Odd One Out

By: Nic Stone

Narrated by: Dion Graham, Kim Mai Guest, Nic Stone

From the number one New York Times best-selling author of Dear Martin comes an honest and touching depiction of friendship, first love, and everything in between. Perfect for fans of Love, Simon and What If It's Us.

Courtney Cooper and Jupiter Sanchez (Coop & Jupe!) have been next-door neighbors and best friends since they were seven years old. She's his partner in crime and other half. But lately, Cooper can't ignore he might want something more than friendship from Jupiter.

When Rae Chin moves to town she can't believe how lucky she is to find Coop and Jupe. Being the new kid is usually synonymous with pariah, but around these two, she finally feels like she belongs. She's so grateful she wants to kiss him...and her.

Jupiter has always liked girls. But when Rae starts dating Cooper, Jupe realizes that the only girl she ever really imagined by his side was her.

One story. Three sides. No easy answers.

An NPR Best Book of the Year

A Boston Globe Best Children's Book of 2018

"Fans of Nic and new readers will find themselves engrossed." (Teen Vogue)

"Declaring yourself - how you would like to be represented and whom you want to love and connect with - is treated with real tenderness." (The New York Times)

©2018 Nic Stone (P)2018 Listening Library

Critic reviews

“For fans of authors who dig complex relationships, like Shannon M. Parker, Ashley Woodfolk and Misa Sugiura.” (Paste Magazine)

"Stone challenges stereotypical notions of what it means to be straight, bisexual, or gay, showing how sexual identities and desires can be as complicated as the individual human brain." (Publishers Weekly)

"Teens, librarians and teachers alike will find this book a godsend.... Vivid and powerful." (Booklist)

Great story

Interesting read

The first reader was by far the very best. He held my interest the entire time. The third reader was also well spoken.

Loved every single part

Broken up into 3 parts...each story had me captivated from start to finish. Nic Stone did her thing and she's got a forever fan in me. Must read for mature young readers on up!

Good

Good but you disappointed the lesbians. At some point, i wish Jupiter would have finally explored her unrequited love for Rae.

Wish This Would Have Been There

I am not in the typical age group for Young Adult, I am a parent who happened to fall into a rabbit hole on the internet that took me to Nic Stone.
First, I would recommend the audible version for anyone. I typically have issues with audiobooks because I love to read. I get lost but the way this book reads as if you were hosting a discussion with the three sides of the story and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the conversations between the characters. It solidified the feeling of being involved in a conversation, rather than listening to someone else.
Ms. Stone does a fantastic job of capturing the essence of the teenage characters without it going overboard. I immediately recommended the book to my 17-year-old daughter. I found myself quietly sniffling through book three and although I felt foolish about it, I have spent some time reflecting why, with my most prominent answer feeling at some loss that this book did not exist twenty years ago when I was trying to explain myself to anyone, including myself.
The diversity in her characters was so refreshing and I admittedly haven't paid much attention to Young Adult books since before I was eligible to be outside of the genre. The fact alone that the characters were able to exist within their obvious differences without making it the staple for every conversation and action was amazing. When I was 17 I remember the only character I could really try to identify with being set in a background of the antebellum south or was looked at with more ridicule and disgust than praise let alone any resemblance of normalcy. These characters, Coop, Jupiter, and Rae, even Golly, and Briton (Sp?) were fantastic. The conversations were realistic and the characters are written in a way that you know they are actually thinking, feeling human beings who are discovering themselves and the underlying message that all of this is normal, that it's ok to explore and feelings alone can cause their own range of emotions, with no assistance from an outside source.
I enjoyed this book with all of me, from the heated conversations to the musical references regarding one of the greatest bands that will ever be.
Nic Stone is an amazing author, and I look forward to reading more of her books and passing them on to my children and anyone else I think may benefit. I personally feel that this story would benefit anyone who has ever had to question their own motives and desires or tried to understand someone else who has. It is a boon to her readers that she exists. Her stories understand their complexities, and her guidance I am sure will lift a few burdens off of their shoulders.

Great Story 👍

From Reading and listening to the audio I would say that the audio is better for the transition of the three characters. The story is so good it has emotion, it has character development. It gets me thinking. This story is by far one of my favorites. I like how Rae struggles to find her identity and the relationship between her and her sister. I love how Jupiter is trying to figure out who she really is. I love how Coup is trying to figure out his demons inside him. It was just well written and told. I hope they can make a series about this because I can really see them doing that.😁

A Funny and Romantic Story

If you believe that sexual attraction is less about gender than it is about chemistry between individuals, this is the book you’ve been waiting for. Three high schoolers navigate their feelings and friendships while making discoveries and mistakes. The narrative is alternatively funny and poignant. Three voice actors convincingly bring the three different characters to life.

Relatable

I specifically searched and searched for a book with a story involving this dynamic between characters and sexuality. So glad I stumbled on this one. It was an easy listen, and I found myself listening to this book every time I got in the car, at work, and in bed. Will be reading more of her books.

EXCELLENT STORY!!!

Characters are well developed and the story is solid from beginning to the end. LOVE THIS AUTHOR!

Unique and Needed

This was such a great story. While I personally identify as a cisgendered, heterosexual female, it’s refreshing to hear a story that highlights the beauty of questioning, not being a victim of a label, and learning who you really are.

A unique look at sexual identity

I really appreciated the opportunity to read about several characters who were processing who they are and how they identify.