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The Temperature of Me and You
Sixteen-year-old Dylan Highmark thought his winter was going to be full of boring shifts at the Dairy Queen, until he finds himself in love with a boy who's literally too hot to handle.
Dylan has always wanted a boyfriend, but the suburbs surrounding Philadelphia do not have a lot in the way of options. Then, in walks Jordan, a completely normal (and undeniably cute) boy who also happens to run at a cool 110 degrees Fahrenheit. When the boys start spending time together, Dylan begins feeling all kinds of ways, and when he spikes a fever for two weeks and is suddenly coughing flames, he thinks he might be suffering from something more than just a crush. Jordan forces Dylan to keep his symptoms a secret. But as the pressure mounts and Dylan becomes distant with his closest friends and family, he pushes Jordan for answers. Jordan's revelations of why he's like this, where he came from, and who's after him leaves Dylan realizing how much first love is truly out of this world. And if Earth supports life that breathes oxygen, then love can only keep Jordan and Dylan together for so long.
Dylan has always wanted a boyfriend, but the suburbs surrounding Philadelphia do not have a lot in the way of options. Then, in walks Jordan, a completely normal (and undeniably cute) boy who also happens to run at a cool 110 degrees Fahrenheit. When the boys start spending time together, Dylan begins feeling all kinds of ways, and when he spikes a fever for two weeks and is suddenly coughing flames, he thinks he might be suffering from something more than just a crush. Jordan forces Dylan to keep his symptoms a secret. But as the pressure mounts and Dylan becomes distant with his closest friends and family, he pushes Jordan for answers. Jordan's revelations of why he's like this, where he came from, and who's after him leaves Dylan realizing how much first love is truly out of this world. And if Earth supports life that breathes oxygen, then love can only keep Jordan and Dylan together for so long.
Audiobook
First published January 25, 2022
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About the author
Brian Zepka
2 books238 followersBrian Zepka is an award-winning author and environmental scientist born and raised outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His debut young adult novel, The Temperature of Me and You, was a Brazilian bestseller and honored as the best translated young adult stand-alone novel of 2022 at the Tres Cantos International Festival of Children's and Youth Literature. Outside of writing, Brian works in global sustainability research, while pursuing his doctorate in public health at Johns Hopkins University.
You can find him on Instagram and TikTok @brianzepka.
You can find him on Instagram and TikTok @brianzepka.
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May 14, 2021this cover is gorgeously gay and it’s making me feel things
October 30, 2021
Ahhhh, young love, powers, and evil scientists. Sign me up! 😁
This was a fun YA story about a kid who got powers after an accident that killed his parents, then fleeing to stay one step ahead of the powerful corporation that was dead set on kidnapping and experimenting on him.
The main character was Dylan, an out HS junior without a lot of friends, who desperately wanted a boyfriend, then a mysterious cute guy, Jordan, showed up at Dylan's work and accidentally made his Dairy Queen Blizzard ice cream cup explode.
[My take on Dylan...]
I really enjoyed seeing the two adorable boys got to know one another and felt really sad for how lonely and isolated that Jordan felt while trying to hide his abilities from everyone around him. When he was finally able to start opening up to Dylan, it made my heart soar, just an itty bit.
[My interpretation of fire-friendly Jordan...]
For fans of TJ Klune's "The Extraordinaries" YA series, this story did remind me a lot of those stories; however, this was just a couple of regular high school guys trying to stay safe and hidden from the asshole scientists, without any attempts to be "superheroes" and fighting random villains.
There were also a lot of pages devoted to Dylan's two cheerleading BFF's, and a bitchy, mean girl, but not enough for me to find them distracting and/or overly-annoying, which I fully expected to happen.
The story had plenty of action and intrigue, with a hint of betrayal sprinkled in for good measure, but while the story did have a decent level of feels, they weren't quite what I'd call bone-deep.
There was a short separation toward the end, but that was blessedly not drawn out for too long.
My very favorite scene was the "flying through the trees, a la Tarzan and Jane", which made me laugh pretty hard. My twisted sense of humor just found that really funny.
If I had to list one major niggle, I'd have to say that I found it pretty annoying that the reader never found out any specific details behind how Jordan
Like, no details AT ALL. Nothing. Not even vague theories or conjecture. And why did the same thing not happen to other people in their lives, too??? Color me confused. 😕
Overall, I'd rate the book at around 4.25 stars for the pure enjoyment of it and recommend it without hesitation to fans of the TJ Klune 's"The Extraordinaries" books.
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My ARC copy of the book was provided by the publisher though NetGalley for a fair, unbiased review.
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January 25, 2022
Aw, this cover … It’s simply irresistible! One of the prettiest I’ve seen lately. I could swoon over it twenty-four hours a day … and those colors aren’t even my favorites …
I like to judge a book by its cover, and a feel-good cover needs a feel-good book. The Temperature of Me and You definitely has that feel-good factor, in the cover, the title, AND the writing. It has a sixteen-year-old protagonist who’s never had a boyfriend, witty banter, great supporting characters, and an original premise. Recommended for fans of T.J. Klune’s The Extraordinaries and Simon James Green.
I love stories based on strong friendships. I adore stories about first loves. I smile when a teen is overly dramatic. And I devour cute and funny moments, especially after reading some heavier-themed stories. The Temperature of Me and You has it all, and I didn’t even know that I needed a book like this right now, until I started reading it! So, I grinned when Dylan, Perry, and Kirsten were de-stressing with paint-by-number kits. I said ‘ouch’ when Dylan touched Jordan for the first time. I laughed out loud about Perry’s Love Connection. I chuckled when Dylan made references to Pokémon. I got butterflies in my belly when Dylan and Jordan suddenly kissed. And I wanted to know so much more about that literally hot boy!
At first, I thought the story would be too predictable, the writing too simple, the romance too insta. But then the action started, and I enjoyed myself tremendously, and I kept grinning and reading and even had a lump in my throat once or twice. I have to admit, the story could be a bit shorter, but who cares when it cheers you up? And that cover again … I can imagine teens hanging a poster of it above their bed so they can swoon over it. Having friends over, gaping at it together, gushing about how gorgeous it is. Doing … mmm, well …, I’m just saying this cover would be great merchandise … And it’s definitely a cover that will stand out in a bookstore!
My reward: four hot 🔥🔥🔥🔥!
I received an ARC from Disney Publishing Worldwide and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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I like to judge a book by its cover, and a feel-good cover needs a feel-good book. The Temperature of Me and You definitely has that feel-good factor, in the cover, the title, AND the writing. It has a sixteen-year-old protagonist who’s never had a boyfriend, witty banter, great supporting characters, and an original premise. Recommended for fans of T.J. Klune’s The Extraordinaries and Simon James Green.
I love stories based on strong friendships. I adore stories about first loves. I smile when a teen is overly dramatic. And I devour cute and funny moments, especially after reading some heavier-themed stories. The Temperature of Me and You has it all, and I didn’t even know that I needed a book like this right now, until I started reading it! So, I grinned when Dylan, Perry, and Kirsten were de-stressing with paint-by-number kits. I said ‘ouch’ when Dylan touched Jordan for the first time. I laughed out loud about Perry’s Love Connection. I chuckled when Dylan made references to Pokémon. I got butterflies in my belly when Dylan and Jordan suddenly kissed. And I wanted to know so much more about that literally hot boy!
