PROM THEORY

Iris sets out to prove that getting a prom date can be engineered through scientific methods.

Nothing about prom interests Iris Oxtabee: She’s uncomfortable with most people, bored by the trivialities of high school gossip, and dislikes loud music. She has two best friends she’s known for years: effervescent Esther Oplinger and bookish Seth Fynne, aka Squeak. They help her navigate the chaos of high school; Iris has a nonverbal learning disability and is often mistaken for being on the autism spectrum. As soon as the first flyer for prom appears, Esther is eager to land a date, which inspires Iris’ analytical mind: What if she could use science to help Esther? Squeak is immediately sour on the idea, which leads Iris to double down. Not only will she snag Esther a date, she’ll get popular athlete Theo Grant to ask her to prom, too. At first, Iris tests her theories of attraction on Squeak, surprising herself when new feelings emerge. But as her experiments ramp up, Iris finds increasing success, garnering Theo’s attention while hurting Squeak in the process. She’ll have to decide whether proving prom theory is worth the risk of losing one of her best friends. Though Iris’ perspective is unusual and refreshing, her laser focus on minute details and long-winded scientific explanations slow the plot to a crawl. Romance is reduced to clinical terms, leaving few sparks, particularly given the flat characterization. All major characters are White.

A fun premise bogged down by minutiae.