jufevy's review against another edition
4.0
Adam is een 15-jarige jongen met OCD die iedereen om hem heen wil redden, maar ondertussen zelf verzuipt in tellen, tikken, drempelvrees en zuiveringsrituelen. Tijdens een groepssessie voor jongeren met een dwangneurose ontmoet hij Robyn. Hij wordt op slag verliefd en is vastbesloten om haar batman te worden en haar te beschermen. Terwijl het met Robyn steeds beter gaat, kruipt Adam steeds meer in zijn hoofd. Is een normale relatie wel mogelijk als je zo veel obstakels moet overwinnen?
'De onverwachte held van kamer 13B' lijkt op basis van de achterflap vooral het zoveelste probleemboek met een onmogelijke liefdesrelatie. De romantiek overheerst echter niet. Het boek gaat vooral over een kwetsbare jongen die gebukt gaat onder de problematiek van zijn familie. De realistische beschrijvingen van de dwangstoornis waarmee Adam worstelt en de subtiele, lichte ironische toon waarop de schrijfster zijn worsteling beschrijft, maken het boek ijzersterk. Nergens gaat het verhaal ten onder aan de hoeveelheid problematiek of aan valse sentimentaliteit.
Een van de betere psychologische adolescentenromans.
'De onverwachte held van kamer 13B' lijkt op basis van de achterflap vooral het zoveelste probleemboek met een onmogelijke liefdesrelatie. De romantiek overheerst echter niet. Het boek gaat vooral over een kwetsbare jongen die gebukt gaat onder de problematiek van zijn familie. De realistische beschrijvingen van de dwangstoornis waarmee Adam worstelt en de subtiele, lichte ironische toon waarop de schrijfster zijn worsteling beschrijft, maken het boek ijzersterk. Nergens gaat het verhaal ten onder aan de hoeveelheid problematiek of aan valse sentimentaliteit.
Een van de betere psychologische adolescentenromans.
annebennett1957's review against another edition
4.0
Surprisingly thoughtful and sensitive book. I was shocked by the sheer volume of rituals and counting that our main character with OCD had to go thought on a daily, hourly basis. A hopeful, not necessarily a happy, ending.
sandraagee's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. Great read. I loved getting inside Adam's head. It was fascinating watching him grow up while simultaneously sinking deeper and deeper into his condition. While I don't have any person experience with OCD, I really felt like the author did a great job of portraying Adam, his group, and their idiosyncrasies.
valeriianavarr's review against another edition
5.0
Takes some serious skills to make the book as stressful as people with OCD feel when their OCD gets in their way
dilemma's review against another edition
2.0
It's definitely nice to see portrayals of mental illness in literature but I found this book frustrating in a lot of ways. I kind of took note of them as I was reading, so I'm gonna add in some of those notes here:
--The way eating disorders are addressed in this book is upsetting. On page 56:"Skinny girls worrying about getting skinnier totally perplexed him." Later, Adam and Robyn are talking about how they don't understand girls who starve themselves, and Robyn says she has a friend who "looks like hell" and looks like "a lollipop," "all head, stick body. I tell her all the time but she can't see" (156). These viewpoints would be helpful to the story if they were later disproved, but they never are!!!! It made me really sad. Making fun of people who have eating disorders, acting perplexed by them--what is that giving us here?
--The way Wolverine's hypochondria is addressed is also upsetting. I realize that this and the eating disorder thing may be a way of showing that Adam is out of touch, but it doesn't go far enough to make that clear and instead reads as Adam rejoicing that he isn't crazy as other people. Eventually, there's a moment where Adam thinks about how they all get that Wolverine's hypochondria is a thing, even if it isn't something they understand, but then that's kind of counteracted when Adam calls him crazy at the final meeting.
--I found a lot of the dialogue to be unnatural
--Adam actually comforts himself about his relationship with Robyn by stressing that she "Was a cutter, Adam reminded himself. Was a cutter. Was a puker. Was" (83). I don't know if this is supposed to be reflective of his desire for Robyn to be healthy (concern for her) but it read more as him not wanting to be in a relationship with someone who did something as "crazy" as purging or cutting
--Adam's inability to understand girls feels soooo weird to me. I know the writer is female and imagining a male perspective, but this quote bothered me: "She looked pained or someting. Oh, what he wouldn't give to be able to read girls' facial expressions!" (159). Also not a fan of him falling in love with her right away? I'm left with no clear understanding of what her personality even really is. I never really bought in to there being any chemistry between them.
--overall, the excessive use of the word crazy to describe others felt really derogatory to me. it's one thing to call yourself crazy but a lot different to call someone else crazy
--I'm seeing all these reviews of people saying they love Adam, and it's nice that he cares about people so much, but it actually never occurred to me that he was a caring person until Robyn pointed it out. He has a definite and strong voice, but he doesn't seem to be full or real enough for me to be like "yes, i love this fictional character"
That said, I did think it showed what it's like to live with OCD. This book seems to be pretty well received, so maybe I'm missing something, but it just didn't sit well with me in a lot of ways.
