Scan barcode
aoifemarie's review
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Death of parent, Vomit, Blood, Car accident, and Death
rachelditty's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It's been a while since I picked up a John Green book, and while I know I'm no longer his age-range for his intended audience, I still feel the same way now about his writing as I did when The Fault in Our Stars was at is height in popularity. Obviously, John Green is a huge name in writing and has had numerous books of his on the NYT Best Seller list, so he's doing pretty good for himself, but a few years ago I say someone online say that it feels like he draws the most random things out of a hat and finds a way to insert them into the story he's writing. For this, it was that lizard/dinosaur that was left the estate, Chuck E. Cheeze, and probably the Star Wars fanfiction (though I'll let that one slide because it was pretty accurate for a high school-age kid, I think).
As far as the portrayal of mental illness goes, Aza's OCD was written in such a well-framed way that it was hard to read at times. As someone with an anxiety disorder, I could relate to Aza's trains of thought as she began to spiral, and watching as she continued to get worse as the story went on was hard. Watching her consistently having to assert her boundaries with herself, and then toward the end with her friends and family, was heartbreaking but also very hopeful. Green did a great job with the portrayal of OCD in this book.
I think my biggest gripe was that at times the narration style would change. I think the purpose of getting rid of the noun in many of the sentences (such as getting rid of I in a sentence like Needed to get somewhere, for example) was to make the narration feel rushed and bled together. While I acknowledge that, it personally felt a bit clunky for my reading experience. The narration change toward the end from I to you was unexpected and well done and a great way to show how disconnected Aza was with herself at that point.
Overall a good read, though probably not the best for my personal mental health so soon after reading I'm Glad My Mom Died. Definitely need something a bit more fun next. Turtles All the Way Down was good. John Green isn't my favorite but he obviously has his audience. It's just not me.
Also I think Davis deserves the world, I hope he has a good time in Colorado.
Quotes I liked:
"Anybody can look at you. It's quite rare to find someone who sees the same world you see." (p. 9)
"...back then all emotions felt like play, like I was experimenting with feeling rather than stuck with it." (p. 22)
"I was so good at being a kid, and so terrible at being whatever I was now." (p. 25)
"...Saying more wrong things while trying to apologize." (p. 42).
"...you tell yourself, I am not my thoughts, even though deep down you're not sure what exactly that makes you." (p. 46).
"The way he talked about thoughts was the way I experienced them--not as a choice but as a destiny." (p. 59).
"No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again." (p. 59).
"I was thinking about how part of your self can be in a place while at the same time the most important parts are in a different place, a place that can't be accessed via your senses. Like, how I'd driven all the way to school without really being inside the car. I was trying to look at Mychal, trying to hear the clamor of the hallway, but I wasn't there, not really, not deep down." (p. 71).
"One of the challenges with pain--physical or psychic--is that we can really only approach it through metaphor. It can't be represented the way a table or a body can. In some ways, pain is the opposite of language." (p. 89).
"I tried to smile and shake my head at the right times, but I was always a moment behind the rest of them. They laughed because something was funny; I laughed because they had." (p. 98).
"Most adults are just hollowed out. You watch them try to fill themselves up with booze or money or God or fame or whatever they worship, and it all rots them from the inside until nothing is left but the money or booze or God they thought would save them... Adults think they're wielding power, but really power is wielding them." (p. 145).
"The worst part of being truly alone is you think about all the times you wished that everyone would just leave you be. Then they do, and you are left being, and you turn out to be terrible company." (p. 186).
"She noted, more than once, that the meteor shower was happening, beyond the overcast sky, even if we could not see it. Who cares if she can kiss? She can see through the clouds." (p. 189).
"Our hearts were broken in the same places. That's something like love, but maybe not quite the thing itself." (p. 206).
"My voice felt squeaky, but I was finding it." (p. 214).
"I'm doing my best, but I can't stay sane for you, okay?" (p. 247).
"You're the narrator, the protagonist, and the sidekick. You're the storyteller and the story told. You are somebody's something, but you are also your you." (p. 257).
"You get to pick the frame, you know? Maybe you don't choose what's in the picture, but you decide on the frame." (p. 277).
"Stole this from a lizard for you.--D." (p. 285). (I thought this was funny as hell).
"But you don't know any of that yet. We squeeze his hand. He squeezes back. You stare up at the same sky together, and after a while he says, I have to go, and you say, Good-bye, and he says, Good-bye, Aza, and no one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again." (p. 286).
As far as the portrayal of mental illness goes, Aza's OCD was written in such a well-framed way that it was hard to read at times. As someone with an anxiety disorder, I could relate to Aza's trains of thought as she began to spiral, and watching as she continued to get worse as the story went on was hard. Watching her consistently having to assert her boundaries with herself, and then toward the end with her friends and family, was heartbreaking but also very hopeful. Green did a great job with the portrayal of OCD in this book.
I think my biggest gripe was that at times the narration style would change. I think the purpose of getting rid of the noun in many of the sentences (such as getting rid of I in a sentence like Needed to get somewhere, for example) was to make the narration feel rushed and bled together. While I acknowledge that, it personally felt a bit clunky for my reading experience. The narration change toward the end from I to you was unexpected and well done and a great way to show how disconnected Aza was with herself at that point.
Overall a good read, though probably not the best for my personal mental health so soon after reading I'm Glad My Mom Died. Definitely need something a bit more fun next. Turtles All the Way Down was good. John Green isn't my favorite but he obviously has his audience. It's just not me.
Also I think Davis deserves the world, I hope he has a good time in Colorado.
Quotes I liked:
"Anybody can look at you. It's quite rare to find someone who sees the same world you see." (p. 9)
"...back then all emotions felt like play, like I was experimenting with feeling rather than stuck with it." (p. 22)
"I was so good at being a kid, and so terrible at being whatever I was now." (p. 25)
"...Saying more wrong things while trying to apologize." (p. 42).
"...you tell yourself, I am not my thoughts, even though deep down you're not sure what exactly that makes you." (p. 46).
"The way he talked about thoughts was the way I experienced them--not as a choice but as a destiny." (p. 59).
"No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again." (p. 59).
"I was thinking about how part of your self can be in a place while at the same time the most important parts are in a different place, a place that can't be accessed via your senses. Like, how I'd driven all the way to school without really being inside the car. I was trying to look at Mychal, trying to hear the clamor of the hallway, but I wasn't there, not really, not deep down." (p. 71).
"One of the challenges with pain--physical or psychic--is that we can really only approach it through metaphor. It can't be represented the way a table or a body can. In some ways, pain is the opposite of language." (p. 89).
"I tried to smile and shake my head at the right times, but I was always a moment behind the rest of them. They laughed because something was funny; I laughed because they had." (p. 98).
"Most adults are just hollowed out. You watch them try to fill themselves up with booze or money or God or fame or whatever they worship, and it all rots them from the inside until nothing is left but the money or booze or God they thought would save them... Adults think they're wielding power, but really power is wielding them." (p. 145).
"The worst part of being truly alone is you think about all the times you wished that everyone would just leave you be. Then they do, and you are left being, and you turn out to be terrible company." (p. 186).
"She noted, more than once, that the meteor shower was happening, beyond the overcast sky, even if we could not see it. Who cares if she can kiss? She can see through the clouds." (p. 189).
"Our hearts were broken in the same places. That's something like love, but maybe not quite the thing itself." (p. 206).
"My voice felt squeaky, but I was finding it." (p. 214).
"I'm doing my best, but I can't stay sane for you, okay?" (p. 247).
"You're the narrator, the protagonist, and the sidekick. You're the storyteller and the story told. You are somebody's something, but you are also your you." (p. 257).
"You get to pick the frame, you know? Maybe you don't choose what's in the picture, but you decide on the frame." (p. 277).
"Stole this from a lizard for you.--D." (p. 285). (I thought this was funny as hell).
"But you don't know any of that yet. We squeeze his hand. He squeezes back. You stare up at the same sky together, and after a while he says, I have to go, and you say, Good-bye, and he says, Good-bye, Aza, and no one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again." (p. 286).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Car accident, Grief, Medical content, and Self harm
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Vomit
Very graphic and well written depictions of OCD--proceed with caution if reading about thought spirals send you into your own thought spirals.rb5373's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A great portrayal of OCD with a great ending. But the dialogue and existential way that these teenagers talked felt very unrealistic and a little cringey.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
Minor: Self harm, Medical content, and Vomit
alaniii's review
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Self harm
olpapi's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Car accident, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Medical trauma
finnifinn's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Medical content, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Eating disorder
All sensitive topics are handled with care and sensitivity.xfallenxnightx's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Comforting in all the right ways. John Green novels always make me feel reflective and this has been my favorite by far.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief
guivx5's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
While I recompose myself after reading the end of this book, I can only think that, God, why does John Green always make funny and at the same time emotionally devastating stories? I never forgot when I laughed at a balls cancer joke in "The Fault in Our Stars", and it really paints his writing style: smart, cohesive, funny and emotionally devastating in a matter of two paragraphs.
This is the journey of a girl dealing with her mental illness, above all things. And it is written beautifully. It scares me how precise Green is when it comes to teenage characters. Aza, Daisy, Mychal, Davis, you name it, they're cohesive from start to finish. Green is just really good at making worlds come to life, believable worlds, made in a very smart way. Books are often written on the premises of epic plots, big events or some catastrophe. The hardest stories to write are the ones who are not based on the apocalypse or great murder cases. They are built on top of subtlety, a delicate balance, something I've only seen done right recently in "Circe", and it is achieved here with praise.
Special highlight on the way Green wrote about mental illness. Genius, never too soothing, never too exaggerated. Something that gets better, and then gets worse, and then gets better, and so it goes. No romanticizing, just experiencing.
Through all of it's plots, "Turtles All The Way Down" manages to drive the reader to a journey of a mind that reflects on us so much, yet is nothing like us. Green's philosophical style makes you wander through the pages never giving an answer, but always better questions. And, Jesus, that ending. Those last two pages, I'LL SEND YOU MY THERAPY BILL, JOHN GREEN.
You can see my tears are not dry yet, so my lawyers will be in touch.
This is the journey of a girl dealing with her mental illness, above all things. And it is written beautifully. It scares me how precise Green is when it comes to teenage characters. Aza, Daisy, Mychal, Davis, you name it, they're cohesive from start to finish. Green is just really good at making worlds come to life, believable worlds, made in a very smart way. Books are often written on the premises of epic plots, big events or some catastrophe. The hardest stories to write are the ones who are not based on the apocalypse or great murder cases. They are built on top of subtlety, a delicate balance, something I've only seen done right recently in "Circe", and it is achieved here with praise.
Special highlight on the way Green wrote about mental illness. Genius, never too soothing, never too exaggerated. Something that gets better, and then gets worse, and then gets better, and so it goes. No romanticizing, just experiencing.
Through all of it's plots, "Turtles All The Way Down" manages to drive the reader to a journey of a mind that reflects on us so much, yet is nothing like us. Green's philosophical style makes you wander through the pages never giving an answer, but always better questions. And, Jesus, that ending. Those last two pages, I'LL SEND YOU MY THERAPY BILL, JOHN GREEN.
You can see my tears are not dry yet, so my lawyers will be in touch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
alexiconic's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The question this book raises is: how many stars does a book get for its (good, relatable, rarely well done) depiction of mental illness? I think this was for me the biggest strength of the book. And maybe … when it comes down to it, it’s what made it a good book at all.
Because the representation of OCD in this book is really, really good. It is confronting to see thought spirals portrayed so well. And it was great to see this without any blemish or polish. For my taste, however, too much of the book was about the continuing and worsening spirals, and the (sometimes a little obnoxious) existential wondering included. I guess that’s where this is a YA novel and I am no longer a teen, but it’s a little dramatic. It also made the (at most 50 pages-long) realizations and “recovery” too sudden, too rushed, and unfortunately the book lost some strength here. Yes, it is difficult to write how taking medication regularly will suddenly improve your mental health. But if 3/4ths of the book have been about the hell of the symptoms and the worries about taking meds, it would have been nice to have a bit more analysis. And while the end resonated with my own mental health experiences, it seems counterintuitive and is not often seen and that is exactly why I would have loved for the last 10 pages to last a bit longer.
