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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.
savannawaddle's review
4.0
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a complimentary arc of The Voice in My Head by Dana L. Davis in exchange for my honest review.*
tw for suicidal ideation and attempt, terminal illness, death, brief racists couple, being held at gunpoint, and physician-assisted suicide
OKAY FIRST OFF THE COVER IS SO BEAUTIFUL. I really love it, and it captures the two sisters.
There were a lot of things I loved about this book, and a few things that I thought could have been handled better. I'll start with what I liked.
The Voice (or God) is probably my favorite character, so funny and enjoyable. I loved the moments between the Voice and Indigo, the humor was nice.
I super enjoyed that this was a story about a big family going through losing a member, and the way that family secrets were slipping out and it felt authentic. The good and the bad of a family road trip (and a megachurch pastor who I thought I would hate but enjoyed. also the megachurch vibe was accurate).
ALFRED’S LETTER HAD ME CRYING, A SWEET BROTHER.
The ending to me made a lot of sense, and the way it went down and the sprinkles of the future was a nice touch.
Now moving on to some of the things I didn't really like.
The number one thing was that Indigo's suicide attempt (ideation) was not treated in the manner it should have been. Starting off you know that she doesn't seem like she has plans to go through with it, but that doesn't matter. She had a plan, she was in action, and she lied about it to her parents and family to cover it up. However, her nurse sister didn't believe her and knew what happened. As a nurse AND a sister, Michelle did not treat it right. She would make quips about it and didn't tell their parents, and as someone who loves the person in that position and being in the medical field, it should have been handled wayyyy more sensitively. (along with the aftermath of a robbery situation.) And for most of it Indigo doesn't seem to have any big reaction to almost taking her own life. It made it confusing that Indigo contemplates suicide but then doesn’t seem to understand why her sister who is physically dying would choose physician assisted suicide?
This leads to that sometimes you don’t really know why Indigo does things, she tells more than shows the whys or her feelings, however I did majorly approve of the forking of the tires.
Indigo's brother-in-law and nephews are Native (which I loved), it was nice to see that representation added, but there was a racist couple who make a racist quip towards Natives, and while I understand a lot of people use it, I'm not sure that it was the author's place to use it, if she herself is not Native.
CHAPTER FUCKING 18, this chapter was so good. It pulled the story together and it was a really good moment.
I do believe the final chapter could have showed a little more of the aftermath with the entire family.
Overall, I liked this story, I had fun and I enjoyed the family and the plot and the idea. There was just some things that could have used handled a little differently.
tw for suicidal ideation and attempt, terminal illness, death, brief racists couple, being held at gunpoint, and physician-assisted suicide
OKAY FIRST OFF THE COVER IS SO BEAUTIFUL. I really love it, and it captures the two sisters.
There were a lot of things I loved about this book, and a few things that I thought could have been handled better. I'll start with what I liked.
The Voice (or God) is probably my favorite character, so funny and enjoyable. I loved the moments between the Voice and Indigo, the humor was nice.
I super enjoyed that this was a story about a big family going through losing a member, and the way that family secrets were slipping out and it felt authentic. The good and the bad of a family road trip (and a megachurch pastor who I thought I would hate but enjoyed. also the megachurch vibe was accurate).
ALFRED’S LETTER HAD ME CRYING, A SWEET BROTHER.
The ending to me made a lot of sense, and the way it went down and the sprinkles of the future was a nice touch.
Now moving on to some of the things I didn't really like.
The number one thing was that Indigo's suicide attempt (ideation) was not treated in the manner it should have been. Starting off you know that she doesn't seem like she has plans to go through with it, but that doesn't matter. She had a plan, she was in action, and she lied about it to her parents and family to cover it up. However, her nurse sister didn't believe her and knew what happened. As a nurse AND a sister, Michelle did not treat it right. She would make quips about it and didn't tell their parents, and as someone who loves the person in that position and being in the medical field, it should have been handled wayyyy more sensitively. (along with the aftermath of a robbery situation.) And for most of it Indigo doesn't seem to have any big reaction to almost taking her own life. It made it confusing that Indigo contemplates suicide but then doesn’t seem to understand why her sister who is physically dying would choose physician assisted suicide?
This leads to that sometimes you don’t really know why Indigo does things, she tells more than shows the whys or her feelings, however I did majorly approve of the forking of the tires.
Indigo's brother-in-law and nephews are Native (which I loved), it was nice to see that representation added, but there was a racist couple who make a racist quip towards Natives, and while I understand a lot of people use it, I'm not sure that it was the author's place to use it, if she herself is not Native.
CHAPTER FUCKING 18, this chapter was so good. It pulled the story together and it was a really good moment.
I do believe the final chapter could have showed a little more of the aftermath with the entire family.
