I was familiar with the psychology experiment that this book is based on and for that reason, and the fact that I love contemporary romances, I was really looking forward to reading this book. Unfortunately I found the protagonists in this book really hard to relate to and I ended up not really caring one way or another if they would end up together. It got to the point where I put the book down and had no interest in picking it up again so unfortunately I have abandoned it entirely. Hopefully it will connect with other readers though!

Not being a fan of contemporary and definitely not being a fan of romance this was an unusual pick up for me, but I am a fan of Hot Key Books and what originally drew me in was the premise - Arthur Aron, Professor of Psychology believed that there was a way to get to complete strangers to fall in love... the 36 questions.
I loved how parts of the story were told through various methods; transcripts and text messages. 36 Questions was so so funny in parts, desperately frustrating in others and deliciously cute, it was also terrible cliched... but what did i expect.
Yes it was cheesy and predictable (isn't that what these books are about??) but honestly, it was a cute, entertaining, heartwarming read, and although it hasn't converted me into a contemporary fan, I didn't hate it.

I was drawn to 36 Questions that Changed My Mind About You by Vicki Grant because of the cover, the strange title, and then the blurb. What were these questions? And how would these questions lead to love? Having now read the book, I can say it was a cute story, but kind of disappointing.

It started off well. You see Hildy, and then Paul, sign up to take part in the psychology study to see if love can be engineered between two strangers, just by asking a specific series of questions. Seeing them sign up, you get an idea of their personalities. Hildy is nervous and awkward, but smart and kind of quirky. Paul has an attitude of not giving a crap about anything; he doesn't even know what the study is about, he's just doing it for the money. Then the story goes to Hildy and Paul meeting and starting their questions, and becomes more like a transcript of their dialogue, as if they were being recorded (they're not), than a narrative. It was actually really funny, in a classic rom-com way. They both frustrated the hell out of each other. Hildy was taking it seriously, for the interests of Science, and would really think about her answers, trying to be as honest as possible, and Paul just wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible, wasn't being serious at all, giving ridiculous answers. He would mock her answers, and want her to hurry up, she would want Paul to answer seriously, and was increasingly more exasperated with each answer. How they both brushed each other up the wrong way, was so funny!

And then it changed again. Hildy ends up storming out before the questions are answered, and it becomes third person narration from Hildy's point of view. And it just becomes very clichéd and predictable. The humour is completely removed from the story. Instead, you have Hildy who is obsessing over what happened with Paul, as she annoys her friends by going over and over it. Paul ends up finding her online, because he still wants his $40, so they continue, on and off, there. And sometimes the humour comes back, but not like it was before. As the story goes on, the questions get more emotional, and require deeper answers - and Paul's attitude changes as well, wanting to answer the questions now, wanting to talk to Hildy in a way he hasn't talked to anyone for such a long time. It tends to get a bit cloying. Both Hildy and Paul have things going on in their lives, and those things are pretty serious, but the way they're written, it's just too much. It gets too cute and sweet, and "Let me bare my soul". It got kind of cheesy. And it was just so predictable! When they both started taking the questions seriously, they're answers were interesting, but it just got too much as it went on.

I'm afraid I just didn't really enjoy this book over all. And I also found it kind of forgettable, with it being so cliché and predictable, it just felt a bit samey - a story you'd read before, that would merge with other similar stories in your mind, and you'd never quite remember it. Pretty disappointing, as it has so much potential.

Thank you to Hot Key Books via NetGalley for the eProof.

I really liked the idea of how an actual study can play out in book format and thought the book was quite cute and entertaining. I sometimes struggled a bit with the characters and found the dialogue between them at times a bit predictable. However, in general I liked Hildy and Paul and the unfolding story was quite funny and nice to follow.

I enjoyed the online chat conversations and felt that Grant did a good job capturing them in a book as this can be quite tricky.

