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jomega22's review
5.0
Complex Solutions is an exciting coming of age YA thriller that combines a grief stricken self-destructive teenage girl, her love for math, trusty dog, scenic Cape Cod, and a mystery to keep you guessing until the end.
Susan does a wonderful job pulling the characters through all the twists and turns you’d expect from a thriller, while exploring the complex emotions of grief, first love, and self-healing. Complex Solutions is an entertaining page turner that I couldn’t put down until I was finished. Susan’s debut novel Complex Solutions should be on everyone’s To Be Read list, and I cannot wait to read what Susan writes next!
I received an advance copy of this book for an honest review. It’s a great book, go read it!
Susan does a wonderful job pulling the characters through all the twists and turns you’d expect from a thriller, while exploring the complex emotions of grief, first love, and self-healing. Complex Solutions is an entertaining page turner that I couldn’t put down until I was finished. Susan’s debut novel Complex Solutions should be on everyone’s To Be Read list, and I cannot wait to read what Susan writes next!
I received an advance copy of this book for an honest review. It’s a great book, go read it!
briarrose1021's review
5.0
Lexi has had a ROUGH time of it the last few months. Prior to the start of the book, her parents were killed in a car crash, and she has moved to live with her grandmother. Things seem to be going okay - not great - when she gets a letter from a mathematics institute her parents had been members of asking if she knew where the proof they had been working on before their death was. According to the letter, the proof, if they finished it, could change everything. Taken by surprise that she had known nothing about her parents' work, it doesn't take long for Lexi to figure out that they had been working on proving one of the major unsolved theorems in mathematics - the Reimann hypothesis.
But, just as she starts looking for the missing proof, she notices a strange man lurking around, always watching her. He also looks remarkably similar to the guy her friend says finally bought her parents' home. Is he stalking her? Is he also after the proof? Who is he? All of these questions and more are answered in this amazing book. The suspense in this book is amazingly well-written, and the character interaction really helps drive the story forward.
With the main character being a high school student, it's very likely that high-school-aged kids will also read it. For that reason, I have to include a trigger warning for self-harm and suicide. While there is no suicide attempt on-screen, Lexi's attempt prior to the start of the book is discussed. In addition, she actively engages in self-harm via cutting throughout the book.
As for the main topic of the storyline, even though it centers around a mathematical proof, understanding that proof is not required to enjoy the book. As a math geek, I can completely understand how a completed proof of this theorem could provoke this kind of scenario. I still remember the absolute breakthrough that was the successful proof of the Poincare conjecture in the early 2000s and, while it has been to long since I've worked with the complex equations associated with the Reimann hypothesis, I definitely understand just how big a completed proof would be to the mathematical world. I absolutely love that Dalessandro chose this topic for her book AND had a female main character with a strong ability in mathematics to star in the story.
Of course, it wouldn't be a YA book without a romance, and I liked the way the relationship between Lexi and Joe developed. While Joe does come across almost a bit too much like the perfect boyfriend in the beginning, I do like that we find out - along with Lexi - that his life isn't perfect either. It provides more depth to his reactions that really helps round him out as a character.
So, long story short, if you like thrillers and you like romance, you should read this book. If you like math, you should read this book. Really, if you like reading, you should read this book. It's just that good.
But, just as she starts looking for the missing proof, she notices a strange man lurking around, always watching her. He also looks remarkably similar to the guy her friend says finally bought her parents' home. Is he stalking her? Is he also after the proof? Who is he? All of these questions and more are answered in this amazing book. The suspense in this book is amazingly well-written, and the character interaction really helps drive the story forward.
With the main character being a high school student, it's very likely that high-school-aged kids will also read it. For that reason, I have to include a trigger warning for self-harm and suicide. While there is no suicide attempt on-screen, Lexi's attempt prior to the start of the book is discussed. In addition, she actively engages in self-harm via cutting throughout the book.
As for the main topic of the storyline, even though it centers around a mathematical proof, understanding that proof is not required to enjoy the book. As a math geek, I can completely understand how a completed proof of this theorem could provoke this kind of scenario. I still remember the absolute breakthrough that was the successful proof of the Poincare conjecture in the early 2000s and, while it has been to long since I've worked with the complex equations associated with the Reimann hypothesis, I definitely understand just how big a completed proof would be to the mathematical world. I absolutely love that Dalessandro chose this topic for her book AND had a female main character with a strong ability in mathematics to star in the story.
Of course, it wouldn't be a YA book without a romance, and I liked the way the relationship between Lexi and Joe developed. While Joe does come across almost a bit too much like the perfect boyfriend in the beginning, I do like that we find out - along with Lexi - that his life isn't perfect either. It provides more depth to his reactions that really helps round him out as a character.
