mora55's review against another edition
first off, huge TW for suicide, suicidal ideation, and self harm in this book. (the book actually had trigger warnings at the beginning, which should be more common!)
I think the title is really ironic, considering how heavy this book really is. This is #ownvoices for bipolar II, and the author takes such care and detail with the portrayal. I admired the way her mental illness was incorporated throughout the book: bipolar affects all aspects of Ellie's life and how she interacts with the world while still not being the plot of the book itself. She grapples with wondering what's real in her life and about who she is when she's on vs off meds, riding highs or lows.
I also loved Ellie's relationship with her father and with her best friend Ripley; neither of these relationships were perfect, but they cared so deeply about each other even when they struggled to see eye-to-eye. (Also, Ripley is ace! we love unexpected and casual ace rep)
That said, this was written by a cishet man (as far as I can tell from cursory Google), and there are parts of the narrative that come through where it's very obvious and I winced a little (or a lot). The romance was suuuper unnecessary and cringe and uhhh lowkey unhealthy and Ellie kept going
However, for the most part I enjoyed it, and I thought the bipolar II rep was important and well-integrated.
I think the title is really ironic, considering how heavy this book really is. This is #ownvoices for bipolar II, and the author takes such care and detail with the portrayal. I admired the way her mental illness was incorporated throughout the book: bipolar affects all aspects of Ellie's life and how she interacts with the world while still not being the plot of the book itself. She grapples with wondering what's real in her life and about who she is when she's on vs off meds, riding highs or lows.
I also loved Ellie's relationship with her father and with her best friend Ripley; neither of these relationships were perfect, but they cared so deeply about each other even when they struggled to see eye-to-eye. (Also, Ripley is ace! we love unexpected and casual ace rep)
That said, this was written by a cishet man (as far as I can tell from cursory Google), and there are parts of the narrative that come through where it's very obvious and I winced a little (or a lot). The romance was suuuper unnecessary and cringe and uhhh lowkey unhealthy and Ellie kept going
Spoiler
"he's so decent and fantastic" and I'm like Ellie he literally ghosted you bc you have bipolar and he 'couldn't deal with it' and then you thought he cheated but you forgave him bc he was so 'decent' and helped you in x situation and not to mention he's several years into college and you're 16 and that whole plot line s c r e a m e d "i am a cishet man writing this book!" (though it's not the only place that screamed that hhhh)However, for the most part I enjoyed it, and I thought the bipolar II rep was important and well-integrated.
imalwayswrite's review
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
knerd's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
shrinkingmary's review
3.0
This book was a solid 4* except for one small problem — the typos.
Ugh! I hate to let typos affect my ratings and usually I can skip past them without it distracting from my reading enjoyment. But when you literally read the same paragraph twice because some proofreader or typesetter hasn’t double-checked their work and printed the same paragraph twice in a row, it breaks my enjoyment completely. (Pages 183-184 in the hardcover edition.)
Otherwise the story was good. It held my interest and I felt it described bipolar disorder very well. The storyline and premise was unique to me and most of it was plausible and relatable.
Ugh! I hate to let typos affect my ratings and usually I can skip past them without it distracting from my reading enjoyment. But when you literally read the same paragraph twice because some proofreader or typesetter hasn’t double-checked their work and printed the same paragraph twice in a row, it breaks my enjoyment completely. (Pages 183-184 in the hardcover edition.)
Otherwise the story was good. It held my interest and I felt it described bipolar disorder very well. The storyline and premise was unique to me and most of it was plausible and relatable.
carrix2's review
4.0
Big shoutout to this book for its representation of mental illness.
That being said, this is very much a YA book. The main character is incredibly ego-centric (as teens usually are). Not only does everything revolve around her, she is the only one who can solve the problems, and the entire world would be lost if she didn’t come in and save the day.
But I still enjoyed the story and really felt for her as she struggled with her own mind.
That being said, this is very much a YA book. The main character is incredibly ego-centric (as teens usually are). Not only does everything revolve around her, she is the only one who can solve the problems, and the entire world would be lost if she didn’t come in and save the day.
But I still enjoyed the story and really felt for her as she struggled with her own mind.
cluelesskenz's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
clarecorson_'s review
4.0
Hello! I honestly almost forgot to write this review but here I am.
I don't really have much to say about this book. I can't speak on the quality of the bipolar rep, because I'm not bipolar, but it was certainly interesting to read from Ellie's perspective.
I mean this book was cute and fun and had a nice resolution and a engaging plotline. So I will leave it with the four stars, and probably move on. Would I recommend this book? Probably not, but if someone found it on their own I would say that I liked it. And I think that explains my feelings about this book.
I don't really have much to say about this book. I can't speak on the quality of the bipolar rep, because I'm not bipolar, but it was certainly interesting to read from Ellie's perspective.
I mean this book was cute and fun and had a nice resolution and a engaging plotline. So I will leave it with the four stars, and probably move on. Would I recommend this book? Probably not, but if someone found it on their own I would say that I liked it. And I think that explains my feelings about this book.
cl4recors0n's review
4.0
Hello! I honestly almost forgot to write this review but here I am.
I don't really have much to say about this book. I can't speak on the quality of the bipolar rep, because I'm not bipolar, but it was certainly interesting to read from Ellie's perspective.
I mean this book was cute and fun and had a nice resolution and a engaging plotline. So I will leave it with the four stars, and probably move on. Would I recommend this book? Probably not, but if someone found it on their own I would say that I liked it. And I think that explains my feelings about this book.
I don't really have much to say about this book. I can't speak on the quality of the bipolar rep, because I'm not bipolar, but it was certainly interesting to read from Ellie's perspective.
I mean this book was cute and fun and had a nice resolution and a engaging plotline. So I will leave it with the four stars, and probably move on. Would I recommend this book? Probably not, but if someone found it on their own I would say that I liked it. And I think that explains my feelings about this book.
mrmarshall591's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Medical content, Suicide, Death of parent, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical trauma
Minor: Classism and Acephobia/Arophobia
anjreading's review
4.0
A quirky, unique coming of age story about a teenager with bipolar II trying to keep herself and her elderly father solvent while living out of a dilapidated RV and performing magic shows for private parties. Ellie Dante will break your heart a hundred times in this book as she struggles with her mental illness and tries to forge a life for herself. There’s a little bit too-convenient of a love interest, a supportive online best friend with issues of his own, and lots of really cool magic tricks. From what I read in other reviews from people who have personal experience with it, Garvin handled the bipolar II realistically and sensitively.