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nucleardubs's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book was arguably one of the most infuriating books I've read in a while. Without spoilers, the book is very interesting, plot wise. It's set up as an end of the world scenario, which is why I picked it up in the first place. However, one of the four main characters was unlikable throughout the whole book; he was rude before and during his development (which involved an identity crisis) and even after, it was hard to like him solely because he was weird to his love interest. With spoilers, let's get my main gripe out of the way: why the HELL does a college freshman kiss a high school freshman??? Why is it written off as NORMAL and ROMANTIC? The only reason I didn't put the book down immediately afterwards is because less than a page later, he gets hit by a car. I cannot believe that this book had the gall to say this character felt not seen or heard after this adult man consistently flirted with her when she was a preteen becoming a teen. And oh my god, don't even get me started on the ending. They go through all this development, and they decide not to end this massive storm with their discovered "fix" and instead want to live with their issues and try and cope with them. However, at the last moment, lighting strikes and, I shit you not, they lose ALL their memories from that night and go take their SAT like normal, no one's thoughts or specific actions being shared after that. The book ends with that. Overall, I give it two stars for a very cool plot and mostly likeable characters on a base level, but poor writing and weird character traits outweigh the good in this one.
Content Warnings
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
heyalyssa's review against another edition
2.0
I got halfway through before I just had to stop. Probably won’t finish this book. Boring characters, boring plot, way too slow paced. I found myself rolling my eyes lol
libreroaming's review against another edition
1.0
Oof, the odds were not in my favor for "The Odds of Lightning." An almost 400 page sprawl that promised a story of four friends who drifted apart during high school suddenly brought together again when they are all struck by lightning and have to band together to mitigate the strange supernatural effects they receive from it. Superpowers! Reconciliation! Magical realism! Except...not really?
"Tiny, Lu, Will and Nathaniel used to bebest friends" two pairs middle schoolers who constantly say they were friends but have very little chemistry outside of the two boys really wanting their respective girl partner's attention. Will only looks back on his missed opportunity with Lu in his regret parade, Nathaniel and Lu barely interact or seem to know anything about the other, Tiny suffers from invisibility and is frequently forgotten through most of the book except when she does something ~meaningful~ so she can be noticed again.
It's rough, because the initial set up where they are all not in each other's lives works as an introduction that inspires curiosity. Readers would wonder how they really would fit with each other. Except that is wasted when all the flashbacks of them as "friends" really showcases how little they meant outside of Will/Lu hooking up, and Tiny pining after Nathaniel's older brother, Tobias (more on that later).
"Then life-defining events the summer before high schooltore them apart. Now, three years later, they hardly talk anymore." made them all wander away from each other into self-absorbed teenage bubbles that are given too much dramatic weight. The only life-defining event one could say would be Technically, Lu and Tiny still hang out, they just have no vested interest in each other's issues. Will uses Nathaniel as a study buddy which seems odd since he was depicted as being smart beforehand, and his feelings of using Nathaniel are nominally explored but Nathaniel's feelings about him are basically not an issue.
The fifth member of this group is Tobias, the genius brother whose lightning experiments are so amazing the four think reading his paper he wrote for a scholarship would do more for them than going to, say, a hospital. As for Tiny's crush on Tobias, that is its own kind of questionable when you have someone who graduated high school coming on to someone who hasn't even started it, making comments like this:
I hoped that once the lightning strike and superpowers happened it might pick up, but, if anything, the quality dropped as it apparently shocked all common sense from them. While Nathaniel makes the suggestion to go to a hospital, having just been electrocuted and all of them reacting strangely, from Lu being completely numb to Will completely changing bodies, none of them take him up on the offer. In fact, Nathaniel himself ignores it to suggest to break into the school and read his brother's scientific treatise because, I guess, Tobias is smarter than medical experts.
Two-hundred pages of four teenagers wandering around during a major lightning storm because Lu really wants to go experience random concerts and End of the World "parades" (where she gets stabbed by a person with a knife so no big deal??). They also end up in a K-Mart during a blackout where the cashiers forget them and leave them in a store. Oh, and randomly follow two people in dress outfits to an Urban Explorers swanky party that you can only get in by repeating star poetry to the doorman.
The whole experience is set on the backdrop of the lightning "chasing" them, the SATs being the morning after, but there's no tension (One thing being, there are multiple dates for the SAT but I don't think this author realizes how they work). Which only makes it worse when their "urgency" involves stiffing a poor cab driver who went out of his way to take them to the school but that was too convenient for the plot so they leave midway through.
But if that wasn't disappointing enough, the real kicker is the ending. Where they finally reach the school, discover it was all pointless and Nathaniel "Had the Answers Inside Him All Along" results in some of the worst science bullshittery I've read in a while. Because Nathaniel thinks that the lightning energy reorganized them into their greatest fears/desires, and being struck again means they would be reverted to normal. But! It would also wipe their memories because...that's how E = Mc² works. So essentially the whole adventure was an all for naught reset of an already tedious and overstuffed "adventure."
