How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Bea has just moved to a new town after being uprooted from school every few years because of her professor father. While she has to adjust to a new school in a small town (never good for the newcomer) she also has to deal with her mother's increasing depression.
On the first day Bea decides to try to find the average looking girl, make nice, and promptly start fitting-in. She meets Jonah, who also goes by the moniker Ghost Boy, which his classmates mockingly bequeathed him. Through their shared sense of odd humor and love of late night radio they forge a friendship. Then Jonah discovers a secret that causes him to re-evaluate things. For me it's just the start to a mostly one-sided friendship, because even though Bea is accused of having the emotional depth of a robot, it's Jonah that can't seem to make his feelings compute. It was realistic for him to act the way he did, considering the years of bullying he endured, but it didn't make me like him anymore, especially in his relationship with Bea.
The ending was wistful, but felt hollow because of all the unresolved issues. I guess you could argue that that's life, but I wanted more darn it! So while the writing was spot-on, the result was less satisfying.

Copy Source: Library