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caseythereader's review
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Thanks to Henry Holt Books for the free copy of this book.
- Holy wow, this book. I had no idea what to expect going into IN REPAIR, and it turned out to be one of the hardest, most beautiful books I’ve ever read.
- I don’t think I’ve ever seen dissociation explored in a YA/NA novel before. The book puts you right there in Nathaniel’s head as he tries to hold in everything that has happened to him.
- IN REPAIR is also a beautiful representation of the love friends can show each other, and specifically queer friends. Whether you’ve known someone your whole life or have just met them, you can be there for them.
- I appreciated that the inciting trauma was not described in detail on the page. Omitting that never lessened the impact: just being there for the emotional fallout was all that was necessary for this story, and nearly as hard to stomach. Please check the content warnings before reading.
- Holy wow, this book. I had no idea what to expect going into IN REPAIR, and it turned out to be one of the hardest, most beautiful books I’ve ever read.
- I don’t think I’ve ever seen dissociation explored in a YA/NA novel before. The book puts you right there in Nathaniel’s head as he tries to hold in everything that has happened to him.
- IN REPAIR is also a beautiful representation of the love friends can show each other, and specifically queer friends. Whether you’ve known someone your whole life or have just met them, you can be there for them.
- I appreciated that the inciting trauma was not described in detail on the page. Omitting that never lessened the impact: just being there for the emotional fallout was all that was necessary for this story, and nearly as hard to stomach. Please check the content warnings before reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Child abuse
tinytrashqueen's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Sexual assault and Gaslighting
Minor: Vomit
bethany6788's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I thought I was prepared for this book. I wasn’t. It was so heart-achingly honest and beautiful. Haunting and special. Hopeful and sad.
*spoilers*
Nathanial was a character that I just felt incredibly connected with. His brain was a very interesting place to be. I was really curious about what happened to him to cause his trauma and as I slowly realized, it brought tears to my eyes. Harboring the shame, pain, guilt, and trauma brought him so much sadness. My heart!! When he finally broke then and told his parents, brother, and friends, my heart ached but I loved that he could breathe again.
“But I was a boy and no one thought to ask me.”
I absolutely adored the friend group. How Tasha, Celeste, and Max loved and cared for Nathanial so hard. Even when he pushed them away, they kept coming back. True, loving friendship. I loved how fully fleshed out each of the characters were. Honestly, I would read another 200 pages if these characters because I adored them so much.
Nathanial’s struggles with his family broke my heart. I loved how his brother finally tried to open up their relationship and find out what happened. How his brother protected him at the end.
I was very emotional after finishing this book. It is incredibly gorgeous writing and I would recommend it whole heartedly. Make sure to read content warnings.
*spoilers*
Nathanial was a character that I just felt incredibly connected with. His brain was a very interesting place to be. I was really curious about what happened to him to cause his trauma and as I slowly realized, it brought tears to my eyes. Harboring the shame, pain, guilt, and trauma brought him so much sadness. My heart!! When he finally broke then and told his parents, brother, and friends, my heart ached but I loved that he could breathe again.
“But I was a boy and no one thought to ask me.”
I absolutely adored the friend group. How Tasha, Celeste, and Max loved and cared for Nathanial so hard. Even when he pushed them away, they kept coming back. True, loving friendship. I loved how fully fleshed out each of the characters were. Honestly, I would read another 200 pages if these characters because I adored them so much.
Nathanial’s struggles with his family broke my heart. I loved how his brother finally tried to open up their relationship and find out what happened. How his brother protected him at the end.
I was very emotional after finishing this book. It is incredibly gorgeous writing and I would recommend it whole heartedly. Make sure to read content warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia
betweentheshelves's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Nathaniel Conti hates being alone with his own thoughts. It’s why he’s always looking for ways to make sure that all eyes are on him, so he doesn’t have to feel his own emotions. That’s why he’s always had a reputation as a troublemaker.
But everything is about to change in his first year of college. He’s made some new friends in class, through lacrosse. An aspiring photographer has even asked him to be a part of their project. However, when an old friend shows back up, Nathaniel starts to spiral back into old habits.
Thanks to Macmillan Children’s and NetGalley for an advanced copy of In Repair by A.L. Graziadei to review! I loved Icebreaker when it came out a few years ago, and I was excited to find out this is set in the same place! So you’ll get to see some familiar characters pop up throughout.
A fair warning, this is a pretty emotionally heavy book to read. Nathaniel is struggling with a lot of mental health issues due to childhood trauma, and it’s expressed so well in this book. Graziadei’s writing reflects Nathaniel’s struggles so accurately that there were definitely moments where I had to pause. Because he is just hurting so much for most of the book.
However, despite the heaviness, there are so many moments of hope. Nathaniel finds some great friends, and they put in the effort to help Nathaniel. Is he the most likable character, for a lot of the book? Not necessarily, but so much of it is a facade that he puts up to hide his real emotions. Honestly, I don’t cry a lot in books, but I’m not going to lie, this one got to me a couple of times. It’s probably partly why it took me longer to read this book than it normally does.
Definitely make sure you’re in the right headspace before picking this book up. But if you do, it’s absolutely worth the read. And shows how messy recovering from trauma can actually be. This is a book I’ll probably be thinking about for a while.
But everything is about to change in his first year of college. He’s made some new friends in class, through lacrosse. An aspiring photographer has even asked him to be a part of their project. However, when an old friend shows back up, Nathaniel starts to spiral back into old habits.
Thanks to Macmillan Children’s and NetGalley for an advanced copy of In Repair by A.L. Graziadei to review! I loved Icebreaker when it came out a few years ago, and I was excited to find out this is set in the same place! So you’ll get to see some familiar characters pop up throughout.
A fair warning, this is a pretty emotionally heavy book to read. Nathaniel is struggling with a lot of mental health issues due to childhood trauma, and it’s expressed so well in this book. Graziadei’s writing reflects Nathaniel’s struggles so accurately that there were definitely moments where I had to pause. Because he is just hurting so much for most of the book.
However, despite the heaviness, there are so many moments of hope. Nathaniel finds some great friends, and they put in the effort to help Nathaniel. Is he the most likable character, for a lot of the book? Not necessarily, but so much of it is a facade that he puts up to hide his real emotions. Honestly, I don’t cry a lot in books, but I’m not going to lie, this one got to me a couple of times. It’s probably partly why it took me longer to read this book than it normally does.
Definitely make sure you’re in the right headspace before picking this book up. But if you do, it’s absolutely worth the read. And shows how messy recovering from trauma can actually be. This is a book I’ll probably be thinking about for a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Child abuse, Self harm, and Sexual assault
Minor: Suicide
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