"The Odds of Getting Even"

Amanda Sellet is a former journalist and the author of romcoms for teens and adults, including By the Book, which Booklist described in a starred review as, “impossible to read without laughing out loud.” She loves old movies, baked goods, and embarrassing her teen daughter.

Sellet applied the Page 69 Test to her new novel, The Odds of Getting Even, and reported the following:

From page 69:

Jean had plenty of time during her evening shift to figure out how to even the cosmic balance. Charlie had brought her coffee in bed that morning, so she would spice up his evening with a little treat of her own.

As soon as she clocked out, Jean crept to his front door, placing a rolled sheet of paper on the mat. She rang the bell before lunging off the patio to hide behind one of the planters.

The door opened with Charlie’s typical hinge-straining enthusiasm. His smile fell when he realized there was no one there.

“Jean?” he said, uncertainly.

She watched him squint down the path, trying to see into the darkness beyond the trees.

“Is there someone there?” He was retreating into the cottage when he spotted the paper.

“What’s this?” Charlie murmured, bending to pick it up. A grin broke out as he read the words painted across the top of the page. “A treasure map.”

He took a step down, pausing when something crunched underfoot. Lifting his leg, he peered at the scraps clinging to his heel.

“The trail of breadcrumbs,” Jean hissed. “You’re supposed to follow it.”

“Jean?”

“I’m a disembodied voice. Totally anonymous.”

“Oh, right.” Charlie glanced at the path. “They’re very big breadcrumbs.”

“I thought tortilla chips would be easier to see.”

“Good point, anonymous voice. Am I supposed to eat them?”

“No. That would be gross. But I appreciate your commitment to the process.”

What can we tell from page 69 of The Odds of Getting Even? A lot! In this scene, we see our central couple, Jean and Charlie, at the height of the halcyon period of their relationship. These seeming opposites—an impetuous artist and shy snake scientist—have tumbled headfirst into a romance after meeting by chance at the resort where Jean works. From the beginning, their dynamic is playful and full of games, a theme that will continue until the very end of the book. Jean teases and cajoles Charlie into stepping out of his comfort zone, in this case literally, via the treasure map she leaves at his door.

There are hints of brewing tension in Charlie’s reluctance to leave the safety of his room. By now, the reader is beginning to suspect what Jean has willfully ignored: Charlie is hiding something from her, and his secret has made him leery of discovery. After he follows Jean’s map to the end, she opens up about a painful chapter from her own past—an act of trust he can’t quite reciprocate.

Very soon, the book will take a sharp turn into Part Two of the story, where we go from the blissful honeymoon stage to a characteristically ridiculous revenge scheme full of farcical twists and screwball scenarios. But for now, we are witnessing two people who delight in each other’s company, heading out for a moonlit stroll with only the faintest sense of a ticking clock counting down the hours until the outside world intrudes on their secluded hideaway.

The unlikely love story between Jean and Charlie is the beating heart of The Odds of Getting Even, and it’s right out in the open on page 69.

Visit Amanda Sellet's website.

Q&A with Amanda Sellet.

The Page 69 Test: By the Book.

Writers Read: Amanda Sellet (December 2022).

Writers Read: Amanda Sellet (August 2024).

--Marshal Zeringue