“…Let me assure you, Lula – nobody’s normal.”

I was so reluctant to start this book. The cover just screams “twee” and “manic pixie dream girl” but someone here, who knows who, had written a sufficiently glowing review that it made it to my TBR list and well – there are rules. Once it’s on the TBR, I have to at least try it. But believe me, I wouldn’t have otherwise.

And man would I have missed out. Weird Girl and What’s His Name is such a sweet, tender, funny book. The pace doesn’t exactly gallop along but it doesn’t even matter. Lula and Rory are so real and messed up and young. So young. And so deserving of love. Reading Lula’s struggle to figure herself out and self-blaming forced me to find a little compassion for Teenage Me that is usually lacking. The problem with being a precocious teenager is that you feel like your awareness and intelligence exempt you from the grace we usually extend when dismissing teenage stupidity. You forget that you may have been a different sort of teenager, but you were still new to the planet with an undeveloped brain, making mistakes and learning, the same as everyone. Lula really made me think about that.

And can we talk about Walter? Can Walter come to my house and be my life coach? Can he narrate everything, Morgan Freeman style? Because I really liked the rest of the book but I loved Walter so much. And also, I think I want to start watching The X-files now. I’d give it a 5 but I’ve gotta save my 5s. It’s a solid 4.5. Except Walter. He’s a 12.