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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
I enjoyed reading this book but at times felt that I was reading it more to get through it then to really enjoy it. One thing that I found consistently frustrating was sometimes the characters movement around the house seemed unclear so that one moment they were in one room and than without explanation they seemed to be in another. I know a small thing but it kept tripping me up.
On a whole I like the characters in the book and really appreciated the insight that the author drew from her own mental health battles. It really helped to make the main character (Norah) jump off the pages. Sometimes it felt a little too close to home because of this though.
I liked the commentary around bravery throughout the book but think Norah could have used a few additional strong brave character examples to help drive some of this home.
Finally I read this book very close to Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon and while there are certainly similarities I also felt their was enough differences for them to be distinct, which was a worry when I first started.
Solid 3.5 stars.
On a whole I like the characters in the book and really appreciated the insight that the author drew from her own mental health battles. It really helped to make the main character (Norah) jump off the pages. Sometimes it felt a little too close to home because of this though.
Spoiler
I'm still a little miffed about the necessity of the ending. While I see that the home clearly represented a space of security and safety for Norah I thought that the use of the robber to pervert that space took some of the magic of Norah's venture out of the house. Her leaving the house no longer seen a victory over her sickness but rather an escape for a dangerous situations. But maybe that's what the author was going for.I liked the commentary around bravery throughout the book but think Norah could have used a few additional strong brave character examples to help drive some of this home.
Finally I read this book very close to Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon and while there are certainly similarities I also felt their was enough differences for them to be distinct, which was a worry when I first started.
Solid 3.5 stars.
Overall, I really liked this story.
I thought it was more realistic than other mental-illness based books that I have read.
Like:
001. That Norah, our main girl, knows that she is being irrational but also knows she has to do it that way or the world will implode.. irrationally.
002. She calls herself crazy because, again, she knows that what she is doing is not necessary but at the same time it is necessary and she has to do it. Mental illness is weird.
003. Luke, our main dude, reacts the same way we would when Norah has an episode: wide-eyed, cautious and just wanting to help her get through whatever she is doing.
004. I really appreciated the fact that the boy didn't "cure" the girl. That's my main enjoyment of this whole book. Too many books have people being "cured" by getting in a relationship. That's not how life works.
005. I also really appreciated that it was more focused on her being able to do baby steps when she had companionship beyond her mother and her therapist. She can cope with the two women who have dedicated themselves to helping her, but she can slowly rewire herself the more helps she gets. That's important. As someone who deals with my own type(s) of mental illness, it is so important to have a handful of people to keep you afloat.
006. The narrator, Pheobe Strole, did a phenomenal job.
007. The relationship between Norah and her mother was what touched my heart the most. I think it's because it reminded me of my relationship with my mother and I wanted to drive five hours to go give my mom a hug.
Didn't Like:
001. The writing was a little young for my taste, but it was still enjoyable. I think I would have rated it lower actually reading it; but Pheobe Strole did such a great job that it didn't bother me as much as it usually would have.
And the ending? My goodness, you do not expect something that insane to happen with such a happy-looking book. You don't expect your jaw to drop (yes, mine did physically drop) and go "is this really happening or is she imagining the absolute worst scenario?" It was happening. I died.
Also, a little P.S. here: You can't say things like "that's now how mental illness works" because all mental illnesses are different. Even if I had voices talking inside my head and you had voices talking inside your head, our likeness ends there. How I get better and how I deal is going to be different from how you get better and how you deal. Individuality people. It's a thing. Which is why you can't rationalize someone's anxiety just because you also deal with anxiety.
I thought it was more realistic than other mental-illness based books that I have read.
Like:
001. That Norah, our main girl, knows that she is being irrational but also knows she has to do it that way or the world will implode.. irrationally.
002. She calls herself crazy because, again, she knows that what she is doing is not necessary but at the same time it is necessary and she has to do it. Mental illness is weird.
003. Luke, our main dude, reacts the same way we would when Norah has an episode: wide-eyed, cautious and just wanting to help her get through whatever she is doing.
004. I really appreciated the fact that the boy didn't "cure" the girl. That's my main enjoyment of this whole book. Too many books have people being "cured" by getting in a relationship. That's not how life works.
005. I also really appreciated that it was more focused on her being able to do baby steps when she had companionship beyond her mother and her therapist. She can cope with the two women who have dedicated themselves to helping her, but she can slowly rewire herself the more helps she gets. That's important. As someone who deals with my own type(s) of mental illness, it is so important to have a handful of people to keep you afloat.
006. The narrator, Pheobe Strole, did a phenomenal job.
007. The relationship between Norah and her mother was what touched my heart the most. I think it's because it reminded me of my relationship with my mother and I wanted to drive five hours to go give my mom a hug.
Didn't Like:
001. The writing was a little young for my taste, but it was still enjoyable. I think I would have rated it lower actually reading it; but Pheobe Strole did such a great job that it didn't bother me as much as it usually would have.
And the ending? My goodness, you do not expect something that insane to happen with such a happy-looking book. You don't expect your jaw to drop (yes, mine did physically drop) and go "is this really happening or is she imagining the absolute worst scenario?" It was happening. I died.
Also, a little P.S. here: You can't say things like "that's now how mental illness works" because all mental illnesses are different. Even if I had voices talking inside my head and you had voices talking inside your head, our likeness ends there. How I get better and how I deal is going to be different from how you get better and how you deal. Individuality people. It's a thing. Which is why you can't rationalize someone's anxiety just because you also deal with anxiety.
