Billy Sloat and Lydia Lemon don’t have much in common, unless you count growing up on the same (wrong) side of the tracks, the lack of a mother, and a persistent loneliness that has inspired creative coping mechanisms.

When the lives of these two loners are thrust together, Lydia’s cynicism is met with Billy’s sincere optimism, and both begin to question their own outlook on life. On top of that, weird happenings including an impossible tornado and an all-consuming fog are cropping up around them—maybe even because of them. And as the two grow closer and confront bigger truths about their pasts, they must also deal with such inconveniences as a narcissistic rock star, a war between unicorns and dragons, and eventually, of course, the apocalypse.

Summer means kicking back and taking a chance on something new. If you’re the kind of person who mostly enjoys romance or contemporary fiction, take a risk on this madcap story that brings the best of both worlds, with a dash of fantasy thrown in.

Billy isn’t exactly the most popular kid in school. He’s literally from the wrong side of the tracks, basically doesn’t have parents, and always says exactly what he’s thinking (awkward). When he strikes up an unlikely friendship with the new girl in town, Lydia, the common ground they discover in the liminal space between his quirky personality and her offbeat pessimism is almost enough to make high school worth it. But nothing comes easy, and soon the pair have two hands' worth of challenges to deal with, including an ex-celebrity rocker, an onslaught of impossible meteorological phenomena, and, oh yeah, the apocalypse.

The bottom line: This book is bizarre, in all the best ways. Billy and Lydia are renegade weirdos in a small town that demands normality, and their conversations are by turns poignant, funny, and deep. Even if this book was 400 pages of freewheeling dialogue, I probably would’ve enjoyed it. But it’s the plot, and all its “didn’t-see-it-coming” twists, that really steals the show. Take a chance on this book. I promise it’ll suck you in.