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sarahjunebooks's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to Harlequin Teen for sending me a finished copy of When Elephants Fly in exchange for an honest review.
Young Adult - Contemporary - Mental Health
This book covers schizophrenia, and stigmas about mental health. This book is a lot easier to read than I thought it was going to be. It can be mainly categorized as a young adult contemporary book that also covers mental health as well as animal rights.
This book offers hope and brutal honesty, both of which I found extremely appealing throughout this story.
The characters, especially T. Lillian Decker (Lily) are well written. I think one of the parts that I liked the most about this entire book was Lily's growth as she comes out of her shell and decides to truly start living. I really enjoyed the differences and the uniqeness of the characters.
I've never read this type of book before, so this was sort of like going into unchartered waters. This book is emotional and will really make you think of mental health in a new light. I really enjoyed the fact that elephants are tied into the storyline.
I wasn't a big fan of the romance that developed, I thought that it was rather quick and sudden. There was also one part that I found rather inappropriate.
In my opinion, the plot dragged for some of the book, but overall, it was enjoyable to read.
**There are a few potential triggers for anyone tirelessly working through mental health challenges: abuse, suicide, schizophrenia.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the genre young adult contemporary, that is looking for something different than the normal same old same old that generally comes with books in the contemporary genre.
Thanks for stopping by and reading this book review!
Young Adult - Contemporary - Mental Health
This book covers schizophrenia, and stigmas about mental health. This book is a lot easier to read than I thought it was going to be. It can be mainly categorized as a young adult contemporary book that also covers mental health as well as animal rights.
This book offers hope and brutal honesty, both of which I found extremely appealing throughout this story.
The characters, especially T. Lillian Decker (Lily) are well written. I think one of the parts that I liked the most about this entire book was Lily's growth as she comes out of her shell and decides to truly start living. I really enjoyed the differences and the uniqeness of the characters.
I've never read this type of book before, so this was sort of like going into unchartered waters. This book is emotional and will really make you think of mental health in a new light. I really enjoyed the fact that elephants are tied into the storyline.
I wasn't a big fan of the romance that developed, I thought that it was rather quick and sudden. There was also one part that I found rather inappropriate.
In my opinion, the plot dragged for some of the book, but overall, it was enjoyable to read.
**There are a few potential triggers for anyone tirelessly working through mental health challenges: abuse, suicide, schizophrenia.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the genre young adult contemporary, that is looking for something different than the normal same old same old that generally comes with books in the contemporary genre.
Thanks for stopping by and reading this book review!
pjs_peaches's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
xdarkthunderx's review against another edition
1.0
Read this if you wanna care about an abused baby elephant but also want to read the worst romance I’ve read in a long while and hate almost all of the (many) human characters. Plus awful mental health rep! Oh joy.
bewareofthereader's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
6 stars and one ugly cry
Oh my god! I cried so much listening to that book.
I am a huge animal lover and seeing that elephant calf so depressed after being rejected by her mom that she wanted to die truly broke my heart.
Also seeing the cruelty done to animals, hearing about poachers killing elephants deeply hurt me.
But the author did not write a black or white story.
We learn that helping elephants or endangered species is complicated. Zoos or circus both have their flaws. Only the big sanctuaries for wild life can pretend at offering a somewhat normal life to these wild animals.
The same can be said for schizophrenia.
It’s a heavy topic and central theme of the book. Lily’s mom had schizophrenia. And we’ll learn that even if she loved her daughter in her own way that also led to abuse. She came from a family of women all suffering from that mental illness. And Lily knows that she also is a ticking bomb.
She might one day disappear, stop to be herself and begin to hallucinate.
Medication is not the perfect solution either as the side effects can be debilitating. We learn that most people show signs of schizophrenia between the age of 18 and 35. That’s why Lily’s plan is to avoid everything that could trigger that condition. Avoid strong emotions, eat healthy, sleep well etc.
When Lily, as a volunteer journalist at her local newspaper covers the birth of a baby elephant at the local zoo, she never imagined the adventure she will embark on.
The baby elephant is named Swift Jones, chosen by the highest bidder of the donation event Lily organized. Swift Jones being a famous pop and country star (cue the hints at Taylor Swift here).
Soon after the birth, Lily will witness Swift Jones ‘s mother attempting to kill the baby elephant.
Elephants feel emotions like humans and the baby is heartbroken, crying big fat tears. That part had me crying too!
