How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford

Goodreads Summary:

New to town, Beatrice is expecting her new best friend to be one of the girls she meets on the first day. But instead, the alphabet conspires to seat her next to Jonah, aka Ghost Boy, a quiet loner who hasn't made a new friend since third grade. Something about him, though, gets to Bea, and soon they form an unexpected friendship. It's not romance, exactly - but it's definitely love. Still, Bea can't quite dispel Jonah's gloom and doom - and as she finds out his family history, she understands why. Can Bea help Jonah? Or is he destined to vanish?

My Review:

I will start with the end... crying! This book made me cry, and kind of a lot. 

This is a story about a boy and a girl, but they don't fall in love and they don't live happily ever after. Bea and Jonah are "just friends" but they are best friends and wouldn't want their relationship to be any other way despite what other feelings might be between them. The friendship they share is the most important relationship that both Bea and Jonah have. This is, in part, because Jonah hasn't really had a friend in such a long time, and Bea is such a loyal friend. When reading this book I found that I could relate a lot to the friendship between the two characters in small ways with many of my high school and post high school girl/guy friendships. I guess that's is why it really hit me in the not so happy ending. I guess I should have guessed somewhat by the title, that there would be some GOODBYE's to endure, but it was still rough for me!! I mean it!! But this book is so unique, and quirky, which are qualities that I personally appreciate, and therefore, I recommend this book. Just be warned. THIS DOES NOT END HAPPILY :). I know all of that doesn't tell you too much about what the story is actually about, so I will borrow a bit more of explanation from author Maggie Stiefvater (because it was based on her recommendation of this book that I read it in the first place, and I like her review)

The best favor I can do to everyone considering reading this book is to tell them that it's not a YA romance. Once you get that out of the way, you can enjoy this book for what it is: a quirky, intelligent YA novel about two lost teens finding their way back to normalcy -- or not. 
While the two main characters -- nicknamed "Ghost Boy" and "Robot Girl" -- in this book are earnestly 3D, the real star of this novel is the late night radio program that both of them listen to. The quirky and sincere and bizarre and fascinating callers enchant both the narrator and the reader, and ultimately, this book ended up on my five star list because the show and the ending remained in my head for longer than it took me to read the book. 
I think this one also goes on my top five YAs that ought to be movies list -- I can see it perfectly in my head.