Book Review #766 - P is for Pearl by Eliza Henry Jones

From the talented author of the celebrated novels In the Quiet and Ache comes a poignant and moving book that explores the stories we tell ourselves about our families, and what it means to belong.

Seventeen-year-old Gwendolyn P. Pearson has become very good at not thinking about the awful things that have happened to her family. She has also become used to people talking about her dead mum. Or not talking about her and just looking at Gwen sympathetically.

And it's easy not to think about awful things when there are wild beaches to run along, best friends Loretta and Gordon to hang out with - and a stepbrother to take revenge on.

But following a strange disturbance at the cafe where she works, Gwen is forced to confront what happened to her family all those years ago. And she slowly comes to realise that people aren't as they first appear and that like her, everyone has a story to tell.

My Rating: 3/5

I had to read this book for a book club and it is definitely not a book I likely would have read otherwise.

I wanted to like this book and I can definitely see why pretty much every other member of my book club did but for me personally it was too overly poetic and I found myself constantly waiting for something to happen.

The book follows Gwendolyn who is recovering from a traumatic event from her past. The only thing that kept me motivated to keep reading is I wanted to find out what happened as that was the closest it came to having a plot.

This book was definitely character driven and I did really like all the characters especially Gwendolyn's little sister who provided the majority of the lighter moments in what otherwise was quite a darker toned book.

Book Review #756 - Neverland by Margot McGovern

Kit Learmonth would rather die than grow up and leave Neverland …

When she was twelve, Kit Learmonth watched her parents drown in a storm as their boat sailed over the Tranter Sink Hole. Now seventeen, Kit doesn’t remember the incident, and she doesn’t want to. In fact, her only clear memories from before her parents’ death are of the fantastical stories of pirates and mermaids that she and her dad invented about the small island where she grew up, a place she calls Neverland. 

Following Kit’s parents’ deaths, her uncle and guardian, Doc, transformed the island into a boarding school for mentally ill teenagers and sent Kit away to school on the mainland. But when Kit tries and fails to end her life, Doc brings her home to the island and places her in the care of his colleague, Dr Hannah Ward. 

Resisting her treatment, Kit instead pulls her friends deeper into her world of make-believe. It’s only when Kit and her new boyfriend, Rohan, take the fantasy too far and land themselves in very real danger that her faith in Neverland is shaken, and Kit must find a way back to reality.

My Rating: 2.5/5

I had to read this book for a book club and it is not a book I would have likely picked to read myself.

First of all I have absolutely no personal knowledge of mental illness, depression, self-harm etc but I felt like this was not properly addressed in this book for example the protagonist Kit never really gets the help she desperately needs.

This was one of those books that the characters drive the story and I struggled with that style with this one because I never really connected with any of them. 

I loved the setting of the island especially the secret cave that Kit escapes to throughout. I also loved the sailing element although I know nothing about it, it felt like it was accurately described and well researched.

The mystery element was really slow paced but ultimately worth the wait as I didn't see it coming.

Overall, I felt like this book had similar elements to it as P is for Pearl another book I had to read for my book club but I felt that P is for Pearl was better written.

Book Review #705 - Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis.

Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts. 

In his long-awaited return, John Green, the acclaimed, award-winning author of Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars, shares Aza’s story with shattering, unflinching clarity in this brilliant novel of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship.

My Rating: 7.5/10

I have read all John Green's previous novels and loved the majority of them and so I had relatively high expectations for this one. I would say that for the most part my expectations were met, although never exceeded. 

Aza was an intriguing protagonist and her battle with mental illness was portrayed really realistically and felt very raw especially as because she is the narrator, it was never glossed over in any way. 

I loved the mystery component with the story although I felt like this took a backseat to Aza's mental health issues throughout and the mystery never really took priority until the end. 

Aza was definitely an introvert and her best friend Daisy was the total opposite and they really balanced one another out thus creating a really interesting friendship. 

This book reminded me of how much I love John Green's unique writing style especially his way with dialogue and how quotable all of his books are. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this one, not as much as The Fault in Our Stars which retains its title as my favourite John Green novel but it is definitely one of my favourite reads of 2017! 

Book Review #678 - Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

"Dead girl walking”, the boys say in the halls.

"Tell us your secret”, the girls whisper, one toilet to another.

I am that girl.

I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.

I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.

Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size zero and size double-zero? When Cassie succumbs to the demons within, Lia feels she is being haunted by her friend’s restless spirit.

Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia’s descent into the powerful vortex of anorexia, and her painful path toward recovery.

My Rating: 3.5/5

This is my second Laurie Halse Anderson book with the first being Speak. 

Both books are similar in that they deal with mental illness. With Speak it was selective mutism whereas Wintergirls dealt with anorexia and bulimia. 

I found the protagonist Lia very frustrating at times. I felt like she was full of excuses of why she is the way she is, when really she just needed to be honest with herself.

 

Anorexia is a subject I know nothing about and after reading this book I still don't feel like I know that much about it. 

I didn't like how this book always seemed to go off into different tangents. The hallucinations, although probably realistic due to Lia starving herself and her 'brain shrinking' but I thought they were a little over the top. 

Lia's sister Emma was my favourite character. She was the only character in the ENTIRE book who was seemingly not damaged in some way. 

I feel like I didn't really have the emotional understanding to completely love this book. I felt sorry for Lia but mostly I felt frustrated that she would do that to herself.

Book Review #655- The Hounded by Simon Butters

On his fifteenth birthday, Monty is at rock bottom. Ignored by his parents, bullied at school, and with a brain that’s prone to going walkabout, he’s all by himself.

Until he meets the black dog for the first time.

It’s just like any other dog, except that only Monty can see it. And it talks. And Monty’s not sure whether it’s a friend – or a foe.

The black dog gets him talking to pretty, popular Eliza Robertson for the first time. It takes him to places he’s never been.

Eventually it will take Monty, and the people around him, to the very edge.

My Rating: 4.5/5

I received this book for review from Wakefield Press.

There are so many YA novels out there right now dealing with mental illness, with The Hounded being one of them.

The Hounded, however in my opinion did enough to set itself apart from the others. 

Montgomery Ulysses Ferguson aka Monty was such an unique and charismatic character and I loved his voice throughout. 

Monty was rather emotionally immature and this was obvious in the way he communicated with the much more mature Eliza.

The plot twist at the end was sudden and abrupt with no real set up for it like you would usually see. 

There were a number of metaphors used throughout and this seems to be something the author uses really well to convey certain aspects of his story. The obvious ones were the black dog and the family home. 

I would recommend this book to fans of Wonder and this book has a somewhat similar tone.   

Book Review #629 - It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

My Rating: 3.5/5




Source: Traded via Twitter




Goodreads

Ambitious New York City teenager Craig Gilner is determined to succeed at life - which means getting into the right high school to get into the right job. But once Craig aces his way into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School, the pressure becomes unbearable. He stops eating and sleeping until, one night, he nearly kills himself.

Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbours include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.

Ned Vizzini, who himself spent time in a psychiatric hospital, has created a remarkably moving tale about the sometimes unexpected road to happiness.

I have very limited knowledge about depression and mental illness in general and so this book was a real eye opener for me.

The story started off so promising for me as I immediately loved Craig as the protagonist.

The book is rather slow paced and it lacks direction. There were times where I was just simply waiting for something to happen. It lacked the big spark that makes books memorable for me.

I thought Craig's description of depression as the tentacles and anchors was really helpful in understanding his condition more.

Overall, I can tell why some people absolutely love this book. For me though, it was an interesting just not life changing book.

I have also since watched the movie based on this book and found I had the same issues with it as I had with the book.

Book Review #598 - All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

My Rating: 4/5


Source: Bought


Buy: The Book Depository


Goodreads




Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him. 

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister's recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it's unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the 'natural wonders' of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It's only with Violet that Finch can be himself - a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who's not such a freak after all. And it's only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet's world grows, Finch's begins to shrink.

I had heard nothing but good things about this book prior to reading it so I had relatively high expectations. It was for this reason that I had put off reading it for so long. 

This book has quite a dark tone to it throughout. I found there always seemed to be a sense of impending doom. 

Violet and Finch are two broken, lonely, heavily flawed characters who meet when they both finally hit rock bottom. 

Family is a big theme in this book and Finch's family made me grateful my own family is more like Violet's than his. It also angered and annoyed me to think that families like his do exist in real life. 

The relationship between Finch and Violet was short but meaningful. 

I have read some reviews of this book that feel like the book glamorized mental illness due to Finch's personality. I felt however that the book showed that mental illness does not discriminate and that some sufferers get very, very good at concealing their symptoms. 

SPOILER BELOW

Before reading this book I believed that suicide was selfish but this book has opened my eyes to the truth and that it clear sign of a remarkable book.