At first, I thought the story would be too predictable, the writing too simple, the romance too insta. But then the action started, and I enjoyed myself tremendously, and I kept grinning and reading and even had a lump in my throat once or twice. I have to admit, the story could be a bit shorter, but who cares when it cheers you up? And that cover again … I can imagine teens hanging a poster of it above their bed so they can swoon over it. Having friends over, gaping at it together, gushing about how gorgeous it is. Doing … mmm, well …, I’m just saying this cover would be great merchandise … And it’s definitely a cover that will stand out in a bookstore!
My reward: four hot 🔥🔥🔥🔥!
I received an ARC from Disney Publishing Worldwide and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Follow me on Instagram
February 19, 2022
Unfortunately, I didn't love this one. The Temperature of Me and You was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022. The first few pages was so gripping, I loved it! However, the main character was immature and rude. I also found that the book was very slow-paced. The sci-fi aspect was very mysterious and interesting though. I wish the book focused more on the science fiction parts of the story, rather than the 'slice of life' parts, as I found the inner monologues to be boring. The science/fantasy elements felt very lackluster too. To me, there weren't enough elements to balance out both the contemporary and the sci-fi aspects of the story. Overall, I was disappointed with this book. The original premise is incredible, but the execution was not done well.
January 30, 2022
Well this was a ride and I wish I could say that it was a good one but I am not a fan. This book had some interesting qualities and a couple redeeming characters, but as a whole it has a lot of problematic things happening.
So this whole book is focused on our MC Dylan who is gay and never had a boyfriend and during one night at his Dairy Queen shift, a cute boy walks in after closing, orders ice cream and proceeds to blow it up with his hand. When Dylan chases after him and touches his shoulder or something, his hand gets burned. Then despite being told to stay away and not follow, Dylan proceeds to low key stalk this boy.
Anyway, that's not really my issue with the book. This book wanted to be a cross between The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune and The Bright Sessions by Lauren Shippen. It tried to have a queer MC who developed some sort of superpower and then has to fight off a villain and it just didn't work. It is somehow super rushed and super slow at the same time. The details of the villain of the story don't match up and there isn't enough background to really understand what's happening besides the most basic of facts.
Let's get to the actual problematic moments and not just my subjective dislike of this book.
The Harry Potter reference. Are you freaking kidding me. In a queer book published in 2022! This is unacceptable.
The casual sexism and misogyny. Our MC has two girl best friends and I feel like the author tried to use that to offset the constant undertone of misogyny from this book. A couple instances are the continuing use of the word "hoes" to describe Catholic school girls, the villainization of the cheer coach who is older and apparently smelly and fat. The coach who they all make fun of for eating lean cuisines when they obviously don't work and the connection between being mean and being unhygienic and fat is a bad freaking look. Can we stop being fatphobic please? Then there is the fact that the only other queer character in this book besides are two seemingly wonderful gay boy MC and LI, is a bitchy mean girl. I mean sure, glorify gay boys and vilify lesbians. Sounds cool 🙄
Then there's the matter of the GSA. Can we please stop calling these gay straight alliances? Have we not evolved past this point? I was told a while ago that most places are now calling these gender and sexuality groups instead. I can't remember if the term is alliance or something else for the A but the whole premise is that it is more than just gay and straight and that it is about gender and sexuality as spectrums. Then within that group, a group full of allies, the faculty advisor introduces himself with " male pronouns " and no one corrects him. What the fuck? There's no such thing as male pronouns. Just say he/him if that's what you mean.
I found myself distracted by the small problematic moments and ultimately it caused me to dislike this story in its entirety. It's could have been a decent book, but it actually is one to avoid in my opinion.
So this whole book is focused on our MC Dylan who is gay and never had a boyfriend and during one night at his Dairy Queen shift, a cute boy walks in after closing, orders ice cream and proceeds to blow it up with his hand. When Dylan chases after him and touches his shoulder or something, his hand gets burned. Then despite being told to stay away and not follow, Dylan proceeds to low key stalk this boy.
Anyway, that's not really my issue with the book. This book wanted to be a cross between The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune and The Bright Sessions by Lauren Shippen. It tried to have a queer MC who developed some sort of superpower and then has to fight off a villain and it just didn't work. It is somehow super rushed and super slow at the same time. The details of the villain of the story don't match up and there isn't enough background to really understand what's happening besides the most basic of facts.
Let's get to the actual problematic moments and not just my subjective dislike of this book.
The Harry Potter reference. Are you freaking kidding me. In a queer book published in 2022! This is unacceptable.
The casual sexism and misogyny. Our MC has two girl best friends and I feel like the author tried to use that to offset the constant undertone of misogyny from this book. A couple instances are the continuing use of the word "hoes" to describe Catholic school girls, the villainization of the cheer coach who is older and apparently smelly and fat. The coach who they all make fun of for eating lean cuisines when they obviously don't work and the connection between being mean and being unhygienic and fat is a bad freaking look. Can we stop being fatphobic please? Then there is the fact that the only other queer character in this book besides are two seemingly wonderful gay boy MC and LI, is a bitchy mean girl. I mean sure, glorify gay boys and vilify lesbians. Sounds cool 🙄
Then there's the matter of the GSA. Can we please stop calling these gay straight alliances? Have we not evolved past this point? I was told a while ago that most places are now calling these gender and sexuality groups instead. I can't remember if the term is alliance or something else for the A but the whole premise is that it is more than just gay and straight and that it is about gender and sexuality as spectrums. Then within that group, a group full of allies, the faculty advisor introduces himself with " male pronouns " and no one corrects him. What the fuck? There's no such thing as male pronouns. Just say he/him if that's what you mean.
I found myself distracted by the small problematic moments and ultimately it caused me to dislike this story in its entirety. It's could have been a decent book, but it actually is one to avoid in my opinion.
dnf
February 1, 2022DNF. no rating.
i made it four chapters before i decided it just wasn’t going to work for me. the cover is absolutely gorgeous, though.
i made it four chapters before i decided it just wasn’t going to work for me. the cover is absolutely gorgeous, though.
January 21, 2023
2.5 Stars
Despite having a gorgeous cover this wasn't the superhero falls for 'norm' gay romance I hoped it would be. A major case of instalove and no real chemistry between our main characters meant at times the book was dull. There also wasn't enough world building to help us in terms of understanding the sci-fi elements of the story. Now the powers themselves were pretty cool and that is what kept me reading. Just okay for me.
Despite having a gorgeous cover this wasn't the superhero falls for 'norm' gay romance I hoped it would be. A major case of instalove and no real chemistry between our main characters meant at times the book was dull. There also wasn't enough world building to help us in terms of understanding the sci-fi elements of the story. Now the powers themselves were pretty cool and that is what kept me reading. Just okay for me.
February 18, 2022
The Temperature of Me and You sounds like your typical romance title, so I was delighted to discover that the synopsis actually promoted the story of a boy who’s a living inferno. Fantastic Four vibes? I'm in.