Skip this. Whatever spark is created in the first forty pages is wasted in a meandering mess of unlikeable characters announcing their feelings through awkward symbolism.
"Tiny, Lu, Will and Nathaniel used to be
It's rough, because the initial set up where they are all not in each other's lives works as an introduction that inspires curiosity. Readers would wonder how they really would fit with each other. Except that is wasted when all the flashbacks of them as "friends" really showcases how little they meant outside of Will/Lu hooking up, and Tiny pining after Nathaniel's older brother, Tobias (more on that later).
"Then life-defining events the summer before high school
Spoiler
Nathaniel's older brother being killed in an accident that the author downplayed any emotional feeling toward in order to possibly tease his death as a surprise. A really bad, unemotional surprise.The fifth member of this group is Tobias, the genius brother whose lightning experiments are so amazing the four think reading his paper he wrote for a scholarship would do more for them than going to, say, a hospital. As for Tiny's crush on Tobias, that is its own kind of questionable when you have someone who graduated high school coming on to someone who hasn't even started it, making comments like this:
He was looking at her again with this hard to understand look on his face. Isaac Newton [the dog] came over and nosed his way between them, getting all licky.
"Ah!" Tiny pulled away and wiped her mouth. "Isaac Newton kissed me!"
"Isaac Newton!" said Tobias. "You beat me to it!"
Tiny couldn't bring herself to look at him. Was he serious? Her heart was pounding.
I hoped that once the lightning strike and superpowers happened it might pick up, but, if anything, the quality dropped as it apparently shocked all common sense from them. While Nathaniel makes the suggestion to go to a hospital, having just been electrocuted and all of them reacting strangely, from Lu being completely numb to Will completely changing bodies, none of them take him up on the offer. In fact, Nathaniel himself ignores it to suggest to break into the school and read his brother's scientific treatise because, I guess, Tobias is smarter than medical experts.
Two-hundred pages of four teenagers wandering around during a major lightning storm because Lu really wants to go experience random concerts and End of the World "parades" (where she gets stabbed by a person with a knife so no big deal??). They also end up in a K-Mart during a blackout where the cashiers forget them and leave them in a store. Oh, and randomly follow two people in dress outfits to an Urban Explorers swanky party that you can only get in by repeating star poetry to the doorman.
The whole experience is set on the backdrop of the lightning "chasing" them, the SATs being the morning after, but there's no tension (One thing being, there are multiple dates for the SAT but I don't think this author realizes how they work). Which only makes it worse when their "urgency" involves stiffing a poor cab driver who went out of his way to take them to the school but that was too convenient for the plot so they leave midway through.
But if that wasn't disappointing enough, the real kicker is the ending. Where they finally reach the school, discover it was all pointless and Nathaniel "Had the Answers Inside Him All Along" results in some of the worst science bullshittery I've read in a while. Because Nathaniel thinks that the lightning energy reorganized them into their greatest fears/desires, and being struck again means they would be reverted to normal. But! It would also wipe their memories because...that's how E = Mc² works. So essentially the whole adventure was an all for naught reset of an already tedious and overstuffed "adventure."
Skip this. Whatever spark is created in the first forty pages is wasted in a meandering mess of unlikeable characters announcing their feelings through awkward symbolism.
hall852's review against another edition
Tiny, Lu, Will and Nathaniel used to be best friends until the summer before high school tore them apart. Three years later they barely even talk, going their different ways. The night before the SAT’s they all find themselves together at Will’s strompocalypse party since New York is experiencing a huge thunderstorm that threaten to shut down New York. The four of them find themselves on an all night adventure to follow their dreams, fall in and out of love and overcome fears that once drove them apart.
This book sounded so interesting and maybe I’ll come back to it later but after 100 pages of very slow and confusing POV flips I gave up. The concept sounded original but I just couldn't get throughout it.
This book sounded so interesting and maybe I’ll come back to it later but after 100 pages of very slow and confusing POV flips I gave up. The concept sounded original but I just couldn't get throughout it.
cliffesedge's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ijsselmeer13's review against another edition
4.0
A captivating story about four friends who have been slowly moving apart. Through alternating perspectives from the present and past, the characters rediscover and reveal their deepest secrets during one whirlwind of a lightning storm the night before SAT's that explain what really happened that summer three years ago.
This book reminds me a bit of The Sun is Also a Star and This is Where the World Ends, so if you liked this, then you should give the other two a try ;-)
This book reminds me a bit of The Sun is Also a Star and This is Where the World Ends, so if you liked this, then you should give the other two a try ;-)
mckiheather's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A cool way to approach what is basically an average coming of age story.
Content Warnings
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Cursing, Death, Car accident, and Suicidal thoughts