Love By the Numbers by SL Danielson

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Blurb:

Jared Adams is the smokin' hot darling of the school baseball team. Girls fawn all over him and the world is at his feet.

Except he can’t do math.

Enter Scott Williams: nerd and mathlete. He’s only supposed to help Jared with math, but the help - and friendship - go further than that. 

Fate made them friends, but is friendship all they have?


REVIEW
My Rating - 4 stars

I found this re-release of Love By The Numbers by SL Danielson to be a very sweet high school romance.

I found the pace to be fast, but it is still enjoyable. My only complaints would be that I wish there was more packed into their relationship in the beginning. That part felt rushed and missing some of the chemistry. That said, I still really enjoy this story.

The basis of the story is great. Two teens, one popular and great looking, the other overweight and a loner. Both boys are actually very insecure and are very derogative to themselves. One of my favorite quotes of the book is "'Dude, don't say things like that about yourself, you'll grow to believe them forever." What a wonderful, profound piece of advice.

Jared is lucky to find Scott, who he can open up to and whose family is loving and supportive.  Jared's life might look wonderful from the outside, but on the inside his life is hell. Spending a lot of time at Scott's house gives him a place where he can relax, be himself (sort of), and to not be scared. With Scott, he finds his first true friend. He may seem to be very popular, but having pretenders by your side doesn't satisfy a person.

Scott is also lucky to find Jared. He never expects to find his first true friend in Jared, but that is exactly what happens. Scott knows he is overweight and constantly puts himself down because of it. Jared's encouragement is the push he needs to get healthy. He is happy to have this new friendship, but he wishes that Jared was gay, so they could be more than friends.

A moment that I found to be so damn touching is when Scott complains to Jared that he has nothing. Scott claims that Jared has everything, as he is popular and always surrounded by girls. Scott's response, telling Scott that he has a family that loves him, is super smart, and has a true heart, is so stirring. It is truly an emotional moment that is both so real and raw.

The issues that Jared has to deal with in secret are sad and ugly. He may appear to have it all, but he is suffering and has never been able to tell anyone.

Overall, I really like Love By The Numbers. I wish SL Danielson could have added some to the story, but she does a great job with telling a story that is poignant and inspirational.