with fun times, sweet moments and a lot of introspection on both characters but especially Eli as he tries to get Nora to be more than a friend and at the same time figure out his life.
Love Eli. Poor dude was friend zoned due to a silly hypothesis and kiss in like 7th or 8th grade.. he was a sweet kind guy just trying to find himself and resigned to feel like he was not much. I think this was because he felt that is how his parents saw him. He was smart but didn’t really apply himself. He was hopeless in love with his next door neighbor. A girl he respects and trusts. A girl he believed in and wanted by his side no matter what.
Nora though friend zoned him due to a story from her grandma and her parents acrimonious divorce. Nora believes in what she calls her first kiss hypothesis. She believes that one kiss will be the telltale sign to the one you are meant to be with. this hasn’t exactly given her a warm and fuzzy reputation. Only one person knows of her hypothesis and it kills him inside. Nora even hurts him because of this silly hypothesis and in turn he lashes out at her.
Nora is a smart but dumb cookie. She is book smart but not people smart. She is inflexible in her beliefs and hides things from others. The secret she kept was the first to hurt Eli but also get him to go on a mission to get Nora to see her hypothesis was wrong and give him another chance. Nora though was stubborn even when her feelings were confusing her. She stuck to her guns and almost loses her best friend in the process.
The story is fun and light. Eli and his brother will have you from the beginning. They are both just to adorable. Eli is so kind and just adorable. He has so much going on that no one really sees. His POV you will love. Nora takes time to grow on you. She is very analytical and stubborn. She plays with Eli’s emotions a little to much and when he lashes out she reacts and finally shows him emotion. Nora needed to grow up and see what she had in front of her. Eli was the best friend and guy for her and she came close to letting this go due to her stubbornness.
A truly fun light hearted sweet romance with a great guy and a girl who needed to grow and admit she was wrong. A story with fun times, sweet moments and a lot of introspection on both characters but especially Eli as he tries to get Nora to be more than a friend and at the same time figure out his life.
November 5, 2017
This is Nora's hypothesis about love: "For each person in the world, there is exactly one other person, and at first kiss, they’ll experience an immediate and intense reaction."
Nora crossed Eli, her best friend, off her possibilities list in middle school after a horrible first kiss that definitely did not create the reaction she's looking for. Now if only she could get rid of her feelings for him... However, as Nora concocts a scheme to get over Eli Costas once and for all, he comes up with a plan to disprove her hypothesis and to make her fall for him.
The First Kiss Hypothesis was an absolutely adorable YA contemporary romance that was an utter delight to read. I loved the dynamic between Nora and Eli, I actually laughed out loud a few times. The alternative viewpoints definitely worked, I really enjoyed seeing how both their schemes played out from both points of view. I felt the strength of their friendship and loved the flashbacks to when they were younger. This book also dealt with a few deeper issues. I was particularly touched by Nora's relationship with her grandmother. Also, Ari, Eli's younger brother, was autistic. The author did an excellent job of depicting him respectfully while not shying away from showing how difficult his condition had been on his family.
This one was quick, light read that left me smiling. If you're a fan of best friends to more stories, The First Kiss Hypothesis is definitely your book. I really enjoyed this one and I'll probably read it again in the future.
*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Nora crossed Eli, her best friend, off her possibilities list in middle school after a horrible first kiss that definitely did not create the reaction she's looking for. Now if only she could get rid of her feelings for him... However, as Nora concocts a scheme to get over Eli Costas once and for all, he comes up with a plan to disprove her hypothesis and to make her fall for him.
The First Kiss Hypothesis was an absolutely adorable YA contemporary romance that was an utter delight to read. I loved the dynamic between Nora and Eli, I actually laughed out loud a few times. The alternative viewpoints definitely worked, I really enjoyed seeing how both their schemes played out from both points of view. I felt the strength of their friendship and loved the flashbacks to when they were younger. This book also dealt with a few deeper issues. I was particularly touched by Nora's relationship with her grandmother. Also, Ari, Eli's younger brother, was autistic. The author did an excellent job of depicting him respectfully while not shying away from showing how difficult his condition had been on his family.
This one was quick, light read that left me smiling. If you're a fan of best friends to more stories, The First Kiss Hypothesis is definitely your book. I really enjoyed this one and I'll probably read it again in the future.
*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
October 28, 2017
I received a copy of this title to read and review for Wicked Reads
5 Stars
Young Adult age-range: 13+ due to language. Kissing.
Nora's grandparents met and shared an earth-shattering kiss, and they spent the next 40+ years living happily ever after. As the child of divorce, Nora is holding onto her dementia-addled grandmother's inspiring story of love, wanting a lifetime of what her grandparents had, never what her parents did/have with other people. This has skewed Nora, missing what is being offered by her next door neighbor best friend, even if she's always had a crush on the boy.
At age thirteen, Nora and Eli shared a gross kiss, where no sparks flew, and she's held it against him ever since. The scientist-in-the-making doesn't realize sexual chemistry and romantic connection aren't scientific experiments. There's also the fact that at thirteen, you can't expect sparks to fly when your hormones have just started to do their business in the developing body.
