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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
In Under Rose-Tainted Skies, Louise Gornall allows her readers to see the world through the lens of mental illness. As if adolescence isn't a difficult enough time for girls, Norah Dean has the added struggle of OCD and agoraphobia. When a cute boy moves in next door and starts talking to her, her world is thrown into further turmoil. A realistic and ultimately hopeful story that will leave readers with a better understanding of mental illness and the bravery required for so many people just to get through each day. If everyone read more books like this one, the world would be a more compassionate place.
As someone with anxiety who experiences panic attacks, Norah's story hit a little too close to home. Actually, I had to keep closing the book so I wouldn't have a panic attack! But that's because this book excellently captures what it's like to have anxiety.That line in the book where Norah talks about how anxiety never leaves you, how it's always playing underneath everything, was spot on. And the romance was adorable. My main problem was the abundance of figurative language. At one point, Norah opens her closet and "bats fly out" or something. Bats aren't really flying out, but it's a little confusing because bats flying out of a closet is something that could actually happen. Hopefully I don't sound like an idiot for writing that that line confused me, but it did. Obviously, I got over it, but there was still too much of that. It wasn't my style. That doesn't make it a bad book though. I'm sure it's somebody else's style! Still, this was such a fun book to read, and I was sad when it was over.
I actually liked this book. I thought it was authentic representation but an own voices review would be more informative.
3.25 stars rounded to 3
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Was looking up this book after I finished reading and learnt that the writer passed away a month ago. May she Rest in peace.
3.25 stars rounded to 3
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Was looking up this book after I finished reading and learnt that the writer passed away a month ago. May she Rest in peace.
A very solid read, perhaps better suited for readers more in their early-mid teens. Big thumbs up to the OCD and agoraphobia representation, as well as the accurate depiction of CBT treatment. That said, I didn’t connect to the protagonist as strongly as I thought I would, though I think that may be because she was written for a younger audience. Norah felt younger than seventeen, with thoughts like “his smile is full of flirt” and “parties, or, as the kids on [Facebook] call them, partays.” I understand that in many ways her adolescence was stunted, but given that she has dealt with so much, I would expect her to have more of an edge. Her hobbies and interests and hopes, aside from glancing mentions of horror movies and French, were largely undeveloped, and I would have liked her to have a bit more of a personality. That might just be me being nit picky though, and I would still recommend the book overall to someone with similar experiences to Norah, especially if they were in middle/high school.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book was an excellent look into mental illness. While I don't have agoraphobia or OCD, I have generalized anxiety disorder that is marked by nitpicky behaviors when I'm experiencing heightened anxiety. Even without the author's notes, I would have immediately recognized that this book was written by someone who actually experienced these mental illnesses. The description of anxiety is right on the nose, something that I myself would have written (though in possibly different contexts).
Poor Norah can't leave her house without severe panic attacks, and she lives her life in her home, watching her peers through social media and unable to comprehend what it would be like to have a normal relationship. When she meets a new, cute neighbor, her curiosity grows to the point where she finds herself going out of her comfort zone every now and then.
While I found Norah's agoraphobia interesting, I thought it a bit strange that she didn't connect with other people over the internet. Most people I know with severe mental illness survive by connecting with other people online, especially places like tumblr, where they can find others who have the same problems with them or whom they can communicate on a more controlled level. That isn't brought up at all, and instead Norah just sits on the Facebook expy watching her old friends and people she doesn't know but who live in her town interact. For a teenager in the modern day, I thought it incredibly strange that, even with her mental illness, she didn't find anyone else to communicate with besides her mother, therapist, and Luke. If there was any mention of having online friends, it was so brief to the point that I missed it.
That being said, I thought her relationship with Luke developed really honestly. They were incredibly awkward, because teenagers are awkward already not going into the severe mental illness. And he causes more problems than he fixes, which is also honest. Her relationship with the boy doesn't "fix" her, but it does make her more cognizant of the fact that she can't stay the same way she is and expect to live a fulfilling life.
This is a nifty little book with a whole lot of insight into mental illness.
This book was an excellent look into mental illness. While I don't have agoraphobia or OCD, I have generalized anxiety disorder that is marked by nitpicky behaviors when I'm experiencing heightened anxiety. Even without the author's notes, I would have immediately recognized that this book was written by someone who actually experienced these mental illnesses. The description of anxiety is right on the nose, something that I myself would have written (though in possibly different contexts).
Poor Norah can't leave her house without severe panic attacks, and she lives her life in her home, watching her peers through social media and unable to comprehend what it would be like to have a normal relationship. When she meets a new, cute neighbor, her curiosity grows to the point where she finds herself going out of her comfort zone every now and then.
While I found Norah's agoraphobia interesting, I thought it a bit strange that she didn't connect with other people over the internet. Most people I know with severe mental illness survive by connecting with other people online, especially places like tumblr, where they can find others who have the same problems with them or whom they can communicate on a more controlled level. That isn't brought up at all, and instead Norah just sits on the Facebook expy watching her old friends and people she doesn't know but who live in her town interact. For a teenager in the modern day, I thought it incredibly strange that, even with her mental illness, she didn't find anyone else to communicate with besides her mother, therapist, and Luke. If there was any mention of having online friends, it was so brief to the point that I missed it.
That being said, I thought her relationship with Luke developed really honestly. They were incredibly awkward, because teenagers are awkward already not going into the severe mental illness. And he causes more problems than he fixes, which is also honest. Her relationship with the boy doesn't "fix" her, but it does make her more cognizant of the fact that she can't stay the same way she is and expect to live a fulfilling life.
This is a nifty little book with a whole lot of insight into mental illness.
The author viewed the mental illness in the best way possible. We got to be inside her head. We got a glimpse of her anxiousness and were able to understand it a bit more. The end didn't show us some cop out happy ending like most books portrays nowadays. It shows her getting better but not quite there yet. She has a lot more work to do. The character was very inspiring. Through these changes and challenges, she kept her head high and not once gave up on herself. I know that wasn't easy for her. She didn't get suicidal or even defeated by life. I like her strength. I like how his character tried to understand her and be there even when he had no idea what was going on. He didn't tease her or judge her. He didn't give up. He wasn't an asshole. He held on to hope and didn't rush her. Instead he simply stayed by her side. I liked that about their love story. They will overcome it together. All of them. This story was encouraging. The message was not to give up and to keep pushing. You can be realistic and keep believing without being negative.
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
it was an okay book, made me understand how agoraphobia manifests itself in the minds of people
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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:
Complicated
I really appreciated that Norah's mental illness wasn't erased by a boy. Her struggles are very realistic and you come to feel and root for Norah.