What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum

yalitreader

April 28

Summary: Massively popular Kit and socially awkward loner David are complete opposites, so everyone is surprised when they suddenly begin developing a friendship. Kit needs David's help to figure out the truth behind her dad's life-ending car crash, and David just needs a friend. However, as their investigation continues, their friendship starts to become something more.

Review: I always like a romance novel with a little extra something to it, and this has just that. There was just some extra pizazz here! This had a character with a disability (which could be a cliche, but I think it worked okay here), and there was a slight mystery to the story about solving the death of Kit's dad. It wasn't just lovey-dovey romance the whole way through, which I appreciated.

I also found their romance to be sweet. I really enjoyed the slow build of it and that it wasn't an immediate head-over-heels in love kind of thing. What I didn't love about their relationship, though, was that their big "romantic" moment where they hooked up happened while Kit was plastered and David didn't even recognize her drunkenness. Like, she was clearly intoxicated and was about to pass out, and the whole scene creeped me out and felt remarkably close to sexual assault, though it was never regarded as such in the story.

Aside from the romance, I enjoyed both of the narrators, Kit and David. They each had their own unique personalities and conflicts beyond their romance with one another. Kit was dealing with her grief, which I found intriguing, and David was overcoming obstacles that existed due to his ASD. I will admit that, at times, I found his ASD plotlines to be a bit overkill, but overall, it felt fairly well-done. There were just some moments where it seemed as though David was being infantalized due to his ASD to the point where he needed everyone else's help to not only get a girlfriend, but to keep one as well. It was as though he had no capability to do this on his own, which I didn't love.

I also really enjoyed the dynamics between Kit and her mom. Kit had found out her mom had cheated on her dad, and the struggles she went through processing this information were really interesting to me. I was heavily invested in their conflict.

The pacing of this book was weird to me, though. There were moments where it seemed like "Okay, this is definitely the climax." But then, a few chapters later, another "climax" would happen, and then a few chapters after that, there'd be another one! It was quite confusing to follow the plan that Buxbaum had in place. It honestly seemed as though she didn't have a plan and wasn't sure when or how to end the story. There was the stealing of the journal (a big moment), the reveal of the cheating (big moment), the fallout of David revealing Kit's secret (yet another big moment). It just seemed like there were too many big events that felt like the major turning point, but they weren't.

Another big part of the story was the Accident Project, which was basically just the two of them working together to try and figure out how Kit's dad's death could've been prevented. It was weird, though. It honestly seemed remarkably unnecessary to the story, and it didn't really need this plotline (in my opinion).

I really did enjoy the ending, though. It was cute. It wasn't the typical happily ever after that romance stories often have. There was some ambiguity about the future of their relationship together since it ended with them ending their fight and holding hands, but nothing was solidified.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Recommended reader: Anyone who likes:

Romance
Opposites attract
Characters with a disability
Characters with autism
Elements of mystery
Stories about family
Mother-daughter relationships
Grief and loss
The Survival Kit by Donna Freitas

Discussion Questions:

How is David different from his peers? How does this make him feel? How does this make others treat him? At the end of the story, do you think David has changed to fit in or that he has stayed true to himself? Explain.
What was Kit's big secret? Why did she not want anyone to find out? How did its reveal impact her? Do you blame Kit? Why or why not?
Who is more important to David: Kit or Miney? Explain why you think this. Who is more important to Kit: David or Annie and Violet? Explain why you think this.

Specifics of the book: