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A review by jbrooxd
Where You'll Find Me by Natasha Friend
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)