A novel about freaks, geeks, crushes, and friends--and how sometimes you can be all of them at once.
Charlie is the freak. Gloria is the fr... read full description
reviews
Aug 11, 2010
Teen
rated it: 
Meet the freak: Charlie is definitely dancing to his own tune. He is crazily smart and impulsive. He acts like a big kid who doesn’t worry about what people think to an extreme. His family is very poor and his mom is very ill. He likes to pretend he is Superman.
Meet the magnet: Gloria is beautiful and annoyed. She keeps a “Freak Folio” to record her interactions with the freaks of the world. Her father is gone. Her mother is perfect (high-priced lawyer with not a hair out of More...
Meet the magnet: Gloria is beautiful and annoyed. She keeps a “Freak Folio” to record her interactions with the freaks of the world. Her father is gone. Her mother is perfect (high-priced lawyer with not a hair out of More...
Aug 04, 2010
Angela
rated it: 
Gloria considers Charlie a "Freak" and herself a "Freak Magnet" - but if she's the magnet, how come she finds herself unable to stay away from Charlie after their initial (awkard) meeting?
Despite his awkwardness, I found Charlie to be the more engaging narrator here. While both he and Gloria are dealing with weighty issues outside of their relationship, Charlie's felt more complex. Charlie is somewhat autistic (rather mildly - Marcelo from Marcelo and the Real World More...
Despite his awkwardness, I found Charlie to be the more engaging narrator here. While both he and Gloria are dealing with weighty issues outside of their relationship, Charlie's felt more complex. Charlie is somewhat autistic (rather mildly - Marcelo from Marcelo and the Real World More...
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May 26, 2010
Claire
rated it:
This is where the stars fail- there is the '3 star I liked it" as opposed to not liking the book, then there are the 3 stars "I liked it" as opposed to really really liking the book.
This book falls on the positive side. Ah shoot, I am just going for four.
I started the book, gave up and then went back to it. I am happy that I did.
The Freak Magnet and the Freak alternate voices in the book. Charlie falls somewhere in the autism spectrum and he k More...
This book falls on the positive side. Ah shoot, I am just going for four.
I started the book, gave up and then went back to it. I am happy that I did.
The Freak Magnet and the Freak alternate voices in the book. Charlie falls somewhere in the autism spectrum and he k More...
Dec 17, 2011
Shaniqua
rated it:
3.5 stars for the last hundred pages.
Honestly, I just picked up this book because 1. all the other YA books on the shelf had a girl on the cover, and this was a stand-out and 2. it was on sale. It wasn't particularly memorable or moving, but an enjoyable read all the same.
I really liked Charlie. I loved that he seemed real despite his craziness. He was just quirky enough to work for me. The author has a talent for characterization, I think. He made each character unique More...
Honestly, I just picked up this book because 1. all the other YA books on the shelf had a girl on the cover, and this was a stand-out and 2. it was on sale. It wasn't particularly memorable or moving, but an enjoyable read all the same.
I really liked Charlie. I loved that he seemed real despite his craziness. He was just quirky enough to work for me. The author has a talent for characterization, I think. He made each character unique More...
Sep 05, 2010
Suzy
rated it: 
A young adult book. Without ever stating it, it seems clear that the male protagonist, Charlie -- the "freak" in the title -- is on the autism spectrum. He is 17-years old, and fascinated by two things: astronomy and Superman. His best (and only) friend is Paul Edison, who happens to be paraplegic. Then he meets Gloria, a prickly and eccentric girl, who considers herself to be a "freak magnet" and in fact keeps a journal where she writes about all of the freaks who approach h
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Feb 03, 2011
Jacki
rated it:
Summary: Charlie Wyatt has no social filter. He always says what he thinks without hesitation, and if that means asking a woman buying laxatives if she has an eating disorder or telling a complete stranger that she's beautiful, so be it. He wears a Superman suit under his clothes to help him cope with a life of working in a drug store and taking care of his mother, who has Huntington's. Oh, also? He's a genius who has probably discovered a comet and is leaving for Chile in two weeks for a presti
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Feb 10, 2012
Heather
rated it:
This novel is about a "freak" named Charlie and a "magnet" named Gloria. Charlie is a very interesting character. He has Asperger-type behaviors and totally sees the world in his own way and he embraces that.