~★~ What is this book about? ~★~
When the new boy in town–Jordan–wanders into the Dairy Queen Dylan works at, he believes this could finally be his chance at landing a boyfriend. Except Jordan is hiding superpowers, and makes a break for it after he promptly blows up his ice cream. Stil, Dylan is determined to get close to the boy with a strange secret, discovering that Jordan is quite literally hot to the touch. As the two spend more time together, it becomes obvious that Jordan is hiding more than just his powers, and is running from something much bigger than Dylan could imagine.
────── {⋆★⋆} ──────
It turns out this book was closer to what I expected before reading the synopsis: a fun but easily forgettable YA romance with lackluster sci-fi elements. I started off enraptured by Dylan’s internal monologue (rich with the type of teenage humour I love) but it soon devolved into a more typical narrative. All of the characters sort of blended together, without many unique traits to make them stand out.
While I did like the buildup and romance between Dylan and Jordan, the plot was what continued to hinder my enjoyment. I found the villains altogether unthreatening and grew tired of the cat-and-mouse between Dylan, Jordan and HydroPyro (since it seemed to be going in circles). Either way, this was a briefy entertaining book, just one I found to be quite ordinary.
Thank you to Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for the arc!
~★~ What is this book about? ~★~
When the new boy in town–Jordan–wanders into the Dairy Queen Dylan works at, he believes this could finally be his chance at landing a boyfriend. Except Jordan is hiding superpowers, and makes a break for it after he promptly blows up his ice cream. Stil, Dylan is determined to get close to the boy with a strange secret, discovering that Jordan is quite literally hot to the touch. As the two spend more time together, it becomes obvious that Jordan is hiding more than just his powers, and is running from something much bigger than Dylan could imagine.
────── {⋆★⋆} ──────
It turns out this book was closer to what I expected before reading the synopsis: a fun but easily forgettable YA romance with lackluster sci-fi elements. I started off enraptured by Dylan’s internal monologue (rich with the type of teenage humour I love) but it soon devolved into a more typical narrative. All of the characters sort of blended together, without many unique traits to make them stand out.
While I did like the buildup and romance between Dylan and Jordan, the plot was what continued to hinder my enjoyment. I found the villains altogether unthreatening and grew tired of the cat-and-mouse between Dylan, Jordan and HydroPyro (since it seemed to be going in circles). Either way, this was a briefy entertaining book, just one I found to be quite ordinary.
Thank you to Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for the arc!
February 17, 2022
3/5 because the whole time i was thinking about how i could be reading CC2 right now
February 3, 2022
This was so good! What a great debut novel from Brian Zepka! The temperature of me and you is following our main character name dylan and he is ur oridnairy sixteen years old boy and one day while he's working at his local dairy queen a boy came into his work place and started giving Dylan some shocks.. Soon Dylan learn what Jordan is and how come he's so hot (litteraly)....
November 6, 2021
Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of The Temperature of Me and You.
Starting off this review begging people recommend me sapphic YA Superhero/powers books because I've read so many stellar MLM books and while they're great, I'm dying for the opportunity to self-project into these. I'd be willing to trade a bit of the monopoly WLW currently have on contemporary witch romances for a slice of whatever this is because I'm addicted.
Anywho, The Temperature of Me and You is as wonderful as it sounds like it'll be. Queer social anxious high schooler falls for mysterious person with super powers is becoming one of my favourite subgenres and The Temperature of Me and You is up there among the best of them. I do wish we got a little less science talk because this was never going to feel 100% plausible and I don't think the book needed to devote this much time to pretending it is but other than that, this was wonderful.
Starting off this review begging people recommend me sapphic YA Superhero/powers books because I've read so many stellar MLM books and while they're great, I'm dying for the opportunity to self-project into these. I'd be willing to trade a bit of the monopoly WLW currently have on contemporary witch romances for a slice of whatever this is because I'm addicted.
Anywho, The Temperature of Me and You is as wonderful as it sounds like it'll be. Queer social anxious high schooler falls for mysterious person with super powers is becoming one of my favourite subgenres and The Temperature of Me and You is up there among the best of them. I do wish we got a little less science talk because this was never going to feel 100% plausible and I don't think the book needed to devote this much time to pretending it is but other than that, this was wonderful.
May 25, 2023
Thank you to Brian Zepka and Disney books for this ARC.
Such a wonderful debut by this author. I really loved the way book tied in the real world and also the fantastical elements. This is clearly my favorite type of genre to read. I love reading contemporary books with some fantasy/speculative elements mixed in. I also loved the way that the author included some real world issues like being different, and finding your first love while in high school.
Book publishes January 25, 2022 and I have already preordered my copy!
Such a wonderful debut by this author. I really loved the way book tied in the real world and also the fantastical elements. This is clearly my favorite type of genre to read. I love reading contemporary books with some fantasy/speculative elements mixed in. I also loved the way that the author included some real world issues like being different, and finding your first love while in high school.
Book publishes January 25, 2022 and I have already preordered my copy!
2022-unreleased
May 13, 2021EDIT: THAT COVER Y'ALL
The way this book releases when I'm the same age as the MC, the gays are truly winning.
The way this book releases when I'm the same age as the MC, the gays are truly winning.
February 4, 2022
4 Stars
Review:
*I received an audio copy of this book via NetGalley. This has not influenced my review.*
This was one of those books about teens with teen problems but also a bit of magic or powers, a sort of subgenre that I love, and I enjoyed it!
The main character, Dylan, had a fun voice that really sounded “teen,” at least to me, who is admittedly not a teen anymore. But I felt like it had a nice spark of personality with just the right amount of irreverence and messiness and imperfection while still being likeable. He made me laugh sometimes, and thinking back to my high school years, I found some things relatable.
I also liked the romance. Dylan and Jordan had an instant attraction/connection, then they spent time together, went on some dates, texted, and bonded over their mutual secret/danger. And in the time that I got to see of them together, I thought they were cute! They had me smiling. I believed that, whether it was really love or not, they felt something, and for them those feelings were big. I could understand and feel that pull they had to each other.
There were some nice friendships in the book too, and they were just as prominent as the romance. And Dylan had a family who seemed to care.
The heat/fire power element of the story was interesting. It added some unusual struggles to the characters’ everyday lives, since they weren’t always entirely in control of the powers, as well as a bit of action and a threat of danger.
The author did a great job of portraying how things in Dylan’s life kind of spiraled when he got involved with Jordan. I could feel the messiness and the distance it started creating with everyone else in his life. Not because it was a toxic relationship, just because of the weird situation with the powers. And then the author also showed Dylan trying to fix things with everyone, which was nice.
There was also some general teen stuff. Like friend troubles, bullying, extracurriculars, etc.
I want to mention a few complaints, or things I’ve seen mentioned by others, though I found them easy enough to overlook. 1) I don’t feel like I got to know Jordan (the love interest) very well, but the book wasn’t really about him, it was about Dylan. 2) Jordan told Dylan about his powers really quickly, but eh. I’ve had people I barely knew spill personal things to me. Sometimes people have something they just can’t keep in any longer. Granted, Jordan’s secret was dangerous to share, but the fact that Dylan kind of already knew or suspected was probably the excuse Jordan needed. 3) The heat powers seemed slightly inconsistent, and it wasn’t explained how the power transferred, but I just accepted all that as part of the premise. And 4) The whole thing with the bad guys felt overly simplistic and a bit cliche, but I just kinda shrugged that off too.