--The way eating disorders are addressed in this book is upsetting. On page 56:"Skinny girls worrying about getting skinnier totally perplexed him." Later, Adam and Robyn are talking about how they don't understand girls who starve themselves, and Robyn says she has a friend who "looks like hell" and looks like "a lollipop," "all head, stick body. I tell her all the time but she can't see" (156). These viewpoints would be helpful to the story if they were later disproved, but they never are!!!! It made me really sad. Making fun of people who have eating disorders, acting perplexed by them--what is that giving us here?
--The way Wolverine's hypochondria is addressed is also upsetting. I realize that this and the eating disorder thing may be a way of showing that Adam is out of touch, but it doesn't go far enough to make that clear and instead reads as Adam rejoicing that he isn't crazy as other people. Eventually, there's a moment where Adam thinks about how they all get that Wolverine's hypochondria is a thing, even if it isn't something they understand, but then that's kind of counteracted when Adam calls him crazy at the final meeting.
--I found a lot of the dialogue to be unnatural
--Adam actually comforts himself about his relationship with Robyn by stressing that she "Was a cutter, Adam reminded himself. Was a cutter. Was a puker. Was" (83). I don't know if this is supposed to be reflective of his desire for Robyn to be healthy (concern for her) but it read more as him not wanting to be in a relationship with someone who did something as "crazy" as purging or cutting
--Adam's inability to understand girls feels soooo weird to me. I know the writer is female and imagining a male perspective, but this quote bothered me: "She looked pained or someting. Oh, what he wouldn't give to be able to read girls' facial expressions!" (159). Also not a fan of him falling in love with her right away? I'm left with no clear understanding of what her personality even really is. I never really bought in to there being any chemistry between them.
--overall, the excessive use of the word crazy to describe others felt really derogatory to me. it's one thing to call yourself crazy but a lot different to call someone else crazy
--I'm seeing all these reviews of people saying they love Adam, and it's nice that he cares about people so much, but it actually never occurred to me that he was a caring person until Robyn pointed it out. He has a definite and strong voice, but he doesn't seem to be full or real enough for me to be like "yes, i love this fictional character"
That said, I did think it showed what it's like to live with OCD. This book seems to be pretty well received, so maybe I'm missing something, but it just didn't sit well with me in a lot of ways.
abookdork's review against another edition
4.0
Great audio. Appreciated that the characters were complex and the book didn't have a neat ending. Highly recommended to those who enjoys realistic fiction.
unavezmas's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I gotta admit it seems like the author did her research. And wow does this book has representation of people with mental illneses (especially young adults).
Adam definitely needs to stop trying to protect everyone. I mean he takes care of himself, his brother and his mom. And like no 15 yo has to do it. And Adam shouldn't blame himself for mistakes of other people. He is just too good for this world I guess.
I wish there were less religion stuff.
Adam definitely needs to stop trying to protect everyone. I mean he takes care of himself, his brother and his mom. And like no 15 yo has to do it. And Adam shouldn't blame himself for mistakes of other people. He is just too good for this world I guess.
I wish there were less religion stuff.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
stenaros's review against another edition
3.0
Read for librarian book group
A story of a boy with OCD, and his first love, Robyn. This story also includes the kids in his OCD therapy group, his counslor, his mother, father, stepmother and brother. There's a lot to juggle here and Toten manages to keep track of everyone.
I particularly enjoyed the rich characterization. The many players are memorable and well developed. Unfortunately for me, reading about OCD was a slog--I spent the book tense and uncomfortable. Which means I think Toten did a great job accurately capturing the super bummer it must be to live with OCD. By the end I was glad I had read, but in the middle it was hard to keep going. I recommend this, because it's good, but that doesn't also mean it is an easy read.
A story of a boy with OCD, and his first love, Robyn. This story also includes the kids in his OCD therapy group, his counslor, his mother, father, stepmother and brother. There's a lot to juggle here and Toten manages to keep track of everyone.
I particularly enjoyed the rich characterization. The many players are memorable and well developed. Unfortunately for me, reading about OCD was a slog--I spent the book tense and uncomfortable. Which means I think Toten did a great job accurately capturing the super bummer it must be to live with OCD. By the end I was glad I had read, but in the middle it was hard to keep going. I recommend this, because it's good, but that doesn't also mean it is an easy read.
emdoux's review against another edition
3.0
I liked many aspects of this book but overall... it just didn't grab me.
Grades 6 and up. A teen struggling with crippling Obsessive Compulsive Disorder goes to a weekly group where all members assume super hero identities to help them feel more empowered as they talk about their issues, and falls in love as his OCD becomes more and more unmanageable. I didn't particularly like this book, however, religion plays a large role in the book (important for YA fiction) and Toten's treatment of the disease is skillfully done.
Grades 6 and up. A teen struggling with crippling Obsessive Compulsive Disorder goes to a weekly group where all members assume super hero identities to help them feel more empowered as they talk about their issues, and falls in love as his OCD becomes more and more unmanageable. I didn't particularly like this book, however, religion plays a large role in the book (important for YA fiction) and Toten's treatment of the disease is skillfully done.