When we first hear about Gloria, the reader makes the assumption that she is one of the beautiful girls who has no problems.
Then Charlie sees Gloria and their story begins.
The chapters alternate in this book between Charlie and Gloria More...
When we first hear about Gloria, the reader makes the assumption that she is one of the beautiful girls who has no problems.
Then Charlie sees Gloria and their story begins.
The chapters alternate in this book between Charlie and Gloria More...
Sep 30, 2011
Nicole
rated it: 
Overall, I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as I thought I would. I thought it would be one of those critically acclaimed books where you couldn't help but love it. It was like this in the beginning, but then it started to decline in quality. It's descriptions and sentences weren't the standard it was at first. Maybe this is because the book started with a very happy mood but then, as the book went on, it became more and more depressing. The ending was happy, but I couldn't help but feel sad
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Jul 06, 2010
George
rated it:
When I read a great book, there are a few things that usually tend to stand out for me. To begin with, I really enjoyed the characters (not just Charlie and Gloria) as they felt human to me. It was easy to empathize with them and root for them (even when they make choices that make you cringe- like Charlie's inability to quit while he is ahead in a conversation). I also really enjoyed the topics approached in the story. On the surface the plot is a lighthearted boy-meets-girl story (and you can
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Aug 15, 2010
P.M.
rated it:
Charlie Wyatt is the freak while Gloria Aboud is the magnet. They couldn't be more opposite as he is an astronomy afficionado while she writes poetry. Yet both are dealing with sadness. Her brother was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan and his mother has been living with Huntington's Disease for ten years. Charlie is also a fan of superheroes and has been wearing a Superman costume under his clothes for eight months. His job at a pharmacy is driving him crazy and he can't wait until he ca
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Oct 01, 2010
Brenda
rated it:
I had reservations about picking up this book. I am embarrassed to say it was because it was a young adult novel written by a guy. I've just found that male authors tend to stick a lot of swearing and other gross guy things in their writing, if you know what I mean. I was pleasantly surprised by this book because it was pretty clean (maybe one or two bad words). That is one reason it got 4 stars from me.
Another reason it got 4 stars is because I thought the writing was good and t More...
Another reason it got 4 stars is because I thought the writing was good and t More...
Aug 15, 2011
Ken
rated it:
Freak Magnet is a story of a young man who sees himself as a misfit, devoid of social skills with very little hope of ever gaining them -- the Freak -- and a young woman, who seems to draw the attention of people but who only wants to push them, all of them, away -- the Magnet. When their worlds collide, his in-your-face enthusiasm crashes right into her prickly demands to be left alone. Will they ever see past their own caricatures of themselves and each other? If they face the problems in thei
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Jul 31, 2010
K
rated it:
Totally charming.
Charlie is the kind of guy who recognizes that showing up on someone’s doorstep and claiming he was “just in the {totally out of his way} neighborhood” is none too plausible. No, his logical next step will get him stuck on the roof of this house after his airborne note (simply “I followed you home”—courteous, no?) misses its intended window. Since, of course, the fact was that he followed this someone home and he couldn’t *not* do something.
Gloria is the More...
Charlie is the kind of guy who recognizes that showing up on someone’s doorstep and claiming he was “just in the {totally out of his way} neighborhood” is none too plausible. No, his logical next step will get him stuck on the roof of this house after his airborne note (simply “I followed you home”—courteous, no?) misses its intended window. Since, of course, the fact was that he followed this someone home and he couldn’t *not* do something.
Gloria is the More...
Dec 27, 2010
Liza
rated it:
3.5 stars
I was prepared to really not like this book. The idea of dorky guy meets hot girl has been done so many times its almost its own subgenre.
But, Auseon had me laughing consistently throughout the book and the serious situations in both Freak and Magnet's lives were done achingly well.
However, it still comes down to being a book about a dork meeting a beauty, even if it is near the top of that genre.
