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ghostlydreamer's review against another edition
4.0
"Most everyone doesn't know what is right or wrong. We have to live life to find out."
I'm still trying to gather my thoughts on this book. I actually quite liked it. I'm not normally one to read contemporaries, but desperate times call for desperate measures. And when life gets complicated and you're dealing with everyone's real world drama that you somehow got unfairly sucked into, it's only fitting to read about someone ELSE'S fictional drama, right? RIGHT?
So. Adulting. First off, I like the name. Adulting sucks. But it's also a necessary part of life. Quite obviously, this is a central theme throughout the novel. While a lot of pop culture (and memes) like to talk about shirking the responsibilities of being an adult and adulting, this book flips it around. It talks about the importance of being an adult. And how, with practice, you not only build yourself up, but gain a sense of relief, independence, and freedom from doing so, instead of having to rely on others. There's a lot of soul-searching in this book. Learning from past mistakes. Right the wrongs. Understanding what personal autonomy means. I loved that, and felt our two seemingly polar opposite characters did a fantastic job at demonstrating that.
So. We follow Chase London, an A-List Hollywood actress through her journey of self-discovery. But it's not all good. We start off with the infamous Chase waking up with a man she doesn't know, hating life, and having just gone on a bender. She's a train wreck, a former child star. Think Lindsay Lohan. She's been in and out of rehab. She's losing money quickly. She has no sense of identity and doesn't even know how to grocery shop. One might say she's stubborn, selfish, and spoiled. She just wants to get off probation and maybe run away and change her name to Katie so she's no longer Chase. Her support system is weak. There's a lot of pent-up emotional baggage going on in her head that hasn't been addressed.
We also follow Olivia Han, a social worker who works with celebrities to get them back on the path of recovery. Olivia is a bit stiff in the beginning, with a murky past that she doesn't want to drudge up either. Just because she's a therapist doesn't mean she doesn't have her own issues; she's human too. This book demonstrates that perfectly.
The pair are an unlikely duo, with Olivia reluctantly taking on Chase as her client. She decides that the best way to get Chase back on her feet is to remove her entirely from the Hollywood lifestyle she's been wrapped up in since she was a child and take her to a banged up cabin that used to belong to Olivia's grandparents, where Chase at first hesitantly engages in Olivia's course on "adulting." As we go on, Chase starts to understand and learn more about herself. Meanwhile, Olivia is forced to come to terms with her own past. The guilt, the shame, and all her unresolved family issues. In a way, these two ladies help each other heal, and it's actually quite sweet. The book went in slightly different direction than I expected, but I have no problem with that. It played out well.
This book touches on many difficult subjects. For its colorful cover and seemingly feel-good plot, there's actually a lot more wrapped up between the covers of this book. It's a quick read (just took ME forever because, news flash, I started reading too many books at once) and it'll suck you right in with all of its drama. It's horribly addictive. But don't be fooled. If you read this book, expect it to touch on subjects including sexual abuse, substance abuse, mental health, and suicide, among other things. The author does make a note of this in the beginning. But the reason I bring this up here is because I liked the way the author handled it. The author did not get too graphic or triggering with the details. She did not glamorize any of it. She did not use it for shock factor. She knew what she was talking about. My only complaint is how much the love interest had to do with Chase's (and even Olivia's) healing. But even then, it was handled well and was not glorified or romanticized in any way. It just felt like an unnecessary addition to the plot that could have been procured solely through Chase's interactions with Olivia and the locals.
More things I liked about the book: how it emphasized the importance of moving towards change on your own terms. People like to think, with mental health and substance abuse, that interventions work. And for some people, it does. But there's a thing called motivational interviewing. We can't force a client to change, as much as we might like to for their own good; they have to get to that point themselves. And I think this book did a wonderful job showing that, both in Chase AND in Olivia, even though Olivia was the therapist. Nobody can force us to change. They can try, and we can accommodate. But that doesn't mean we will get the most out of our recovery. By getting to that place when we're ready, with a little bit of help along the way, we are capable of many things.
This book touches on deep and sometimes dark and uncomfortable subjects. But it's also light-hearted and fun at other times, with moments of amusement and laughter as well. Though you're guaranteed to get annoyed with Chase in the beginning chapters, and probably with Olivia too. But as stiff as Olivia is in the beginning, she starts to loosen up over time and you really get to know and understand her. I found her plotline with Conrad and Marley's history a lot more interesting than I expected to. It makes me understand better why Olivia chose this line of work, and I really liked the emphasis on family in her plotline. As for Chase, her transformation allows you to see a better and brighter side to her. The side that isn't shrouded by Hollywood lights and fame. The person she really is within, who is finally discovering who she is, what she likes, what she WANTS. Engaging in fun and happiness along the way.
But unfortunately I do have some complaints. But they aren't anything too major. They didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story.
