Title: Tilly in Technicolor
Author: Mazey Eddings
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Published on: August 15, 2023
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: digital (Netgalley)
Pages: 320
Synopsis:
Tilly Twomley is desperate for change. White-knuckling her way through high school with flawed executive functioning has left her burnt out and ready to start fresh. Working as an intern for her perfect older sister’s start up isn’t exactly how Tilly wants to spend her summer, but the required travel around Europe promises a much-needed change of scenery as she plans for her future. The problem is, Tilly has no idea what she wants.
Oliver Clark knows exactly what he wants. His autism has often made it hard for him to form relationships with others, but his love of color theory and design allows him to feel deeply connected to the world around him. Plus, he has everything he needs: a best friend that gets him, placement into a prestigious design program, and a summer internship to build his resume. Everything is going as planned. That is, of course, until he suffers through the most disastrous international flight of his life, all turmoil stemming from lively and exasperating Tilly. Oliver is forced to spend the summer with a girl that couldn’t be more his opposite—feeling things for her he can’t quite name—and starts to wonder if maybe he doesn’t have everything figured out after all.
As the duo’s neurodiverse connection grows, they learn that some of the best parts of life can’t be planned, and are forced to figure out what that means as their disastrously wonderful summer comes to an end.
Tilly in Technicolor is Mazey Eddings’s sparkling YA debut about two neurodivergent teens who form a connection over the course of a summer.
My thoughts
(Spoiler free)
Tilly in Technicolor by Mazey Eddings is charming, joyful, and practically perfect! I flew through this young adult romance, happily traveling with Tilly throughout Europe the summer after her high school graduation. And while Tilly’s story takes the reader to some beautiful settings, at its heart this is a story about embracing each other’s differences—but especially our own.
“You’re like a…a…prism.”
Mazey Eddings, Tilly in Technicolor
“Excuse me?”
“Like a crystal prism. You absorb the world around you but somehow release this brilliant spectrum of colors through your words that people see themselves in. It’s a gift.”
Tilly’s parents have shipped her off to Europe to spend the summer working for her older sister with the hope it will inspire her to pick a college and vocation. Tilly’s ADHD has made school a struggle and she has no desire to continue her education. Tilly’s passion is writing, and while she yearns to write for a living, her mom thinks writing is only a hobby.
More than anything, Tilly longs for acceptance. She’s exhausted from trying to fit into the mold everyone else expects of her. Oliver knows plenty about feeling different, too. He’s autistic, but unlike Tilly, he’s had a more supportive family and he feels like he has a solid life plan.
Until he meets Tilly, that is.
When Oliver is Tilly’s seatmate on her flight to Europe, the two don’t exactly have a romantic meet-cute. On the surface they seem like polar opposites, but they’ll discover they’re much more alike than they know.
Oliver sees life in colors, even labeling the world around him by their Pantone name and number, which makes the reading experience even more rich. I wanted to stop and look up each color he mentions, but I also didn’t want to put the book down.
I couldn’t stop smiling while reading as Tilly and Oliver grow closer, learning more about each other and themselves. And it only reaffirmed the fact that we need more books featuring neurodiverse characters. Once again, a book has reminded me that what makes us different is what makes us beautiful.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
(All quotes are taken from the advance copy and are subject to change in final print.)
My Rating:
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About the Author
Mazey Eddings
Mazey Eddings is a neurodiverse author, dentist, and (most importantly) stage mom to her cats, Yaya and Zadie. She can most often be found reading romance novels under her weighted blanket and asking her fiánce to bring her snacks. She’s made it her personal mission in life to destigmatize mental health issues and write love stories for every brain. With roots in Ohio and Philadelphia, she now calls North Carolina home.
A Song For A Book
Maybe it’s too on the nose, but when I thought about a song for Tilly in Technicolor, I kept coming back to “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper. I even searched for a cover of the song, but the original works perfectly.
…And I see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that’s why I love you
So don’t be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful
I see your true colors
Shining through (true colors)
I see your true colors
And that’s why I love you
So don’t be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful (they’re beautiful)
Like a rainbow
Oh oh oh oh oh like a rainbow…
Have you read Tilly in Technicolor? Or did you add it to your tbr? Let me know in the comments!
Happy Wandering!
Not surprised to hear this was a hit, but I am happy. Sounds charming and heartwarming.
Charming and heartwarming is a perfect description!
I can’t wait to get to this book, Dedra. Having a grandson on the autism spectrum, these books make me smile and give me hope that he is going to be okay. I love the sound of this one, great review, Dedra.
Yes! I hope you enjoy(ed) it as much as I did. It’s such a joyful book. <3
I loved it. She does such a wonderful job writing neuro-diverse characteres.
Love this review! I adored this book and these characters.
Yay!! I hope it gets all the attention it deserves.
I’m looking forward to this story. Glad you enjoyed it so much!