I started listening to this but just didn’t really connect with the characters so I’ve put it aside for now. I am intrigued so may come back to it or try the print version as I’m not sure if it’s gripping enough as an audiobook for me.

Interesting story concept but I found it difficult to engage with the writing style, which felt juvenile. I did however enjoy the way that the relationship between the siblings was represented - it felt very realistic and true-to-life.

I really enjoyed the way the sibling relationship was written and scientific ways of approaching life tasks - and dating in particular - is always a winner in my book! Thank you for the read!

Brother and sister story, growing up without parents and relying on each other the brother becomes very precious over the sisters relationships, he obviously does not want to lose her. The brother is a renowned mathematician however also autistic so has obsessive tendencies which the sister has been working around all her life. The story is written very kindly and thoughtfully and describes the emotional journey and bond of brother and sister. Some maths equations feature as part of the story line which is interesting. Sad, emotional, funny and quirky all in one read. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook to review.

Art and Mimi are brother and sister and they are all each other have; after their parents committed suicide packed together. But when Mimi wants more and starts going on a dating app, Art decides to help.

Soon Mimi is involved with Frank, another mathematician, but Art does not think all is as it seems and chooses to find evidence of his own.

This was a unique and unusual narrative with unique and unusual characters. Art can be seen as an introvert and someone who very much wants routine. However, his mind is very logical in the way it thinks, as well as how he sees things.

Mimi does everything for her brother but she needs to break free and live her own life and it seemed as though Art had become dependent on her.

I like the character of Ray, Ernst and Frank as they brought so much as minor characters to this narrative.

There was a massive plot twist which I didn't see coming which is why I loved this narrative and really wondered where it was going, I found the tone and pace changed however, this could also be seen as reflecting within the characters as more is revealed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian UK Audio for a pre-publication audiobook edition of this book. This is my honest review.

I won’t say much about the story because I don’t really remember or care about it much. We follow a third person narrative with two main characters: Art and Mimi who are siblings, the former a maths genius and I believe is neurodivergent/on the autism spectrum and latter is for most of her life stuck in his shadow. Their parents died together and it’s mainly been each other’s company they’re used to. They’re the current timeframe but also they go back to time spent with their mum and dad in South Africa and other flashback moments. Mimi loves her brother and cares for him but her situation is taking its toll on her too, she’s urning for a life of her own, to experience things ‘normal’ people do like falling in love and moving out of the family home. In her endeavour and meeting a new man Frank, the duo have to deal with a lot. I think Gnodde’s comments on human relationships, specifically between siblings but also budding romances and friendships with the other mainish characters Ray and Ernest, are the best part of this book. They’re insightful and make you think a lot which I thoroughly enjoyed. The characters are quite developed as well.

My main criticism would be there is a little too much maths and repetition of things as well which made this book drag on a lot. If I was reading this physically I think I’d have skimmed largish chunks too and was very close to DNFing it multiple times. I’d say quite a bit could’ve been omitted and with this rehashing of the same conversations, theories, arguments, etc it made me lose my attachment to the characters becoming very jarring/annoying/boring as it went along. Gnodde does imply nuance to the characters and story but it was lacking for me, they did seem a little one-dimensional. The writing is okay but nothing amazing, quite simplistic at times too where it didn’t fully flow. I also wished there was more discussion on Art’s sexuality which is hinted at but definitely lacked.

The narrator performed it well doing accents for certain characters, I could tell who was who and it was clear. I guess I enjoyed it to some extent and I’d still feel comfortable recommending this book but it’s quite mathsy and there is repetition that I’d warn you about. I didn’t particularly like it and I don’t have any real desire to check out more of Gnodde’s work in all honestly, I wouldn’t say she’s for me but thank you for the opportunity to review this book.

“When Mimi stands at her door, she knows that the news is not good. Her body is familiar with the rules. ‘Miss Brotherton? Naomi?’ She points inside to invite the police officers in. Her words won’t come.”

My thanks to Macmillan Audio U.K. for a review copy via NetGalley of the unabridged audiobook edition of ‘The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything’ by Kara Gnodde. The audiobook is narrated by Pippa Bennett-Warner.

