You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
I enjoyed the story, but I'm not sure I liked the audiobook.
As someone who also suffers from severe agoraphobia, anxiety and depression, i went into this book with excitement. I also loved how Louise handled Norah's relationship with Luke and that it didn't go the way of GIRL FALLS IN LOVE, POOF MENTAL ILLNESS CURED! It went the way it is expected to go, your significant other becomes mindful of your limitations and works with them. I've seen previous reviews touch on how quickly Norah and Luke's relationship progressed and how "unrealistic" it was. While I CAN agree with this, i feel that if it was made in more realistic terms, the book would drag on for many more pages, thus boring the shit out the reader.
Overall, Under Rose-Tainted Skies I feel accurately outlines the struggles one may face with agoraphobia along with several other mental illnesses. It's a lot more than "not being able to leave your house" and Louise does a great job of that.
Overall, Under Rose-Tainted Skies I feel accurately outlines the struggles one may face with agoraphobia along with several other mental illnesses. It's a lot more than "not being able to leave your house" and Louise does a great job of that.
As someone with anxiety, I connected with this book a lot. A great, well-written book!
It is rare that a book really understands and is able to portrait how it is to live with angst/anexity. Reading it, suffering panic attacks because the main character and I share fears, was hard and good in a confusing mix. Painful, brilliant, honest, and surprising.
*I received this book from SocialBookCo in exchange for an honest review*
Under Rose-Tainted Skies follows Norah, a teenage girl who has agoraphobia (a phobia of open/outside places) and OCD. She lives at home with her Mum and she struggles to do everyday tasks such as collecting groceries or simply getting into a car. That's until a new neighbour moves in - Luke, who despite Norah's seemingly 'odd' behaviour, is intrigued and wants to get to know her better.
At first glance, you definitely can't deny the initial similarities to Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon (which I feel is a shame because without a doubt, anyone who has read both novels will instantly compare them).
Teenage girl with fear of going outside?
Check.
New, attractive, teenage boy neighbour?
Check.
Yet saying this, I absolutely LOVED Under Rose-Tainted Skies, especially the ending, and was not disappointed whatsoever! (I did like Everything Everything but feel this really had the edge in terms of the characters, relationships and certain events in the plot). Throughout, I was completely intrigued as to what would happen next (as I keep saying, that ending though!). Even though the majority of the book takes place within Norah's house and only a handful of characters feature, I felt it was very diverse as new events and situations were introduced.
What I particularly loved was how accurately mental health was written about. As I was reading it, I felt I was Norah. The description and mentality was portrayed so well, that despite not having OCD or agoraphobia, I completely understood where Norah was coming from and it was interesting to view everyday tasks in this way. Norah is a completely loveable character and it was hard to see her go through certain events which I would normally take for granted.
I also thought it was fantastic how Luke, the new next door neighbour, was in terms of accepting Norah and doing everything he could to make her feel comfortable. Sometimes in novels which deal with mental health, a boy comes along and suddenly the mental illnesses go away and they're magically better BECAUSE of the boy.
Nope.
No.
NO!
This book was perfect in NOT doing that! There's nothing more refreshing than reading about a strong, kick-ass female character who wants to do things for herself. To get better for herself. Ahhhh! This book was just faultless in this sense!
As for the writing of the novel, this was a quick novel (it's just under 300 pages long and I read it in several hours in one sitting) and is a fast paced, engaging read. It reads and flows very well and Louise has a beautiful way with words, especially descriptions!
I would definitely recommend this book! Louise has done a fantastic job in writing this book and it's one of those that I know I will continue to remember for a long time (You know when you're busy doing something and then it suddenly pops into your head and you can't stop thinking about it?!). Yeap. That's been me several times already. A truly compelling book about mental health and the huge impact it can have on someone's life.
~Marie
Under Rose-Tainted Skies follows Norah, a teenage girl who has agoraphobia (a phobia of open/outside places) and OCD. She lives at home with her Mum and she struggles to do everyday tasks such as collecting groceries or simply getting into a car. That's until a new neighbour moves in - Luke, who despite Norah's seemingly 'odd' behaviour, is intrigued and wants to get to know her better.
At first glance, you definitely can't deny the initial similarities to Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon (which I feel is a shame because without a doubt, anyone who has read both novels will instantly compare them).
Teenage girl with fear of going outside?
Check.
New, attractive, teenage boy neighbour?
Check.
Yet saying this, I absolutely LOVED Under Rose-Tainted Skies, especially the ending, and was not disappointed whatsoever! (I did like Everything Everything but feel this really had the edge in terms of the characters, relationships and certain events in the plot). Throughout, I was completely intrigued as to what would happen next (as I keep saying, that ending though!). Even though the majority of the book takes place within Norah's house and only a handful of characters feature, I felt it was very diverse as new events and situations were introduced.