Eli has always had a crush on Nora, but she won't give him a chance after that horrendous kiss where he just pounded a Coke and needed to burp. The poor guy spends the entirely of the novel chasing after Nora, trying to get her to see the truth.
To be honest, Nora's quest for kisses becomes a bit tedious and frustrating, for Eli but also the reader. The character development is where this novel shined. The characters speak and act as their age group, they have fears and worries that match their ages as well. Nora and Eli are both concerned with Nora's grandmother, with leaving/staying behind with the their families when it comes to college. Where to go to college and what to study...
Nora and her driver's licence: I feel as if the author plucked that out of my head. I struggled with anxiety, perfectly able to drive, and never got my license. I'm 39, and the thought of driving gives me a visceral reaction, so I connected with Nora's character on this front. Eli stating he'd drive Nora around for the rest of her life had me laughing out loud for real.
Recommended to adults and young adults alike, something for everyone to connect with emotionally.
5 Stars
Young Adult age-range: 13+ due to language. Kissing.
Nora's grandparents met and shared an earth-shattering kiss, and they spent the next 40+ years living happily ever after. As the child of divorce, Nora is holding onto her dementia-addled grandmother's inspiring story of love, wanting a lifetime of what her grandparents had, never what her parents did/have with other people. This has skewed Nora, missing what is being offered by her next door neighbor best friend, even if she's always had a crush on the boy.
At age thirteen, Nora and Eli shared a gross kiss, where no sparks flew, and she's held it against him ever since. The scientist-in-the-making doesn't realize sexual chemistry and romantic connection aren't scientific experiments. There's also the fact that at thirteen, you can't expect sparks to fly when your hormones have just started to do their business in the developing body.
Eli has always had a crush on Nora, but she won't give him a chance after that horrendous kiss where he just pounded a Coke and needed to burp. The poor guy spends the entirely of the novel chasing after Nora, trying to get her to see the truth.
To be honest, Nora's quest for kisses becomes a bit tedious and frustrating, for Eli but also the reader. The character development is where this novel shined. The characters speak and act as their age group, they have fears and worries that match their ages as well. Nora and Eli are both concerned with Nora's grandmother, with leaving/staying behind with the their families when it comes to college. Where to go to college and what to study...
Nora and her driver's licence: I feel as if the author plucked that out of my head. I struggled with anxiety, perfectly able to drive, and never got my license. I'm 39, and the thought of driving gives me a visceral reaction, so I connected with Nora's character on this front. Eli stating he'd drive Nora around for the rest of her life had me laughing out loud for real.
Recommended to adults and young adults alike, something for everyone to connect with emotionally.
Read
October 21, 2017Super cute and I loved that it was a sports romance with lacrosse (a sport invented in Canada), which is not something super common. I wanted these best friends to get together something fierce and loved the way everything turned out for each of them.
November 9, 2017
Nora is a teen scientist who has a theory that when you first kiss the person who will be the love of your life you'll know because your reaction will be so strong, it'll be like an earthquake. She's developed this hypothesis based on stories told by her Gran Gigi, and is out to kiss as many frogs as necessary to find her prince! She even runs a kissing booth at school events to both raise money for good causes and to give her more opportunities to kiss more of her peers!
However, she still can't get her neighbour and best friend, Eli, out of her head and heart, even though he failed the test when he was her first kiss back when they were thirteen. Now they're eighteen, plans for college, careers and the future loom large for both of them. They'd planned to go to State together, then Eli shockingly discovers Nora has secretly also applied to Elory without telling him or her Mum. He decides to up his game and try to win her heart but lacrosse, injuries, driving and pie will all have important roles to play before this engaging teen crush can reach its HEA!
This is a delightful teen romance with all the angst and turmoil associated with those times! Told from alternating points of view of Eli and Nora, their anxieties, pressures and emotional upheavals are shared in a manner which makes it easy to empathise with them both - and shows how sometimes friends and family see emotional connections more clearly than the couple concerned! It is an engaging story that I thoroughly enjoyed. It has a great mix of humour, mischief, family drama all shared with a healthy dose of love. Ari is a brilliant secondary character, he's Eli's younger brother who says what he thinks and is instrumental in bringing folks to their senses at times - especially if it involves Marie, Sponge Bob or pie!
I requested and received a copy of this novel, via NetGalley. This is my honest review after choosing to read it.
However, she still can't get her neighbour and best friend, Eli, out of her head and heart, even though he failed the test when he was her first kiss back when they were thirteen. Now they're eighteen, plans for college, careers and the future loom large for both of them. They'd planned to go to State together, then Eli shockingly discovers Nora has secretly also applied to Elory without telling him or her Mum. He decides to up his game and try to win her heart but lacrosse, injuries, driving and pie will all have important roles to play before this engaging teen crush can reach its HEA!