The audiobook narration by Andrew Gibson took me a bit to get used to, it had a sort of slightly dramatic and bitter feel to it, but I did get into it, and now I feel like it was a good choice. His narration brought a personality and feel to the main character that seemed to suit him. Voices for Dylan and Jordan weren’t super different, one was just a bit more gravelly, but girl characters all sounded different from Dylan, and I never got confused who was talking. I enjoyed the audio.
Overall, I liked the main character’s voice, the first love romance, the friendships, the touch and humor and action, and the unique sci-fi powers. It was a story I enjoyed, and it seems exactly like the kinda thing I would’ve been really into as a teen!
Trigger/Content Warnings: Numerous instances of graphic vomiting.
*Rating: 4 Stars // Read Date: 2022 // Format: Audiobook*
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes queer YA romance, friendship, teens with teen problems but also magic/powers, and a bit of danger and action.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
Review:
*I received an audio copy of this book via NetGalley. This has not influenced my review.*
This was one of those books about teens with teen problems but also a bit of magic or powers, a sort of subgenre that I love, and I enjoyed it!
The main character, Dylan, had a fun voice that really sounded “teen,” at least to me, who is admittedly not a teen anymore. But I felt like it had a nice spark of personality with just the right amount of irreverence and messiness and imperfection while still being likeable. He made me laugh sometimes, and thinking back to my high school years, I found some things relatable.
I also liked the romance. Dylan and Jordan had an instant attraction/connection, then they spent time together, went on some dates, texted, and bonded over their mutual secret/danger. And in the time that I got to see of them together, I thought they were cute! They had me smiling. I believed that, whether it was really love or not, they felt something, and for them those feelings were big. I could understand and feel that pull they had to each other.
There were some nice friendships in the book too, and they were just as prominent as the romance. And Dylan had a family who seemed to care.
The heat/fire power element of the story was interesting. It added some unusual struggles to the characters’ everyday lives, since they weren’t always entirely in control of the powers, as well as a bit of action and a threat of danger.
The author did a great job of portraying how things in Dylan’s life kind of spiraled when he got involved with Jordan. I could feel the messiness and the distance it started creating with everyone else in his life. Not because it was a toxic relationship, just because of the weird situation with the powers. And then the author also showed Dylan trying to fix things with everyone, which was nice.
There was also some general teen stuff. Like friend troubles, bullying, extracurriculars, etc.
I want to mention a few complaints, or things I’ve seen mentioned by others, though I found them easy enough to overlook. 1) I don’t feel like I got to know Jordan (the love interest) very well, but the book wasn’t really about him, it was about Dylan. 2) Jordan told Dylan about his powers really quickly, but eh. I’ve had people I barely knew spill personal things to me. Sometimes people have something they just can’t keep in any longer. Granted, Jordan’s secret was dangerous to share, but the fact that Dylan kind of already knew or suspected was probably the excuse Jordan needed. 3) The heat powers seemed slightly inconsistent, and it wasn’t explained how the power transferred, but I just accepted all that as part of the premise. And 4) The whole thing with the bad guys felt overly simplistic and a bit cliche, but I just kinda shrugged that off too.
The audiobook narration by Andrew Gibson took me a bit to get used to, it had a sort of slightly dramatic and bitter feel to it, but I did get into it, and now I feel like it was a good choice. His narration brought a personality and feel to the main character that seemed to suit him. Voices for Dylan and Jordan weren’t super different, one was just a bit more gravelly, but girl characters all sounded different from Dylan, and I never got confused who was talking. I enjoyed the audio.
Overall, I liked the main character’s voice, the first love romance, the friendships, the touch and humor and action, and the unique sci-fi powers. It was a story I enjoyed, and it seems exactly like the kinda thing I would’ve been really into as a teen!
Trigger/Content Warnings: Numerous instances of graphic vomiting.
*Rating: 4 Stars // Read Date: 2022 // Format: Audiobook*
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes queer YA romance, friendship, teens with teen problems but also magic/powers, and a bit of danger and action.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
November 15, 2021
Brian Zepka has a wonderful YA debut with this novel. It's very contemporary at its core, following Dylan on his average life through his average school and suddenly getting thrown into very unusual situations. I enjoyed this one quite a bit and am excited to see what else Brian has in store as an author.
There's a journey that Dylan goes on in this where he finds himself in anyways I don't think he really knew he was lost. For the first half of the book he's very much in his own head and not really feeling like he has anything going for him. That quickly changes when he meets Jordan, a fiery (literally) love interest, and things start to change for Dylan.
Dylan's journey is the core of this book, not the fantasy elements or boyfriend who can shoot fire, or the scientist hunting them down. These are all present and help push the story along, but it's the self discovery Dylan makes that really make this compelling. The ending gets a neat little bow and I am honestly okay with how neat it ends up.
I enjoyed the pure YA elements of this book, and without too much spoiler, I mean it has those moments that just only happen in YA books/TV/movies but are fun and interesting to see. It never crosses into the nonsense that some teen books can easily fall into, which was nice to see.
There's a fantasy element to this book because Jordan has "super powers". Some of these elements felt very unconvincing because I wasn't sold on the world building. There are elements to both the powers and the general story that I felt like were not fully developed and could have used a finer touch. However, most of my criticism on this front comes from reading this as a review copy and not simply reading it for fun. These elements don't ruin any of the enjoyment of the story, but a critical eye will have a lot of questions.
I will say the romance wasn't was hot and burning as I expected going into this. Jordan is not on screen very often, and the story mainly focuses around Dylan and Dylan alone,. It works, it's just not the YA romance I was expecting to get.
There is a lot of good in this story as well. It deals with coming out as queer and finding acceptance in others, and ourself, when someone does that. It portrays certain characters in a grey light and doesn't give them an immediate redemption. I think Brian was juggling a lot of balls with this novel and kept most of them aloft.
There's a journey that Dylan goes on in this where he finds himself in anyways I don't think he really knew he was lost. For the first half of the book he's very much in his own head and not really feeling like he has anything going for him. That quickly changes when he meets Jordan, a fiery (literally) love interest, and things start to change for Dylan.
Dylan's journey is the core of this book, not the fantasy elements or boyfriend who can shoot fire, or the scientist hunting them down. These are all present and help push the story along, but it's the self discovery Dylan makes that really make this compelling. The ending gets a neat little bow and I am honestly okay with how neat it ends up.
I enjoyed the pure YA elements of this book, and without too much spoiler, I mean it has those moments that just only happen in YA books/TV/movies but are fun and interesting to see. It never crosses into the nonsense that some teen books can easily fall into, which was nice to see.
There's a fantasy element to this book because Jordan has "super powers". Some of these elements felt very unconvincing because I wasn't sold on the world building. There are elements to both the powers and the general story that I felt like were not fully developed and could have used a finer touch. However, most of my criticism on this front comes from reading this as a review copy and not simply reading it for fun. These elements don't ruin any of the enjoyment of the story, but a critical eye will have a lot of questions.
I will say the romance wasn't was hot and burning as I expected going into this. Jordan is not on screen very often, and the story mainly focuses around Dylan and Dylan alone,. It works, it's just not the YA romance I was expecting to get.
