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maryam162424's review
5.0
I can't even stress how amazing and important this book is. It literally had me hooked from the very first page and I couldn't it down till I made it till the end. Natasha Friend has splendidly combined everything that is needed to make such a great book. I loved Anna's character and her voice. It was just something you could relate to at times. All the issues were dealt with in an amazing way that it really was valuable. Please read this book, you won't regret it.
varishaasim's review
5.0
I don't know what to say about this book. All I know is that I LOVED IT. It's such an inspiring story that teaches that life is unpredictable and you shouldn't waste your time worrying about what is going to happen next. Anna starts off as a closed off person who hated everything in life and worried about everything. But by the end Anna is a strong and confident woman who knows how to deal with her life problems by herself. This book taught you important life lessons with a story that was cute and funny.
jhahn's review
4.0
Good book. NO romance for a nice change of pace. Teen dealing with family and friend issues.
erinlynn1989's review
4.0
FTC Disclosure: I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
If you know me, you know that I just don't read any middle grade novel. I have to really be invested in the content and the plot for me to even consider reading it. When I first saw the synopsis for Where You'll Find Me, I thought that it sounded like it might be tackling too much, but what I found out was that it tackles just enough to teach its intended audience about life. Where You'll Find Me by Natasha Friend is one of the most compelling middle grade/YA books that I've ever read! I could not stop reading this charming and beautiful little novel that tackles so many different subjects in a truly wonderful and educational way.
Thirteen-year-old Anna Collette isn't having the greatest start to eighth grade. Her best friend has ditched her for the popular crowd, and she's essentially friendless. On top of that, she found her mom in bed after a suicide attempt and has had to move in with her father, his shiny new wife, Marnie, and their baby, Jane. It's all about adjusting for Anna - adjusting to her new home, adjusting to a new bus, and making some new friends along the way.
Now I said that Where You'll Find Me tackles a lot of subjects, right? The first is one that I think many middle school kids know all too well - being ditched. Yes, Anna's best friend since kindergarten just decides that they aren't friends anymore. Anna is devastated because she feels like she's lost a piece of herself. I think that so many seventh and eighth graders will be able to relate to Anna because of this because middle school is all about growing up and making new friends. It's all about experiencing new things, and Anna will have to do that all without a best friend. Seeing her deal with the loss of Dani is tough, but I think that Ms. Friend portrayed it all realistically. She shows Anna longing for that connection, but she also shows just how strong Anna is by making some new friends.
Along the way, Anna does make some new friends. She's at first resistant. She doesn't want things to change. She wants things to go back to the way they were in elementary school and seventh grade. She doesn't want to be friends with the people that everyone calls "freaks." Eventually, something breaks in Anna, and she realizes just who her true friends are. She starts going to slumber parties and football games with her new group of friends, and eventually, she opens up to them about everything going on in her home life. It's nice to Anna grow up. I found myself smiling and cheering her on, and I really think that she'll be a great role model for the older elementary and middle school students who will read this book.
There are also some darker subjects in Where You'll Find Me, and I'm actually really impressed that I finally found a middle grade novel that accurately depicts mental illness. For most of her life, Anna has known that her mom has depression. She knows that it started with postpartum depression, and that it's escalated from that. Anna's had to get her mom out of bed, force her to shower, and even call the school where her mom works when she needs a day off. To say that life hasn't been easy for Anna would be an understatement. But Anna's also in the dark about a lot of things, and she starts to find out more and more when she finds her mom in bed after ingesting a bottle of Advil. I know that not every middle school student will have to deal with what Anna has had to deal with in her short thirteen years, but I feel like Friend made an excellent choice when she decided to write about what it's like to deal with a parent who is mentally ill. Not only is it insightful, but I really think that a lot of young readers might learn something from this book. There's even one passage between Anna and her guidance counselor that I think will let young readers know that diseases like depression and bipolar disorder are nothing to be ashamed about:
I also really enjoyed seeing Anna adjust to life under her father's roof. She's still angry at him for leaving her mother, but she needs to find a way to make things work. She's kind of icy when it comes to her stepmother, but hey, Marnie is only about a decade older than Anna. She can't sleep at night because her baby sister screams. It's inevitable that she's miserable. I don't have experience with a stepmother or half-siblings, but I think that the stress and angst that Friend includes in these scenes is warranted. It seems completely normal for Anna to be angry and confused about these new people in her life, and I really liked seeing the imperfect family moments.
I only have one complaint about this book, and it's not even all that bad. I feel like it's a bit too mature to be considered middle grade, but I feel like it's a bit too immature to be considered Young Adult. Neither of these issues are bad things; it's more like the publishing industry is just running out of labels to accurately tell readers where books fall. I think what Natasha Friend has done is created a book that is a perfect fusion of middle grade and YA issues. After reading it, I can see readers in grades 4-9 eating this up! There's a lot of leeway room with this one to reach so many different readers.