This is a delightful teen romance with all the angst and turmoil associated with those times! Told from alternating points of view of Eli and Nora, their anxieties, pressures and emotional upheavals are shared in a manner which makes it easy to empathise with them both - and shows how sometimes friends and family see emotional connections more clearly than the couple concerned! It is an engaging story that I thoroughly enjoyed. It has a great mix of humour, mischief, family drama all shared with a healthy dose of love. Ari is a brilliant secondary character, he's Eli's younger brother who says what he thinks and is instrumental in bringing folks to their senses at times - especially if it involves Marie, Sponge Bob or pie!
I requested and received a copy of this novel, via NetGalley. This is my honest review after choosing to read it.
November 8, 2017
Nora has a very scientific theory based on evidence that shows a first kiss reaction is needed to find true love. And she has had a lot of first kisses to try and find that special someone, but with no luck. Eli thinks Nora's theory is ridiculous, but as her best friend he tries to support her. But when it seems like his carefully planned world is in danger, Eli is ready to shake up Nora's "hypothesis".
I am a sucker for best friends turned love interests and thought the idea behind this book sounded really cute. I mean seriously, a good first can mean a lot... This was a really enjoyable teen romance with the relationship and self discovery taking the main focus in the story. I liked the introspection that the characters went through and the growth as people they made. This was not a plot driven story, but a character driven book which I do enjoy when the characters are quirky and interesting, which Christina was able to create.
Nora was a scientist down to her romance looking soul. She was using scientific theory and hypothesis testing to try and determine what made chemistry and long lasting love- she is the first person I have read about that uses science for true love. Basically, she was a little crazy, but in a smart endearing way. I wanted to throw her theory Her family dynamic was a big component as to how Nora came to be this way, and I liked that Eli and Gigi had a relationship also (he was able to understand where the hypothesis came from). I will admit I found her kissing booth idea equally cringe-worthy yet an ingenious idea to test her science.
Eli was anything but the bumbling, waiting in the shadows nerdy best friend that you typically see in books and 80's movie. Instead, he was this incredibly attractive, popular, insightful and sought after boy who was content to keep his relationship with Nora the same- that is until he fears that she is slipping away, and then the big guns come out. He was adorable with his autistic brother as well as keeping his cool in the sad situations with Gigi (and his driver lessons were probably my favorite part of the book!) His problem solving skills were...interesting- "All I have to do is make her question everything she believes, get her to fall for me, denounce her dumbass first kiss theory, and now, make sure she doesn't kill us both in a car accident. Sure. No problem." (hehe).
This was a really fun read, with some sweet moments and some hysterical parts to help keep me invested- there was both heart and humor which is a must in a romance for me. This is my first book by Christina but I will keep my eyes out for more.
I received this title for reviewing purposes. Come hang out with me at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/
I am a sucker for best friends turned love interests and thought the idea behind this book sounded really cute. I mean seriously, a good first can mean a lot... This was a really enjoyable teen romance with the relationship and self discovery taking the main focus in the story. I liked the introspection that the characters went through and the growth as people they made. This was not a plot driven story, but a character driven book which I do enjoy when the characters are quirky and interesting, which Christina was able to create.
Nora was a scientist down to her romance looking soul. She was using scientific theory and hypothesis testing to try and determine what made chemistry and long lasting love- she is the first person I have read about that uses science for true love. Basically, she was a little crazy, but in a smart endearing way. I wanted to throw her theory Her family dynamic was a big component as to how Nora came to be this way, and I liked that Eli and Gigi had a relationship also (he was able to understand where the hypothesis came from). I will admit I found her kissing booth idea equally cringe-worthy yet an ingenious idea to test her science.
Eli was anything but the bumbling, waiting in the shadows nerdy best friend that you typically see in books and 80's movie. Instead, he was this incredibly attractive, popular, insightful and sought after boy who was content to keep his relationship with Nora the same- that is until he fears that she is slipping away, and then the big guns come out. He was adorable with his autistic brother as well as keeping his cool in the sad situations with Gigi (and his driver lessons were probably my favorite part of the book!) His problem solving skills were...interesting- "All I have to do is make her question everything she believes, get her to fall for me, denounce her dumbass first kiss theory, and now, make sure she doesn't kill us both in a car accident. Sure. No problem." (hehe).
This was a really fun read, with some sweet moments and some hysterical parts to help keep me invested- there was both heart and humor which is a must in a romance for me. This is my first book by Christina but I will keep my eyes out for more.
I received this title for reviewing purposes. Come hang out with me at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/
September 5, 2018
Link to Review https://emmcorv.blogspot.com/2018/08/...
Nora Reid loves science and she has a hypothesis. She believes in it, she lives by it and she's determined to prove it "for each person in the world, there is exactly one other person, and at first kiss, they'll experience an immediate and intense reaction".
Nora's grandmother married her soulmate just two weeks after their earth-moving first kiss and she believes they experienced a happily ever after, once in a lifetime, storybook romance. Nora wants that. In search for her one true soul-mate, Nora hosts charity kissing booths and goes on lots of first dates.
