Set in Melbourne, Australia, author Melissa Keil gives readers alternating POV from Sophia and Joshua. This is not your typical high school romance novel. How could I not want to know what would happen when a young magician attempts to win the heart of a genius?

Then I opened the book and it began with with a quote from Harry Houdini. After reading the jacket blurb, I knew it was coming home with me. The Secret Science of Magic caught my eye from its place on the “new” shelves, just by its title. While at my local library to pick up a few books for research purposes, I couldn’t help but make a detour into the Young Adult section. It was pure chance I stumbled on this book and I’m so happy it happened. But when your best trick is making schoolwork disappear, how do you possibly romance a genius? In life and love, timing is everything. Joshua spends his time honing magic tricks and planning how to win Sophia’s heart.

When everything she knows is falling apart, how can she crack the puzzle of what to do with her life?

But there are some things no amount of genius can prepare you for, and the messiness of real life is one of them. Its blurb via author Melissa Keil’s website: “I believe she will shortly describe me as ‘that dipshit who’s always smiling at himself.’” (Joshua, page 3) The Secret Science of Magic by Melissa Keil is smart, funny, and one of my favorite reads of 2018.

Life in outer space by melissa keil