A Taxonomy of Love

This book was really cute.

It was definitely flawed and a bit juvenile at points, but it made me feel good and I dare say it has brought me out of this semester's reading slump!

Honestly, I think this book is a bit underrated. It reminded me a lot of other YA romances that are pretty popular, so I'm not sure why it doesn't have as much hype! But if you're looking for an easy, YA, feel-good book, this one's for you :)

I received this review through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This is a sweet coming of age, romance story following the lives and shared moments from middle school through high school of Spencer and Hope.
I really wanted to like this one, but I'm feeling rather indifferent about it.

I enjoyed how Tourette syndrome brought up and dealt with, showing how one person's life with it is and the uses of drugs. I think it brought an additional quality to the book which may also help people understand it. I also liked how grief was handled – it isn't always neat or overcome swiftly. The relationships between siblings is relateable and realistic.
The characters were likeable and all were very different from each other, making it easy to tell them a part.

I think what was difficult for me to like about this book is that it is very real life. There really isn't a climax or overall problem to the book, because life doesn't work that way. Unfortunately, much of the drama and development happens off screen, which I found to be weird. It would happen during time skips. This isn't to say nothing happens on page, but... I don't know, I just want something else from this book.

I found the dual narrative to be... weird. The book is mostly told through Spencer's POV and there is more from Hope in the beginning of the book through letters and messages with her sister. The letters were okay, but not totally my thing. I think other people would really enjoy them.

I can't comment on the Taxonomies, because with the ARC I was given they were all messed up and impossible to understand. I do want to see what they should look like, so I'll check out the physical copy when I can.


I think if I had read this as an audiobook, I might have enjoyed it more. I tend to like contemporaries more with that format. This is a book I think many people will enjoy and I'll probably recommend it down the road.