Parker Santé’s dad died 5 years ago, leaving a wake of depression and mental illness in Parker’s family that has lingered long after his passing. Parker hasn’t spoken a word since the accident and has taken to spending his days stealing from wealthy hotels. He has become isolated from relationships, and he is doing poorly at school. Parker’s hopes and dreams for a future were buried along with his father. 

All of this changes with the appearance of a mysterious silver-haired girl named Zelda, who claims to be hundreds of years old. With the help of Zelda, Parker begins to form new friendships and reignite his hopes for the future. Although Parker is trying to get better, will his love be strong enough to heal Zelda’s pain?

This is a great book! At first, I thought it was going to be another “boy meets girl” book, and there is an aspect of that; but Thanks for the Trouble is so much more than just a romance. The interesting perspective of the book creates a wonderful canvas on which the story can unfold. Zelda is amazingly quirky, and the witty, thought-provoking dialogue between many different characters adds another dimension to the novel. Interspersed throughout the novel are stories, which Parker has written, that slow the fast-paced novel down a bit while adding depth to the story.

One of my favourite aspects of this book is the philosophical questions that Zelda’s immortality raises. What is life without death? Is there a future if you have an endless future to look forward to? Zelda once describes immortality as growing farther and farther away from a painting until it is only a speck of light in a dark abyss. This description is one of many that make this book memorable.

My favourite thing about the book is the ending. Usually, in romance novels, the author takes the easy way out and makes a nice happy ending for the reader. Wallach definitely does not opt for the easy ending in this book, and he mixes it up enough so that the ending is completely unexpected, yet still satisfying. 

In conclusion, this is one of the best teenage romance novels I have ever read. The only problem with this book is that it has a ridiculously short time span (a few days) for two people to fall in love, not to mention all the other character development that is happening. I would have liked to see Zelda’s relationship with Parker last a few months before the ending. All in all, this is a fabulous book that I recommend wholeheartedly.