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Reviewed by: Kathy Jaccarino, High School Librarian Title: Seven Percent of Ro Devereux Author: Ellen O'Clover Publisher: Harper Teen
Year: 2023 Good for Grades: 9-12 Genre/Type of Book: Realistic Fiction
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: No Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: I chose this book to read because the main character, a female, develops an APP and is interested in coding and technology. I was pleased to see a female main character with these skills/interests and wanted to read more about it. If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be: The only thing I can predict is that you will love this book!
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Review:
This book was touted as "A tech-driven story" with "diverse secondary characters." I am always pleased to read books in which females do not follow traditional paths. I loved that Ro Devereux was a "coding prodigy" and that she developed an app for her senior project. This is an app that can supposedly predict your future including your one, true love, with "93% accuracy." Ro develops the app with the help of neighbor/surrogate mother/behavior scientist Vera. An app developer is interested in the app and wants to help promote it and take it viral! Ro believes that doing this will gain her the attention of her mother, who abandoned her as a young child to pursue her interests in the tech world. A bit of unrealistic story telling happens at this point...when approached by the tech company with an offer, and the condition that she take the app’s survey herself and pursue her predicated true love...Ro, without her father's consent, or a lawyer looking over the contract, signs it! YIKES...what is she thinking!? This part bothered me, but you needed to buy this bit to move forward with the premise of the book.
Of course, the app identifies her "true love" as Alistair Miller, a "sensitive, brainy" boy she grew up with, was best friends with, but is now estranged. Alistair is approached and asked to participate in the charade. What happens is a complex series of events that lead Ro to realize that the app is not all she thought it would be, the tech company is changing and altering her original intent for it, and she is losing control of the situation. However, through these struggles she and Alistair come to realize they do care for each other, and they learn about the importance of free-will and human behavior. Ro realizes that the other 7% makes who we are! (Full disclosure, it took me until the end of the book to realize the title reference to 7% is the other part of the 93% accuracy with which her app supposedly predicts the future!)
I liked the cast of secondary characters- her best friend, her father, Vera, and even Alistair's mother are well-developed. Once I got over her poor decision to sign this contract, I liked the story and the message therein: life is unpredictable, human nature and relationships are complicated, and we have the capacity to change who we want to be.
I think the book would appeal to girls who have an interest in coding and technology. The romance aspect might draw in additional readers.
Number of party hats:
For more information about this book, see the Publishers Website
Find resources for Seven Percent of Ro Devereux at Teachingbooks.net