Highly Illogical Behavior

By: John Corey Whaley

Narrated by: Robbie Daymond, Julia Whelan

Teen and adult fans of All The Bright Places, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and Everything, Everything will adore this quirky story of coming-of-age, coming out, friendship, love...and agoraphobia.

Sixteen-year-old Solomon is agoraphobic. He hasn’t left the house in three years, which is fine by him.

Ambitious Lisa desperately wants to get into the second-best psychology program for college (she’s being realistic). But how can she prove she deserves a spot there?

Solomon is the answer.

Determined to “fix” Sol, Lisa thrusts herself into his life, sitting through Star Trek marathons with him and introducing him to her charming boyfriend Clark. Soon, all three teens are far closer than they thought they’d be, and when their walls fall down, their friendships threaten to collapse, as well.

A hilarious and heartwarming coming-of-age perfect for readers of Matthew Quick and Rainbow Rowell, Highly Illogical Behavior showcases the different ways we hide ourselves from the world—and how love, tragedy, and the need for connection may be the only things to bring us back into the light.

Refreshingly Original

A charming young adult novel centered around a gay character that avoids the usual cliches of romance and struggle with identity.

Fantastic book

As an agoraphobe, this book really hit home (pun intended) for me. I really loved that the author didn't try to glorify or romanticize mental illness or make all of the characters highly likeable, but that's what made it so good. The narration was also really good, which really added to the story. I can't recommend this book enough - go read it right now (I read it in one sitting)!

It's a cute story

This story is very cute and it touches on some important subjects like mental health and the importance of friendship, family support, and kindness. The characters were a bit too perfect to make it realistic, but I liked it. The voice performance is fantastic.

It's illogical not to give this a try

I adore John Corey Whaley, so listened to this one right away. His writing is funny, at times, self-deprecating, and non-verbose. He's not a wordy writer, everything is precise.

Solomon is a high functioning boy, suffering from agoraphobia with two loving parents and a grandmother. The panic attack involving a fountain a few years prior pushed him to stay at home and Lisa, the girl who was closest to the scene hasn't forgotten him since. She enters his life with slightly dubious motives; using him as a project for her admission essay while helping him in the process. You can guess what happens next, but Whaley takes the story from predictable plot to a step above infused with his humor. By the end of the book, I loved all the characters and bought into the story.

If you've read his other novel, "Where Things Come Back," this is a true departure as the other was extremely and wonderfully odd with a few twists and parallel stories. This book is more straight-forward and down-to-earth. Both are from the mind of a talented young writer.

Worth the Listen

What other book might you compare Highly Illogical Behavior to and why?

I am a fan of All the Bright Places and almost all of Rainbow Rowell's books. With that being said, I liked how Highly Illogical Behavior wasn't too much of a predictable ya novel. As a grad student in psychology, I found it cute and endearing, because Lisa reminds me of my younger, striving self.