Natasha Friends Where You'll Find Me is a remarkable Middle Grade/Young Adult novel that so many different people will be able to enjoy. I can see parents reading this with their children. I can imagine middle schoolers checking it out from the library and devouring it. I can see middle school teachers teaching it in the future. It's a great novel about growing up when you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders. I would recommend this title to readers in fifth through eighth grades, but I would also recommend it to parents with preteens and young teenagers. It's a beautiful contemporary about how the ugly things in life can turn out to be beautiful, even if they are unexpected.
If you know me, you know that I just don't read any middle grade novel. I have to really be invested in the content and the plot for me to even consider reading it. When I first saw the synopsis for Where You'll Find Me, I thought that it sounded like it might be tackling too much, but what I found out was that it tackles just enough to teach its intended audience about life. Where You'll Find Me by Natasha Friend is one of the most compelling middle grade/YA books that I've ever read! I could not stop reading this charming and beautiful little novel that tackles so many different subjects in a truly wonderful and educational way.
Thirteen-year-old Anna Collette isn't having the greatest start to eighth grade. Her best friend has ditched her for the popular crowd, and she's essentially friendless. On top of that, she found her mom in bed after a suicide attempt and has had to move in with her father, his shiny new wife, Marnie, and their baby, Jane. It's all about adjusting for Anna - adjusting to her new home, adjusting to a new bus, and making some new friends along the way.
Now I said that Where You'll Find Me tackles a lot of subjects, right? The first is one that I think many middle school kids know all too well - being ditched. Yes, Anna's best friend since kindergarten just decides that they aren't friends anymore. Anna is devastated because she feels like she's lost a piece of herself. I think that so many seventh and eighth graders will be able to relate to Anna because of this because middle school is all about growing up and making new friends. It's all about experiencing new things, and Anna will have to do that all without a best friend. Seeing her deal with the loss of Dani is tough, but I think that Ms. Friend portrayed it all realistically. She shows Anna longing for that connection, but she also shows just how strong Anna is by making some new friends.
Along the way, Anna does make some new friends. She's at first resistant. She doesn't want things to change. She wants things to go back to the way they were in elementary school and seventh grade. She doesn't want to be friends with the people that everyone calls "freaks." Eventually, something breaks in Anna, and she realizes just who her true friends are. She starts going to slumber parties and football games with her new group of friends, and eventually, she opens up to them about everything going on in her home life. It's nice to Anna grow up. I found myself smiling and cheering her on, and I really think that she'll be a great role model for the older elementary and middle school students who will read this book.
There are also some darker subjects in Where You'll Find Me, and I'm actually really impressed that I finally found a middle grade novel that accurately depicts mental illness. For most of her life, Anna has known that her mom has depression. She knows that it started with postpartum depression, and that it's escalated from that. Anna's had to get her mom out of bed, force her to shower, and even call the school where her mom works when she needs a day off. To say that life hasn't been easy for Anna would be an understatement. But Anna's also in the dark about a lot of things, and she starts to find out more and more when she finds her mom in bed after ingesting a bottle of Advil. I know that not every middle school student will have to deal with what Anna has had to deal with in her short thirteen years, but I feel like Friend made an excellent choice when she decided to write about what it's like to deal with a parent who is mentally ill. Not only is it insightful, but I really think that a lot of young readers might learn something from this book. There's even one passage between Anna and her guidance counselor that I think will let young readers know that diseases like depression and bipolar disorder are nothing to be ashamed about:
I stare at her. "I don't want to talk to my friends about my mom."
"Why not?"
"It's ... I don't know ... embarrassing."
"It's embarrassing that she has a chemical imbalance in her brain?"
I shake my head. That's not what I mean.
"Would it be embarrassing if she had cancer?"
"No."
I also really enjoyed seeing Anna adjust to life under her father's roof. She's still angry at him for leaving her mother, but she needs to find a way to make things work. She's kind of icy when it comes to her stepmother, but hey, Marnie is only about a decade older than Anna. She can't sleep at night because her baby sister screams. It's inevitable that she's miserable. I don't have experience with a stepmother or half-siblings, but I think that the stress and angst that Friend includes in these scenes is warranted. It seems completely normal for Anna to be angry and confused about these new people in her life, and I really liked seeing the imperfect family moments.
I only have one complaint about this book, and it's not even all that bad. I feel like it's a bit too mature to be considered middle grade, but I feel like it's a bit too immature to be considered Young Adult. Neither of these issues are bad things; it's more like the publishing industry is just running out of labels to accurately tell readers where books fall. I think what Natasha Friend has done is created a book that is a perfect fusion of middle grade and YA issues. After reading it, I can see readers in grades 4-9 eating this up! There's a lot of leeway room with this one to reach so many different readers.
