Highly Illogical Behavior

By: John Corey Whaley

Narrated by: Robbie Daymond, Julia Whelan

Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's Summary

Teen and adult fans of All the Bright Places, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and Everything, Everything will adore this quirky story of coming-of-age, coming out, friendship, love...and agoraphobia. 

Sixteen-year-old Solomon is agoraphobic. He hasn't left the house in three years, which is fine by him. Ambitious Lisa desperately wants to get into the second-best psychology program for college (she's being realistic). But how can she prove she deserves a spot there? Solomon is the answer. 

Determined to "fix" Sol, Lisa thrusts herself into his life, sitting through Star Trek marathons with him and introducing him to her charming boyfriend Clark. Soon, all three teens are far closer than they thought they'd be, and when their walls fall down, their friendships threaten to collapse, as well. 

A hilarious and heartwarming coming-of-age perfect for fans of Matthew Quick and Rainbow Rowell, Highly Illogical Behavior showcases the different ways in which we hide ourselves from the world - and the ways in which love, tragedy, and the need for connection may be the only things to bring us back into the light. 

©2016 John Corey Whaley (P)2016 Listening Library

Critic Reviews

Now a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year!

"At a time when young adult literature is actively picking away at the stigma of mental illness, Whaley carves off a healthy chunk with style, sensitivity and humor.... ELECTRIFYING." (The New York Times Book Review)

"Tender and funny." (People Magazine, Summer's Best Books of 2016)

It's illogical not to give this a try

I adore John Corey Whaley, so listened to this one right away. His writing is funny, at times, self-deprecating, and non-verbose. He's not a wordy writer, everything is precise.

Solomon is a high functioning boy, suffering from agoraphobia with two loving parents and a grandmother. The panic attack involving a fountain a few years prior pushed him to stay at home and Lisa, the girl who was closest to the scene hasn't forgotten him since. She enters his life with slightly dubious motives; using him as a project for her admission essay while helping him in the process. You can guess what happens next, but Whaley takes the story from predictable plot to a step above infused with his humor. By the end of the book, I loved all the characters and bought into the story.

If you've read his other novel, "Where Things Come Back," this is a true departure as the other was extremely and wonderfully odd with a few twists and parallel stories. This book is more straight-forward and down-to-earth. Both are from the mind of a talented young writer.

Worth the Listen

What other book might you compare Highly Illogical Behavior to and why?

I am a fan of All the Bright Places and almost all of Rainbow Rowell's books. With that being said, I liked how Highly Illogical Behavior wasn't too much of a predictable ya novel. As a grad student in psychology, I found it cute and endearing, because Lisa reminds me of my younger, striving self.

On the Edge

This book had me wanting to keep going. I read it with my class and they couldn't wait to get to the ending. It could have been longer, but it was not disappointing.

Fantastic book

As an agoraphobe, this book really hit home (pun intended) for me. I really loved that the author didn't try to glorify or romanticize mental illness or make all of the characters highly likeable, but that's what made it so good. The narration was also really good, which really added to the story. I can't recommend this book enough - go read it right now (I read it in one sitting)!

very relatable and fun book

this book takes on acrophobia and general anxiety on in a very realistic way tackled by some dark subjects as well and followed by a little bit of homosexuality which is really nice I appreciate the writing and the Beautiful setting and the Beautiful story Solomon in particular is a really nice character and is very easy to fall in love with I fell in love with him through the entire book have the same problems with anxiety

Amazing

This book was fantastic. I couldn't stop listening until it was finished. I even teared up when it ended. Highly recommend!

6/5 stars

I loved the book it was the best book I have ever read. Its pretty relatable to an adolescents point of view.

4 stars

I enjoyed this and I'm giving a 4 star rating from a teen librarian's perspective. I think it illustrates teenage life and pretty accurately, and I think a lot of teenagers could relate to at least one of the main characters.

Highly Illogical Behavior by John Cory Whaley

Would you listen to Highly Illogical Behavior again? Why?

Loved the narrators!!!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Solomon

What about Robbie Daymond and Julia Whelan ’s performance did you like?

This audio book narrated by Robbie Daymond & Julia Whelan nailed the main characters of Lisa and Solomon. Lisa is a positive extrovert, involved in many clubs, dating Clark, and obsessed with the study of psychology and going to the 2nd best college with a full scholarship. All she has to do is nail her admission essay and that is where her "highly illogical behavior" cooks up the idea of "saving" Solomon who is agoraphobic and had not left his house in three years. Solomon is an especially lovable teen dealing with his mental illness with his very supportive parents and highly positive and honest grandmother. As Lisa becomes Solomon's friend, she is convinced she can cure him, even though her boyfriend, Clark is totally against her subterfuge. I loved and rooted for all the characters in this book; Whaley constructs such a stunning story about mental illness, friendship, and family. I still have many questions and would love to see a sequel - will Solomon make progress? will Lisa and Clark stay together? where will Lisa go to college? what will happen to Solomon's family?

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes!!!