carla's Reviews > Seven Percent of Ro Devereux

2.5

I appreciate the complexity of the app, particularly on the discussion of compromise. MASH maps out an individualistic future, not an interdependent one. Perhaps it’s too complex for an algorithm, or perhaps Ro just didn’t figure out the right code. It made for interesting thought experiments with the remaining 7% of human behavior.

I also like the familial relationships. The author did a good job of capturing the parental love between Ro’s dad and her.

Somehow, though, the relationship fell flat between Miller and Ro. A lot of the potential scenes in their fake dating were skimmed over, and we didn’t feel that tension. We didn’t see the uncomfortable conflict that would complicate their relationship. We saw the resolution and the aftermath, but not the buildup. And that makes it really hard to connect with them. When the romance comes, it’s cute. I mean, you have ”’You will become people you can’t even fathom yet,’ Vera told me. But every version of myself, I know, belongs with him.” Come on! But I just didn’t care. I didn’t have that passion for them. They did nothing to convince me. They went from feuding to flirting in like one page. It was just lazy execution.

The whole timeline with MASH was ridiculous too. It rose to fame overnight and fell in its demise overnight. There were no developments, no build up to it. We’re told to be Omg MASH, Ro is such a genius, all hail and then we’re supposed to hate it and think it’s toxic and psychologically damaging. I get the thematic point of the 7%, and I appreciate it, but the lead up to it fell flat.

Also it’s really weird that adults were forcing them to be in a fake relationship. I mean, I know that it’s like PR and that people do that all the time, but they were high schoolers. No one called out the exploitive nature? And the adults acted like children. Evelyn and the mom were cartoon villains. And I don’t buy Felix and Jazzy being their friends…..they’re in a different life stage than them. There’s a difference between being friendly and being friends.

This was also so white. Like, so white. Dancing to Sweet Caroline in the mall white. My fault for not looking for a diverse story; I need some after this.

And of course, the whole app itself is over the top. You have to suspend a lot of belief to buy into the premise, or do what I did and just ignore it. It’s very unlikely that a high school senior would do this. If you read this, you’re going to have to choose to let go plausibility. It is a lighthearted read though.