Soon the elephant is shipped to her father’s circus and Lily having a strong bond with Swiftie will follow her to report her settling in her new life.
Only… Swiftie is eating less and less and she is so depressed that her life is in danger.
That,s when Lily, who tried carefully to maintain an distance and to not be emotionally involved to avoid following in her mother’s footstep, schizophrenia being triggered by high emotions, will have to make a choice: follow her plan and let the calf die or risk everything to give Swift Jones an chance at survival.
I can’t stress enough how this book is poignant. It’s also smart, broaches very sensitive topics like mental illness, wild life conservation, etc. I’dl like to say that if you love ugly cry books, if you love to learn new things, then go for it.
The audiobook narrated by Caitlin Davies was also excellent.
kookie9200's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in return for my honest opinion.
Lily isn't your normal teenager. She navigates life under the specter of her mother's mental illness, and her own fear of developing the same mental illness. her life revolves around her 12 year plan, one that falls to chaos once she befriends Swift Jones, a baby Asian elephant. As Lily tries to save the elephant, she begins to learn more about life, and herself.
I liked that this novel was engaging, and the growth of Lily. The supporting characters are also well fleshed out, and interact with purpose. The heart of the book is about life, and learning to truly live, despite the challenges you may face. I truly enjoyed the journey the book took me on.
Lily isn't your normal teenager. She navigates life under the specter of her mother's mental illness, and her own fear of developing the same mental illness. her life revolves around her 12 year plan, one that falls to chaos once she befriends Swift Jones, a baby Asian elephant. As Lily tries to save the elephant, she begins to learn more about life, and herself.
I liked that this novel was engaging, and the growth of Lily. The supporting characters are also well fleshed out, and interact with purpose. The heart of the book is about life, and learning to truly live, despite the challenges you may face. I truly enjoyed the journey the book took me on.
alicechannington's review against another edition
5.0
It's rare to have a book that made me cry. Swifty being sick and dying made me cry. A baby elephant made me cry. So much crying. So emotional. I need to have my hormones checked because that's not normal for me to cry over a book. 😛
sc104906's review against another edition
4.0
I received this novel through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
T. Lily Decker was almost killed by her mother when she was younger. Her mother developed paranoid schizophrenia and stopped taking her medicines and her Peter Pan delusions became more than she could handle. Lily has a strong genetic predisposition for schizophrenia, so she has developed a 12 year plan that will hopefully keep her from developing the disease. While she feels like a ticking time bomb, she will do whatever she can to not be struck by the disease. Lily has taken an internship at the local paper. After being assigned the story about a new baby elephant, Lily finds that her life becomes entwined with Swifty the elephant. When one of Lily's stories ends with the elephant being removed from the zoo and sent to a circus, Lily is asked by the zoo's doctor to join them at the zoo to help with the transition.
This story was sweet and fresh. This story explores the real challenges associated with living with the potential of developing a mental illness. While it is similar to characters developing other genetic diseases, it provides a new insight. I was intrigued by the elephant storyline and loved Swifty. I wasn't a big fan of the romance and felt that it was unnecessary and developed too quickly.
T. Lily Decker was almost killed by her mother when she was younger. Her mother developed paranoid schizophrenia and stopped taking her medicines and her Peter Pan delusions became more than she could handle. Lily has a strong genetic predisposition for schizophrenia, so she has developed a 12 year plan that will hopefully keep her from developing the disease. While she feels like a ticking time bomb, she will do whatever she can to not be struck by the disease. Lily has taken an internship at the local paper. After being assigned the story about a new baby elephant, Lily finds that her life becomes entwined with Swifty the elephant. When one of Lily's stories ends with the elephant being removed from the zoo and sent to a circus, Lily is asked by the zoo's doctor to join them at the zoo to help with the transition.
This story was sweet and fresh. This story explores the real challenges associated with living with the potential of developing a mental illness. While it is similar to characters developing other genetic diseases, it provides a new insight. I was intrigued by the elephant storyline and loved Swifty. I wasn't a big fan of the romance and felt that it was unnecessary and developed too quickly.
platzapus's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was not the type of book I usually read, but I did enjoy it. We hear the story from a high school female character that is doing her best to avoid a genetic predisposition to mental health issues - specifically schizophrenia. She’s ambitious with an over protective father and is learning who she really wants to be and how to make it happen.
alyssaiseeee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
sashay's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5