What I particularly loved was how accurately mental health was written about. As I was reading it, I felt I was Norah. The description and mentality was portrayed so well, that despite not having OCD or agoraphobia, I completely understood where Norah was coming from and it was interesting to view everyday tasks in this way. Norah is a completely loveable character and it was hard to see her go through certain events which I would normally take for granted.
I also thought it was fantastic how Luke, the new next door neighbour, was in terms of accepting Norah and doing everything he could to make her feel comfortable. Sometimes in novels which deal with mental health, a boy comes along and suddenly the mental illnesses go away and they're magically better BECAUSE of the boy.
Nope.
No.
NO!
This book was perfect in NOT doing that! There's nothing more refreshing than reading about a strong, kick-ass female character who wants to do things for herself. To get better for herself. Ahhhh! This book was just faultless in this sense!
As for the writing of the novel, this was a quick novel (it's just under 300 pages long and I read it in several hours in one sitting) and is a fast paced, engaging read. It reads and flows very well and Louise has a beautiful way with words, especially descriptions!
I would definitely recommend this book! Louise has done a fantastic job in writing this book and it's one of those that I know I will continue to remember for a long time (You know when you're busy doing something and then it suddenly pops into your head and you can't stop thinking about it?!). Yeap. That's been me several times already. A truly compelling book about mental health and the huge impact it can have on someone's life.
~Marie
I actually enjoyed this book a lot. I think it's so important to read stories about characters with mental illnesses from authors who actually experience them in real life. Representation in every form is so important.
I loved this book so much. I don’t suffer from any of the the conditions Norah does, but I feel like I understand better because of the way this book was written.
I’d probably round it up to 3.5. It wasn’t a bad book at all. Very interesting to know more about someone with her disorders feel all the time. But you will now how she feels ALL the time. It’s a little too wordy a little too much stream of consciousness. It wasn’t bad and that definitely made the book in the beginning however near the end I didn’t think the book would ever finish.
Under Rose-Tainted Skies is an incredibly well-written young adult novel that explores the complexities of mental illness in an accessible and compassionate way. While I don’t struggle with OCD to the same extent as Norah, I found her character to be authentically portrayed. Louise Gornall does an excellent job making you feel for Norah, and her inner struggles are described so vividly that I could understand the depth of her pain and anxiety.
One aspect of the book that stood out to me was the portrayal of self-harm. While it was difficult to read at times, and I don’t recall seeing a trigger warning, it made sense as a coping mechanism for someone like Norah who is trying to regain some control in her life. Even though it was tough, it felt true to her struggles.
I really liked Norah as a character—her humor helped lighten the heavier moments, and it made her even more relatable. Luke, her neighbor, was also a great character. His patience and sense of humor added a lot of warmth to the story, and their interactions felt natural and sweet. The romance between them was really cute and reminded me of the anxiety-filled moments of being young and worrying if you were sitting too far from your crush. I thought those moments were captured beautifully.
The pacing of the book was well-balanced—it didn’t rush through Norah’s mental health journey, nor did it drag. However, I did feel that the ending, while good, was a bit rushed. It caught me off guard, and I would have liked a little more time to process the resolution.
Overall, Under Rose-Tainted Skies was an impactful read. It tackles tough topics like mental illness and self-harm with sensitivity while also offering a story that feels real and hopeful. The book left a lasting impression on me, and I think it would be a valuable read for anyone looking to better understand mental health struggles.
One aspect of the book that stood out to me was the portrayal of self-harm. While it was difficult to read at times, and I don’t recall seeing a trigger warning, it made sense as a coping mechanism for someone like Norah who is trying to regain some control in her life. Even though it was tough, it felt true to her struggles.
I really liked Norah as a character—her humor helped lighten the heavier moments, and it made her even more relatable. Luke, her neighbor, was also a great character. His patience and sense of humor added a lot of warmth to the story, and their interactions felt natural and sweet. The romance between them was really cute and reminded me of the anxiety-filled moments of being young and worrying if you were sitting too far from your crush. I thought those moments were captured beautifully.
The pacing of the book was well-balanced—it didn’t rush through Norah’s mental health journey, nor did it drag. However, I did feel that the ending, while good, was a bit rushed. It caught me off guard, and I would have liked a little more time to process the resolution.
Overall, Under Rose-Tainted Skies was an impactful read. It tackles tough topics like mental illness and self-harm with sensitivity while also offering a story that feels real and hopeful. The book left a lasting impression on me, and I think it would be a valuable read for anyone looking to better understand mental health struggles.