The Avery Shaw Experiment by Kelly Oram

Avery Shaw just got her heart broken. She finally told her best friend, Aiden, that she’s in love with him and he responded by asking for space to be with his new girlfriend. Ever the scientist, Avery devises an experiment to see if the five stages of grief—denial/bargaining, guilt, anger, depression, acceptance—can help her overcome a broken heart. Avery enlists the help of Aiden’s older brother, Grayson, to be her impartial observer. She thinks he’s in it just for the extra credit but Grayson has more in mind than just science. The book seems to send the message that a shy, science-geek girl needs to be “fixed” which is another example of societal pressures to be extroverted. Yet, I couldn’t put it down. Once, I put aside my views on introvertedness, the story was so cute and captivating that I read it in one sitting. I particularly liked the main female character, Avery. Sure, she has problems and broke down into tears several times but she was also doing her best to be better and could still hold her own versus Grayson. She gave off both senses of strength and vulnerability which made her more real than some of the other female protagonists that I’ve read lately. And Grayson is just as swoon-worthy as a chick-lit main male character should be. He was genuinely caring and fun. Overall, for me this was a much-needed win in the chick-lit/light romance category.