But after 4 years of zero-reaction kisses, Nora thinks that maybe, just maybe her hot best friend might be affecting the results and she needs to get rid of him, and fast.
Enter: Eli Costas. He is the smoking-hot best friend from next door who is determined to disprove Nora's hypothesis and make her fall for him.
Here's the thing:
First off, how did Nora not realize that Eli liked/loved her? I liked the characters. I think Nora and Eli were cute together. They shared a love for pie which they thought was the cure for everything.. What's not to love?
Although the plot was pretty much predictable, the ride was fun. What drove me mad though was Nora's determination to prove her hypothesis. It blinded her even though she had feelings for Eli. They shared a kiss years ago but there was no earth-moving reaction therefore she thinks he isn't her soul-mate.
She spent the entirety of the book (or almost the entirety) thinking of Eli in a not-so-platonic kind of way and I wanted her to just shout it at the top of her lungs "ELI I (think I) LOVE YOU!!".. But she didn't.
There was a lot of chemistry between them, a lot of tension too that had me fully immersed in the story and just had me rooting for them (even though they were both pretty dumb).
It's not a Pulitzer prize winner but it was well written and fun.
It was such an easy read. If you're looking for something to transport you to a world of plush butterflies (is there such a thing?), bunnies and all things fluffy then look no further! I loved how it helped me beat my reading slump and just helped me forget reality even for a short while. I absolutely adore books that are able to help readers to forget about real-life.
Nora Reid loves science and she has a hypothesis. She believes in it, she lives by it and she's determined to prove it "for each person in the world, there is exactly one other person, and at first kiss, they'll experience an immediate and intense reaction".
Nora's grandmother married her soulmate just two weeks after their earth-moving first kiss and she believes they experienced a happily ever after, once in a lifetime, storybook romance. Nora wants that. In search for her one true soul-mate, Nora hosts charity kissing booths and goes on lots of first dates.
But after 4 years of zero-reaction kisses, Nora thinks that maybe, just maybe her hot best friend might be affecting the results and she needs to get rid of him, and fast.
Enter: Eli Costas. He is the smoking-hot best friend from next door who is determined to disprove Nora's hypothesis and make her fall for him.
Here's the thing:
First off, how did Nora not realize that Eli liked/loved her? I liked the characters. I think Nora and Eli were cute together. They shared a love for pie which they thought was the cure for everything.. What's not to love?
Although the plot was pretty much predictable, the ride was fun. What drove me mad though was Nora's determination to prove her hypothesis. It blinded her even though she had feelings for Eli. They shared a kiss years ago but there was no earth-moving reaction therefore she thinks he isn't her soul-mate.
She spent the entirety of the book (or almost the entirety) thinking of Eli in a not-so-platonic kind of way and I wanted her to just shout it at the top of her lungs "ELI I (think I) LOVE YOU!!".. But she didn't.
There was a lot of chemistry between them, a lot of tension too that had me fully immersed in the story and just had me rooting for them (even though they were both pretty dumb).
It's not a Pulitzer prize winner but it was well written and fun.
It was such an easy read. If you're looking for something to transport you to a world of plush butterflies (is there such a thing?), bunnies and all things fluffy then look no further! I loved how it helped me beat my reading slump and just helped me forget reality even for a short while. I absolutely adore books that are able to help readers to forget about real-life.
November 8, 2017
The First Kiss Hypothesis is a perfect cute & fluffy. It has a interesting, sporty & sweet hero and a fun, intelligent, likable heroine.
This is the first novel I read by Madelski, I really enjoyed her writing style and her wit. While she doesn't dwell too much on issues, she does dig deep enough to give it some weight. It's not just fluff, there is a wee bit more to this.
The story line is swoony, sweet and fun. I mean the outcome is kinda clear. But the ride there is thoroughly enjoyable.
The past part however for me was the character building. I loved the dual POV. I like Nora. Though until about halfway or so, I couldn't relate to herstupid outlandish theory. But with time, I could see her fears, and not only got where she was coming from I related to her. My heart broke for her...
Eli? Well I simply adore him. He is just what I would want in a book boy friend (if we talking 17yr olds lol) Hot, a sporty, sweet, insightful (most of the time, when he isn't clueless like every male out there) passionate and funny. I loved his POV. Totally fangirling here. He had me from the get-go. And while there were moments, where I thought, why doesn't he bloody do something, I am a fan. I am swooning.
Now having done my fangirling act, let's take a quick look why this isn't a 5Star book for me:
I like that it is in some ways unique- but let's face it it's your classic cute & fluffy mostly. Very very enjoyable, but no-one is re-inventing the wheel here.
Though I did like the storyline, the last couple of chapters were just too convenient. We had this huge build up and then...Boom! Everything falls into place. Done. Well actually there is the epilogue which is why this is wasn't 3.5Stars. Because let's face it, it is awesome and a great finish.
A perfect read for an autumn afternoon, when you feel like something cute & fluffy. It will make you laugh, disappeared and yearn. I don't think I was ever so desperately waiting for a kiss, like ever.