(Note: Freak's meltdown while working at t More...
I was prepared to really not like this book. The idea of dorky guy meets hot girl has been done so many times its almost its own subgenre.
But, Auseon had me laughing consistently throughout the book and the serious situations in both Freak and Magnet's lives were done achingly well.
However, it still comes down to being a book about a dork meeting a beauty, even if it is near the top of that genre.
(Note: Freak's meltdown while working at t More...
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Oct 20, 2011
Anna
rated it:
Am I the only one that finds Charlie to be an awesome guy? I get that he is pretty cheesy and weird, and he's especially strange, but like Gloria in the story I felt that he was innocently sweet. Like how he ran to Gloria just to tell her that she was beautiful, and how he would do just about anything for her. He was very socially awkward but during the story I would burst out laughing at the silly things he would say to the customers that came to the little convenience store he worked at. To me
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Oct 04, 2011
Erin
rated it:
1.5 stars
If writing is an art, Andrew Auseon is doing a paint-by-number. None of the characters drew my interest, the romance irritated me, and the "darker" elements of the plot were touched on in a very shallow manner. Boooo.
Charlie is the protagonist. He is another one of those characters who seem like they have Aspergers but this fact is never acknowledged. I'm not sure if Auseon was trying to convince me that Charlie was actually a normal person, just more c More...
If writing is an art, Andrew Auseon is doing a paint-by-number. None of the characters drew my interest, the romance irritated me, and the "darker" elements of the plot were touched on in a very shallow manner. Boooo.
Charlie is the protagonist. He is another one of those characters who seem like they have Aspergers but this fact is never acknowledged. I'm not sure if Auseon was trying to convince me that Charlie was actually a normal person, just more c More...
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Dec 08, 2010
Erica
rated it:
Ever since reading How To Say Goodbye In Robot, I’ve been looking for another book that captured a quirky, non-traditional friendship in a similar way. Though Freak Magnet veers more into the topic of love than Robot, it is definitely not your typical love story.
Almost immediately I fell in love with Charlie and Gloria. Charlie is just – well, he’s a freak, but in the way that is endearing and not something to be endured. The fact that he wears a Superman costume under his clothes every More...
Almost immediately I fell in love with Charlie and Gloria. Charlie is just – well, he’s a freak, but in the way that is endearing and not something to be endured. The fact that he wears a Superman costume under his clothes every More...
Aug 12, 2010
Carla
rated it:
You know that feeling you get when you love something so much you want to climb to the top of a very tall building and shout so loud you burst your own eardrums. Well, thats kind of how Freak Magnet made me feel. The only problem is that I'm kind of scared of heights, so that puts a downer on the whole situation, so I'm going to have to settle for shouting my love across the interweb. Can you hear that girl shouting "Charlie Whyatt I LOVE YOU" yeah, thats me. I really didn't know what
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Jul 08, 2010
Yan
rated it:
Have you ever lived on the edge? Where your highs reached the peaks of the mountains and your lows reached the depths of the ocean? That sums up Charlie quite nicely. Charlie's isn't what you could call the "best" customer service because his mouth gets the best of him at times—always speaking more than needed, and most of the time, more than he should. That's why when Charlie spots the most beautiful girl that he has ever seen, he just has to tell her that. Even if that means chasing
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Jul 06, 2010
Lauren
rated it:
*4.5*
It's as simple as this: I ADORED Freak Magnet to the max. It was fun, witty, and real- three characteristics that when mixed together make for pure awesomeness.
Both of the characters in Freak Magnet were ones I loved. No lie about it. Charlie was extremely sweet and chivalrous; a character who always had me laughing at his way of telling it like it is no matter how bad the consequences would be. And Gloria, while distant and moody at times, was always witty and inte More...
It's as simple as this: I ADORED Freak Magnet to the max. It was fun, witty, and real- three characteristics that when mixed together make for pure awesomeness.
Both of the characters in Freak Magnet were ones I loved. No lie about it. Charlie was extremely sweet and chivalrous; a character who always had me laughing at his way of telling it like it is no matter how bad the consequences would be. And Gloria, while distant and moody at times, was always witty and inte More...