There is a lot of good in this story as well. It deals with coming out as queer and finding acceptance in others, and ourself, when someone does that. It portrays certain characters in a grey light and doesn't give them an immediate redemption. I think Brian was juggling a lot of balls with this novel and kept most of them aloft.
January 4, 2022
2/5
I was very excited about this book, I’m always looking for more sci-fi with queer protagonists, but sadly this novel didn’t work for me.
The initial idea was interesting and I liked the characters, but apart from that, I don’t really have anything very positive to say. The pacing was very awkward, dragging through scenes that were unnecessary and completely forgettable. It took so long to get to the exciting moments that once they were happening, I didn’t care anymore. This book was way too long for how little plot there was.
The romance didn’t satisfy me either, as it happened so fast and for no reason, giving us weird interactions and dialogues. The stakes were so high for the characters, they found themselves facing great danger, and all the narrator did during those scenes was comment on how cute his boyfriend is.
Add to that the fact that I couldn’t possibly suspend my disbelief enough to appreciate this book. Sci-fi-y stuff happens without any explanation, and doesn’t really get resolved. It’s just a bunch of events happening one after the other and not making any sense. The writing wasn’t my cup of tea either, I thought it wasn’t really flowing and it was sometimes hard to see who was talking, especially in the first half.
Last, I gotta say I really don’t enjoy the closeted homophobe trope, and the way these characters are used in 90% of the cases I’ve come across, including in this book. I don’t like reading about a shitty character who’s presented as a villain from the start, and have them suddenly come out and be forgiven. I feel like I’ve read this story a hundred times before and it’s time now to write something different. It feels kind of outdated to me.
I’m honestly gutted about this, I wanted to enjoy this novel because it looked like a lot of fun and was very promising. I can only hope that it’ll find its audience. It wasn’t for me, but might be enjoyed by young teenagers or readers who aren’t bothered by illogical plot progressions. It’s always nice to see more queer protagonists represented in YA science fiction though!!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for this eARC!
I was very excited about this book, I’m always looking for more sci-fi with queer protagonists, but sadly this novel didn’t work for me.
The initial idea was interesting and I liked the characters, but apart from that, I don’t really have anything very positive to say. The pacing was very awkward, dragging through scenes that were unnecessary and completely forgettable. It took so long to get to the exciting moments that once they were happening, I didn’t care anymore. This book was way too long for how little plot there was.
The romance didn’t satisfy me either, as it happened so fast and for no reason, giving us weird interactions and dialogues. The stakes were so high for the characters, they found themselves facing great danger, and all the narrator did during those scenes was comment on how cute his boyfriend is.
Add to that the fact that I couldn’t possibly suspend my disbelief enough to appreciate this book. Sci-fi-y stuff happens without any explanation, and doesn’t really get resolved. It’s just a bunch of events happening one after the other and not making any sense. The writing wasn’t my cup of tea either, I thought it wasn’t really flowing and it was sometimes hard to see who was talking, especially in the first half.
Last, I gotta say I really don’t enjoy the closeted homophobe trope, and the way these characters are used in 90% of the cases I’ve come across, including in this book. I don’t like reading about a shitty character who’s presented as a villain from the start, and have them suddenly come out and be forgiven. I feel like I’ve read this story a hundred times before and it’s time now to write something different. It feels kind of outdated to me.
I’m honestly gutted about this, I wanted to enjoy this novel because it looked like a lot of fun and was very promising. I can only hope that it’ll find its audience. It wasn’t for me, but might be enjoyed by young teenagers or readers who aren’t bothered by illogical plot progressions. It’s always nice to see more queer protagonists represented in YA science fiction though!!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for this eARC!
November 3, 2024
2.5 el pobre libro sufre del síndrome de miscommunication
No lo odié, pero me ENFERMA todo el potencial desperdiciado que tuvo. La química entre el protagonista y el interés amoroso es casi inexistente, no considero que se desarrolle bien. Nada fue bien ejecutado, es como si todos los eventos de esta historia hubieran sido puestos sin ninguna razón aparente.El acoso y el bullying no fueron bien tratados. Y EL PROTAGONISTA... Perdón, pero una vez que el protagonista me cae mal automáticamente sé que el libro no es para mi.
Es la primera vez que dejo que una portada me genere expectativas (lección aprendida, no volveré a hacerlo)
No lo odié, pero me ENFERMA todo el potencial desperdiciado que tuvo. La química entre el protagonista y el interés amoroso es casi inexistente, no considero que se desarrolle bien. Nada fue bien ejecutado, es como si todos los eventos de esta historia hubieran sido puestos sin ninguna razón aparente.El acoso y el bullying no fueron bien tratados. Y EL PROTAGONISTA... Perdón, pero una vez que el protagonista me cae mal automáticamente sé que el libro no es para mi.
Es la primera vez que dejo que una portada me genere expectativas (lección aprendida, no volveré a hacerlo)
August 21, 2023
(edit august 2023 : 4 stars)
My review may not be objective, as I read the first two thirds of the book in March 2022, and only picked it up and finished it in January 2023, but I loved this book. I was a little scared because of the various very mixed reviews I read, but in the end I'm glad I judged it by its (beautiful) cover.
To begin with, I really like YA science fiction novels in which the main characters have powers. What convinced me to read this book was the fact that it was recommended to fans of The Extraordinaries, which is one of my favorite books, and indeed, several elements reminded me of it and I inevitably liked it a lot.
The romance was an element that worried me a bit at first, since the characters seem to get close very quickly, like in an insta-love (a trope I can't stand). But in the end, even though their relationship moves pretty quickly, their feelings evolve in a realistic pace throughout the book, and I found they had good chemistry.
I got attached to Dylan because I found him to be a realistic and funny YA main character that you can relate to as a teenager, something that can be hard to do in some YA novels where the characters act and think like anything but real teenagers, especially in paranormal stories. Even his friends (who I liked a lot) were acting the way I think they should have acted, which was satisfying.
Overall, The Temperature Of Me And You is my first five star of the year and maybe even a new favorite, and I don't regret finishing it after all this time because the ending was worth it.
My review may not be objective, as I read the first two thirds of the book in March 2022, and only picked it up and finished it in January 2023, but I loved this book. I was a little scared because of the various very mixed reviews I read, but in the end I'm glad I judged it by its (beautiful) cover.
To begin with, I really like YA science fiction novels in which the main characters have powers. What convinced me to read this book was the fact that it was recommended to fans of The Extraordinaries, which is one of my favorite books, and indeed, several elements reminded me of it and I inevitably liked it a lot.
The romance was an element that worried me a bit at first, since the characters seem to get close very quickly, like in an insta-love (a trope I can't stand). But in the end, even though their relationship moves pretty quickly, their feelings evolve in a realistic pace throughout the book, and I found they had good chemistry.
I got attached to Dylan because I found him to be a realistic and funny YA main character that you can relate to as a teenager, something that can be hard to do in some YA novels where the characters act and think like anything but real teenagers, especially in paranormal stories. Even his friends (who I liked a lot) were acting the way I think they should have acted, which was satisfying.
Overall, The Temperature Of Me And You is my first five star of the year and maybe even a new favorite, and I don't regret finishing it after all this time because the ending was worth it.
