When the World Was Flat (and we were in love) by Ingrid Jonach

I received this e-ARC for free on netgalley.com (Thank you!) and in exchange I will do an honest review.

I requested this title from Netgalley because the title (and cover) intrigued me. The title is brilliant and fits the book and story perfectly. I'm a little bit torn about this book. I liked the writing, the whole concept and symbolism throughout the story, and all the references to Einstein. But to be completely honest although Jonach's love story was lovely and sweet it was rather simple and straightforward in itself.

Unfortunately I couldn't connect with the main character, mainly because she has a rather insulting nature. She called everyone names behind their back, called her best friend 'fat', 'slut', etc. I got the feeling that she is the kind of person you never want to be around because you know she is silently judging you behind the smile on her face. But putting that aside, I mostly liked the side characters and even Tom. Although the ever-broody and mysterious new boy remained a bit too broody and mysterious.

In the end, there were a lot of threads still dangling that I was thinking, “Wait, what about that?!”. This book isn’t a bad read, in fact it’s engrossing and mysterious and a bit frustrating, but the story at its core is unique. I just wish I had been able to wrap my brain around it a little easier and that there were even more explanation to the major scientific themes.

"I remember when I first heard his name - Tom. I was sitting in the Cafeteria with my best friends, Jo and Sylv, in the last week of our sophomore year at Green Grove Central High School, scraping Wite-Out off my nails and wondering whether I could stomach the burger on the tray in front of me, when the News broke about the "new guy".

“'I hate him. He hates me. End of Story.'

'Sounds like a love Story to me.'

'Or a Porno.'"

"Einstein once said that God does not play dice. He believed the universe was ordered, the world predictable. But his contemporary, Nils Bohr, famously asked Einstein to "stop telling God what to do with his dice.""

"They say Einstein had a bad Memory. He had once forgotten where he lived and had to phone Princeton University for hid address."

"'You would think we had tried to assassinate the queen,' I grumbled in Algebra. 'Well, she is Green Grove royalty,' Sylv said. 'Yeah,' I agreed. 'A royal pain in my ass.'

3 of 5 stars