Since awkwardly touching a tattoo on the back of a girl's neck while in a donut shop, Charlie's world has been more interesting than usual. The girl, Charlotte, wants Charlie's help. He's a student at Brighton School of Mathematics and Science, where her sister is the new English teacher. Charlotte wants Charlie to orchestrate a prank campaign against her sister to help take her mind of Charlotte's illness. The pranks put his future at MIT in jeopardy, but being around Charlotte is worth it.

Then he learns how ill Charlotte really is, but it's too late. He's already fallen in love with her.

LOVE AND OTHER UNKNOWN VARIABLES is a tear-jerker that will stay with you long after the last page is finished. The characters are incredible, realistic, and well-rounded. Their pain, joy, and grief is deeply felt.

Charlie is awkward, driven, and so angry and fearful beneath the surface. He's intriguing and Shannon Lee Alexander does a fantastic job of showing Charlie's love math and the beauty in numbers to English lovers. His need for certainty and constants in a world of uncertainty and death is a universal theme, and watching him learn how to navigate the ever-shifting emotions of falling in love is painful, sweet, and joyous.

Charlotte's artistic abilities and her exuberance are engaging and her love for the world and her friends is one of the most beautiful parts of LOVE AND OTHER UNKNOWN VARIABLES. Her impact on those around her is immediate because she is actively engaging in the world. She's present and alive in every moment.

The secondary characters, Charlie's sister, Becca; his best friends, Greta and James; and Charlotte's sister, Jo, provide a complex emotional background for Charlie and Charlotte's budding romance. There is so much going on in all of their lives besides this whirlwind romance, and the cast of characters help show the long-range effects of what could happen. I really like how the romance is the story, but planning for the future and daily obligations aren't forgotten. Charlie still has homework to do. Jo still has an English class to teach. Charlotte and Becca still have projects in class to work on. The situations are believable and create an rounded picture of these characters and their life.

LOVE AND OTHER UNKNOWN VARIABLES by Shannon Lee Alexander is a beautifully told romance full of joy, grief, pain, and questions. You don't want to miss this one.