"What To Say Next" by Julie Buxbaum, Review

A few weeks ago, my parents had to quickly pop down to Zurrieq for a meeting of some sort, and naturally, I decided to join them. Zurrieq is the town where I grew up, so while my parents were busy in their meeting, I decided to have a walk around and do some exploring, for nostalgia's sake. It wasn't long before I stumbled into the local library, of which I have very fond memories picking out books with my mother when I was younger. After browsing the Young Adult Fiction section for a couple of minutes, it wasn't long before "What To Say Next" caught my attention.

Buxbaum's "What To Say Next" takes us on a heartwarming journey, in which we experience the growth and maturing of the 2 principle characters; David Drucker and Kit Lowell, who are both teenage high school students. Both of these characters are facing their own unique struggles. David has Asperger's syndrome and painfully tries to tackle the gruesome high-school experience, and all the social interactions that come with it, as a non-neurotypical person. It was wildly interesting to read from a perspective so different from my own. From the getgo I found myself rooting for him, because I am, unfortunately, all to familiar with feeling extremely awkward and incompetent in social situations. I found myself rooting for his success from the very beginning.

Kit Lowell, who later on becomes David's first (and best) friend (maybe even a little more?) is on the more popular side of the spectrum. She too is dealing with her own struggles as she tries to cope with grieving the loss of her father whilst trying to re-integrate herself back into her normal life.

It was David Drucker's style of narration which initially encouraged me to continue reading after skimming the first couple of pages. His witty and intelligent remarks challenged my brain to work a little while reading. This book is not one you can read mindlessly; I can appreciate that it encourages the reader to reflect and think a little, and also comes up with some very unique perspectives about the value of life. This book may be a young adult novel but it certainly does not shy away from mature themes such as death and grief, depression, finding one's self. I highly appreciate the fact that, though this is a story concerning teenagers, it does not talk-down to its audience (this is a HUGE pet peeve of mine) and the dialogue is quite mature.

I don't think I have ever experienced such a pure and wholesome friendship as that between Kit and David. I loved how open and honest their conversations were, and that got me wishing I had a friend like him. The romantic scenes were so genuinely sweet, like when David sketches the circle of freckles on Kit's clavicle, turning her into art ... What a genuine moment. Also, when David literally drop-kicked the football players when they spoke condescendingly about her? This displays everything a real friendship should be.

Some scenes were personally very painful to read, which practically left me seeping with second-hand embarrassment. Like when SPOILER WARNING David's personal journal gets stolen and leaked all over the internet. Or when David exposes Kit for being the one at fault for her father's death in front of a whole audience. There were definitely some plot twists I did not see coming, usually I'm not one to read late into the night because I get too sleepy, but this book kept me hooked and I honestly read for almost 2 hours straight without getting bored.

I absolutely loved Kit's character! The way David describes her hair as "commas" is a really unique and charming touch. Kit is half Indian, so we got some descriptions of Indian food in this book which I enjoyed reading about. I found her chaotic and confusing energy to be so charmingly relatable and comforting. The problems she faces in loosing her friends, her extremely complicated (to say the least) relationship with her mother, gave her character so much depth and life!

The ending is quite abrupt. I didn't see it coming and I found it a bit strange that the book ends without any sort of closure. I suppose, we'll never know where Kit and David's relationship stands. I guess this opens room for more reflection, but I am a little annoyed that the loop never got closed! Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who feels a little lonely or maybe misunderstood. This book made me feel validated, welcomed and comforted in strange ways I'll never really understand. But that's the beauty of reading at the end of the day.

This is a perfect example of everything a character-driven story should be. Both characters experience so much personal growth and development throughout the plot, that made me feel personally proud. I loved this style of dual-perspective story telling. Character driven plots are exactly my cup of tea, and I am definitely going to keep my eye out for more books by Julie Buxbaum in the future. The refreshing honest and maturity in story telling is something I'm longing to find m

Notable quotes from this book:

"Different is not the same thing as scary. It's amazing to me how many people confuse the two"

"And that's exactly what it feels like when Kit's palm touches my face. Like swimming for the very first time. Like discovering the magic that is water. Like coming home."

Love,

Ann ❤️