April 10, 2024
Este libro tiene un potencial para más pero no se alcanzó, te lo venden como una historia romántica (literalmente se llama The Temperature of Me and You) y no es lo suficientemente romántica, al igual que en otros temas que trata el autor, todo se queda a medias, y eso fue lo que más me molestó.
Lo que si rescato fueron los personajes, al menos los 5 principales me parecieron bien creados y me encariñé con ellos.
Calificación: 2.5/5⭐️
Lo que si rescato fueron los personajes, al menos los 5 principales me parecieron bien creados y me encariñé con ellos.
Calificación: 2.5/5⭐️
December 15, 2021
Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
2.5/5
This was a hot ass mess. Pun intended. I might lower my rating bc this became such a damn chore to read.
The Temperature of Me & You is about two young boys navigating high school, crushes and fire powers. Unfortunately for Dylan, Jordan seems interesting until he explodes his ice cream cup can then literally burns Dylan within minutes of meeting. Dylan needs to know what happened, but he doesn't know how to contact Jordan. The two eventually connect again and they try to figure out how Jordan's power works.
I really wanted to like this but when we start out by lightly stalking a love interest, the red flags go up. I could not deal with Dylan. He just seemed so disconnected from reality. As the book goes on, the plans he hatch just got increasingly more ridiculous. I really considered DNFing this book because I was so annoyed/irritated. I don't know if this was a product of the writing, the characters, the plot or a combination of all three. there's also a Harry Potter reference in this and like I hate seeing those in books written by white cishet authors, but seeing it in a queer books that publishing in 2022?? You should know better.
I did really like Dylan's friendship with Kirsten and Perry. I loved those two girls. I loved how much they were there for Dylan and each other. Easily the best part of the book for me. I also loved the sapphic character who came in later even though she's done some pretty awful things.
All in all, this didn't work for me, but I would read the author's next book and see if it was just this book in particular.
Rep: white gay male MC, achillean male love interest, white lesbian female side character in a WLW relationship.
CWs: Underage alcohol consumption, bullying, fire/fire injury, homophobia/homomisia, kidnapping/attempted kidnapping, medical trauma/scientific experimentation without consent. Moderate: Car accident, death of parents, vomit. Harry Potter reference.
2.5/5
This was a hot ass mess. Pun intended. I might lower my rating bc this became such a damn chore to read.
The Temperature of Me & You is about two young boys navigating high school, crushes and fire powers. Unfortunately for Dylan, Jordan seems interesting until he explodes his ice cream cup can then literally burns Dylan within minutes of meeting. Dylan needs to know what happened, but he doesn't know how to contact Jordan. The two eventually connect again and they try to figure out how Jordan's power works.
I really wanted to like this but when we start out by lightly stalking a love interest, the red flags go up. I could not deal with Dylan. He just seemed so disconnected from reality. As the book goes on, the plans he hatch just got increasingly more ridiculous. I really considered DNFing this book because I was so annoyed/irritated. I don't know if this was a product of the writing, the characters, the plot or a combination of all three. there's also a Harry Potter reference in this and like I hate seeing those in books written by white cishet authors, but seeing it in a queer books that publishing in 2022?? You should know better.
I did really like Dylan's friendship with Kirsten and Perry. I loved those two girls. I loved how much they were there for Dylan and each other. Easily the best part of the book for me. I also loved the sapphic character who came in later even though she's done some pretty awful things.
All in all, this didn't work for me, but I would read the author's next book and see if it was just this book in particular.
Rep: white gay male MC, achillean male love interest, white lesbian female side character in a WLW relationship.
CWs: Underage alcohol consumption, bullying, fire/fire injury, homophobia/homomisia, kidnapping/attempted kidnapping, medical trauma/scientific experimentation without consent. Moderate: Car accident, death of parents, vomit. Harry Potter reference.
February 7, 2022
The Temperature of Me and You is a strong debut novel that manages to be cute, sweet, intriguing, and mysterious all at the same time. Well-done, and I'm looking forward to seeing the TV adaptation.
January 26, 2022
What a delightfully sweet story! I’ve been wondering recently if YA novels were starting to lose their appeal to me, but this book reminded me of all the fun elements and tropes to be found in these types of stories. Zepka’s debut novel packs a coming-of-age story that shines a spotlight on adolescent friendships, familial bonds, and lgbtq representation. And can we please talk about how gorgeous the cover is?! It’s one of the first things about this book that captured my attention, and I’m so glad that I was given the chance to read this story early. Huge thanks to the author and DisneyHyperion for gifting me an arc in exchange for my honest opinions.
We follow the book from the pov of Dylan, a sixteen-year-old boy who meets Jordan, a fellow student who Dylan finds both physically and literally hot (yes he’s cute, but Jordan also happens to run at a constant 110 degrees Fahrenheit). As the boys connect and grow closer, so do the secrets surrounding the mystery of Jordan’s condition and the nefarious figures who may be after him.
I really enjoyed all the characters in this book! Dylan was so believable as a boy struggling to adjust to growing pains and getting through high school unscathed. His inner thoughts and monologues were hilarious and so very relatable, because I think all of us have felt insecure, awkward, and unsure at many moments in adolescence. I also loved the authenticity of his friendship with Kirsten and Perry; I was touched by how they always had each others’ backs and that the girls supported Dylan immediately once he was comfortable enough to share his predicament with them.
There were a few side plots involving some of Dylan’s classmates that I think could have been expanded on a little more, but I liked that they deviated from the typical ‘mean girl’ storyline well enough to avoid becoming too predictable. I would’ve liked to have more explanation for the origin of Jordan’s condition, but overall I enjoyed the focus on the interactions between the characters and the kinship that Jordan and Dylan found among each other. And whoa that ending! I had about 25 pages of the book left where the climax was just starting to reach a crescendo and I had no idea how the book was going to pull off the ending. But it did! The action scenes were easy to follow, the plot was well-paced, and the final pages gave me the satisfying ending that I was seeking. Safe to say this author is now on my radar and I can’t wait to see what other stories he will share in the future.
We follow the book from the pov of Dylan, a sixteen-year-old boy who meets Jordan, a fellow student who Dylan finds both physically and literally hot (yes he’s cute, but Jordan also happens to run at a constant 110 degrees Fahrenheit). As the boys connect and grow closer, so do the secrets surrounding the mystery of Jordan’s condition and the nefarious figures who may be after him.
I really enjoyed all the characters in this book! Dylan was so believable as a boy struggling to adjust to growing pains and getting through high school unscathed. His inner thoughts and monologues were hilarious and so very relatable, because I think all of us have felt insecure, awkward, and unsure at many moments in adolescence. I also loved the authenticity of his friendship with Kirsten and Perry; I was touched by how they always had each others’ backs and that the girls supported Dylan immediately once he was comfortable enough to share his predicament with them.
There were a few side plots involving some of Dylan’s classmates that I think could have been expanded on a little more, but I liked that they deviated from the typical ‘mean girl’ storyline well enough to avoid becoming too predictable. I would’ve liked to have more explanation for the origin of Jordan’s condition, but overall I enjoyed the focus on the interactions between the characters and the kinship that Jordan and Dylan found among each other. And whoa that ending! I had about 25 pages of the book left where the climax was just starting to reach a crescendo and I had no idea how the book was going to pull off the ending. But it did! The action scenes were easy to follow, the plot was well-paced, and the final pages gave me the satisfying ending that I was seeking. Safe to say this author is now on my radar and I can’t wait to see what other stories he will share in the future.