This is the first novel I read by Madelski, I really enjoyed her writing style and her wit. While she doesn't dwell too much on issues, she does dig deep enough to give it some weight. It's not just fluff, there is a wee bit more to this.
The story line is swoony, sweet and fun. I mean the outcome is kinda clear. But the ride there is thoroughly enjoyable.
The past part however for me was the character building. I loved the dual POV. I like Nora. Though until about halfway or so, I couldn't relate to her
Eli? Well I simply adore him. He is just what I would want in a book boy friend (if we talking 17yr olds lol) Hot, a sporty, sweet, insightful (most of the time, when he isn't clueless like every male out there) passionate and funny. I loved his POV. Totally fangirling here. He had me from the get-go. And while there were moments, where I thought, why doesn't he bloody do something, I am a fan. I am swooning.
Now having done my fangirling act, let's take a quick look why this isn't a 5Star book for me:
I like that it is in some ways unique- but let's face it it's your classic cute & fluffy mostly. Very very enjoyable, but no-one is re-inventing the wheel here.
Though I did like the storyline, the last couple of chapters were just too convenient. We had this huge build up and then...Boom! Everything falls into place. Done. Well actually there is the epilogue which is why this is wasn't 3.5Stars. Because let's face it, it is awesome and a great finish.
A perfect read for an autumn afternoon, when you feel like something cute & fluffy. It will make you laugh, disappeared and yearn. I don't think I was ever so desperately waiting for a kiss, like ever.
November 6, 2017
I just really loved this book. I loved Eli and Nora. I could tell from the beginning that Eli was perfect for Nora if she just gave him a chance. Nora is convinced that she will find the love of her life just like her grandmother did. One kiss and that spark will show he is the one for her. Unfortunately she has kissed pretty much every guy in town and hasn’t found it. Her best friend Eli is convinced he can prove to Nora he is the one for her even though their first kiss was kind of a disaster. I loved Eli. He really was so sweet up until a certain part. I loved that he said he wasn’t going to kiss Nora again until she realized she was in love with him. That was just the cutest thing ever and it really set him apart in my eye from many heroes in romance. I get why Nora was so stuck in her ways. Her life was kind of unpredictable with her grandmother’s memory loss, her driving status and the fact that she didn’t think she could afford her dream school. I think the kiss experiment really gave Nora something to focus on other than her mom, grandmother and her crush on Eli. I loved the secondary characters in this one too, like Eli’s brother and his friends even Nora’s grandmother and the pie. Thank goodness I don’t live in a small town because all the pie talk made me go out to the store and buy one at like 11:30 at night. This is the perfect book to read with a slice of pie. I would definitely recommend this one.
November 13, 2017
"For each person in the world, there is exactly one other person who, at first kiss, causes an immediate and intense reaction."
~Nora Reid
The story is written on a first person point of view of Eli and Nora. Readers will become addicted with the author's writing style and will find it hard to stop reading once started.
The First Kiss Hypothesis is an exciting mixture of bestfriends-to-lovers trope and scientific methods. It has a light story that could make you swoon if you're into fluffy romances, but what makes the story more interesting was how Nora is so eager to prove her theory about first kisses, and how her best friend, Eli, is also eager to falsify it. The story is fast paced and entertaining, no dull moments for me but i wish i had seen more of Eli and Nora's friendship. It seems that they have this romantic feelings toward each other ever since but they just supress it because of a fail first kiss experiment when they were sophomores. Nora's feelings did not subside even though she tried so hard to hide it, while Eli's resurfaced when he found out that his bestfriend will be going to college on a different university. Ditching their plans on going together on a State college.
I love both of the characters the author created. And I will definitely read her books again to have some feel-good reading experience.
Rated the book 4 stars.
~Nora Reid
The story is written on a first person point of view of Eli and Nora. Readers will become addicted with the author's writing style and will find it hard to stop reading once started.
The First Kiss Hypothesis is an exciting mixture of bestfriends-to-lovers trope and scientific methods. It has a light story that could make you swoon if you're into fluffy romances, but what makes the story more interesting was how Nora is so eager to prove her theory about first kisses, and how her best friend, Eli, is also eager to falsify it. The story is fast paced and entertaining, no dull moments for me but i wish i had seen more of Eli and Nora's friendship. It seems that they have this romantic feelings toward each other ever since but they just supress it because of a fail first kiss experiment when they were sophomores. Nora's feelings did not subside even though she tried so hard to hide it, while Eli's resurfaced when he found out that his bestfriend will be going to college on a different university. Ditching their plans on going together on a State college.
I love both of the characters the author created. And I will definitely read her books again to have some feel-good reading experience.
Rated the book 4 stars.
November 7, 2017
Such a cute story!
Nora and Eli were absolutely adorable together--best friends to lovers in the best of possible ways, with just a tiny little detour (or, okay, a whole book's worth) thanks to Nora's love of science and her more-than-a-little-questionable "hypothesis." (Still, I got where she was coming from, and fortunately, like the excellent scientist she was, she knew when it was finally time to let that particular belief go.)
