The Uncertainty Principle, Joshua Davis
The Uncertainty Principle, Joshua Davis
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The Uncertainty Principle

Author: Joshua Davis, Kal Kini-Davis

Narrator: Elena Rey

Unabridged: 9 hr 3 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/03/2025


Synopsis

An epic, breathtaking story of self-discovery, love, and adventure from New York Times bestselling author Joshua Davis and his son Kal Kini-Davis, perfect for fans of Nina LaCour and John Green.

Seventeen-year-old Mia is stranded in the middle of the Caribbean. After a mortifying incident in the school cafeteria, her parents decide there is only one way to deal with her meltdown: move onto a battered sailboat and leave everything behind. Her mom and dad think it’s the best decision they’ve ever made. Mia feels like she’s been kidnapped and imprisoned in paradise with no internet and no destination.

Her only hope is to hack together a solar-powered satellite phone so she can call her best friend and fix everything. To do it, she’ll have to build a mobile laboratory on the boat and ignore her neurotic mother, who thinks Mia is falling apart.

The problem is, Mia is falling apart. By day, she scours deserted islands, looking for anything she can use to build the phone. At night, she squeezes into a narrow bunk and talks to an imaginary friend. She knows, with absolute certainty, that she needs to abandon her family to save her sanity.

And then two teenagers sail into her world, promising friendship, and maybe even romance. Thoughtful, soulful Alby was raised in Australia but now his family calls the sea their home. The only thing missing is his soulmate. Bold, beautiful Nisha is simply vacationing on her dad’s megayacht when a chance encounter upends her life.

Now—with everything hanging in the balance—Mia must decide who she is and what she wants. And with this decision comes the revelation that her past and future are more uncertain than she thought.

About The Author

Joshua Davis (he/him) is the New York Times bestselling author of Spare Parts, The Underdog, and Entrenched. He has been a finalist for the National Magazine Award in feature writing and produced the Sundance Audience Award–winning film Radical. He is the co-founder of Epic Magazine.Kal Kini-Davis (he/him) is a sailor and writer. He recently graduated high school in San Francisco and is now studying wooden boatbuilding in the Pacific Northwest. He believes that boats have souls, just as people do.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Darya on May 17, 2025

Mia has never really understood how to act in social situations, but fortunately, her friend Sadie was there to coach her on ... well, how to hide some of her weirdness. Her weirdness being: Mia was always more interested in tech stuff, such as building solar panels, than in looking fashionable or f......more

Goodreads review by Rebecca on July 10, 2025

Mia, who is possibly a genius and/or on the Asperger's spectrum, has no idea how to be the typical teenager her friend Sadie tried to mold her into. After a mortifying blowup in the school cafeteria, Mia is expelled, and her parents decide the only option--both for Mia, and her mother whose germopho......more

Goodreads review by Sebastian on June 30, 2025

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Workshop for the eARC I received of this One thing about me is I'l pick out something to read in a few weeks, forget what it's about, and then be completely shocked when I finally pick it up. So while I was pretty confused the first few chapters, I was absolutely delig......more

Goodreads review by Alisha on June 18, 2025

After a mortifying incident in the school cafeteria, sixteen-year-old Mia is now standard on a battered sailboat with her family in the middle of the Caribbean. Her mom and dad believe that leaving everything behind is the best decision they’ve ever made, but Mia feels like she’s been kidnapped and......more

Goodreads review by Thecla on June 05, 2025

4.25 ⭐️ A HUGE thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me a finished copy of this book! As a lover of character-driven, transformative stories, I truly enjoyed reading this book. Our mc is 16 year-old Mia, and she has a lot going on. She has an intelligence unappreciated by her family and peers, a moth......more


Quotes

"Mia’s story tenderly explores themes of sexuality and neurodivergence with sailing and science details accompanying her often-painful introspection as she learns to navigate uncertainty. Emotional and broad-ranging." —Kirkus Reviews

"A wonderful tale of self-discovery." —School Library Journal

"Teen readers will find familiar awkwardness as Mia navigates the Caribbean and her life." —Booklist