Waiting On: Spontaneous by Aaron Starmer

Anticipated Release Date: August 30, 2016

A darkly funny and spectacularly original exploration of friendship, goodbyes —and spontaneous combustion. 

“Katelyn Ogden was a lot of things, but she wasn’t particularly explosive, in any sense of the word.”

Mara Carlyle’s senior year at Covington High in suburban New Jersey is going on as normally as could be expected, until the day—wa-bam!—fellow senior Katelyn Ogden explodes during third period pre-calc. Katelyn is the first, but she won’t be the last senior to explode without warning or explanation. The body count grows and the search is on for a reason—Terrorism! Drugs! Homosexuality! Government conspiracy!—while the seniors continue to pop like balloons.

Mara narrates the end of their world as she knows it with tell-it-like-it-is insight as she tries to make it to graduation in one piece through an explosive year punctuated by romance, quarantine, lifelong friendship, hallucinogenic mushrooms, bloggers, ice cream trucks, “Snooze Button™,” Bon Jovi, and the filthiest language you’ve ever heard the President of the United States use over Skype. 

Aaron Starmer rewrites the YA rulebook in Spontaneous, a ridiculously funny, super honest, and truly moving exemplar of the absurd and raw truths of being a teenager in the 21st century . . . and the heartache of saying goodbye. 

"The best book on spontaneous combustion you will ever read." 

-- John Green

Why I Can't Wait To Read This

You mean you can't tell from the description alone?! How about that glowing recommendation from John Green (who has read a surprisingly large number of books on spontaneous combustion)? Honestly, based on the synopsis alone, this book sounds friggin' awesome! I love YA novels that stand out from the crowd, since nowadays everything sounds almost exactly the same.

Plus, while it sounds like a funny enough plot, I like that there still seems to be seriousness around the main character, who just wants to graduate without bursting into flame:

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

So, what do you think?

And if you haven't done so already, feel free to join in by linking-up to your own Waiting on Wednesday post over at Breaking The Spine.