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kathrynleah's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail
daffodildyke's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
3.5
I found this book very interesting once it got going, and was able to pre-empt plot twists but not in a way that made this disappointing. There were some passages that spoke strongly to the self-doubt and reflection I have experienced with my own mental illness.
It is an interesting approach to telling this story and having Hannah as an unreliable narrator of her own story was impactful. However, it felt obvious at times that the author had probably not experienced significant, chronic mental health issues (and from a bit of searching online it generally seems that assumption is correct).
My biggest complaint regarding that is the same reason I am currently struggling with the abruptness of the ending. I suppose that's fairly fitting - reminiscent of the abruptness with which Hannah learns the truth about Lucy. But the ending feels rushed after a long and detailed approach throughout -I don't think having the sensationalist self-harm, putting on new meds and then almost immediately discharging despite not monitoring whether they will help does justice to the rest of the story, because even in the authors note, the author points out that this was probably not realistic
I do wish we had an epilogue of some sort, just something of Hannah accepting the changes she may need to make and finding her own ways of surviving and thriving following the events of the book. I think the things I want to see in the epilogue are testament to my experiences with mental illness.Some examples are maybe her learning how her meds can improve certain parts of life, seeing how her friendships change following her diagnosis and medication, engaging in good talking therapy where she can process both her hallucinations, but also the experiences she had growing up. I wish that she'd been shown to have more ownership over herself at the end, rather than the rather cliché thing that if you are psychotic the only way you can express yourself and exert control is by going off your meds
It is an interesting approach to telling this story and having Hannah as an unreliable narrator of her own story was impactful. However, it felt obvious at times that the author had probably not experienced significant, chronic mental health issues (and from a bit of searching online it generally seems that assumption is correct).
My biggest complaint regarding that is the same reason I am currently struggling with the abruptness of the ending. I suppose that's fairly fitting - reminiscent of the abruptness with which Hannah learns the truth about Lucy. But the ending feels rushed after a long and detailed approach throughout -
I do wish we had an epilogue of some sort, just something of Hannah accepting the changes she may need to make and finding her own ways of surviving and thriving following the events of the book. I think the things I want to see in the epilogue are testament to my experiences with mental illness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Eating disorder, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Gaslighting
katyannreads's review against another edition
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
francesturpin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Eating disorder, and Mental illness
shereadytoread's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
It's boring? The whole book basically takes place in the hospital where she's convinced she is "normal" and we need to figure out if she's reliable or not. I think my issue is the author creating a book about mental illness and institutionalization and then stating at the end that it is not meant to educate people about either subject and the stuff that happens in the book wouldn't really happen. So what was the point? About half the book seemed to just be fluff that is not really relevant
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Self harm
caidyn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
CW: mental illness, psychosis, eating disorders, and serious injury
While this was a good read, I had my issues with it. Perhaps that's because I'm coming at it as a person in the field. I work at a psych facility and some of the things in this didn't ring quite true. However, I don't work with kids and don't get how children's facilities work. I also am not a psychiatrist, nor am I working with those who are there for criminal cases.
For one, I wasn't a fan of the MC. I didn't like her comments on eating disorders. It pulled me straight out of the book because they were entirely unneeded for the story as a whole. It rubbed me entirely the wrong way to read someone making comments about how you can tell by looking at a girl who's anorexic or bulimic. It just was disgusting and pissed me off. The comments were unneeded to the extreme.
I also just didn't love the rep for mental health. Again, I work in the population and I just didn't like how Hannah wasn't told anything and how things didn't seem to be explained to her. I'd never do that as a professional. I'd want them to know what's going on and what's happening. I also didn't like how the psychiatrist had her own agenda rather than work with the patient and the patient's concerns. She's concerned about missing the start of school? Why brush that off? It's a valid thing to process and to help someone process.
Still, I enjoyed the book. I've met people like Hannah, people who have some psychosis but are able to recognize it in some ways. It's hard to see them recognize it fully and actually understand what they're experiencing. I liked how the book wasn't drawn out and ended as it did, although it's clear that this is only the start of her journey because it is a lifelong diagnosis and, usually, symptoms don't entirely go away.
Overall, a fine book, but not without its issues.
While this was a good read, I had my issues with it. Perhaps that's because I'm coming at it as a person in the field. I work at a psych facility and some of the things in this didn't ring quite true. However, I don't work with kids and don't get how children's facilities work. I also am not a psychiatrist, nor am I working with those who are there for criminal cases.
For one, I wasn't a fan of the MC. I didn't like her comments on eating disorders. It pulled me straight out of the book because they were entirely unneeded for the story as a whole. It rubbed me entirely the wrong way to read someone making comments about how you can tell by looking at a girl who's anorexic or bulimic. It just was disgusting and pissed me off. The comments were unneeded to the extreme.
I also just didn't love the rep for mental health. Again, I work in the population and I just didn't like how Hannah wasn't told anything and how things didn't seem to be explained to her. I'd never do that as a professional. I'd want them to know what's going on and what's happening. I also didn't like how the psychiatrist had her own agenda rather than work with the patient and the patient's concerns. She's concerned about missing the start of school? Why brush that off? It's a valid thing to process and to help someone process.
Still, I enjoyed the book. I've met people like Hannah, people who have some psychosis but are able to recognize it in some ways. It's hard to see them recognize it fully and actually understand what they're experiencing. I liked how the book wasn't drawn out and ended as it did, although it's clear that this is only the start of her journey because it is a lifelong diagnosis and, usually, symptoms don't entirely go away.
Overall, a fine book, but not without its issues.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Violence, and Medical content