An insightful and thoughtful take on the life of a teen struggling with agoraphobia and based on the author's own experiences. I wish all teens would read it for a new perspective on mental illness, which can be a taboo subject, especially amongst that age group these days. Thanks to Goodreads' First Reads, the author, and the publisher, for a chance to read an ARC.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: OCD, Panic Attacks, and Agoraphobia
This book had great representation. I was very happy with the portrayal of mental illness and recovery.
This book had great representation. I was very happy with the portrayal of mental illness and recovery.
I absolutely loved this book. It is truly eye-opening to the world around us.
I loved that it was written by an author who struggles with the same illnesses, and also appreciated that there wasn’t a “miraculous recovery” in the end.
Under Rose-Tainted Skies
DNF
☆☆☆
This was a fluffy book. Like, Everything, Everything, I liked that part but there are a lot of things that I did not like. This is so much like EE, it's uncanny.
First, this book is cliche. Like EE, it has the whole Girl stuck in house by an illness, Girl has good relationship with protective mother (Although Norah's relationship was way better than Maddy's.), Girl wears plain clothes, Girl meets neighbor, Girl falls for him, he falls for her and somehow their relationship works out perfectly with only one bump in the road.
I also thought they book was a bit slowed- paced. Plus, shouldn't she be taking something? I mean, of course it wouldn't cure her, but something to take the edge off and gain some control over it?
This book suffers from the "love cures mental illness" trope. Norah falls for Luke, and once their relationship gets going, all of the sudden, she has this newfound confidence and her anxiety is now controllable. At least in this book, Luke didn't cure all her illnesses and she actually has agoraphobia.
I am used to hearing and seeing vulgar language but in this book, it just seem so unnecessary and didn't add anything to the story.
And the analogies don't work and they're all over the place. IMO, some do, most don't. Some of them are weird, and others are well.....this:
"Doubt sneaks up behind me like some h***y dude at a disco, its arm snaking around my waist, wrapping me in its cruel embrace."
Overall, I thought it was an okay and fluffy book. I REALLY didn't like the whole "love cures mental illness" trope, hence the DNF, and the analogies are just...no.
I rate Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall three out of five stars.
DNF
☆☆☆
This was a fluffy book. Like, Everything, Everything, I liked that part but there are a lot of things that I did not like. This is so much like EE, it's uncanny.
First, this book is cliche. Like EE, it has the whole Girl stuck in house by an illness, Girl has good relationship with protective mother (Although Norah's relationship was way better than Maddy's.), Girl wears plain clothes, Girl meets neighbor, Girl falls for him, he falls for her and somehow their relationship works out perfectly with only one bump in the road.
I also thought they book was a bit slowed- paced. Plus, shouldn't she be taking something? I mean, of course it wouldn't cure her, but something to take the edge off and gain some control over it?
This book suffers from the "love cures mental illness" trope. Norah falls for Luke, and once their relationship gets going, all of the sudden, she has this newfound confidence and her anxiety is now controllable. At least in this book, Luke didn't cure all her illnesses and she actually has agoraphobia.
I am used to hearing and seeing vulgar language but in this book, it just seem so unnecessary and didn't add anything to the story.
And the analogies don't work and they're all over the place. IMO, some do, most don't. Some of them are weird, and others are well.....this:
"Doubt sneaks up behind me like some h***y dude at a disco, its arm snaking around my waist, wrapping me in its cruel embrace."
Overall, I thought it was an okay and fluffy book. I REALLY didn't like the whole "love cures mental illness" trope, hence the DNF, and the analogies are just...no.
I rate Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall three out of five stars.
This book really spoke to me. As a person who suffers from many forms of anxiety I loved the realism of this book. I also love that there was no immediate 'cure' at the end. I hate books like that.
I was happy that the author still ended it on a happy note while still keeping it realistic.
I loved Norah as a character. She was the epitome of a character striving to be better and fighting to get there.
I loved her mom and her therapist for being both really supportive while not being a crutch.
I also love how the author made Norah and Luke's relationship really realistic. How Luke thought he knew how she felt and how sick she was but then in a moment of passion forgot because she was trying so hard to seem normal.
I love how he came through for her when that horrible boy was burglarizing her home. I also love that the boy is now in jail and I hope he rots there.
I also love that Norah was finally able to start medication at the end as it seems to have really helped her. :)
I was happy that the author still ended it on a happy note while still keeping it realistic.
I loved Norah as a character. She was the epitome of a character striving to be better and fighting to get there.
I loved her mom and her therapist for being both really supportive while not being a crutch.
I also love how the author made Norah and Luke's relationship really realistic. How Luke thought he knew how she felt and how sick she was but then in a moment of passion forgot because she was trying so hard to seem normal.
I love how he came through for her when that horrible boy was burglarizing her home. I also love that the boy is now in jail and I hope he rots there.
I also love that Norah was finally able to start medication at the end as it seems to have really helped her. :)
Under Rose-Tainted Skies was such a lovely surprise. It is one of these contemporaries, the ones where not much happen, yet it feels like these is a storm inside of these pages. If that makes any sense. Norah's agoraphobia, anxiety and OCD made this story really intense, sometimes even hard to read. I was still hooked to the story, felt connected to Norah in some ways and found that this was a very accurate portrayal, from my point of view, obviously. It sugarcoats NOTHING, which is so appreciated, and isn't one of these "love cures everything" kind of story.
Overall, a great surprise.
Full review probably coming soon :)
Overall, a great surprise.
Full review probably coming soon :)