I was immediately drawn by this novel’s brightly coloured cover and from its opening passage, quoted above, it proved an immersive read that focused upon relationships, especially between siblings.

The plot features siblings, Arthur (Art) and Naomi (Mimi) Brotherton, who are also housemates. Their parents had died in tragic circumstances thirteen years previously and they are closely bonded. Art is a mathematical genius who believes that maths are the answer to everything. He is convinced that people are incapable of making sensible decisions about love and that algorithms are the answer.

Mimi has always felt that she is ordinary while Art is special. When Mimi decides that she needs more in her life than devoting herself to Art, he talks her into joining a dating site whose algorithms he approves of. At first it seems promising until Mimi meets Frank at an awards event that she attends with Art. Frank is romantic and spontaneous and is also a mathematician.

However, Art doesn’t consider Frank ‘algorithm approved’ and seeks to sabotage their budding romance, severely testing the siblings’ relationship. Art is convinced that something about Frank doesn’t add up … then events take a shocking turn.

With respect to the audiobook, Pippa Bennett-Warner is a well established actor, who has narrated a number of audiobooks. I have especially enjoyed her readings of Zadie Smith’s titles. Her voice is quite rich and deep and a pleasure to listen to.

The audiobook concludes with an interview with the author in which she discusses with her editor the various inspirations for the novel and how she decided to explore a very different type of relationship triangle to the normal. Definitely worth listening to as it provides further insight into the novel’s themes.

Overall, I enjoyed ‘The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything’ very much. As someone who loves maths, I appreciated this aspect though no specialist knowledge is necessary to appreciate the story. It has a great deal of depth and is charming and heartwarming. I found it an impressive debut and look forward to Kara Gnodde’s future projects.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

I really enjoyed this! A story of two siblings Art and Mimi and their unconventional relationship, mysteries surrounding their parents' deaths and of course maths. I was really swept away by the story and thought the writing was beautiful. The narrator was great too. Highly recommended.

This book took me a second to get in to but once I was there we were flying. A good, overall fun read.

Actual rating 3.5.

This was a really tender and quirky novel, which was far darker than that cover might suggest, but I kind of love unexpected reads like that!

This is a bit of a nerdy, maths based look at what happens when two siblings rely on each other too much, and one introduces someone new into the mix. Mimi has always taken a backseat to her genius brother Art, but when she falls in love, it spins the siblings’ relationship into chaos - and after the tragic loss they’ve already been through, it’s pretty tough to see them fall apart like that.

I enjoyed this one, and found it quite emotional at times, but I don’t think I connected with the characters in the way I’d hoped to - in the end, I was hooked by the mystery and intrigue that’s also a big part of the book, rather than being emotionally invested. I did find it really unique, and a great exploration of grief and the sibling relationship though!

This book was much more than I was expecting. I thought that it was simply going to be about the relationship between two siblings, one who is neurodivergent and one who is not and wants to break free from family ties. However, this book is much more complex and all-encompassing than that. The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything actually develops in to a mystery story after a traumatic event befalls Art. There is a great deal of emotion and sadness within the pages and the two siblings are dealing with a huge amount of trauma. Whilst Art has his maths to occupy him, Mimi seems rather more lost.

I thought that the narrator of the audiobook was excellent. I loved her voice and all of the different accents that she did. I found her very engaging to listen to. However, the story actually became increasingly confusing towards the end and I definitely didn't follow all the maths! Although I found the inclusion of the maths to be original, it was lost on me and I didn't particularly enjoy it. I found that my mind wandered at times and I really need to pay more attention!

Overall a refreshing and original debut. I rate this audiobook 3.5/5 and will look forward to more from this author.

I enjoyed listening to this book. The characters in this book were really complex which interesting relationships with each other, this really elevated the book for me. I thought the plot was relatively predictable, however that was ok because the characters really brought the book to life.

Such a great read! I loved this beautiful rom-com mystery exploring sibling love, friendships and romantic love.

Siblings Mimi and Art are tightly bound together by the tragedy of their parents' deaths. Art is a mathematician, devoting his life's work to a maths problem offering a million dollar prize.

Mimi's main focus is looking after Art by preparing his meals etc. Until one day she explains that she is lonely and needs to try to find romantic love. Art approaches this from a mathematical viewpoint and details the steps they will need to take to ensure she finds the best man for her.

Mathematically, he explains that to succeed Mimi should continue dating men until she gets to one third of the men she will date. Then she should stop at the next man she meets who is better than those she has already met.

Of course, things don't quite go to plan and soon Mimi happens to meet a man who she falls in love with, before she has got to the crucial one-third point. Art is adamant that she should discard any relationships before that point, especially when he suspects the suitor may have hidden motives.

With Art close to death, Mimi finds herself retracing his footsteps, trying to determine if it was really an accident, and uncovering more about their parents along the way.

I enjoyed this one, I like the sibling relationship between Art and Mimi. They formed a strong bond after their parents death. This book is full of miscommunication between characters and when we finally find out the mystery it was an emotional one! I enjoyed the journey of this book and the narrator was well suited.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of the audiobook via NetGalley.

A cautionary tale involving siblings, maths, and suicide.
A heady mix of logic, emotions,
jealousy and romance.
A challenging read, totally absorbing and thought provoking.

This book started off a little slow. It took me a while to get into it and I didn't really expect the story to go the way it did. I thought this would be a cute romance with the comedy coming from Art's intervention in his sister's dating life but then it went in a completely different direction. It dealt with a few serious issues. And I'm not sure I was fully satisfied with the way it was handled at the end. Also, for me, I didn't warm to the love interest, he felt a little off to me, like he was gaslighting Mimi at points when she had legitimate reasons to not trust him. Saying all that, the mystery aspect did hook me in. And the narrator did a good job. Maybe the description and marketing could use work because it makes the book out to be a light, romantic comedy.

A fantastic debut by Kara Gnodde, The Theory of (not quite) Everything introduces us to Mimi and Art, siblings who have solely relied on each other since the passing of their parents. How they each negotiate their worlds is where the crux of this novel sits, Art relies on logic, facts, evidence and of course Maths whereas Mimi follows her heart. Mimi has put her education and career on hold so that she can be on hand to support Art as he works to realise his mathematical potential.

This is all well and good until Mimi realises that she also wants a life and someone to share it with. As with all things in life Art supports Mimi in her venture, that is until Mimi refuses to follow the numbers to find love but instead, as is her way… follows her heart. The clash between Heart and Head is paramount throughout this novel and although at its core this is a love story, it is much, much more. Themes such as grief, loss, trust, friendship and family dynamics knit this story together, the characters are quirky, yes, but this is not a sit back and soak up an easy going romance with a few giggles along the way. This is more a sit on the edge of your seat and cross fingers that everything will turn out ok at the end.

I loved it, it’s intelligent, beautifully written, with characters to fall in love with and a plot to keep you invested. Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this. Gnodde cleverly writes Mimi’s story to be at times a gorgeous romance and at others almost a thriller, all wrapped up in a nuanced depiction of love, grief, growing up and relationships, both familial and romantic. There's Maths theory in there, but you don't need to understand a word of it ( which was just as well in my case,) - it really serves to describe Mimi's brother Art's world and life well. I listened to the audio and the narrator really does the story justice. Recommended.

I thought this was a brilliant story and loved learning about the characters.
I couldn't wait to find out what woukd happen next .thought the narrator was great at bringing the story to life.

You think you know things. You think you know the people around you. You think you know how they behave and how they will respond to circumstances. But you think you know yourself in the same way; how you behave and respond. You think you know how this book will end. Now prepare for that knowledge - that theory of those ‘facts’ - to be turned on its head and the ‘not quite’ of everything becomes huge.
This novel is an absolute triumph. It sucks you in, holds you at what must feel like G-Force and then? Well I’ll let you find out for yourself because it would be a travesty for you not to read this book.
A huge thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and of course the author Kara Gnodde for this audio advanced reader copy - all opinions and the ringing endorsement for this book are very much my own.