While the romances between Olivia/Spencer/Conrad and Chase/Zeke weren't actually annoying, glamorized, or obnoxious, they also didn't do much for me. I would have liked even more of an emphasis on Chase and Olivia's relationship and how they help each other out, as opposed to the male love interests being a primary source of their healing. It's true that Olivia needed to take risks and open herself up more, and that does include taking risks in relationships. And her history with Conrad added another dimension to the Marley plotline. But as far as Chase goes, I would have liked to see less of an emphasis on Zeke. I feel that the self-discoveries Chase made could have easily been made with Olivia, making Zeke a bit unnecessary in my eyes. Though to be honest, between Zeke, Conrad, and Spencer...they all felt a little too...goody goody? Just a little too perfect at times, apart from maybe Conrad, whose true colors shined darkly in the end.
I would have liked to see more of an emphasis on the therapeutic relationship between Olivia and Chase, as well as Chase's therapeutic process. A lot of the work Chase put in to processing her past, present, and future, as well as all those heavy emotions, happened off the page or were tied in with Zeke. I'd have preferred to see it being done with Olivia, since their relationship was one that deepended along the way. Sometimes it felt like Chase was less of a client and more like someone just living with Olivia temporarily due to some unknown circumstance. But I did love how at the end we see a bit of the clinician learning from their client. As a clinician myself, I can say with certainty that my clients teach me the most about life.
Now, if this were real, I'd call into question some of the ethics Olivia used in Chase's therapy. It's fictional, so I'll let it pass. But having taken so many courses and trainings on ethics, it's a little hard to ignore the fact that it's totally unacceptable for Olivia to be sleeping with someone or letting multiple people stay at the cabin when it's supposed to be Chase's time for healing, while Chase is there. I thought the truth or dare scene was actually pretty funny, but I can't imagine ever doing something like that with a client of my own. But again, it's not bothersome enough to make me dislike the book. This is a work of fiction, after all. And that's what makes this entertaining.
I also felt that Chase's transformation happened a little fast. I work in this field and find that change is a little more gradual than it appears here. Granted, I have never worked with a client so intensively and on a scale like this. And of course in real life everyone is different. Regardless, Chase's transformation is no less stunning.
But you know what? Despite all that, I actually really liked this book and I definitely needed it. So I commend it for that. It wasn't perfect, but it was hella addictive. So don't mind my minor criticisms. It may seem like a lot, but it's really not. I gave this book 4 stars, and that's something I rarely do with contemporaries. I'm a fantasy and gothic lit lover, so take it from me. This was a good one.
I'm still trying to gather my thoughts on this book. I actually quite liked it. I'm not normally one to read contemporaries, but desperate times call for desperate measures. And when life gets complicated and you're dealing with everyone's real world drama that you somehow got unfairly sucked into, it's only fitting to read about someone ELSE'S fictional drama, right? RIGHT?
So. Adulting. First off, I like the name. Adulting sucks. But it's also a necessary part of life. Quite obviously, this is a central theme throughout the novel. While a lot of pop culture (and memes) like to talk about shirking the responsibilities of being an adult and adulting, this book flips it around. It talks about the importance of being an adult. And how, with practice, you not only build yourself up, but gain a sense of relief, independence, and freedom from doing so, instead of having to rely on others. There's a lot of soul-searching in this book. Learning from past mistakes. Right the wrongs. Understanding what personal autonomy means. I loved that, and felt our two seemingly polar opposite characters did a fantastic job at demonstrating that.
So. We follow Chase London, an A-List Hollywood actress through her journey of self-discovery. But it's not all good. We start off with the infamous Chase waking up with a man she doesn't know, hating life, and having just gone on a bender. She's a train wreck, a former child star. Think Lindsay Lohan. She's been in and out of rehab. She's losing money quickly. She has no sense of identity and doesn't even know how to grocery shop. One might say she's stubborn, selfish, and spoiled. She just wants to get off probation and maybe run away and change her name to Katie so she's no longer Chase. Her support system is weak. There's a lot of pent-up emotional baggage going on in her head that hasn't been addressed.
We also follow Olivia Han, a social worker who works with celebrities to get them back on the path of recovery. Olivia is a bit stiff in the beginning, with a murky past that she doesn't want to drudge up either. Just because she's a therapist doesn't mean she doesn't have her own issues; she's human too. This book demonstrates that perfectly.
The pair are an unlikely duo, with Olivia reluctantly taking on Chase as her client. She decides that the best way to get Chase back on her feet is to remove her entirely from the Hollywood lifestyle she's been wrapped up in since she was a child and take her to a banged up cabin that used to belong to Olivia's grandparents, where Chase at first hesitantly engages in Olivia's course on "adulting." As we go on, Chase starts to understand and learn more about herself. Meanwhile, Olivia is forced to come to terms with her own past. The guilt, the shame, and all her unresolved family issues. In a way, these two ladies help each other heal, and it's actually quite sweet. The book went in slightly different direction than I expected, but I have no problem with that. It played out well.
