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srmilesauthor's review against another edition
4.0
Indigo and Violet are sisters. Twins, with a bond that's so essential to both of them that when Violet is diagnosed with a terminal illness, Indigo can't imagine what it would be like to live without her. She decides she's going to kill herself the night before her sister is scheduled to end her own life using medication. She wants to die with dignity, but Indigo can't abide it.
When Indigo slips and falls instead of leaping from the building that's supposed to kill her she wakes up with a noticeable breaks, bruises and a voice in her head. God. And God, tells her her sister can live, if only she can convince her and the family to postpone the euthanasia and make it to The Wave, a national park.
At it's heart, "The Voice In My Head" is a classic road-trip novel. The family packs into a handicap accessible van with the their pastor and head from Seattle to the Southwest. Hijinks ensue. It's heatbreaking at times and unbelievably funny at others. There is a strong, deep and undeniable Christian throughline, which I dig. There are lots of things we talk about in books, but God isn't one of them. Death, sometimes. Extreme violence, sure.
I can't say you won't be able to predict what's coming because you will, but that doesn't make it any less impactful.
If you've read Jodi Piccoult's The Other Sister then you'll love it. If you haven't then definitely pick it up after you've finished this one. Also, anyone who liked any of John Green's sick-kid lit will be into this one too.
When Indigo slips and falls instead of leaping from the building that's supposed to kill her she wakes up with a noticeable breaks, bruises and a voice in her head. God. And God, tells her her sister can live, if only she can convince her and the family to postpone the euthanasia and make it to The Wave, a national park.
At it's heart, "The Voice In My Head" is a classic road-trip novel. The family packs into a handicap accessible van with the their pastor and head from Seattle to the Southwest. Hijinks ensue. It's heatbreaking at times and unbelievably funny at others. There is a strong, deep and undeniable Christian throughline, which I dig. There are lots of things we talk about in books, but God isn't one of them. Death, sometimes. Extreme violence, sure.
I can't say you won't be able to predict what's coming because you will, but that doesn't make it any less impactful.
If you've read Jodi Piccoult's The Other Sister then you'll love it. If you haven't then definitely pick it up after you've finished this one. Also, anyone who liked any of John Green's sick-kid lit will be into this one too.
aliciakindlereads's review against another edition
5.0
This book was hard to put down. As you can see, I finished it in a day. This story takes you on a whirlwind of a twin sister trying to find hope on saving her dying twin sister and encouraging her family to follow her quest. Topics in this book discusses suicidal ideation. Indigo talks to “God,” a voice that is in her head and try’s to take this voice’s direction on how to save her sister. This is a really good book because it shows the family dynamics, finding your own self, and allows you to explore your relationship/interpretation of a spiritual being.
z_brarian's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, just wow. Amazing book about family and learning to want to live. Learning to move on when someone has to leave for good. Powerful story. Hits close to home...
zoeyzebra's review against another edition
3.0
3.5* Honestly, the voice made me want to quit listening early on in the book. I appreciated the portrayal of complicated family dynamics. Perhaps this book is better for its marketed audience (I'm assuming preteens/teens).
kasscanread's review against another edition
3.0
As someone who has lost a family member to terminal illness, I was intrigued by this book and how it would explore the topic in a sensitive manner.
The author clearly has no ill intent but the beginning of the book had confusing and borderline offensive statements about mental health. Indigo's brother goes to a special needs school, though, according to her "there's nothing wrong with him" and she constantly equates struggling with depression/suicidal ideation with being crazy. It was irritating for a book about as touchy a topic as losing a sister. But by the end of the book the discussions about dying and mental health improved and Indigo came to accept her sister's condition.
Some of the road trip adventures were fun and/or sparked some interesting dialogue but the two children characters were extremely annoying and their constant disgusting dialogue made me feel embarrassed to listen to the audiobook in public in case my earbuds were somehow not working.
The author clearly has no ill intent but the beginning of the book had confusing and borderline offensive statements about mental health. Indigo's brother goes to a special needs school, though, according to her "there's nothing wrong with him" and she constantly equates struggling with depression/suicidal ideation with being crazy. It was irritating for a book about as touchy a topic as losing a sister. But by the end of the book the discussions about dying and mental health improved and Indigo came to accept her sister's condition.
Some of the road trip adventures were fun and/or sparked some interesting dialogue but the two children characters were extremely annoying and their constant disgusting dialogue made me feel embarrassed to listen to the audiobook in public in case my earbuds were somehow not working.
rebar351's review against another edition
5.0
This book made me laugh and cry through the whole thing! We meet two twin sisters both going through a journey together as one sister is dying from a terminal lung illness! Indigo the healthy twin starts hearing a voice in her head claiming he's God. The whole family embarks on an incredible journey! I really enjoyed this book! There is sensitive subjects such as suicide and assisted suicide/euthanasia.
shanameydala's review against another edition
5.0
I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
This is the story of Indigo trying to make her way through an incredibly difficult time that has impacted her entire family. She starts to hear a voice in her head, which leads her family on a wild road trip in a desperate situation.
I fell in love with this family very quickly and I wanted all good things for them. I was incredibly impressed with how Dana L. Davis dealt with such a difficult topic, death with dignity, that includes humor, hijinks and love.
This is a powerful story that made an impact on my heart and I will never forget it.
This is the story of Indigo trying to make her way through an incredibly difficult time that has impacted her entire family. She starts to hear a voice in her head, which leads her family on a wild road trip in a desperate situation.
I fell in love with this family very quickly and I wanted all good things for them. I was incredibly impressed with how Dana L. Davis dealt with such a difficult topic, death with dignity, that includes humor, hijinks and love.
This is a powerful story that made an impact on my heart and I will never forget it.
emp15's review
emotional
inspiring
sad
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
4.25
gennywren6237's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this one a lot, despite the difficult subject matter. I liked that the family was so imperfect, that they fought and struggled and misunderstood and still all loved each other, even if they weren't perfect in showing it. It felt real.
The topic of death with dignity is a difficult one for society, and i have no doubt it will be argued about for decades to come, but I think that the book did a good job of showing both sides of it - the choice of how to go, versus the pain and grief that making that choice can cause those who love you. Of course, the saddest part is that however you choose, in most cases, the ones who love you will lose you. It's only a question of when and how.
The one thing that really tripped me up, laughably enough, was a paragraph or so long paean to J.K. Rowling by the Voice of God in Indigo's head. Holy fucking hell, I mean - look. I know she wrote a great series of books, but the woman is a transphobic asshole who is so far up herself its amazing she can see daylight. I just have the sad feeling the author is one day going to be embarassed by this.
The topic of death with dignity is a difficult one for society, and i have no doubt it will be argued about for decades to come, but I think that the book did a good job of showing both sides of it - the choice of how to go, versus the pain and grief that making that choice can cause those who love you. Of course, the saddest part is that however you choose, in most cases, the ones who love you will lose you. It's only a question of when and how.
The one thing that really tripped me up, laughably enough, was a paragraph or so long paean to J.K. Rowling by the Voice of God in Indigo's head. Holy fucking hell, I mean - look. I know she wrote a great series of books, but the woman is a transphobic asshole who is so far up herself its amazing she can see daylight. I just have the sad feeling the author is one day going to be embarassed by this.