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justlily's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting and pretty captivating read but I don't think it necessarily lives up to all the constant hype I see surrounding it. I feel like at the end of an over 400 page novel, I should have something really meaningful or...anything at all...to say. But it's just like "That's a book I read. Good to see people with mental illness being represented. Aaaaaaaaand... yup...."
Nothing that will stick with me or that I'll come back to but I enjoyed it while it lasted.
Nothing that will stick with me or that I'll come back to but I enjoyed it while it lasted.
aisling214's review against another edition
2.0
I gave up on this book. I just couldn’t do it. Initially I was glad to have a main character with schizophrenia, because I have it and I was hoping it would smash some stigma. Weirdly even though I have some similar traits and behaviors to Alex, I thought it was unrealistic. I gave it two stars because I know the author meant no harm and I haven’t finished it so I just judged it on the 40 pages I read.
sleepysamreads's review against another edition
4.0
Actual rating: 4.5
I really enjoyed this book. I LOVE how the author portrayed this taboo (especially in teens) mental illness so realistically. TV shows and other book tend to villain-ize Paranoid Schizophrenia, Francesca Zappia did the exact opposite of that. She showed a teenage girl with the disease who just wanted to survive high school and move onto college.
The only reason that this book wasn't a 5 star book for me was that I wasn't (and am still not) quite sure about the ending. I liked it, and it went with the theme of the book well, but something just didn't feel quite right about it.
That being said, I'm definitely going to buy myself a copy once it's out in paperback. (The copy I read was borrowed from my library.)
I really enjoyed this book. I LOVE how the author portrayed this taboo (especially in teens) mental illness so realistically. TV shows and other book tend to villain-ize Paranoid Schizophrenia, Francesca Zappia did the exact opposite of that. She showed a teenage girl with the disease who just wanted to survive high school and move onto college.
The only reason that this book wasn't a 5 star book for me was that I wasn't (and am still not) quite sure about the ending. I liked it, and it went with the theme of the book well, but something just didn't feel quite right about it.
That being said, I'm definitely going to buy myself a copy once it's out in paperback. (The copy I read was borrowed from my library.)
a_payne's review against another edition
4.0
Actually Rating: 4.5
I loved this story. It spoke truth, and we saw things exactly as Alex saw them-whether they were made up or not. The revelations on what were real and weren't real were well executed. The characters were easy to root for, unique, and had their own voices to bring to the novel. The ending is a little confusing, but I like how it is open to the reader's own interpretation at the very end.
I loved this story. It spoke truth, and we saw things exactly as Alex saw them-whether they were made up or not. The revelations on what were real and weren't real were well executed. The characters were easy to root for, unique, and had their own voices to bring to the novel. The ending is a little confusing, but I like how it is open to the reader's own interpretation at the very end.
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