Eliza Gordon-Fergus—best friend of Merrilee Campbell—is an expert rule-follower. She has to be; her scientist parents demand she follow dozens of them.

They call it “parenting-by-proxy” since they’re rarely on the same continent. Their rules dictate her nutrition, education, sleep, workouts … and forbid her from dating. Eliza studiously obeys them all.

Which is why she finds Curtis Cavendish maddening. Rules don’t seem to apply to him. He’s never punished for his class-clown antics—and worse, his mischief actually masks brilliance. Like, give-Eliza-a-run-for-valedictorian brilliance.

When Eliza reads Frankenstein for English class, she’s left feeling more like an experiment than a daughter. Curtis agrees to trade her Anne of Green Gablesunder one condition: She has to beat him at the science fair. Eliza knows they’re supposed to be competing, but

the more time they spend together, the more she realizes she’s in over her head. Because one thing’s certain about Curtis: He makes Eliza want to break all the rules.