So...best friends to lovers, an adorable kitten, a little brother who is wise beyond his years, and pie, pie, and more pie (Pie Fixes Everything) plus quite a few LOL moments (Eli's descriptions of Nora's driving attempts--OMG, too funny) makes The First Kiss Hypothesis a really fun YA read. This was my first book from Ms. Mandelski, but it definitely won't be my last!
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Nora and Eli were absolutely adorable together--best friends to lovers in the best of possible ways, with just a tiny little detour (or, okay, a whole book's worth) thanks to Nora's love of science and her more-than-a-little-questionable "hypothesis." (Still, I got where she was coming from, and fortunately, like the excellent scientist she was, she knew when it was finally time to let that particular belief go.)
So...best friends to lovers, an adorable kitten, a little brother who is wise beyond his years, and pie, pie, and more pie (Pie Fixes Everything) plus quite a few LOL moments (Eli's descriptions of Nora's driving attempts--OMG, too funny) makes The First Kiss Hypothesis a really fun YA read. This was my first book from Ms. Mandelski, but it definitely won't be my last!
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
January 30, 2018
Sometimes you need a break from life and you just want to get lost in a HEA book. This is the perfect pick! It's a sweet and swoony romance with plenty of humor (and pie!) and an ending that leaves you smiling. This is Christina Mandelski's first romance for Entangled (she's a friend so I know these things) and I'm so glad there will be more!
November 7, 2019
I tried to read this book last year, but I got bored and continued to read other books with other amazing stories. This year I finally convinced myself to give it a second chance and I have to say that it did not really meet the expectations I had for this story. Last year this book would have been to be one of my highlights, but my taste in books changed and so did I which leads to the conclusion that I am simply too old for this book.
dnf-2025
March 25, 2025how do they like each other. they’re both insufferable
April 30, 2018
Soaring Up High
The First Kiss Hypothesis was a thoroughly enjoyable YA read. I really enjoyed reading about the characters and the entire message of what true love is.
The First Kiss Hypothesis features Nora Reids and Eli Coastas. Both have them have been best friends since childhood, and Nora stuck Eli into the friend zone after a disastrous first kiss.
Nora was a fun heroine. I loved her character development in the book. Her scientist methods of testing first kisses seemed unrealistic at first. But, I soon understood where she was getting at. I loved how Nora is a science geek, but most importantly she is 3-D. There are so many sides to her. She is sweet, super sassy, hot tempered, and stubborn. She isn’t a pushover and I like how she slowly changes her beliefs.
Eli is one of my favorite YA heroes. I loved how he is a jock, but again there is so much more to a pretty face. He’s so sweet to Nora. I love how he dotes and cares for her. Nora is one lucky girl to have Eli as a friend. That boy seriously has a big heart. And, I also love how he goes to lengths to prove that Nora’s hypothesis is completely wrong.
The romance between Nora and Eli is one of my favorites. I loved how it’s low angst. There so much chemistry between the two. The pages literally sizzled with their chemistry. And, I like how there is deep emotion between their love. They do take a while to confess their feelings for each other, but when it happens that what my favorite scene in the book.
I also liked how the theme of true love is explored in this book. I like how Nora learns that love is chaos. No relationship is perfect. In fact, because it is not perfect it is perfectly imperfect. Christina does a great job having the parents also play a role into the development of explaining to Nora and Eli what love is. I liked Eli’s family. They are so funny. And Nora’s mom is amazing. I loved how their families were involved in their lives. YA often has a absentee parent syndrome. In addition, I really liked how there was the stress of college applications and deciding where to go. As a student, I could completely relate it.
All in all, this is an amazing YA contemporary romance. I throughly enjoyed reading the characters. I definitely recommend you pick up this book if you want some feel good romance. I really hope Christina releases more books.
January 16, 2018
Full Review at: What's Beyond Forks?
The First Kiss Hypothesis by Christina Mandelski was cute and entertaining. I sure did want to slap Nora around a time or two, but Eli seemed like a fun dude. Their friendship is pretty adorable. I love how they treat each other and interact. Even taking the romance out of the equation, there is a deep love there. It was quite beautiful.
The ARC of The First Kiss Hypothesis by Christina Mandelski was kindly provided to me by Chapter by Chapter for review. The opinions are my own.
The First Kiss Hypothesis by Christina Mandelski was cute and entertaining. I sure did want to slap Nora around a time or two, but Eli seemed like a fun dude. Their friendship is pretty adorable. I love how they treat each other and interact. Even taking the romance out of the equation, there is a deep love there. It was quite beautiful.
The ARC of The First Kiss Hypothesis by Christina Mandelski was kindly provided to me by Chapter by Chapter for review. The opinions are my own.
November 6, 2017
Nora Reid believes scientific laws control everything, even love. With her grandparents’ epic first kiss story cemented in her brain, Nora develops a hypothesis she’s determined to prove:for each person in the world, there is exactly one other person, and at first kiss, they’ll experience an immediate and intense reaction.
