If there is any justice this brilliant debut will receive the success it deserves on publication, and I am keen to see what Kara Gnodde will follow this one with. What qualities make Mimi so well-suited to being a foley artist? What does her success in that field reveal about her as a character? Please, she prays, to a higher power that she doesn’t believe in . Let him be okay and I promise I won’t go. Art believes that people - including his sister - are incapable of making sensible decisions when it comes to love. That’s what algorithms are for. During the day: If you have a flexible schedule, you may find it helpful to take breaks during the day to read a book.

Now in their thirties, Mimi braves opening up and saying she wants to look for love. Art agrees - if she in turn will agree to follow a mathematical formula for finding someone suitable. As we can all guess, love and formulae are not likely to go hand in hand, and Mimi meets Frank outside of her brother's agreed schedule, setting and sums. How do I describe this book? It’s difficult as it is hard to categorise but all I can say is that it really touched me and I just loved the characters, the plot and all the twists. If you are looking for a quirky read then look no further. From Art’s obsession with maths and logic to Mimi’s need to find her own life, this book has a refreshing take on a well-told trope. Whilst a lot of the mathematics did go over my head I enjoyed the different equations that Art came up with. His way of navigating life was unusual but gave this story a different edge.Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

I have seen this novel described as a modern romantic comedy, ideal for fans of The Rosy Project, but for me there is something a bit deeper and less fluffy here than a rom-com, and, it is a tad darker than The Rosy series. It’s a lot to take in,’ says Ernest, looking at his watch. ‘phew, it’s past nine. Supper will be here soon.’ Silence settles between them. The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything will break your heart, and mend it. Will have you whispering to yourself, and finally, will leave you satiated in the knowledge that when we finally get out of our way, love will find us ready to let it do its thing. Love us completely and unreservedly. Art is a keen mathematician with ideas and fixations that mean his sister, Mimi, feels she could never leave him alone. And he is on the edge of solving a specific mathematical problem that mathematicians worldwide are trying to solve. His work is like an obsession. Is he dead?” she hears herself say. “My brother. He’s dead, right?” The room dissolves into strips that are floating away, nothing has substance, light swallows matter.The two of them attend a Maths Conference where Mimi meets Frank, and the two of them hit it off from the outset. She doesn't want to say who she is as her brother is a big name in the maths world, and she wants to be seen for herself, not as a sibling. They have the most fabulous dates- planet-hopping was new to me- but as they get closer and closer, Mimi realises that she has to come clean with him. But she's not the only one hiding some big secrets.... Mimi is doubtful that algorithms can’t help in matters of the heart but she bows to Art’s insistent enthusiasm for his more reasoned approach, stipulating that Mimi must meet a certain number of men, a critical mass if you like, before she can truly know she has found her soulmate.

But in Art’s rigidly safe view of the world, romance is definitely something that marches to the beat of an algorithmic drum and when Mimi, chafing at the close bond she shares with Art – while simultaneously uncertain what she would do without it since it is just her and Art against the world, family-wise at least; she at least has her bestie Rey, an old family friend while her brother has his doctoral assistant Ernest for support – decides she’d like to find love, Art the 0s and 1s Cupid springs into action. Mimi and Art’s bond is central to the story. How does their relationship compare to yours with your own siblings? Do you think it’s true that our siblings know our “truest self”? Siblings Mimi and Art Brotherton have always come as a pair, especially after losing their parents in a tragedy. Mathematician Art has always believed that algorithms are the answer to everything, including love. Mimi doesn't agree. When she meets Frank, who is definitely not algorithm-approved, the siblings find their relationship being challenged. As an infrequent reader of book-club fiction, I am immensely glad that I read “The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything”. It might not be possible to know love when you see it, or for Art ever to imagine what it might feel like — romantic love, anyway. But the love she felt for her brother as his face lit up, when he realized how useful he’d be; he looked suffused with pleasure. His smile folded in that way of his when he was overcome. ‘I see,’ he said. She loved him so much she wondered why life with him wasn’t enough.Art believes that people - including his sister - are incapable of making sensible decisions when it comes to love. That's what algorithms are for. Mimi knows that her brother is a mathematical genius. But she believes that maths isn't the answer to everything. Not quite. Especially when it comes to love.