I just wanted a bit more time in the story. A bit more time for the cool sidekicks. A bit more time for the OCD and for recovery. In the end, though, isn't that also a good sign?
Because the representation of OCD in this book is really, really good. It is confronting to see thought spirals portrayed so well. And it was great to see this without any blemish or polish. For my taste, however, too much of the book was about the continuing and worsening spirals, and the (sometimes a little obnoxious) existential wondering included. I guess that’s where this is a YA novel and I am no longer a teen, but it’s a little dramatic. It also made the (at most 50 pages-long) realizations and “recovery” too sudden, too rushed, and unfortunately the book lost some strength here. Yes, it is difficult to write how taking medication regularly will suddenly improve your mental health. But if 3/4ths of the book have been about the hell of the symptoms and the worries about taking meds, it would have been nice to have a bit more analysis. And while the end resonated with my own mental health experiences, it seems counterintuitive and is not often seen and that is exactly why I would have loved for the last 10 pages to last a bit longer.
I just wanted a bit more time in the story. A bit more time for the cool sidekicks. A bit more time for the OCD and for recovery. In the end, though, isn't that also a good sign?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Medical trauma, Self harm, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Mental illness
Moderate: Abandonment, Child abuse, Body horror, and Blood
violetmysteries723's review
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
It feels like this book is trying to be a story about mental health and a missing person mystery at the same time, and I unfortunately don't think it works here. I wasn't interested in the mystery plot line at all until the very end because the reveal was interesting to me, but then wasn't explored at all by any of the characters and left me disappointed. I was interested in learning more about Aza's struggles with her mental health, especially with the OCD part since that's something I've never experienced, but I feel there wasn't enough space in the book to dive deeper.
Aza is a very passive main character, things seem to happen to and around her instead of because of her. Part of this seems to be because of her struggles with mental health, but she also doesn't actively move the plot forward when she has good mental health days. I empathize with her because it's clear that she doesn't choose to think and behave the way that she does, but she also struggles so much with basic thingslike taking her meds as directed that it doesn't feel like she actually wants to get better or relieve any of her symptoms.
Daisy is annoying and unlikable at best, and a two-faced jerk at worst. The friendship arc between Aza and Daisy throughout the book is more of a line than an arc.Daisy's redemption after the car accident doesn't feel earned at all. All the weight is put onto Aza for "being a bad friend" when in reality Daisy is the toxic one and the friendship should have ended immediately after Aza found out what Daisy was writing about her in all the fanfic. Daisy doesn't seem to care about anything but herself, and I have no idea what her motivation is the entire book.
Emotionally, none of these main characters felt like real people to me. Aza says she's upset about her mental health struggles, but her actions don't reflect that feeling. Daisy is one-note in every single scene, which is perhaps just her personality, but it would have been nice to see a little emotion from her at some point - for example, when she and Michael break up . Davis is very deadpan as well and it doesn't feel like he is ever as vulnerable with Aza as Aza is with him.
Overall, I don't regret reading this book, but I do regret buying a physical copy. I pre-ordered a signed copy of the book back in the day which I still think is cool, I just wish it was a signed copy of a book I will actually want to read more than once.
Aza is a very passive main character, things seem to happen to and around her instead of because of her. Part of this seems to be because of her struggles with mental health, but she also doesn't actively move the plot forward when she has good mental health days. I empathize with her because it's clear that she doesn't choose to think and behave the way that she does, but she also struggles so much with basic things
Daisy is annoying and unlikable at best, and a two-faced jerk at worst. The friendship arc between Aza and Daisy throughout the book is more of a line than an arc.
Emotionally, none of these main characters felt like real people to me. Aza says she's upset about her mental health struggles, but her actions don't reflect that feeling. Daisy is one-note in every single scene, which is perhaps just her personality, but it would have been nice to see a little emotion from her at some point
Overall, I don't regret reading this book, but I do regret buying a physical copy. I pre-ordered a signed copy of the book back in the day which I still think is cool, I just wish it was a signed copy of a book I will actually want to read more than once.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Death of parent, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm
Moderate: Body shaming, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Bullying
Minor: Grief, Blood, and Classism