Hazel's Theory of Evolution by Lisa Jenn Bigelow

  

Hazel already has enough to worry about, starting at a new school in eighth grade. But when one of her moms announces that she's pregnant, Hazel couldn't feel worse about it. Hazel loves her family, and the idea of being a big sister--but her mom has already miscarried twice, and Hazel doesn't think that her family could handle a third time. 

Luckily, Hazel has an escape in the wide world of animals. After spending time with the goats that her other mom raises for their milk, her favorite pastime is reading through nature encyclopedias. She's even working on her own. All she needs is to get through the school year, and her mother's pregnancy, without having any big feelings or standing out among her classmates. But when Hazel makes some unexpected friends at school, she starts to wonder whether her plan of hiding all year is actually worth it. With the help of her family and new friends, Hazel will get through this year--and maybe the other side will be even better.

Hazel's Theory of Evolution is beautifully well-rounded and wonderfully diverse, and the everyday-life plot makes you feel like Hazel is a close friend whose family you get to visit every once in a while. Hazel is a nerdy aroace girl with a big heart, and her family balances her out in the most beautiful way. Throughout the course of the book, Hazel realizes that she's not at all interested in the feelings that her teacher talks about in sex ed--and probably never will be. The most beautiful part of that journey is her mom Mimi's conversations with her: while she never explicitly mentions asexuality, Mimi makes it clear to Hazel that not wanting romance or sex is completely normal. 

I also loved how Hazel's friendships with Yoshi and Carina develop through the book. You may enjoy a slow-burn romance, but the slow-burn friendship between Hazel and Yoshi is even better. They get off to a rough start, but after hanging out for a few months Hazel finally realizes that hey, they're friends. Overall, the relationships between characters is what really sets this book apart. Not only is it heartwarming to read, but those friend and family relationships emphasize that love outside of romance is just as important. 

Lisa Jenn Bigelow is also the author of Drum Roll Please, another of my favorite realistic fiction books.