It's a fast moving plot with well fleshed out characters, which made the progression of the relationship very exciting to read. It was an enjoyable read and I would recommend giving it a go to see for yourself.

This is a sweet little book. Not a demanding read, rather something one could start and finish during a short-haul flight. The premise of the story is a little different, but the story is not extremely original, and the ending feels a little rushed, but as I said, it is a pleasant read.
I would recommend.

This was an interesting idea, with some strong points, but I found a few things problematic. Full disclosure, YA contemporary romance is not really my favourite genre so that probably played a part too.
The script/text format was novel but ultimately distanced me from the characters. I found myself becoming impatient for something to happen and almost-skim reading at times.
The ending was predictable but cute so, if you like cutesy romance this might be for you. Personally, I am not overly fond of the klutzy girl who falls for the boy who is rude to her, yet shows enough vulnerability for her to like him.
I also found Hildy's use of language problematic - I am not often offended by books but I found the character referring to herself as a 'spastic' and saying her dad was 'spazzing out' particularly inappropriate, especially as she lists 'the role of the variously-abled in society' as something that is important to take seriously only pages later. I don't know if the author's intention was to use slang, but I found it jarring as it's unnecessarily offensive to use it in this sense rather than just clumsy or klutzy. I also disliked Hildy's relationship with her friends as they felt like token efforts to include diversity without committing to showing them as fully-rounded people.
There were some positives to this book - I liked the doodles, Hildy's relationship with her brother and found the 36 questions fascinating. I would have liked to see the psychologist following up with a survey after the experiment!
Overall, however, this was a miss for me.

Unexpectedly beautiful! A story about family, friends, love and other important things all layered with a deft sense of humour.

This is a cute little read, despite its long long title. To be honest the title makes it appear that this is more a physiological book rather than a romance with physiological basis for falling in love.

Hildy and Phil have never met before they are thrown together in an experiment to see if 36 questions can make you fall in love. At first Phil is not interested in the questions, he just wants his 40 bucks. But as soon as Hildy storms out meaning he cant get his money., he becomes more invested and starts answering properly.

Slowly they both develop chemistry and as they talk to each over, over text, email and finally face to face they reveal  some of they biggest secrets. I liked it when they were finally honest with each other. But it did take a long time to get to that point. Mainly because there was a lot of will they, won't they. And dialogue before one of they would get offended and the other would fret.

I wanted a bit more action and reaction to make this the perfect read. However, I did enjoy the story and once I started reading I couldn't put it down, so this book was a winner in that sense.

This is a quirky and cute read, which slightly suffers for being predictable but nevertheless an entertaining read.

This was different from the start. Part of the book was the questionnaire the two protagonists, Hildy and Paul, had to answer and the rest of the book was a narrative, giving the story of their everyday life. A fun, easy-to- read feel good book.

It seems like forever ago since I first read the blurb for this book and knew I wanted to read it. But other books and life have gotten in the way of me and 36 Questions. Until Today. Today I picked up the book and figured I'd read a couple of chapters before I had to do real life stuff. But this book grabbed me and didn't let go. So I read this in two sittings, in just one day. And now I'm feeling more than a little book hungover.

When Paul and Hildy meet up the conversation is written in back and forth dialogue, like a formal interview, which threw me to begin with. But as you progress through the book you realise its better this way. Like Hildy and Paul, we're focused on how they connect rather than whats going on around them. I like that we had a break from the questions, a chance to know Hildy outside of her conversations with Paul, but I was definitely looking forward when they got together to chat again.

This book is definitely going to be one of those books I follow up with a paperback purchase. And I'll definitely be looking for other work by Grant to sink my teeth in to.

36 questions that changed how I feel about you. Victoria Grant.

This YA book is deceptively simple in it’s structure. Two complete strangers are paired up by sexual orientation and then have to answer thirty six predetermined questions in a bid to orchestrate a relational connection.

