Technically, You Started It
When a guy named Martin Nathaniel Munroe II texts you, it should be obvious who you’re talking to. Except there’s two of them (it’s a long story), and Haley thinks she’s talking to the one she doesn’t hate.
A question about a class project rapidly evolves into an all-consuming conversation. Haley finds that Martin is actually willing to listen to her weird facts and unusual obsessions, and Martin feels like Haley is the first person to really see who he is. Haley and Martin might be too awkward to hang out in real life, but over text, they’re becoming addicted to each other.
There’s just one problem: Haley doesn’t know who Martin is. And Martin doesn’t know that Haley doesn’t know. But they better figure it out fast before their meet-cute becomes an epic meet-disaster . . .
Reviews
“This quick and compulsive read relies on an elaborate case of mistaken identity and a phone-based relationship that affords Martin and Haley the chance to get to know each other outside of the strictures of high school hierarchies and teenage insecurities. The story unfolds entirely in text messages, which run the gamut of goofy inside jokes, self-aware angst and a slow burn of building feelings.”
"Johnson’s clever debut speaks to Generation Z’s cyberculture by validating online friendships."
"Hand this to readers who like different formats and their romances more on the cerebral side. Good fun.”
"Debut author Lana Wood Johnson serves up a summer sweet, emotionally fraught-slash-hilarious teen romcom plot line perfect for fans of Netflix movies like To All the Boys I've Loved Before."
"Told entirely through texts between the two main characters, Johnson takes a risk with her unconventional format-and it more than pays off.
"Inventive.... The all-text format could be a gimmick in less talented hands, but here the dialogue sparkles as it lets readers inside these teens' heads. It's a surprisingly powerful way to illustrate the true value of connection."The Austin American-Statesman
"If you are a fan of teen/young adult rom-coms, don’t miss this one!"
"Poignant and hilarious, nerdy and joyful, Technically, You Started It reminds us that true connection transcends any medium, evenin-especially in-the digital age."Adib Khorram, author of Darius the Great Is Not Okay and Darius the Great Deserves Better