But after four years of zero-reaction kisses, she comes up with a new theory: maybe that pesky crush on her stunningly hot best friend Eli Costas is skewing her results.
She needs to get rid of him, and fast.
Eli Costas is an injury-prone lacrosse star with a problem—the one chance he had at winning over the girl next door resulted in the most epically sucktastic first kiss ever. And now she’s…trying to get rid of him? Hell no. It’s time to disprove her theory and show her exactly what she’s missing.
Game. On.
Disclaimer: This book contains a stunningly hot lacrosse player who isn’t above playing dirty to win over the stubborn girl-next-door of his dreams.
Rating: 4/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: best friends to lovers romance!; super endearing, well-rounded characters; so much angst and teenage drama, be still my Penguin heart; not terribly fast-paced, but still entertaining and delicious; dual-POV for the win
Huge thanks to Christina Mandelski, Entangled: Crush, Chapter by Chapter, and Netgalley for sending a free egalley of this title my way in exchange for an honest review! This in no way altered my read of or opinions on this book.
This was a super cutesy, quick read. The plot isn't driven by huge twists or fast-paced action, but the way Christina Mandelski pulls readers in and keeps them enthralled is enough to make a Penguin keep flipping pages, wanting to know what happens next. Like most contemporary romance novels, this was full of teenage drama and angst--all the pretty depressing things that make my ice-cold heart thaw just a bit. There was, however, a bit of a twist--found in Nora's "first kiss hypothesis." Now, we don't actually see Nora do much kissing in this book. While the first chapter starts with her running a kissing booth, after that she sort of sticks to herself and stops sucking lips with everyone she can. This could, theoretically, be attested to the fact that she's sort of arcing in her character growth...but I'm just a tiny bit disappointed that she didn't actually kiss Texas dude and realize THAT way that her hypothesis was bogus. But that's just my opinion.
That's what happens when you don't stick to reason, when you don't wait for the reaction. You cry your eyes out in a burned-out kitchen trying to make sense of your life.
That's not going to be me. Not ever.
The characters are endearing and enjoyable to read, and I really appreciated that this was written in dual-POVs. I feel like this type of writing style, especially in contemporary romances that rely on so much angst, really helps readers connect with both sides of the story--and be better able to formulate thoughts and opinions on said story. Christina Mandelski really used this to her advantage, weaving the heartache and confusion into every page along the journey--and making readers feel it right along with her characters.
Overall, this was an adorable and heart-fluttering read! The plot isn't super fast-paced, but it is filled with teen angst and drama! The "boy/girl next door" romance--coupled with best friends to lovers--was done in a cute and entertaining way. I really adored the "twist" that Nora puts on soulmates--and the ways she comes to grip with the idea she might be wrong. This was just such a heartwarming read, Penguins--I definitely recommend you pick it up, if it sounds like something you'd enjoy! What do you think, Penguins--can a first kiss really make or break forever?
November 7, 2017
I love the friends-to-more trope. A romantic relationship built on friendship just seems so much more stable than one built on lust. Plus, there's that whole 'meant to be' aspect to it, with everyone around knowing that two people will end up together before they do. The First Kiss Hypothesis had all this, but it also did something different. Usually, this trope involves either neither character realising they like the other, or one character pining over the other while watching them go for other people until realising they liked their friend all along. While they didn't know the extent of their feelings towards each other, both Eli and Nora admitted right from the start their attraction to each other, their crushes.
Which, as you can imagine, made this book super frustrating. In a good way. There was so much tension and back and forth and simply sweet moments between them, and I wanted to smash their heads together. I think a lot of characters in the book felt the same way. I wanted to grab Nora by the shoulders and shake her while telling her to give up on the hypothesis. I loved Eli’s counter-hypothesis, even if it was grabbing at straws. I love science, too, but Nora was way too attached to her idea, and there were flaws in her methodology. (Like basing the whole thing on one anecdote…)
While they weren’t perfect people, I actually really loved the adults in this. Ok, so Nora’s dad was clearly not the best, but her mom was trying to be a good mom while still being human. Eli’s dad was very much a dad. Nora’s grandmother? She was clearly a very sweet and important woman to both Eli and Nora, and her circumstances were a bit heartbreaking. Then there were the myriad of coaches and teachers and waitresses and so on that popped into the story to not only support the romances, but also support Nora and Eli with their futures.
Special mention goes to Ari (full name Aristotle??? Which is definitely fitting) who I adored. It was nice to see that he wasn’t portrayed as some sort of freak or treated any differently.
At around 250 pages, this was a quick read. I finished it in a day, partly due to length and partly due to being so eager to see Nora and Eli work things out. It was sweet and wonderfully frustrating and had touches of realness that grounded it. If the friends-to-more trope is your thing, then add this to your TBR!
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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See this review in its natural environment, Dani Reviews Things.
You can find me on Twitter and Instagram.