Jan 06, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
Reviewed by Hannah Marie for TeensReadToo.com
The quirky characters are believable. Their unexpected romance is perfect. But most importantly, the spontaneous order that brings them together is exactly what they both need.
Charlie Wyatt is something else, alright. He's an astronomy nerd, talks way too much when he's nervous, and secretly earns his daily strength from a Superman costume he wears underneath his clothes. As far as Gloria Aboud goes, she's one tough cookie you don' More...
The quirky characters are believable. Their unexpected romance is perfect. But most importantly, the spontaneous order that brings them together is exactly what they both need.
Charlie Wyatt is something else, alright. He's an astronomy nerd, talks way too much when he's nervous, and secretly earns his daily strength from a Superman costume he wears underneath his clothes. As far as Gloria Aboud goes, she's one tough cookie you don' More...
Aug 06, 2010
your neighborhood librarian
rated it:
...And while realistic fiction written for and starring teens very much benefits, as I said, from the reckless decisions that teens make, the best writers of realistic teen fiction develop their characters so that you can see their potential, you get a sense of what their futures will look like once their wiring becomes fully insulated. You even have an idea how Charlie and Gloria will look back on these episodes - driving to the drugstore wrapped in a bedspread, for example, or getting stuck on
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Jul 18, 2011
Amy
rated it:
I found this book really likeable. I remember reading Funny Little Monkey by Auseon many years ago, and enjoying that one as well. I think he's a solid writer, clever and funny, and good to recommend to guys. I definitely put him in the same camp as David Levithan and John Green. Though it seems he doesn't have the same popularity and I kind of wonder why.
Sep 12, 2010
Kirsten
rated it:
I really liked this book. The characters ended up being much more complex than I had expected based on the title and plot description. I absolutely loved Charlie! Gloria reminded me of some of Sarah Dessen's female characters. While I thought the plot and writing was more 3 stars than 4, I bumped it up to 4 because I ended up caring about the characters so much.
Sep 24, 2010
I loved the alternating perspectives in this. I truly loved both Gloria and Charlie, and loved seeing things from both their perspectives. This was both funny and lump-in-my-throat touching. And three cheers to Mr. Auseon for creating socio-economic diversity in this book, without making it The Whole Deal.
Jun 23, 2010
Marilyn
rated it:
A sweet friendship/romance develops between a so-called freak and the magnetic girl he meets in Washington DC. Both characters are extremely well drawn. The sadness and happiness in their lives are completely believable. An excellent choice for those looking for a romance without talk of sex. A little language.
Aug 18, 2011
Marilyn
rated it:
A book, told in alternating chapters of the male and female protagonists, that allows them to share the grief that each hasn't known how to handle. Auseon includes enough humor so the reader doesn't get bogged down by the sadness and loneliness of the characters, but those feelings are real, too.
Dec 10, 2010
alicatstrut
rated it:
Quirky and cute, characters are fleshed out, author has a good sense of humor. It's always good to read a well-written boy's POV. It lacks a certain sweetness which, I think, would have enhanced the story. Also could have been paced a little better but, overall, quick and enjoyable.
Feb 14, 2011
Meredith
rated it:
I wanted to like this more than I did. But I couldn't. I spent way too much of the book yelling at Gloria to be nice to her mom (girlfriend is a brat!). And as a long-time customer service person, I could not forgive Charlie for the scene(s) in the drugstore. Still, it was good enough to keep me reading, and I really liked parts of it.
Jan 23, 2011
Andrea!
rated it:
This one's told in the distinctive viewpoints of both Freak Charlie and Magnet Gloria. Charlie's really more "nerd" than "freak" – what with his love for astronomy and superman – and he's always truthful and sort of socially awkward. Gloria's the Freak Magnet; freaks just find her (and I'm pretty sure she secretly loves it), and of course, Charlie finds himself attracted.
Super endearing, quirky, and cute. My like for Charlie was instant, but Gloria grew on me as w More...
Super endearing, quirky, and cute. My like for Charlie was instant, but Gloria grew on me as w More...
