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liamliayaum's review
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
If you are experiencing any sort of suicidal thoughts or are in a dark place currently, I would not recommend reading this book. Please seek help by contacting mental health helplines, talking with a trusted friend/adult, or mental help resources online.
Kyle Davies is in an outpatient house to work through her depression and anxiety. As a baker in her "past life," she is in charge of making meals for the couple of residents. When not cooking, she's watching the coffee shop across the street. And when she is granted privileges to leave the house, Kyle ends up hanging out in the coffee shop and meets the stoic yet humorous Jackson. Will Kyle be able to heal? Will she and Jackson find love?
This book covers a lot of tough topics and is not for the faint-hearted. Kyle's journey is realistic and an apt depiction of someone who is struggling with anxiety, depression, and suicidal issues. I read this in a day and had a good cry after. This is not your typical romance; it's raw, emotional, messy, and dark. This book doesn't shy away from the difficulties of mental illness. The supporting characters are few and it was clear the focus was more on Kyle's journey which could be why the handful of supporting characters seemed flat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
CW: Anxiety, depression, hospitalization, suicidal attempt, suicidal thoughtssarahlillianbooks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
I very much enjoyed this. Amy Watson boldly shares what depression can be like through a character like Kyle. We all have a routine for better or worse. A routine to our life can mean reliable, but it can also trap us. Closer to Okay is a slice of life of someone in recovery. Rebuilding from hitting rock bottom. I loved that Kyle was a baker. That she had that passion and how she was able to use her passion in dealing with her depression, anxiety and stress.
There were moments that I was frustrated with the characters like Eddie, Jackson and Jamie, even Dr Booth but more I thought about it the more I saw how real their reactions and behaviours were. Jackson seemed almost too perfect so it was good to see him be flawed and needing time to process Kyle’s choices.
It would have been nice for more diversity with race, religion and disability, but still overall, a great book. I think if we got more background from a few more characters that would open the opportunity for more diverse characters.
I applaud Watson writing a romance where the woman doesn’t use the guy to make her better or the guy magically heals her, but in fact, puts her recovery first. It’s refreshing. Also, representation of depression was refreshing too, not whiny or too much. How someone can seem okay, but is not okay. Furthermore, it was lovely to see someone reach out for a hug, needing comfort and not immediately being taken advantage of.
Mental health is truly a journey and it’s not linear, especially when life serves the hard stuff like passing of a loved one like Kyle’s grandma, being laid off from work; life just happens and you can’t control it. You an only control so much in life.
I highly recommend Closer to Okay, be sure to check for trigger warnings as we all need to take care of ourselves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Violence
rebeccap's review
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for this advanced reader copy. The opinions expressed are mine alone.
The premise of “Closer to Okay” by Amy Watson sounded interesting but unfortunately I was disappointed. I felt that some parts of the novel were disjointed or random. For some reason I also found myself wanting a little more background about Kyle’s life with her grandmother. I did appreciate that the author included a note at the beginning talking about how this story may be triggering for some people. I think that is important because even as someone without a history like Kyle’s, I found the book difficult to read at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Abandonment
reallife_kazbrekker's review
3.0
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for this book.
This book was a very fast read, which is surprising considering how dark the subject is. But I think because this book was such a fast read and wasn't particularly long, I just couldn't really connect to the characters.
There were a lot of sad and tense scenes in this book and they just fell a bit flat in my opinion... Which makes me a bit sad because I really liked the premise of this book.
I also didn't like the way some of the characters were characterized. I don't know how to properly explain it because my brain fog has been quite bad the past couple of days, but yeah some of the characters just were written weirdly.
Still liked reading the book tho and I'm glad that I read it so fast! The depression and anxiety rep (in my opinion) was pretty good and accurate. It was one of the things I really liked about the book!
This book was a very fast read, which is surprising considering how dark the subject is. But I think because this book was such a fast read and wasn't particularly long, I just couldn't really connect to the characters.
There were a lot of sad and tense scenes in this book and they just fell a bit flat in my opinion... Which makes me a bit sad because I really liked the premise of this book.
I also didn't like the way some of the characters were characterized. I don't know how to properly explain it because my brain fog has been quite bad the past couple of days, but yeah some of the characters just were written weirdly.
Still liked reading the book tho and I'm glad that I read it so fast! The depression and anxiety rep (in my opinion) was pretty good and accurate. It was one of the things I really liked about the book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Confinement and Eating disorder
kenfoxley's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.75
Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book on Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
Kyle Davies is in Hope House after some very traumatic events that took place that wound her up in the hospital. Hope House is a rehabilitation home and recovery center for those who are dealing with mental illness that need rehabilitation back into society.
In the beginning Kyle plays it off like there's really nothing wrong with her, that she doesn't belong in this place and she's fine. But as the book progresses you really see that this is the kind of book we need to have when talking about mental health as a whole. This is the kind of conversation we need to have about mental health, that there's nothing wrong with not being okay but people really need to be taken seriously when they are not okay. Saying things like "Tell someone when you're feeling sad and down!" is wonderful in theory, but the resources for people who are depressed need to be better. And sometimes, unfortunately, people don't know how to ask for help, especially the main character Kyle.
Kyle finally decides to use her off-site privileges for the first time since coming to Hope House and goes next door to The Coffee Shop, a coffee house very set in traditional coffee brewing standards, the menu is what they've got, and if you're looking for something more, they quite literally tell you to go elsewhere. They introduce Jamie and Jackson, the big flirt is Jamie and all the girls are always fawning over him, and Jackson, the rugged "never-smiling one" that always looks pissed and is very gruff.
Kyle quickly finds Jackson is not as gruff and mean as he makes people think he is and they quickly become friends and he gets her out of Hope House to hang out so why not? This book was very real, very raw, cute, lovable, all while still remaining very serious about what mental illness can do to a person. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Kyle Davies is in Hope House after some very traumatic events that took place that wound her up in the hospital. Hope House is a rehabilitation home and recovery center for those who are dealing with mental illness that need rehabilitation back into society.
In the beginning Kyle plays it off like there's really nothing wrong with her, that she doesn't belong in this place and she's fine. But as the book progresses you really see that this is the kind of book we need to have when talking about mental health as a whole. This is the kind of conversation we need to have about mental health, that there's nothing wrong with not being okay but people really need to be taken seriously when they are not okay. Saying things like "Tell someone when you're feeling sad and down!" is wonderful in theory, but the resources for people who are depressed need to be better. And sometimes, unfortunately, people don't know how to ask for help, especially the main character Kyle.
Kyle finally decides to use her off-site privileges for the first time since coming to Hope House and goes next door to The Coffee Shop, a coffee house very set in traditional coffee brewing standards, the menu is what they've got, and if you're looking for something more, they quite literally tell you to go elsewhere. They introduce Jamie and Jackson, the big flirt is Jamie and all the girls are always fawning over him, and Jackson, the rugged "never-smiling one" that always looks pissed and is very gruff.
Kyle quickly finds Jackson is not as gruff and mean as he makes people think he is and they quickly become friends and he gets her out of Hope House to hang out so why not? This book was very real, very raw, cute, lovable, all while still remaining very serious about what mental illness can do to a person. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
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