Julia's Reviews > The Avery Shaw Experiment

Once upon a time there was a girl. She read a lot of books and wasn't really picky. Sometimes she read sci-fi, sometimes — paranormal romance, sometimes — fantasy, sometimes — contemporary novels. From time to time this girl was in a girly-girl mood and wanted to read some fluffy&sugary sweet contemporary novels. And once upon a time she came across The Avery Shaw Experiment.

I don't have any expectations when it comes to fluffy reads. They are what they are. Easy, light, short, funny. But The Avery Shaw Experiment was also annoying. Mainly, because of its main character — Avery.

Avery is an always-blushing, always-gasping-when-it-comes-to-some-relationship-or-OH-MY-GOD-sex-or-touching-kind-of-topics, always-close-to-tears (I'd say always-crying) type of girl. And when I say always, I mean it. And she's sixteen. 16, for God's sake! Are you kidding me, Avery? Never in my life I was annoyed so much with the main character in these fluffy novels. Maybe I'm wrong and in her rainbowish world full of ponies, sappy Nicholas Sparks' movies and Nerdy Princes Charming it's okay to act like this when you're 16, but sorry, obviously, my reality is harsh and brutal, so here it is, Avery: you're dumb as hell.
Yes, she's suffering from social anxiety disorder. She has panic attacks, becomes anxious when she faces a large group of people. And I know it can be really bad and it can ruin your life if you let it, but oh come on! She doesn't have to cry all the time. I can understand crying over a boy who dumped you, I can understand crying over being humiliated in front of people, but what I can't understand is crying over every. Freaking. Thing.

Her so-called-best-friend Aiden didn't see her for 16 years, yet she's sure he just hasn't figured out that they're more than friends (yet). Oh, poor you, Aves. So when Avery and her high hopes are destroyed by Aiden telling her that he needs some space AND (oh my, wait for it..) he has a girlfriend, Avery freaks out, bursts into tears in the bathroom while clinging to Aiden's Mr-Popular-School-Hottie naked brother Grayson. Yep, just like that.
And we all know what comes next. Sure thing, his jerky image is just an image. He's not a horny pervert. He's not a Casanova-who-just-wants-to-play-with-a-prude. He has a deep personality and he's thoughtful and caring and, of course, he falls for Avery. Cause who wouldn't fall for this adorable always-crying creature who was like a little sister to him? Aww.

So when Avery starts her Avery Shaw Experiment which has to prove that overcoming a heartbreak can be succeeded by going through all of The Stages of Grief, she doesn't expect to fall for her forever love's brother-and-her-new-science-fair-partner. But even Grayson, who is as far from science as he only can be, has a theory of his own: Avery is much more than she lets people see — and Grayson intends to prove it to her and not to let his brother mess things even more.

And they lived happily ever after in this sweet Ménage à trois. End of story.

The Avery Shaw Experiment could be a sweet and fluffy romance, but it didn't work for me. I was annoyed 97% of the time and I didn't really care about the characters. It's a good choice if you need to get yourself out of the reading slump, but it wasn't good enough for me. I would call it okay-ish, but even it seems to be too much for Avery and Kennedy brothers' story.