Which, as you can imagine, made this book super frustrating. In a good way. There was so much tension and back and forth and simply sweet moments between them, and I wanted to smash their heads together. I think a lot of characters in the book felt the same way. I wanted to grab Nora by the shoulders and shake her while telling her to give up on the hypothesis. I loved Eli’s counter-hypothesis, even if it was grabbing at straws. I love science, too, but Nora was way too attached to her idea, and there were flaws in her methodology. (Like basing the whole thing on one anecdote…)
While they weren’t perfect people, I actually really loved the adults in this. Ok, so Nora’s dad was clearly not the best, but her mom was trying to be a good mom while still being human. Eli’s dad was very much a dad. Nora’s grandmother? She was clearly a very sweet and important woman to both Eli and Nora, and her circumstances were a bit heartbreaking. Then there were the myriad of coaches and teachers and waitresses and so on that popped into the story to not only support the romances, but also support Nora and Eli with their futures.
Special mention goes to Ari (full name Aristotle??? Which is definitely fitting) who I adored. It was nice to see that he wasn’t portrayed as some sort of freak or treated any differently.
At around 250 pages, this was a quick read. I finished it in a day, partly due to length and partly due to being so eager to see Nora and Eli work things out. It was sweet and wonderfully frustrating and had touches of realness that grounded it. If the friends-to-more trope is your thing, then add this to your TBR!
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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See this review in its natural environment, Dani Reviews Things.
You can find me on Twitter and Instagram.
November 8, 2017
4.25 - Deliciously Adorable
I’m a romance nerd and ridiculously addicted to Entangled Teen (Crush) books. They’re delightful, cutesy, and so much fun to read. The First Kiss Hypothesis by Christina Mandelski is no exception and had me hooked from the beginning.
I LOVE friends to lovers stories and this one most definitely did not disappoint. The plot was entertaining, hilarious, and had plenty of sweet moments that made me smile like a dork. Nora’s theory about finding true love, while quite silly and something I would never do, was a unique concept that had me intrigued the entire time. Some parts of story were clichéd as expected and a bit cheesy, but who am I kidding… I LOVED IT ALL! And that ending… that final scene at the beach -- gave me insane FEELS. I reread it over and over cause I could not let go of this lovely story and Nora and Eli.
Speaking of Nora and Eli, they were both frustrating at times, but totally made my heart melt. Through the ups and downs, the misunderstandings, and the drama, they made me feel like a teenager falling in love for the first time and I enjoyed every moment. They’re so stinkin’ cute together… specially when they’re bickering and challenging each other. And their chemistry – absolutely steamy and sweet with plenty of close call scenes that had me holding my breath. I don’t want to give too much away, but Nora and Eli’s love story is positively charming. Not to mention, it involves a lot of pies… lots and lots of yummy pies!
Oh and one more thing... Eli’s younger brother, Ari, was all kinds of adorable and cuteness. He added more heart to the story and I loved his interactions with Eli and Nora. He’s sweet, smart, and endearing in every way.
The First Kiss Hypothesis is satisfyingly sweet, deliciously adorable, and irresistibly swoony! I honestly had so much fun with this book and cannot wait to read whatever Christina Mandelski writes next. If you’re in the mood for a light hearted cute romance, then I highly suggest you pick this up!
I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
To read more of my reviews, visit Sincerely Karen Jo
I’m a romance nerd and ridiculously addicted to Entangled Teen (Crush) books. They’re delightful, cutesy, and so much fun to read. The First Kiss Hypothesis by Christina Mandelski is no exception and had me hooked from the beginning.
I LOVE friends to lovers stories and this one most definitely did not disappoint. The plot was entertaining, hilarious, and had plenty of sweet moments that made me smile like a dork. Nora’s theory about finding true love, while quite silly and something I would never do, was a unique concept that had me intrigued the entire time. Some parts of story were clichéd as expected and a bit cheesy, but who am I kidding… I LOVED IT ALL! And that ending… that final scene at the beach -- gave me insane FEELS. I reread it over and over cause I could not let go of this lovely story and Nora and Eli.
Speaking of Nora and Eli, they were both frustrating at times, but totally made my heart melt. Through the ups and downs, the misunderstandings, and the drama, they made me feel like a teenager falling in love for the first time and I enjoyed every moment. They’re so stinkin’ cute together… specially when they’re bickering and challenging each other. And their chemistry – absolutely steamy and sweet with plenty of close call scenes that had me holding my breath. I don’t want to give too much away, but Nora and Eli’s love story is positively charming. Not to mention, it involves a lot of pies… lots and lots of yummy pies!
Oh and one more thing... Eli’s younger brother, Ari, was all kinds of adorable and cuteness. He added more heart to the story and I loved his interactions with Eli and Nora. He’s sweet, smart, and endearing in every way.
The First Kiss Hypothesis is satisfyingly sweet, deliciously adorable, and irresistibly swoony! I honestly had so much fun with this book and cannot wait to read whatever Christina Mandelski writes next. If you’re in the mood for a light hearted cute romance, then I highly suggest you pick this up!
I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
To read more of my reviews, visit Sincerely Karen Jo
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