Zenn Diagram

*Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for an e-copy. This review is my full and honest opinion.*

Actual Rating: 3.5

Zenn Diagram is a really cute contemporary teenage romance with a dash of the paranormal. Eva Walker is just a regular girl who has an affinity for mathematics, so she spends her free time tutoring other people or hanging out with her only friend Charlotte. But there's one more thing: when Eva touches another person's skin or possessions, she can see their emotions. This had always been something that had always alienated her from other people. But then she meets Zenn - and for once in her life Eva might be okay with taking a risk.

I really liked all the characters, and although Zenn did feel a bit like a cliche I loved him anyways.
Admittedly, the main character was a little annoying sometimes and I felt like some of the teenage drama between her and her best friend Charlotte were a little unnecessary and overdramatic. Nevertheless, I liked how the story turned out from a contemporary perspective.

One thing that I wish was was different was Eva's gift. I absolutely loved the idea of it and the fact that this book wasn't just contemporary. I wanted Eva's gift to play a larger role; in the beginning it seemed like something huge, something that practically defined Eva's personality. But as the story went on the book seemed to slip more into contemporary, and the gift didn't seem to have that much of a purpose anymore.

The plot was also a bit predictable - I'm sure the same story line has been used before in at least two other books I've read (though I don't remember which).

The writing style was probably the strongest part of this book; it did have the typical young adult feel to it but I thought the author played with words and figurative language very well. Overall this was a pretty quick read. I think it could be perfect to curl up with on a lazy Saturday evening.

Although I enjoyed reading Zenn Diagram, as a librarian it left me really confused as to whom would be the target audience. Initially I thought my middle school students would love it, since Eva Walker's lack of experience would be something to which they could relate. But then, due to the liberal use of the f word, at times completely unnecessary, and due to the sexual content, I thought it must have been intended for high school students. The problem is that it's just a little too simple for high school, and a little too mature for middle school, so I'm left not knowing the intended audience. I think even Chapters had the same problem since I found this book in the young readers (8-12) section.
In a nutshell, Eva Walker, a smart high school student who earns money as a math tutor, can't touch people because when she does, she gets a fractal - a confusing blend of emotions and colors and ideas that allows her to know all too personal stuff about them. So, in an effort to maintain her sanity, she has very few friends and she doesn't ever unintentionally touch the few people she does hang out with. Enter Zenn, a boy needing math tutoring... an unusual boy who for some reason Eva CAN touch. Although they are attracted to each other, there are some facts that are destined to drive them apart.
The ending of the book is satisfactorily ambiguous since you don't know exactly what happens with the two after the major problem gets resolved. For a first novel, it was a fast enjoyable read, but I wish the profanity hadn't been there because it really added nothing to the story.

Eva is a math tutor, give her someone's calculator and she can just tell where they struggle. She somehow has a power of touch, if she touches someone's stuff she gets a vision, fractals she calls them, of the person. This gift is tough to bear, especially as she grows close to Zenn. As the two start to get to know each other, they find their lives make a Zenn diagram from past tragedy that intersect and overlap in interesting and potentially cathartic ways.