Having tried Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley and not finishing it, I'd also sent Highly Illogical Behavior back to the library. Recently, though, I'd seen a review of it and forgetting all about it having been written by the same author as Where Things Come Back, I got it from the library again. I'm glad I did. It was a good read.
Solomon Reed has been a shut in for three years following a breakdown in middle school. He's currently 16, has great parents as well as a great grandmother, does school on line, reads a lot, watches a lot of movies and is generally fine. He just doesn't ever leave the house. Lisa Praytor is 17 and a highly ambitious high school junior. She knows what she wants and it is to get into and earn a highly coveted scholarship to the second best psychology program in the U.S. For this essay, she has to write about a personal experience with mental illness. She decides to fix Solomon. Along the way, her boyfriend, Clark becomes involved.
I really liked Solomon and his parents. I really liked Clark. I didn't so much like Lisa, but she did make the plot go. The dialog was fun with plenty of witty banter that was to my liking. The story line was somewhat predictable, but the specifics weren't so much.
Solomon was such a likable character that one of my reactions to this book was to think, "Hmm, this whole staying home all the time thing could be okay," which I don't think is how I was supposed to react and, quite likely, says quite a bit about my own mental health. I do think I'd eventually have cabin fever and maybe even want to see someone outside my own family...probably.
At any rate, I liked Highly Illogical Behavior. It was a fast, enjoyable read while also not really making light of dealing with severe anxiety.
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