‘Nothing’ by Annie Barrows has an intriguing premise. The two girls in the story – Charlotte and Frankie – feel that nothing in their lives ever happens in the way that it does in young adult novels. To prove this, Charlotte begins writing their story. She calls it ‘Nothing’ and writes about their daily lives.

Despite all evidence to the contrary, life begins to change for them in ways that they didn’t foresee. These changes are not necessarily the most obvious at times, but they show that anything can change in a moment and that the unexpected truly can make life worthwhile.

Even though the story was meant to show the normal, everyday lives of two average teenage girls, the story still had moments in which it could have been fleshed out further. For example, some of Charlotte and Frankie’s friends were mentioned here and there, but no emotional connection ever seemed to stem from those mentions. It was realistic that they have other friends, but those friendships should have amounted to more, along with explanations as to the two guys they were semi-interested in at the beginning of the book. Showing how they dealt with those guys as they made plans to move forward with more “real” relationships would have strengthened the story all the more.

From unanticipated kisses to meeting penpals and helping friends and family find and hold on to love, the ‘Nothing’ girls have more going on than they would like, based on their thought that nothing ever happens. Yet it shows how writing down your everyday experiences, whether in book, journal, or some other form can encourage even those people most bored with life to come out of their shell and discover truths that they never saw coming.

You can find ‘Nothing’ by Annie Barrows here.

*Review originally posted on YABooksCentral.com*