Natasha Friends Where You'll Find Me is a remarkable Middle Grade/Young Adult novel that so many different people will be able to enjoy. I can see parents reading this with their children. I can imagine middle schoolers checking it out from the library and devouring it. I can see middle school teachers teaching it in the future. It's a great novel about growing up when you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders. I would recommend this title to readers in fifth through eighth grades, but I would also recommend it to parents with preteens and young teenagers. It's a beautiful contemporary about how the ugly things in life can turn out to be beautiful, even if they are unexpected.
lexy740's review
4.0
I give this book 4 1/2 stars it was a quick read and I couldn't put it down. it would be perfect for anyone that's in 7th grade and up.
jbrooxd's review
4.0
4.5 stars. I loved this. Anna is a great protagonist. And her story - of her mother's suicide attempt, her father's remarriage and instant baby with a much younger woman, abandonment by her best friend, etc. - is big. There's a lot weighing on her and I loved watching her work through it.
The downside for me is that Anna is 13 in this book. And she processes well for a 13 year old. But for a YA book, she feels young. In fact, I thought this was middle grade until I came across some swearing and Anna overhears her dad and step-mom having sex - things you don't usually find in middle grade. The weight of the topics addressed, and these little moments that play better for teenagers are in conflict for me with Anna's age when I think about who I would recommend this to. We have some great stories being told for the middle school crowd these days - older middle grade, 10-14 or so - where this might be a good fit if the reader is comfortable with some language, etc. as well as the mature situations Anna deals with with her mother.
Match this with the right reader and it will be a hit because the story is terrific and Anna is a great character to spend time with! Fantastic work here with Anna's mom's mental illness (Bipolar 2) - the descriptions are spot on. This will be a great addition to any collection of books dealing with mental health and mental illness. (Language, a couple sexual references, mental illness/mental health topics - TW: Suicide)
The downside for me is that Anna is 13 in this book. And she processes well for a 13 year old. But for a YA book, she feels young. In fact, I thought this was middle grade until I came across some swearing and Anna overhears her dad and step-mom having sex - things you don't usually find in middle grade. The weight of the topics addressed, and these little moments that play better for teenagers are in conflict for me with Anna's age when I think about who I would recommend this to. We have some great stories being told for the middle school crowd these days - older middle grade, 10-14 or so - where this might be a good fit if the reader is comfortable with some language, etc. as well as the mature situations Anna deals with with her mother.
Match this with the right reader and it will be a hit because the story is terrific and Anna is a great character to spend time with! Fantastic work here with Anna's mom's mental illness (Bipolar 2) - the descriptions are spot on. This will be a great addition to any collection of books dealing with mental health and mental illness. (Language, a couple sexual references, mental illness/mental health topics - TW: Suicide)
tbhbrooke's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kaliishacole's review
3.0
This book was a short read, very good book for anyone who loves to read about family struggles and how to overcome that. I saw this in my public library and was like "ooh, I'll take a look at this." It was alright nothing too shocking and amazing, but it wasn't bad.
teenlibrarian's review
4.0
This was a good realistic fiction book for teens in grades 7-8.
I have enjoyed Natasha Friend’s other titles and I appreciated this one as well. We meet the main character a day or so after her mother, a school counselor and recently divorced, almost overdosed on pills.
Character’s perspective at the beginning:
Now life sucks. forced to stay with her dad’s house: where his newborn baby keeps crying all night and with Marnie his 23year old second wife. Mom’s at the hospital. Dani, ex best friend and newly popular cheerleader has left the friendship behind.
This books deals with having a parent with mental illness (what turns out to be bipolar 2), the loneliness and shame family can feel when it is not shared and there is no support group or friends to help deal. Eventually the main character finds her place, finds a new friend group, makes peace with her dad’s new life and family with her as a member, and begins a new chance for her mother.
It was a lot to tackle in a fairy short book.time line is about 6 weeks, which seems a little unrealistic for resolutions and character development that happened by Thanksgiving, to give that ending.
I have enjoyed Natasha Friend’s other titles and I appreciated this one as well. We meet the main character a day or so after her mother, a school counselor and recently divorced, almost overdosed on pills.
Character’s perspective at the beginning:
Now life sucks. forced to stay with her dad’s house: where his newborn baby keeps crying all night and with Marnie his 23year old second wife. Mom’s at the hospital. Dani, ex best friend and newly popular cheerleader has left the friendship behind.
This books deals with having a parent with mental illness (what turns out to be bipolar 2), the loneliness and shame family can feel when it is not shared and there is no support group or friends to help deal. Eventually the main character finds her place, finds a new friend group, makes peace with her dad’s new life and family with her as a member, and begins a new chance for her mother.
It was a lot to tackle in a fairy short book.time line is about 6 weeks, which seems a little unrealistic for resolutions and character development that happened by Thanksgiving, to give that ending.