15 March 2015

Fragile Bones: Harrison & Anna by Lorna Schultz Nicholson

Series: One-2-One, companion series
Publication date: March 15, 2015
Publisher: Clockwise Press
Genres: YA, Contemporary
Format: eArc
Source: The publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Pages: 254

Goodreads 

Meet Harrison and Anna.

One is a fifteen-year-old boy with an uncanny ability to recite every bone in the skeletal system whenever he gets anxious ― and that happens a lot. The meaning of “appropriate behaviour” mystifies him: he doesn’t understand most people and they certainly don’t understand him.

The other is a graduating senior with the world at her feet. Joining the Best Buddies club at her school and pairing up with a boy with high-functioning autism is the perfect addition to her med school applications. Plus, the president of the club is a rather attractive, if mysterious, added attraction.


Told in the alternating voices of Harrison and Anna, Fragile Bones is the story of two teens whose lives intertwine in unexpected ways.

I've been looking for a book like this for a while, I think autism/Aspergers is really interesting and I somehow love that extra quirk it gives a character. That said; I absolutely loved Harrison.
I expected to enjoy it but I did not expect to fly through it in a couple of hours! It definitely gripped me and kept me reading until I'd finished it in a single sitting.

Harrison, oh Harrison, I've already said I love him, but why do I love him? His quirks! He doesn't like when his food is touching, he doesn't like people touching him and he doesn't like germs. Even though I don't have Aspergers or autism I could definitely relate to him - when I was younger I had some of the same issues. Harrison made me laugh out loud through out the book - especially with all his repetitions and how he acted around Anna, it was so extremely cute that I couldn't help it.
Anna I liked, not as much as Harrison though. I could also relate to Anna since she tries to do well in school and sometimes it feels like she only get acknowledged by her mother if she do well in school - I've had that, not so much any more though. Anna is sweet, she's funny and she really see the best in others - she's also very patient with Harrison and I absolutely loved their relationship because of it.

I also loved the romance part of the story, and I loved that stereotypes aren't really a thing in this book - Joel (Harrison's brother) is a plays both hockey and girls but he's not stupid or annoying, he's sweet. Justin, helps with the Best Buddy club, is very quiet but he's actually not shy and there's something going on between him and Anna and I loved that part!
There is also a bit of bullying in the story, I'm quite surprised that there wasn't more, but I liked that there's only a single episode or so.

The story itself was great! I loved that it's told from dual perspective so we know exactly what each of them is thinking. My problem with the storyline is that I loved the first half better than the second half. I think the second half was too fast for me, it seemed like everything had to happen very quickly for the story to end sooner and I don't like to feel rushed when I read.

That said, I really enjoyed the story and getting to know both Harrison and Anna. I think this book is going to be a musthave when it comes to school libraries and I definitely recommend it.



About the series: Each One-to-One novel tells the story of a different pair of teens participating in the Best Buddies program at Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School. Follow the lives of this group of friends who come together with different expectations and problems, seeing the world from their own unique perspectives and facing it head on together.

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