October 10, 2021
What a breath of fresh air this novel was. Not only did it explore the LGTBQA community in a way books rarely do, but it also touched on friendship, romantic love, and self-love in a way that made it relatable to the reader. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this new author, but after reading his debut novel I will definitely be back from more!
January 14, 2022
Actual rating is like 4.5!! So I have been looking forward to this book for a really long time and I'm so happy I got the chance to read it early! In short, The Temperature of Me and You is about a boy, Dylan, who meets another boy, Jordan (who serves as our love interest) and it turns out Jordan is a little weird. At a high temperature of 110 degrees, he is both literally and figuratively very hot. Things start getting really interesting when Once Jordan and Dylan meet, the book is packed with a lot of action and powers. The powers aspect was one of my favorites of this book. It was SOO cool! And I could picture everything so vividly because of how this author writes, and it was all so cool and unique.
The characters are nothing short of spectacular. Dylan is such a good main character and he's so funny. I was cracking up at some of his inner monologues many times. I relate to him a lot, as it turns out and he made reading this story through his eyes very enjoyable. Dylan's best friends take up a lot of pages and they're hilarious as well. Their friendship felt natural. Even one of the antagonists of the story was really good. Once she stopped being terrible, I liked her and was pleased with the bond she shared with Dylan. Jordan is a sweet love interest and I wish we could've gotten more of him! That's honestly my biggest complaint with this book. Jordan was amazing and kind and I think he and Dylan have a beautiful connection. .
I also wish we could've had more questions answered But other than that, this book was SOOO awesome!! Like I loved it so much. I REALLY wish this was a series (or even just a duology) because I feel like some of those questions I have would likely be answered in a second book and I really love these characters and want to dive more into this world of HydroPro and see how they still try to get their hands on Jordan and Dylan (because I just have a feeling they would still try).
I really want a book 2!!!
Special thank you to NetGalley, Disney Hyperion, and the author for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
The characters are nothing short of spectacular. Dylan is such a good main character and he's so funny. I was cracking up at some of his inner monologues many times. I relate to him a lot, as it turns out and he made reading this story through his eyes very enjoyable. Dylan's best friends take up a lot of pages and they're hilarious as well. Their friendship felt natural. Even one of the antagonists of the story was really good. Once she stopped being terrible, I liked her and was pleased with the bond she shared with Dylan. Jordan is a sweet love interest and I wish we could've gotten more of him! That's honestly my biggest complaint with this book. Jordan was amazing and kind and I think he and Dylan have a beautiful connection. .
I also wish we could've had more questions answered But other than that, this book was SOOO awesome!! Like I loved it so much. I REALLY wish this was a series (or even just a duology) because I feel like some of those questions I have would likely be answered in a second book and I really love these characters and want to dive more into this world of HydroPro and see how they still try to get their hands on Jordan and Dylan (because I just have a feeling they would still try).
I really want a book 2!!!
Special thank you to NetGalley, Disney Hyperion, and the author for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
August 17, 2021
Dylan is working at Dairy Queen when he meets a boy who comes in and explodes an ice cream all over them. I mean, it doesn't really matter because said boy is super cute and Dylan has always wanted a boyfriend… and then the most amazing guy just seemed to pop into existence.
Even though they're at two different schools, Dylan and Jordan form a fast friendship and soon enough, things are progressing. The problem is that things are a little bit odd at the same time. Jordan is hot to the touch… literally. And eventually, Dylan feels as though he is getting sick with something.
This book is a great one! There is a wonderful first love-crush, there is a mystery complete with cars following people around and a potential pyromaniac, there is a fantasy flare because there's a bizarre reason that Jordan runs hot. There is a lot going on and Brian Zepka has done a remarkable job of writing this story.
I really liked the intrigue in this novel. I was guessing at what was going on from the first meeting, and the author dished out the plot at a fantastic pace that kept me reading like a maniac. I found that I really connected with Dylan… his brain was a lovely place to be - he was adorable, chaotic and a bit of a disaster at times. I could definitely relate to him.
Friendship is a big theme in this story. There are friendships forged and challenged and some friends that appear where the characters least expect it. Dylan is often struggling to navigate the world of friendships and I felt as though it was really authentic. How much do you trust your friends? Do you trust them enough to tell them your darkest secrets? Do you trust them enough to tell them something that might put you at risk?
Secrets can be dangerous…but sometimes sharing them is the only way that you can move forward in life.
Get this book, snuggle up in the chair with a snack and a drink because you're going to want to read this is one sitting.
Even though they're at two different schools, Dylan and Jordan form a fast friendship and soon enough, things are progressing. The problem is that things are a little bit odd at the same time. Jordan is hot to the touch… literally. And eventually, Dylan feels as though he is getting sick with something.
This book is a great one! There is a wonderful first love-crush, there is a mystery complete with cars following people around and a potential pyromaniac, there is a fantasy flare because there's a bizarre reason that Jordan runs hot. There is a lot going on and Brian Zepka has done a remarkable job of writing this story.
I really liked the intrigue in this novel. I was guessing at what was going on from the first meeting, and the author dished out the plot at a fantastic pace that kept me reading like a maniac. I found that I really connected with Dylan… his brain was a lovely place to be - he was adorable, chaotic and a bit of a disaster at times. I could definitely relate to him.
Friendship is a big theme in this story. There are friendships forged and challenged and some friends that appear where the characters least expect it. Dylan is often struggling to navigate the world of friendships and I felt as though it was really authentic. How much do you trust your friends? Do you trust them enough to tell them your darkest secrets? Do you trust them enough to tell them something that might put you at risk?
Secrets can be dangerous…but sometimes sharing them is the only way that you can move forward in life.
Get this book, snuggle up in the chair with a snack and a drink because you're going to want to read this is one sitting.
February 13, 2022
The Temperature of Me and You is a sweet, heartwarming story about first love.
It is mostly a contemporary romance, despite big part of the book being revolved around Jordan's supernatural abilities which eventually pass on to Dylan. There are also subplots about Dylan's relationship with his two best friends and his school rival.
The highlights of the book for me were the moments between Dylan and Jordan, who had great chemistry (ha, see what I did here!), their puppy-love with heart-eyes was adorable, and their attraction always overcame their reservations.
I loved Brian Zepka's message (conveyed in Dylan's thoughts) about the society's unfair message to "move on" when you're missing your partner, it's the most normal thing to be a bit obsessed and stuck on the person who makes you feel so much if you suddenly don't have that (even temporarily).
Now, there were some parts that could have been better (aka what was missing for a 5-star):
- the sci-fi plot felt more Middle Grade than YA, it could have popped out of a Phineas and Ferb episode, there was zero depth to the villains, and minimal (and barely plausible) explanation for the reasons why and means through which Jordan and Dylan got their powers.
- the urban worldbuilding was dull. It didn't give me the big city feel (like What If It's Us or The Extraordinaries ) ot the small town feel (like The Sky Blues or Noah Can't Even ). It was a generic American suburb which felt like endless houses and a few franchise chains. Not the most interesting setting.
- I never got invested in Savanah's plot.
