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jinx_mars's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Self harm
Moderate: Blood and Excrement
qcupquake's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Turtles All The Way Down
5/5
- wow...
- that's all i have to say is just wow
- i really saw myself in Aza as someone who has suffered with mental health issues such as anxiety and (probably) ocd
- her constant habit of cleaning her finger is a lot like my habit of washing my hands a lot. we share an intense fear of germs and i really resonated with that
- my cousin recommended this to me and i regret putting it off for so long tbh. it was amazing.
- it was a short read and honestly i like short reads
- i really hope Aza and Davis got the happy ending they deserve sometime in the future
5/5
- wow...
- that's all i have to say is just wow
- i really saw myself in Aza as someone who has suffered with mental health issues such as anxiety and (probably) ocd
- her constant habit of cleaning her finger is a lot like my habit of washing my hands a lot. we share an intense fear of germs and i really resonated with that
- my cousin recommended this to me and i regret putting it off for so long tbh. it was amazing.
- it was a short read and honestly i like short reads
- i really hope Aza and Davis got the happy ending they deserve sometime in the future
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Medical content and Car accident
Minor: Vomit and Death of parent
anielabooks's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
tense
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
I enjoyed the representation of anxiety in this book a lot. I truly believe that this book might have helped so many people struggling to come to terms with their anxiety. However, it is a very character-driven book, which is not typically what I like to read. I was trying to get into the mystery aspect, but then it felt like that was scrapped halfway through. No judgement to people who love this book; it just wasn’t my thing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Death of parent, Self harm, Abandonment, Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit, Medical content, Classism, Murder, and Grief
rissaandherbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Medical content
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Death, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit
eversnow's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Blood and Car accident
Minor: Medical content, Death, and Vomit
i_am_tilde's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Vomit, Mental illness, and Death of parent
Moderate: Blood
ellenisntcool's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Edit: A year ago, I gave this 5 stars but now I couldn't even tell you what the plot was about just that one scene that happens in the hospital due to it making me realise wow my OCD compulsions are Not Good.
It doesn't help that John Green and his brother are zionists, so off the shelves and to the free library it goes.
It doesn't help that John Green and his brother are zionists, so off the shelves and to the free library it goes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Car accident and Vomit
aoifemarie's review against another edition
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 against another edition
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.justsmileandnod's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Self harm
Minor: Vomit