So, long story short, if you like thrillers and you like romance, you should read this book. If you like math, you should read this book. Really, if you like reading, you should read this book. It's just that good.
julisacortes18's review
4.0
Susan Dalessandro's "Complex Solutions" follows Lexi, a 16-year-old girl navigating life after the death of her parents and a struggle with self-harm. Throughout the novel, Lexi dedicates her time to find the research her parents conducted to prove one of the most famous mathematical theorems. On this journey, not only does Lexi find love, friendship, but she finds herself in a sticky situation as she realizes she is being stalked.
"Complex Solutions" was such a refreshing book that I could not put down until I was finished. With the story's characters part of my own age demographic, I found it easy to connect with Lexi. The novel depicts her battle with her mental health and her urges to cut, and while I may not be struggling with the same issues, the outlook and emotions she has are ones I find myself experiencing, as well as a majority of teens today. On the topic of mental health, this book certainly focuses on various issues we can experience, with the overall message stating how important it is to seek help and move past the stigma society places on these issues; I found that the focus on mental health in this book was well done and in an extremely healthy way.
As for the other characters, Sarah and Joe, I found them equally likable. Sarah is the best friend we all hope to have; the friend who is always there for us and urges us to be the best version of ourselves while having fun. As for Joe, he is the significant other that all of us readers love: a smart, kind boy who knows the right things to say at the perfect moments; it is virtually impossible not to fall in love with him.
In terms of the plot, I enjoyed the pacing of the book, where I didn't feel like the book dragged on and on without progress or too fast paced that it was hard to care about the story. Additionally, I love that Susan Dalessandro chose to focus on mathematics. While many readers are not fans of the subject, this book should be the only exception. Intertwining math with a thriller, it was hard not to hate the subject just this once. Not only that, but I found myself excitedly saying, "I know that!" with the mentions of popular topics in Calculus, which added a fun element to the book for me.
With so many positive aspects of the book, I was so close to rating it a 5/5 but decided on 4/5 for two reasons. The first would be that I felt as if there was not as much as mystery and thriller compared to romance. To elaborate, a good portion of the book focused on the development of Lexi and Joe's relationship to the point where finding the research seemed like a subplot. I wish the romance and msystery/thriller would have been a bit more balanced. Additionally, while I absoltely adore Lexi and Joe, I felt like certain parts of their interactions and conversations were a bit repetitive that sort of diminished my excitement of seeing their relationship grow.
In the end, even with those two reasons, I loved this book and would highly recommend to everyone who is interested.
"Complex Solutions" was such a refreshing book that I could not put down until I was finished. With the story's characters part of my own age demographic, I found it easy to connect with Lexi. The novel depicts her battle with her mental health and her urges to cut, and while I may not be struggling with the same issues, the outlook and emotions she has are ones I find myself experiencing, as well as a majority of teens today. On the topic of mental health, this book certainly focuses on various issues we can experience, with the overall message stating how important it is to seek help and move past the stigma society places on these issues; I found that the focus on mental health in this book was well done and in an extremely healthy way.
As for the other characters, Sarah and Joe, I found them equally likable. Sarah is the best friend we all hope to have; the friend who is always there for us and urges us to be the best version of ourselves while having fun. As for Joe, he is the significant other that all of us readers love: a smart, kind boy who knows the right things to say at the perfect moments; it is virtually impossible not to fall in love with him.
In terms of the plot, I enjoyed the pacing of the book, where I didn't feel like the book dragged on and on without progress or too fast paced that it was hard to care about the story. Additionally, I love that Susan Dalessandro chose to focus on mathematics. While many readers are not fans of the subject, this book should be the only exception. Intertwining math with a thriller, it was hard not to hate the subject just this once. Not only that, but I found myself excitedly saying, "I know that!" with the mentions of popular topics in Calculus, which added a fun element to the book for me.
With so many positive aspects of the book, I was so close to rating it a 5/5 but decided on 4/5 for two reasons. The first would be that I felt as if there was not as much as mystery and thriller compared to romance. To elaborate, a good portion of the book focused on the development of Lexi and Joe's relationship to the point where finding the research seemed like a subplot. I wish the romance and msystery/thriller would have been a bit more balanced. Additionally, while I absoltely adore Lexi and Joe, I felt like certain parts of their interactions and conversations were a bit repetitive that sort of diminished my excitement of seeing their relationship grow.
In the end, even with those two reasons, I loved this book and would highly recommend to everyone who is interested.
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