This book touches on many difficult subjects. For its colorful cover and seemingly feel-good plot, there's actually a lot more wrapped up between the covers of this book. It's a quick read (just took ME forever because, news flash, I started reading too many books at once) and it'll suck you right in with all of its drama. It's horribly addictive. But don't be fooled. If you read this book, expect it to touch on subjects including sexual abuse, substance abuse, mental health, and suicide, among other things. The author does make a note of this in the beginning. But the reason I bring this up here is because I liked the way the author handled it. The author did not get too graphic or triggering with the details. She did not glamorize any of it. She did not use it for shock factor. She knew what she was talking about. My only complaint is how much the love interest had to do with Chase's (and even Olivia's) healing. But even then, it was handled well and was not glorified or romanticized in any way. It just felt like an unnecessary addition to the plot that could have been procured solely through Chase's interactions with Olivia and the locals.
More things I liked about the book: how it emphasized the importance of moving towards change on your own terms. People like to think, with mental health and substance abuse, that interventions work. And for some people, it does. But there's a thing called motivational interviewing. We can't force a client to change, as much as we might like to for their own good; they have to get to that point themselves. And I think this book did a wonderful job showing that, both in Chase AND in Olivia, even though Olivia was the therapist. Nobody can force us to change. They can try, and we can accommodate. But that doesn't mean we will get the most out of our recovery. By getting to that place when we're ready, with a little bit of help along the way, we are capable of many things.
This book touches on deep and sometimes dark and uncomfortable subjects. But it's also light-hearted and fun at other times, with moments of amusement and laughter as well. Though you're guaranteed to get annoyed with Chase in the beginning chapters, and probably with Olivia too. But as stiff as Olivia is in the beginning, she starts to loosen up over time and you really get to know and understand her. I found her plotline with Conrad and Marley's history a lot more interesting than I expected to. It makes me understand better why Olivia chose this line of work, and I really liked the emphasis on family in her plotline. As for Chase, her transformation allows you to see a better and brighter side to her. The side that isn't shrouded by Hollywood lights and fame. The person she really is within, who is finally discovering who she is, what she likes, what she WANTS. Engaging in fun and happiness along the way.
But unfortunately I do have some complaints. But they aren't anything too major. They didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story.
While the romances between Olivia/Spencer/Conrad and Chase/Zeke weren't actually annoying, glamorized, or obnoxious, they also didn't do much for me. I would have liked even more of an emphasis on Chase and Olivia's relationship and how they help each other out, as opposed to the male love interests being a primary source of their healing. It's true that Olivia needed to take risks and open herself up more, and that does include taking risks in relationships. And her history with Conrad added another dimension to the Marley plotline. But as far as Chase goes, I would have liked to see less of an emphasis on Zeke. I feel that the self-discoveries Chase made could have easily been made with Olivia, making Zeke a bit unnecessary in my eyes. Though to be honest, between Zeke, Conrad, and Spencer...they all felt a little too...goody goody? Just a little too perfect at times, apart from maybe Conrad, whose true colors shined darkly in the end.
I would have liked to see more of an emphasis on the therapeutic relationship between Olivia and Chase, as well as Chase's therapeutic process. A lot of the work Chase put in to processing her past, present, and future, as well as all those heavy emotions, happened off the page or were tied in with Zeke. I'd have preferred to see it being done with Olivia, since their relationship was one that deepended along the way. Sometimes it felt like Chase was less of a client and more like someone just living with Olivia temporarily due to some unknown circumstance. But I did love how at the end we see a bit of the clinician learning from their client. As a clinician myself, I can say with certainty that my clients teach me the most about life.
Now, if this were real, I'd call into question some of the ethics Olivia used in Chase's therapy. It's fictional, so I'll let it pass. But having taken so many courses and trainings on ethics, it's a little hard to ignore the fact that it's totally unacceptable for Olivia to be sleeping with someone or letting multiple people stay at the cabin when it's supposed to be Chase's time for healing, while Chase is there. I thought the truth or dare scene was actually pretty funny, but I can't imagine ever doing something like that with a client of my own. But again, it's not bothersome enough to make me dislike the book. This is a work of fiction, after all. And that's what makes this entertaining.
I also felt that Chase's transformation happened a little fast. I work in this field and find that change is a little more gradual than it appears here. Granted, I have never worked with a client so intensively and on a scale like this. And of course in real life everyone is different. Regardless, Chase's transformation is no less stunning.
But you know what? Despite all that, I actually really liked this book and I definitely needed it. So I commend it for that. It wasn't perfect, but it was hella addictive. So don't mind my minor criticisms. It may seem like a lot, but it's really not. I gave this book 4 stars, and that's something I rarely do with contemporaries. I'm a fantasy and gothic lit lover, so take it from me. This was a good one.
sisterellio2003's review
I didn't get far before I had to stop. This was not the lighthearted story I expected.
wilovebooks's review against another edition
5.0
Chase has hit rock bottom. She meets Olivia when she agrees to do her unconventional therapy program. They both have some issues that they work on together through the process and become friends. A happy ending for them both.
db_cooper's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
relaxing
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
4.0
Very readable "chick lit"--predictable and everything tied up neatly.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Suicide, and Rape
austinra's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
3.25
dazyiscrazy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Drug abuse
michelled13's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Suicide, Sexual assault, and Child abuse
suzy86's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Death