Two Across

June 15, 2015
Debut author Bartsch’s promising tale is hurt by emotionally distant writing and an abrupt, disappointing ending. It’s 1960 when Stanley, trapped by his agoraphobic mother, and Vera, forever moving from one hotel room to the next with hers, meet as two teenagers who tie for first place in the National Spelling Bee (in Washington, D.C.). While his mother plans his future, Stanley just wants to create crossword puzzles, and so he hatches a plan to gain his freedom while keeping his fragile mother in the dark. He and Vera pretend to marry in order to cash in on the wedding gifts. Vera, secretly in love with Stanley, agrees to his scheme hoping that, in time, he’ll come to share her feelings. Stanley and Vera have good chemistry together, and the novel is populated by a quirky, diverse cast of characters. Unfortunately, Bartsch’s writing is detached and often clunky (“He tried, but she didn’t want to listen, and said she was done with all that, and furthermore she declared she was done with love”). Add to that a sudden ending and readers may feel cheated.

Two crossword puzzle lovers come together and fall apart in this smart, romantic debut. Stanley Owens and Vera Baxter meet as teenagers in 1960 when they tie for first place in the National Spelling Bee. Their initial dislike of each other quickly turns into a tentative friendship. Although they have their oversize intelligence in common, Stanley has no desire to follow his mother's plan for him to go to Harvard. Instead, he asks Vera to fake-marry him so he can use their wedding gift money to start a new life as a crossword puzzle writer. But what Stanley doesn't know is that Vera hopes their sham marriage might turn into something real-she's secretly in love with him. Pulling off a fake wedding proves slightly more complex than Stanley anticipated, and the repercussions of their con job follow them through jobs, colleges, and other relationships. As Stanley and Vera grow closer, his feelings for her become stronger-but his inability to be honest drives them apart again and again. Their only way of finding each other is by leaving clues hidden in newspaper crossword puzzles. When Stanley finally realizes his true feelings for Vera, will he be able to get her back? Or will it be too late? Bartsch creates two characters who are, although frustrating at times, easy to root for. The side characters, like Stanley's mother and Vera's college roommate, are also fully drawn and fun to read. Although Stanley and Vera's relationship does become a bit repetitive at times, readers will still be invested in their love story and its whimsical details. Bartsch's delightful novel creates a lovely marriage between words and romance. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 1, 2015
Ah, star-crossed lovers. Can we ever have enough of them? The two who, uh, star in Bartsch's smart and sprightly first novel are Vera and Stanley, who meet cute when, as teenagers, they find themselves rare co-winners of the National Spelling Bee. One thing leads to another, and before you can spell antidisestablishmentarianism, the two fake a marriage for reasons that seem good at the time but that later visit all sorts of misfortunesome of it quirky, some of it just sadon them and their relationship. Will they ever be able to spill the beans about their charade, pull it all together, and live happily ever after? This is where the reviewer winks and says, Read the book and find out. Suffice it to say, in the meantime, that Two Across is pleasantly diverting; that readers will root for Vera and Stanley, who are uncommonly agreeable characters; and that crossword puzzlesboth the creating and solving of themloom large in their respective lives. Reader, can you spell romantic comedy? Clearly, Bartsch can and does to wonderfully good effect.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

Starred review from August 1, 2015

Bartsch's first novel opens at a 1960 spelling bee at a Washington, DC hotel, where we meet Vera Baxter and Stanley Owens, brilliantly fierce competitors in the national championship. In a rare occurrence, they tie for the win, a turn that bonds them over the course of years to come. Stanley and Vera have similarly awkward upbringings: Stanley lives in the hotel hosting the competition with his agoraphobic mother. Vera also resides in various hotels with her single mother, who travels while pursuing a burgeoning sales career. The young people's lives continue to intersect as they grow up, though they have different paths and goals. Once Stanley decides he needs Vera to accomplish his ambitions, their relationship becomes increasingly muddled. Stanley's lifelong interest in solving and creating crossword puzzles leads the two of them into a complex mode of communication over the next several years. VERDICT This nerd-meets-nerd love story reflects the complexity and depth of human relations. Not for fans of easy-flowing romances; this is full of struggles, melancholy, heartbreak, and introspection. It makes a wonderful book club read: the trials of Vera and Stanley are well worth plumbing for dynamic discussion. [See Prepub Alert, 2/9/15.]--Julie Kane, formerly with Sweet Briar Coll. Lib., VA

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2015

Brilliant but socially maladroit teenagers Stanley and Vera meet when they tie for first place in the National Spelling Bee, then try to escape their too-controlling parents by entering into an in-name-only marriage. But Vera really does love Stanley, which throws off his cherished plans to create crossword puzzles. From an award-winning copywriter who's getting a 35,000-copy first printing here; sort of hard to resist a debut novel billed as The Rosie Project meets One Day.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.