Take a story's temperature by studying its tone. Is it hopeful? Cynical? Snarky? Playful?
Skeptically Yours
Because the whole story is told from Gemma's perspective, we get a healthy dose of her attitude when it comes to the tone. Gemma is the kind of girl who can be pretty skeptical of other people, and a little harsh, too. You can see this in how she describes her interactions with Alex, along with her serious distrust:
The inability to make eye contact was the first sign someone was lying.
"You're lying," I accused.
"No, I'm not," he said, his eyes still locked on the floor.
"Yes, you are," I insisted. "You can't even look at me." (14.29-32)
Gemma points out in her sardonic tone that "the inability to make eye contact" is the first sign of lying—and that's why she doesn't trust Alex. For the record, we can think of other reasons someone might not make eye contact, like feeling shy, or having a crush, or maybe just suffering from a nasty case of pink eye. Gemma leaps right to deception, though, and her skeptical observations carry on out throughout the book, thanks to our dear Gemma holding the storytelling reins.