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lyakimov's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
i honestly don’t even know what my thoughts are about this book. like wtf happened at the end?? That was so weird. Also Miles’s valedictorian speech was soooo cringe, I could barely read it.
i really liked the aspects of the unreliable narrator, and I also enjoyed how quick the story went by, it definitely didn’t drag. still, I didn’t like some of the plot points, especially near the end.
also, I was meh about the romance. it was pretty rushed and i wasn’t really into it. i definitely didn’t hate it though, it was just boring and i felt like we didn’t get to know the main character as well because she was thinking so much about her love interest. I would’ve loved if this was a story w no love interest and it was just about Alex dealing with life and growing with herself and her friends, idk the romance kind of takes out the opportunity for valuable characterization.
i honestly don’t even know what my thoughts are about this book. like wtf happened at the end?? That was so weird. Also Miles’s valedictorian speech was soooo cringe, I could barely read it.
i really liked the aspects of the unreliable narrator, and I also enjoyed how quick the story went by, it definitely didn’t drag. still, I didn’t like some of the plot points, especially near the end.
also, I was meh about the romance. it was pretty rushed and i wasn’t really into it. i definitely didn’t hate it though, it was just boring and i felt like we didn’t get to know the main character as well because she was thinking so much about her love interest. I would’ve loved if this was a story w no love interest and it was just about Alex dealing with life and growing with herself and her friends, idk the romance kind of takes out the opportunity for valuable characterization.
karrama's review against another edition
5.0
This is a great book. Great characters and characterizations, witty and great writing. I'm not as in love with the portrayal of schizophrenic patients or the coincidence magnet that these books can be. That said, the characters will draw a YA reader. The setting is great and the situation very well set up.
Alex is schizophrenic, on her meds and heading to a new school. She has to do community service to make up for the incident that made her leave her last high school. Community service is run by Miles, a guy who does anything for a buck. Think of him as the guy you would hire to pull a prank, and he doesn't mind making a nasty one. Alex works at the diner where Miles gets dinner every night, and sure enough they get off on the wrong foot. Don't worry, though. They have more in common that it seems on the surface.
Because of Alex's schizophrenia, she can't tell what's real when things start going wonky around her, but can she really be the only one with problems in this school? From seeing a snake in the ceiling of a class to seeing the boy of her dreams in Miles, Alex may just be more on the ball than anyone thought.
Alex is schizophrenic, on her meds and heading to a new school. She has to do community service to make up for the incident that made her leave her last high school. Community service is run by Miles, a guy who does anything for a buck. Think of him as the guy you would hire to pull a prank, and he doesn't mind making a nasty one. Alex works at the diner where Miles gets dinner every night, and sure enough they get off on the wrong foot. Don't worry, though. They have more in common that it seems on the surface.
Because of Alex's schizophrenia, she can't tell what's real when things start going wonky around her, but can she really be the only one with problems in this school? From seeing a snake in the ceiling of a class to seeing the boy of her dreams in Miles, Alex may just be more on the ball than anyone thought.
sweet_potato's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The last third and the climax of the book was emotional and full of twists. I think the book wrapped up nicely, although I would have liked to see mroe.
ashley_nicole_bee's review against another edition
4.0
This book was originally a required reading for me this semester, but it was later changed to an optional based on the book's content. Based on the book's cover I felt that the cover would be dark. However, it was actually quite a light hearted take on a serious mental disorder. After having this book taken off of my required reading based on its content, I expected the book to be graphic or to make me uncomfortable, but I was surprised to see that the book did not bother me at all.
This was my favorite book from my Young Adult Literature class. I liked how believable Alex actions were. I liked how real Alex's insecurities felt. I loved the vivid descriptions of Alex's pain. I did not like how unbelievable the sub plot was. It felt unnecessary, childish, and over dramatized. I would recommend this students for mature, middle school students and high schoolers. I might use it in a classroom to spark a discussion on mental health.
Warnings:
Language: Moderate use of language.
Sex: Although not terribly graphic, the main character is involved in a sexually explicit scene. It is implied that a student has been sexually abused by her principal. In a party scene sex is said to be going on in the background.
Rock and Roll: The book is about a schizophrenic. Some scenes derived from Alex'a schizophrenia can be considered unsettling to some audiences.