Summarizing, it's a book worth reading if you like sweet love stories with a supernatural aspect, which won't feel heavy at any point. It's a uplifting, heartwarming debut !
It is mostly a contemporary romance, despite big part of the book being revolved around Jordan's supernatural abilities which eventually pass on to Dylan. There are also subplots about Dylan's relationship with his two best friends and his school rival.
The highlights of the book for me were the moments between Dylan and Jordan, who had great chemistry (ha, see what I did here!), their puppy-love with heart-eyes was adorable, and their attraction always overcame their reservations.
I loved Brian Zepka's message (conveyed in Dylan's thoughts) about the society's unfair message to "move on" when you're missing your partner, it's the most normal thing to be a bit obsessed and stuck on the person who makes you feel so much if you suddenly don't have that (even temporarily).
Now, there were some parts that could have been better (aka what was missing for a 5-star):
- the sci-fi plot felt more Middle Grade than YA, it could have popped out of a Phineas and Ferb episode, there was zero depth to the villains, and minimal (and barely plausible) explanation for the reasons why and means through which Jordan and Dylan got their powers.
- the urban worldbuilding was dull. It didn't give me the big city feel (like What If It's Us or The Extraordinaries ) ot the small town feel (like The Sky Blues or Noah Can't Even ). It was a generic American suburb which felt like endless houses and a few franchise chains. Not the most interesting setting.
- I never got invested in Savanah's plot.
Summarizing, it's a book worth reading if you like sweet love stories with a supernatural aspect, which won't feel heavy at any point. It's a uplifting, heartwarming debut !
January 20, 2022
Trigger Warnings: Drugs, dead parents, fire, arson, accident with ice water, bullying, cyber bullying, discussion of suicide, coming out, gun violence
Representation: Gay
The Temperature Of Me and You is the story of Dylan and his new mystery boy, Jordan. The boys meet at Dylan’s job and have a quite the flame-y meet cute. Together they work to discover one another’s powers and fight for their love to last a lifetime. Great read for fans of The Extraordinaries!
This eARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Aww, I actually really liked this book! I’m not sure why my first impression wasn’t good, but I’m happy to say it was great and I love when I’m wrong about a book!
Dylan was a typical teen and I felt represented that very well. I wish we could have learned more about Jordan, though. I thought the side characters were a nice addition to the story and I love a closeted queer! I more loved how supportive Dylan’s family was when he came out!
Overall, this was a great book with a great story line! The pacing was good and included a lot of action, which I thoroughly enjoyed! The story is light and fluffy, making it perfect for anyone in hs or who loves YA. Personally, as an older reader, I think it makes a better audiobook than ebook. And I really love the cover!
Representation: Gay
The Temperature Of Me and You is the story of Dylan and his new mystery boy, Jordan. The boys meet at Dylan’s job and have a quite the flame-y meet cute. Together they work to discover one another’s powers and fight for their love to last a lifetime. Great read for fans of The Extraordinaries!
This eARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Aww, I actually really liked this book! I’m not sure why my first impression wasn’t good, but I’m happy to say it was great and I love when I’m wrong about a book!
Dylan was a typical teen and I felt represented that very well. I wish we could have learned more about Jordan, though. I thought the side characters were a nice addition to the story and I love a closeted queer! I more loved how supportive Dylan’s family was when he came out!
Overall, this was a great book with a great story line! The pacing was good and included a lot of action, which I thoroughly enjoyed! The story is light and fluffy, making it perfect for anyone in hs or who loves YA. Personally, as an older reader, I think it makes a better audiobook than ebook. And I really love the cover!
December 14, 2021
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Temperature of Me and You seemed like it was going to be a great book. Okay, maybe a good one with a semi-great love story. Then I dove into it, and everything just fell flat. Things were confusing me so much and the characters weren't that likable either. I tried to find something about them to like but it never came.
Sure, some of this world was interesting but then something would happen, and I'd be back to square one: Confused AF. The situations and the choices made just didn't add up. It felt like I was being taught math but then the pop quiz would be about world history. It just didn't make sense.
Then there's the characters: Dylan and Jordan. At first, Dylan gave me creeper vibes and Jordan intrigued me. The romance or friendship between them was equally confusing. Sure, there was a crush or two but when one is sort of dying in front of you...well, you don't know what the outcome is going to be.
In the end, I was disappointed by everything that went down before reaching the last page. It had potential to be better in my eyes.
The Temperature of Me and You seemed like it was going to be a great book. Okay, maybe a good one with a semi-great love story. Then I dove into it, and everything just fell flat. Things were confusing me so much and the characters weren't that likable either. I tried to find something about them to like but it never came.
Sure, some of this world was interesting but then something would happen, and I'd be back to square one: Confused AF. The situations and the choices made just didn't add up. It felt like I was being taught math but then the pop quiz would be about world history. It just didn't make sense.
Then there's the characters: Dylan and Jordan. At first, Dylan gave me creeper vibes and Jordan intrigued me. The romance or friendship between them was equally confusing. Sure, there was a crush or two but when one is sort of dying in front of you...well, you don't know what the outcome is going to be.
In the end, I was disappointed by everything that went down before reaching the last page. It had potential to be better in my eyes.
February 6, 2022
4.5/5
i received this arc from my local library where i volunteer. i saw it in a stack i was organizing and said "wait can i take this one if i bring it back?" so this is bias free besties
i love this oh my god. it was adorable as all hell. plus one of my fav sci-fi concepts?? sign me tf up. i loved the easy relationship between them with all the angst coming from outside sources. like if you've been looking for a book with an lgbt+ relationship where they're just together this is the fucking book for you. oh my god this was so cute. i will absolutely be buying this and rereading it when it comes out. i'm so excited to see what else this author has to offer!!
side note: if i see any more grown ass women on here when it comes out rating it low saying it's "to juvenile" i will hunt them for sport. it's a ya book with a 16 year old mc you fucker that's the point. go reread acotar and stay mad about it.
i received this arc from my local library where i volunteer. i saw it in a stack i was organizing and said "wait can i take this one if i bring it back?" so this is bias free besties
i love this oh my god. it was adorable as all hell. plus one of my fav sci-fi concepts?? sign me tf up. i loved the easy relationship between them with all the angst coming from outside sources. like if you've been looking for a book with an lgbt+ relationship where they're just together this is the fucking book for you. oh my god this was so cute. i will absolutely be buying this and rereading it when it comes out. i'm so excited to see what else this author has to offer!!
side note: if i see any more grown ass women on here when it comes out rating it low saying it's "to juvenile" i will hunt them for sport. it's a ya book with a 16 year old mc you fucker that's the point. go reread acotar and stay mad about it.
July 29, 2021
I had never read a book with a queer protagonist before the Temperature of Me and You but I quickly realized what I had been missing. Getting the chance to experience being inside Dylan Highmark's head felt like reliving a life that I had never quite gotten to live. With richly developed characters, clever pop-culture references, and plenty of sci-fi magic, Brian Zepka has created a novel bursting with romantic chemistry that reads at a thriller's pace. It's a story about identity and self-discovery that’s perfect for the Gen-Z teen yet still remarkably relatable to an older millennial like me. Bravo to the artist who wrote this book! I can't wait to see what you do next.
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