Overall, I liked this story, I had fun and I enjoyed the family and the plot and the idea. There was just some things that could have used handled a little differently.
karla19's review against another edition
4.0
several things I didn't like about this book, but oh so many I did like.
siren_of_the_stars's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-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: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
akacya's review
emotional
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
nikolirma's review against another edition
5.0
**I received a digital ARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.**
Beware: slight spoilers ahead
The Voice in My Head is not only well-written, it also propels the young readers towards reflection on life and the importance of living and loving to the fullest. I have been especially intrigued by the fun, yet deep writing style and the relationships between the Phillips family members – Dana L. Davis certainly knows how to flesh characters via dialogue. Although the main theme of the story is Violet’s terminal illness and the constant terror that it represents for all the characters, the book has so much more to offer than “just” that. It explores all of the shades of family relationships and issues, while focusing on the struggles of Indigo – the heroine who feels like the fifth wheel compared to her twin sister, Violet. Since almost every child at some point in their life feels like a failure, or the black sheep of the family, Indigo’s story speaks volumes. She feels like the less important one, the less loved one, the less clever one. And as she is the narrator of the story, we are lead to believe exactly that. It is through the clever use of a limited narrator that Davis makes us stumble through the darkness alongside Indigo, only slowly letting us discover that Indigo is, in fact, just as clever and just as loved as Violet. I must say that I especially loved how the relationship between Indigo and her mother has been fleshed out, since I’ve never before read such an honest depiction of a love-fear parent-kid relationship. Atop all of this, add a complete absence of romance and a fun voice of God (if you will) – what you get is a stunning contemporary novel that should definitely have a spot in your library.
Beware: slight spoilers ahead
The Voice in My Head is not only well-written, it also propels the young readers towards reflection on life and the importance of living and loving to the fullest. I have been especially intrigued by the fun, yet deep writing style and the relationships between the Phillips family members – Dana L. Davis certainly knows how to flesh characters via dialogue. Although the main theme of the story is Violet’s terminal illness and the constant terror that it represents for all the characters, the book has so much more to offer than “just” that. It explores all of the shades of family relationships and issues, while focusing on the struggles of Indigo – the heroine who feels like the fifth wheel compared to her twin sister, Violet. Since almost every child at some point in their life feels like a failure, or the black sheep of the family, Indigo’s story speaks volumes. She feels like the less important one, the less loved one, the less clever one. And as she is the narrator of the story, we are lead to believe exactly that. It is through the clever use of a limited narrator that Davis makes us stumble through the darkness alongside Indigo, only slowly letting us discover that Indigo is, in fact, just as clever and just as loved as Violet. I must say that I especially loved how the relationship between Indigo and her mother has been fleshed out, since I’ve never before read such an honest depiction of a love-fear parent-kid relationship. Atop all of this, add a complete absence of romance and a fun voice of God (if you will) – what you get is a stunning contemporary novel that should definitely have a spot in your library.
leahbrarian's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC.
A kooky family road trip story with major illness and a Joan of Arc element. The development of the relationships between main character Indigo and her mother and sister are probably the highlight of the book. However, the emotional core (and especially the ending) is compromised by the lack of a well-drawn relationship between Indigo and her terminally ill twin sister Violet, a character whose comparative perfection is meant to contrast to Indigo but in the end only makes her seem one dimensional and hard to relate to. There also seems to be quite a lot going on, and the story suffers especially at the beginning from a lack of focus - for example, while Indigo's feelings toward her sister come up early on, it takes more than half the book for her feelings of inadequacy in regards to her mother to even come up, which somewhat robs their eventual reconciliation of power.
I really appreciated that Indigo and her family are identifiably, on-the-page black/Native/mixed race which brings some much needed color to YA. However, I’m not entirely certain how I’m feeling about the idea of the divine voice guiding the action - that element didn't seem overly well-rounded or in any way explicable either, and it also makes the book thorny to categorize. If you put it in fantasy, that feels insulting to people of faith, but it doesn’t slot neatly into realistic fiction either, and YA sections typically don't have Christian fiction subgenres.
And interesting YA option which might appeal to those who enjoyed Going Bovine and want a similar story with parents, siblings, and a pastor along for the ride.
A kooky family road trip story with major illness and a Joan of Arc element. The development of the relationships between main character Indigo and her mother and sister are probably the highlight of the book. However, the emotional core (and especially the ending) is compromised by the lack of a well-drawn relationship between Indigo and her terminally ill twin sister Violet, a character whose comparative perfection is meant to contrast to Indigo but in the end only makes her seem one dimensional and hard to relate to. There also seems to be quite a lot going on, and the story suffers especially at the beginning from a lack of focus - for example, while Indigo's feelings toward her sister come up early on, it takes more than half the book for her feelings of inadequacy in regards to her mother to even come up, which somewhat robs their eventual reconciliation of power.
I really appreciated that Indigo and her family are identifiably, on-the-page black/Native/mixed race which brings some much needed color to YA. However, I’m not entirely certain how I’m feeling about the idea of the divine voice guiding the action - that element didn't seem overly well-rounded or in any way explicable either, and it also makes the book thorny to categorize. If you put it in fantasy, that feels insulting to people of faith, but it doesn’t slot neatly into realistic fiction either, and YA sections typically don't have Christian fiction subgenres.
And interesting YA option which might appeal to those who enjoyed Going Bovine and want a similar story with parents, siblings, and a pastor along for the ride.
mayeeta's review against another edition
one of the first times o dnf an arc and i dropped really quick
was not a fan
rtc
was not a fan
rtc
mswocreader's review against another edition
4.0
When I first read the description of this book I passed it over unsure of what to expect. The words terminally ill jumped out at me and I assumed this would just be another one of those sad stories about the journey towards someone's death. But while Violet was very sick this story instead chose to focus on her being alive. The family goes on a journey based off the hope that she will be cured. And we follow them along for this crazy road trip. There were characters who I didn't enjoy but we get to see growth and the reasons for their actions which helps you come to an understanding about why they are the way they are. And that ending was not the ending I expected but it was powerful and fitting.
I received an ARC from Harlequin Teen via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ARC from Harlequin Teen via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.