Enter somewhat annoyingly neurotic Hildey and the more laid back, laconic and seemingly mercenary Paul. To maintain anonymity they are to address each other as Bob and Betty. They begin face to face, but after an emotional outburst continue via Messenger. Somehow freed by the structure of the questions they begin to examine ideas and notions that perhaps they had never consciously considered.

The inevitable oil and water mix of grammar policing high flyer with the “Just Scrapes by” high school drop out is a great foundation for this story. A clinical chore becomes a mutual reliance from both participants . We gradually peel away the layers and reveal vulnerabilities and qualities that intrigue and entice. By sharing the pasts, presents and worrying futures they eventually both learn as much about themselves as they do about each other.

The deep dark secrets they harbour are excised, and an attachment (based on understanding the minutiae of each other’s lives rather than appearance or the posturing so common even by the most genuine people on social media) is formed.

Throw in (quite literally, in fact) an expensive tropical fish, a gay best friend, parental traumas and a romantic dash through a blizzard and you have a throughly entertaining story and I defy you not to start making a note of the questions to try out on your nearest and dearest.

This book had an interesting premise, and that's what prompted me to request it. The characters were quite vividly drawn - especially Hildy, who wound me up quite a lot of the course of the book! I found the artifice of the situation, as Hildy and Paul answer questions designed to facilitate a closer relationship, a bit too unrealistic by the end of the novel.

It's a quick read, though, and engaging, but not particularly memorable.

A different form of romance novel, this was an enjoyable read

A funny, easy to read book which had me laughing out loud. Loved it.

This is such a nice story! It started out slow, and I wondered if Jeff was going to be a major player in any way but... At any rate I really liked this story. Sweet and a little sad at some point. I liked how Bob and Betty came together... Hahaha. Bob and Betty. Makes me want to read about the study, though it is merely a tool here. It takes time to look beneath the masks people wear and the 36 questions, answered honestly, is a quicker way to do it. Of course it helped that Paul and Hildy each called the other out on their bs. No fear there since they were strangers. I wonder if they went back to Jeff for the $40 and the answers to the questions and the study...

Read the book!

I really enjoyed this book. It had a different slant to normal and seemed to be quite relevant to today's world. The characters were believable and real and I liked the pace and where it was coming from. Two great background stories for the main characters.
However, although it had what seemed like a happy ending it was incredibly abrupt and left me feeling short changed. It was just too sudden. I wanted more resolution on Hildy's family traumas, as they were a big part of the story overall.

On finishing this book I wasn't sure how I felt afterwards, I normally have a clear opinion and can review a book immediately after reading but I had to think about this book a while. To summarise; Strangers Hildy and Paul sign up to a psychology study which aims to find out if love be engineered between two random strangers, there are 36 questions that ask things about childhood, family and questions such as what would you do if..... scenarios which are designed to accelerate the relationship by getting to know each other very intimately very quickly by revealing honest and personal thoughts and memories. Paul is guarding himself and treats it as a joke at first, only having signed up to get the promised forty dollars. Hildy is somewhat of a nerd and control freak but little do they know that although they are very different, they have a lot in common. You can pretty much guess what happens from here. Its a cute YA book, and I liked the idea of the structure of the book but I got a bit bored in places due to the predictable friction and tension between them. But did they find love??? Worth a read in my opinion but definitely more for young adults.

A bit of a mixed bag. A psychology experiment that matches two people and gets them to ask each other 36 probing questions honestly and openly, revealing depths about each other that would only be revealed after months, years or perhaps never when seeing someone. Amusing, but lacked a sense of realism.

I have to confess that I couldn't finish this book. I made it around a quarter of the way through, but the format bothered me too much and I found it difficult to get into. It's a brave choice to write a novel almost entirely in dialogue - the reader only learns about the characters through their words, which in the case of Hildy is quite easy since she suffers from a serious case of word vomit! Unfortunately I couldn't persevere past 30%, so I never did get to find out if they fell in love.

This book is not for me. I started skipping pages very early on and gave up.