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joannaautumn's review against another edition
1.0
I am very disappointed and highly confused.
Why would anyone have this story with these characters in their head?
The synopsis promises a wild adventure and the look inside the mind of a person with schizophrenia, so you'd expect it to be interesting and the narrative to be unreliable. I was hyped.
However, what I got was:
A weird plot that makes minimal sense.
I expected this to be action packed, tense, I expected more from the method of storytelling.
The plot is one big weird mush loosely tied together. After finishing the book I wondered how can I write a review for this? There was not a single aspect of this book that was decent. There were some plot holes, some unnecessary scenes, but the only thing that can come up as good here are the few unexpected twists. But one pro vs 20 cons doesn't make a book good.
Unrealistic characters.
None of these characters felt real.
The abusive principal with an unhealthy obsession who got electrocuted in the past?
A boy who is teased for being Aryan and speaking with a German accent? While we are at it, Miles as a character is not only highly unrealistic, he feels out of place. If that makes sense.
The mean cheerleader character was flat as hell, the author tried to give her character depth with the whole abuse story but this all feels like minimal effort was put into making and developing her character.
The world where these characters live is nothing special or memorable.
I don't remember all the places introduced, not by name at least. There is nothing that stands out in this world or setting.
There is nothing else I can add to this. The writing was okay but nothing extraordinary.
Not a book for me, I don't recommend this.
Why would anyone have this story with these characters in their head?
The synopsis promises a wild adventure and the look inside the mind of a person with schizophrenia, so you'd expect it to be interesting and the narrative to be unreliable. I was hyped.
However, what I got was:
A weird plot that makes minimal sense.
I expected this to be action packed, tense, I expected more from the method of storytelling.
The plot is one big weird mush loosely tied together. After finishing the book I wondered how can I write a review for this? There was not a single aspect of this book that was decent. There were some plot holes, some unnecessary scenes, but the only thing that can come up as good here are the few unexpected twists. But one pro vs 20 cons doesn't make a book good.
Unrealistic characters.
None of these characters felt real.
The abusive principal with an unhealthy obsession who got electrocuted in the past?
A boy who is teased for being Aryan and speaking with a German accent? While we are at it, Miles as a character is not only highly unrealistic, he feels out of place. If that makes sense.
The mean cheerleader character was flat as hell, the author tried to give her character depth with the whole abuse story but this all feels like minimal effort was put into making and developing her character.
The world where these characters live is nothing special or memorable.
I don't remember all the places introduced, not by name at least. There is nothing that stands out in this world or setting.
There is nothing else I can add to this. The writing was okay but nothing extraordinary.
Not a book for me, I don't recommend this.
pantsreads's review against another edition
4.0
leelox's review against another edition
5.0
A beautifully pieced book that will remain as one of my favorite books of all time.
camillaforte's review against another edition
1.0
Here's the thing: this book, as a book, was good. It was really good. It was the type of good that forces you to read past your bed time and hate yourself in the morning. The plot was intricate and intrusive and filled with plot twists that left my jaw hanging open more than once. The characters were developed beautifully, they had layers. Of course like any standard YA the love interest was very present and quite obvious, but the author made sure that it wasn't your run of the mill teen love. However my enjoyment of this book was a bit stifled by one glaring issue. The author's depiction of schizophrenia was beyond inaccurate, which is worrisome. The main pillar upon which the book is held up is Alex's visual hallucinations, which newsflash, are not actually one of the symptoms of schizophrenia. This incredibly complicated and burdensome condition also cannot be fixed as quickly and with something so banal as falling in love. It just can't. I wish I could ignore this crack in what otherwise would have been a smooth work of YA but that, to me, that is impossible. The discussion on mental health is only now starting to become less taboo, and efforts are being made by people to better understand these conditions and provide for those plagued by them. Works such as these are threats to the advancement of this movement. They spread misinformation. Worst of all they spread misinformation among younger people who may not think twice before accepting it. To think that it could have been avoided if the author had researched the topic a bit more before adopting and contorting what can be a crippling condition for the sake of entertainment bothers me. This could have given a voice to thousands but now, it risks hurting their cause further. For that, I sadly remove two stars from a book I could have very easily loved.
nzkiwishen's review against another edition
5.0
I very much enjoyed reading this book! It kept me up for a good chunk of the night, just so I could finish it. I definitely recommend it! Even though the book didn't make me cry, I'm giving it 5 stars anyway. :)
bonitawankhade's review against another edition
1.0
I would write a review for this...shit. but Clementine already pretty much summed up my thoughts about the misrepresentation of schizophrenia, so here i’ll just say:
-the romance was hate to love and i couldnt stand it
-miles was…an asshole
-NO side characters got ANY development
-the writing was god awful
now go read clementine’s review
-the romance was hate to love and i couldnt stand it
-miles was…an asshole
-NO side characters got ANY development
-the writing was god awful
now go read clementine’s review
maddiequinn's review against another edition
5.0
Yep! another Zappia book! again this one was just so, so, so amazing, despite how much it made me cry. Zappia has a true gift with writing her characters, because they have such a hidden depth that you typically don't find out until it shown. Alex's adventure was nerve wracking, and I was constantly worrying for both her and Miles, and everyone in the club, because of how much I felt like I really knew them. Zappia gave them such great personalities that I felt that I really, truly, met them, and that if I were to head off to school, I would pass them in the hall, or see them during science.
As far as I know, I've read the only Zappia books published as of right now. at this point, I'm just waiting for the next!
As far as I know, I've read the only Zappia books published as of right now. at this point, I'm just waiting for the next!
m_lynch's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
valfrae's review against another edition
2.0
The book starts with a beautiful poem, Mad Girl’s Love Song by Sylvia Path. I love love love it. ❤️
Made You Up is about Alex, who’s schizophrenic & extremely knowledgable about history. Then like most YAs, she meets a guy(who’s extremely knowledgeable about history too,surprise,surprise), falls in love & makes new friends, all the while struggling with differentiating between what’s real & what’s not. You would think it gets interesting. (Spoiler: IT DOES NOT.)
The main problem I had with this book is that it gets a bit fuzzy & confusing at times. Zappia jumps from one plot to another, like a bunny with a snake after its ass. Another problem I have with this book is that schizophrenia has been portrayed a bit shoddily. I won’t go into the details much but I’ll just mention this that one of the problems schizophrenic people have is disorganised speech, but Alex does not show any signs of speaking issues in the entire book, no stammering, nothing.
Except for the fact that the protagonist has schizophrenia, there’s nothing new to the book.
• Favourite character: The dad
Made You Up is about Alex, who’s schizophrenic & extremely knowledgable about history. Then like most YAs, she meets a guy(who’s extremely knowledgeable about history too,surprise,surprise), falls in love & makes new friends, all the while struggling with differentiating between what’s real & what’s not. You would think it gets interesting. (Spoiler: IT DOES NOT.)
The main problem I had with this book is that it gets a bit fuzzy & confusing at times. Zappia jumps from one plot to another, like a bunny with a snake after its ass. Another problem I have with this book is that schizophrenia has been portrayed a bit shoddily. I won’t go into the details much but I’ll just mention this that one of the problems schizophrenic people have is disorganised speech, but Alex does not show any signs of speaking issues in the entire book, no stammering, nothing.
Except for the fact that the protagonist has schizophrenia, there’s nothing new to the book.
• Favourite character: The dad