Violence: An important character's parent is abusive. A principal tries to harm a student and Alex is injured in the process.
Alcohol: An important character's parent is an alcoholic. In addition, a party scene with alcohol is presented.
This was my favorite book from my Young Adult Literature class. I liked how believable Alex actions were. I liked how real Alex's insecurities felt. I loved the vivid descriptions of Alex's pain. I did not like how unbelievable the sub plot was. It felt unnecessary, childish, and over dramatized. I would recommend this students for mature, middle school students and high schoolers. I might use it in a classroom to spark a discussion on mental health.
Warnings:
Language: Moderate use of language.
Sex: Although not terribly graphic, the main character is involved in a sexually explicit scene. It is implied that a student has been sexually abused by her principal. In a party scene sex is said to be going on in the background.
Rock and Roll: The book is about a schizophrenic. Some scenes derived from Alex'a schizophrenia can be considered unsettling to some audiences.
Violence: An important character's parent is abusive. A principal tries to harm a student and Alex is injured in the process.
Alcohol: An important character's parent is an alcoholic. In addition, a party scene with alcohol is presented.
fantasynovel's review against another edition
4.0
Since I don't have paranoid schizophrenia, I can't speak to the accuracy of this book. Some rudimentary googling told me that some people with schizophrenia found this to be a good representation, but I'm not going to say that this was a good representation when I don't have the authority to say. That said, I really like the way Zappia treats mental illness. She doesn't stigmatize it, and she writes about Alex's life with depth and humor. The mystery was weak and a little confusion, and the ending felt rushed, but overall it was a pretty enjoyable read.
jen_the_librarian13's review against another edition
4.0
This book started kind of slow, I nearly stopped reading it. However, a co-worker said "NO! The end is the best part!" So I plugged ahead until suddenly I hit the last 150 pages and I was simply thrown for a loop and hooked. By the end there were times I wanted to throw the book because I was so frustrated trying to figure out what was real and what isn't. I suppose that means the author did a good job considering the main character has schizophrenia, what I thought was real wasn't and vice versa. I literally had to sit down and be like "wait...is this real?" which is exactly what she does in the book.
tishywishy's review against another edition
5.0
Alexandria, Alex for short, has schizophrenia, she's in her last year of high school and she's met a boy. Because Alex needs to document her environment and is uncertain about what is real or simply a product of her imagination, I essentially read each paragraph like this...
It was easy to understand how confused, scared, and upset Alex was being a teenager, trying to fit in, and doing her best not to reach a critical point in her diagnosis. I've never read a book, and more specifically a YA book, where the main character has schizophrenia, a diagnosis which, sadly, is often seen as "crazy' and Alex is very very very aware of that and tries her best to be as "normal" as she could be. I really enjoyed this book and hope that I can find more YA novels with main characters who try to navigate spaces with their diagnosis (whatever they may be).
It was easy to understand how confused, scared, and upset Alex was being a teenager, trying to fit in, and doing her best not to reach a critical point in her diagnosis. I've never read a book, and more specifically a YA book, where the main character has schizophrenia, a diagnosis which, sadly, is often seen as "crazy' and Alex is very very very aware of that and tries her best to be as "normal" as she could be. I really enjoyed this book and hope that I can find more YA novels with main characters who try to navigate spaces with their diagnosis (whatever they may be).
bookdevouringmisfit's review against another edition
5.0
OMG I LOVE THIS SO MUCH <3 A hundred stars and hearts for this one. <3 <3 <3
jovanas_cloud's review against another edition
2.0
What you think is real in unreal and what is unreal is actually real. The detective/thriller part is was completely unnecessary, so that so it made me pissed because it sounded so silly. 8ball parts were boring and contributed nothing to the story. Also, at certain parts the author felt like using less words so there were random cuts where you're supposed to get some new and crucial information but instead you got a random cut and then mc telling us the so obvious information we were supposed to get from context clues. As a writer in such aspects you really shouldn't be cheap with words. The enemies to lovers wasn't really giving what it was supposed to give so the romance part felt really bland.
All in all, a lot of stuff was missing and a lot of work should have been put to make it better, but it's easy to read so you can finish it in a day or two.
All in all, a lot of stuff was missing and a lot of work should have been put to make it better, but it's easy to read so you can finish it in a day or two.
rachelps312's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0