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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
What a beautiful narrative that realistically draws the inner narrative of someone with mental illness. Luke is just the best boyfriend ever.
This book will forever have a special place in my heart. Such amazing mental health representation for anxiety, phobias, OCD and depression. Having to struggle with mental illness my whole life, I related so much to Norah. Anxiety is no joke and it's hard to want to go out of the house some days. I appreciate Louise Gornall for writing this own voice novel. I can't wait to read more from her.
A beautiful story of mental health, relationships, & learning to trust yourself & others. I loved how raw this story was regarding the prison that we can create for ourselves in our own minds. The author did a great job discussing difficult subject matter but balancing that with witty & dorky moments that made the characters feel more real & human.
*not an own voices reviewer* but i thought the ocd and agoraphobia in this book felt very realistic.
It’s a hard book to get through. Norah is dealing with so much. Like is the cutest bean there is. (I also love their names)
I thought that mostly the relationship between the therapist and Norah was well done, although i wish this was more pivotal in making Norah better than the boy.
The climax at the end was 👌🏼
It’s a hard book to get through. Norah is dealing with so much. Like is the cutest bean there is. (I also love their names)
I thought that mostly the relationship between the therapist and Norah was well done, although i wish this was more pivotal in making Norah better than the boy.
The climax at the end was 👌🏼
Norah just took almost all my thoughts out of my head and put it to paper. I don’t have agoraphobia but I did have a fear of going into public places for a year and a half, so I related to pretty much every word that came out of Norah’s thoughts. And never mind the relatableness of Norah due to my own struggles with OCD and clinical anxiety.
From the super hearing anxiety that lets us point out things that are wrong or “dirty.” Or the way we catastrophize everything.
The cute little romance was a bonus, though highly unrealistic, I don’t think anyone would want to spend time with me if they knew what I was really like…. ok this has turned into a journal entry! But that’s what this book did for me; it spelt out a piece of me and transcribed it on paper.
The ending was a little odd, I guess Norah needed a push to get out of the house, but I wish I saw more of her healing and overcome a lot of her obstacles, instead of her just suddenly being better because of a time skip.
Besides the ending, this book was just so well written, it really felt like I was living Norah’s life. Just so beautiful and heart wrenching.
From the super hearing anxiety that lets us point out things that are wrong or “dirty.” Or the way we catastrophize everything.
The cute little romance was a bonus, though highly unrealistic, I don’t think anyone would want to spend time with me if they knew what I was really like…. ok this has turned into a journal entry! But that’s what this book did for me; it spelt out a piece of me and transcribed it on paper.
The ending was a little odd, I guess Norah needed a push to get out of the house, but I wish I saw more of her healing and overcome a lot of her obstacles, instead of her just suddenly being better because of a time skip.
Besides the ending, this book was just so well written, it really felt like I was living Norah’s life. Just so beautiful and heart wrenching.
This book meant everything to me. Seriously, I can't even talk about it, but it is everything.
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm
Under Rose-Tainted Skies tells the story of Norah Dean, a 17-year-old, who suffers from OCD, agoraphobia and depression.
As a reader who knows only a small bit about agoraphobia and depression, and who suffers from OCD but not as severely as Norah, this book was, in that small regard, relatable but more, importantly, very insightful. I believe that stories such as Norah's are education in a way and Gornall does not skip over any details, there is thorough description and this is important because mental illnesses are this taboo subject, which need to be spoken about more.
A key quote:
"how can i expect people to empathise with a sickness they can't see?"
that Norah asks Dr Reeves highlights her pain and emphasises what people with invisible disabilities endure and how because it's not right-in-your-face, it can be shamefully dismissed by neurotypical people.
At first, I must admit, that I was wary of it being one of those the-boy-is-the-reason-she-steps-outside, but it wasn't, making the novel a good addition to the mental health library. Norah is faced with possibly a life-threatening situation and I don't think it is feasible to understand fully how petrified she was, except that she ventured outside, a task that went against all her instincts, but it was for her survival.
I believe it is also important to highlight how she wasn't "cured" - this horrible rhetoric that I have seen people use. Norah still has her OCD, her mental illness isn't something fickle that you can just suddenly overcome.
Norah's relationship with her mother focuses not only on the person who suffers from a mental illness, but also the loved one who has to watch someone they love endure these experiences. I loved their relationship, it was strong and full of warmth.
This own voices book shed some light on the topic and I believe that if people are willing, can be informed/or inform themselves, building knowledge on topics deemed unnecessarily "taboo" that we will take a crucial step forward. Knowledge ≠ understanding but it means awareness and that is in the forward direction.
As a reader who knows only a small bit about agoraphobia and depression, and who suffers from OCD but not as severely as Norah, this book was, in that small regard, relatable but more, importantly, very insightful. I believe that stories such as Norah's are education in a way and Gornall does not skip over any details, there is thorough description and this is important because mental illnesses are this taboo subject, which need to be spoken about more.
A key quote:
"how can i expect people to empathise with a sickness they can't see?"
that Norah asks Dr Reeves highlights her pain and emphasises what people with invisible disabilities endure and how because it's not right-in-your-face, it can be shamefully dismissed by neurotypical people.
At first, I must admit, that I was wary of it being one of those the-boy-is-the-reason-she-steps-outside, but it wasn't, making the novel a good addition to the mental health library. Norah is faced with possibly a life-threatening situation and I don't think it is feasible to understand fully how petrified she was, except that she ventured outside, a task that went against all her instincts, but it was for her survival.
I believe it is also important to highlight how she wasn't "cured" - this horrible rhetoric that I have seen people use. Norah still has her OCD, her mental illness isn't something fickle that you can just suddenly overcome.
Norah's relationship with her mother focuses not only on the person who suffers from a mental illness, but also the loved one who has to watch someone they love endure these experiences. I loved their relationship, it was strong and full of warmth.
This own voices book shed some light on the topic and I believe that if people are willing, can be informed/or inform themselves, building knowledge on topics deemed unnecessarily "taboo" that we will take a crucial step forward. Knowledge ≠ understanding but it means awareness and that is in the forward direction.
This book might be one of my favorites honestly. I love books that cover mental health in such a real way. Books like girl in pieces and turtles all the way down have my heart. As a teenage girl that has struggled with her mental illnesses for so long this book was not triggering or scary, but instead relatable and loveable. The author does a wonderful job at expressing the trials and tribulations of mental illnesses, showcasing how severe they can be and how it affects one’s life. Norah’s journey with agoraphobia and OCD is eye opening, it’s so brutal and real. Luke quickly has become one of my favorite book boyfriends with how kind and caring he is, but most importantly patient with Norah. I fell in love with how genuine he is with Norah, he’s not just a “pretty face book bf” but he clearly really cares. I find their relationship adorable, and relatable. I relate to many of the struggles Norah faces through out this book and I’d highly recommend and encourage everyone reading this novel.