Very readable. Well-drawn characters immersed in a solid plot that unfolded like an origami flower. Lots of issues including abortion, teen pregnancy, homophobia, and gender identity are brushed in but overall this is a coming of age story.

I received an ARC of the book from the publisher for review so thank you to Candlewick Press. ( )

What a wonderful book! At first, I was attracted to the story because I love anything that has to do with the 90s, Star Wars and anything with High Fidelity vibes. What a story blew me away. I brought this book on a trip and literally could not put it down the entire time. The story follows a guy named Joel who works at a Blockbuster-type video store. Everyone who works there has a nickname that alludes to a movie character. He’s named after hon solo and his friend is nicknamed ‘Baby’. This book is full of heart and friendship tails that any young adults or full grown adult would appreciate it. I wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as I did (I knew I would like it but I didn’t know I would absolutely fall in love). Highly recommended! ( )

Joel Teague, aka Solo, is a 17 year old teen with a big secret. The secret is called What Was Wrong With Me. We know he spent some years in and out of mental hospitals because of the Bad Thing That Happened. When the story opens, Joel has been released from psychiatric care and is casting about for a way to spend his time. He gets a job at the local video store (it is 1996), where he makes a friend, something he has not had since he was 10 years old. All of the employees take favorite film character names, rather than use their own names. His friend, Nicole, is called Baby. Baby has a secret of her own, which becomes not so secret around Halloween. Baby wants Solo to share his own dirty laundry, but given that his dirty laundry is not of the regular teen problem variety, he is afraid to share. He may lose her friendship either way.

There are other stories interwoven with this one, involving abortions, homosexuality, and transgender issues. The author does a good job of fleshing out all of these characters, including Joel's parents, who are also coping with The Bad Thing That Happened. Joel's mother worries a lot about him, but she is also profoundly homophobic, and that, sadly, affects Joel's whole youth. Since this is a young adult novel, we are not examining her psychological problems, though in my mind she bears the major blame for the Bad Thing and Joel's breakdown as well.

The novel is smartly written, and moves along quickly. In fact, I couldn't put it down and finished the 400 pages in a couple of days. There are some funny lines, and some thought-provoking lines. At times, it reminded me of The Silver Linings Playbook.

Recommend to teens who like Laurie Halse Anderson, John David Hutchinson, or Nicola Yoon. ( )

I really enjoyed Baby & Solo. Despite the fun and humorous tone, the book dealt with some dark and heavy moments. However there were also some moments of lightheartedness that helped to balance out the heaviness. The characters were complex and well drawn out. Overall, I recommend this novel and look forward to reading more from Lisabeth Posthuma. ( )

I did win this book for free ahead of publication, but that in no way impacts my review or thoughts of this book.

This is a YA book set in 1996 Michigan. The main character of this story is Solo, aka Joel. He is 17, and just got out of mental health treatment. He new assignment from his therapist is get a job. Solo wanting a fresh start and a chance to be normal, got a job at ROYO video. This is where we meet a crew of great characters, all named after characters from movies.

My favorite part of this book was definitely the characters. Lisabeth Posthuma did such a great job creating these characters. Solo is just a great and complex character. He is also not perfect at points in the book, but he reads like a real person who is going through a lot. Baby, who is the female other main character, is also amazing. She is also built up like a real person with complexity. She is there for Solo, but that's not her only character trait. She is her own character with he own set of issues. I feel like a lot of books that deal with mental health end up with side characters who are only there to help the main character, but that wasn't the case with book. Every person was their own person with their own problems.

This is not a fully character driven book. There is definitely a lot of plot and things that happen. So if you aren't a character driven book person, don't worry there is still a lot to this book. I just don't want to spoil anything and think that the writer of the characters is such a shinning part of this book.

Overall, I definitely recommend picking up this book. This was a great YA book. It's hard hitting but also fun and filled with pop culture. It is such a great balance of hard hitting topics but fun interactions. ( )