‘The Avery Shaw Experiment’ by Kelly Oram is a heartwarming and heartbreaking look at the ripple effects of a breakup (between friends) and the path to getting over it (especially when one person in the relationship thought it meant much more). It is an emotionally charged rollercoaster of steps in the scientific method to help support the theory that going through the seven stages of grief can help mend a broken heart.
When Avery Shaw is “dumped” by her best friend, Aiden Kennedy, so he can go off and be his own person apart from Avery, girlfriend and all, she is dumbstruck. She has always envisioned her life to go hand in hand with Aiden’s, and when he tells her, in not so many words, that he doesn’t want to be friends anymore, or at least not close friends, she is crushed. She’s in love with him, after all. The fact that he doesn’t see it is just a roadblock to their happy ending.
Swooping in to save the day and help Avery feel better about Aiden’s sudden revelation and Avery’s immediate heartbreak is Grayson, Aiden’s older brother. Grayson is everything Aiden isn’t, including exceedingly popular and amazingly attractive. Grayson and Avery are on opposite ends of the social spectrum, that is until Grayson takes Avery under his wing, partly because he’s starting to fall for her after their first encounter with potential “like” on New Year’s Eve when Aiden told her it’s better that they don’t hang out together anymore. In her haste to get away from Aiden, she jumped in the shower with Grayson. Being in the shower together when you haven’t even been on a first date is no small potatoes. Even though it didn’t happen just like it sounds, Grayson’s had a hard time shaking thoughts of Avery out of his mind since that night, but Avery is still stuck on Aiden.
As the novel progresses, Avery and Grayson plot out the steps of a social experiment as a means of coming to terms and getting past what happened with Aiden. Their experiment sends them on dates, brings first kisses to the forefront, and earns many a jealous look from a variety of parties that hold a stake in the outcome of the experiment.
A thoroughly enjoyable and intoxicating read about what it takes to get past your first love and how something better just might be hanging around right under your nose, ‘The Avery Shaw Experiment’ is a highly recommended title. Oram’s second novel in the series is due to come out in October 2015 – a follow-up about Avery’s friend Libby and her infatuation/relationship with Grayson’s best friend, Owen. Looking forward to checking that one out!
You can find ‘The Avery Shaw Experiment’ by Kelly Oram here: http://amzn.to/1W8FOcp