3.91 AVERAGE


I think people who have read Everything, Everything and this will be separated into two categories-those that like Everything, Everything and dislike this book or the opposite. I fall into the latter category - I didn't particularly enjoy Everything, Everything, and even managed to guess the ending halfway through the book. This one was more enjoyable, not quite insta-love (though it got close) and I felt more relatable to this character, Norah.

As someone with both agoraphobia and severe anxiety, this hit me in places. Great descriptions about how it feels to live with constant anxiety 24/7. I love the end too. It didn't end with the main character magically cured but her taking steps to get her life back.

4 stars.

Trigger Warning: Self-harm, anxiety, depression, OCD, agoraphobia

This book. I flew through this so quickly.
I really liked Norah, she was adorable and so real. Personally, I even share some traits with her. Also, Norah's mum, she was such a sweetheart and was there for her all the time. However, I found Luke blank and wasn't really interested in his character at all (sorry!), hence the 4 stars.

This book is really educational about Mental Illness like agoraphobia, anxiety and OCD. I could relate to her anxiety attacks and, honestly, sometimes it was too overwhelming for me to continue but I eventually did anyway. It's accurate and it's realistic.

2.75*

This was good but I just didn’t feel connected to anything or anyone. I loved the anxiety representation as I have it myself. But it felt too much like “Everything, Everything” (which I do really love but don’t need a repeat of) for me to love it. I also wasn’t a fan of the ending. I guess I’m the end this was just okay for me but if you want a cute little quick read with great mental health rep then definitely read it.

I liked the descriptions of agoraphobia and OCD. I hated the ending. Why did we just skip over the most important steps of recovery just to create a happy ending. Lukas and her mom also didn't feel like real characters. This should be 2 stars but the topic saves it.

holy shit, this book is so powerful. i didn’t expect to relate to the main character as much as i did but i saw myself in Norah in SO MANY WAYS. i personally don’t have OCD but i could relate to many of her habits eg. how she’s very specific about doing things in even numbers or that doesn’t like black bits in her food.

i’m also so grateful for the depiction of anxiety and panic attacks i honestly want to cry because they were so ACCURATE and i just wanna throw this book in everyone’s face (especially the people that know me irl) so they can understand what my everyday life is like.

god, this was perfect and i’m already tearing up again. PLEASE READ THIS BOOK IF YOU WANT AN ACCURATE REPRESENTATION OF MENTAL ILLNESSES.

tw: OCD, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, self-harm

4.5/5 stars and a spot on my favourites shelf!

RECEIVED AN ARC FROM NETGALLEY (FYI I’m waaay late in reading and reviewing)

I found this book really hard to read because I suffer from anxiety/panic attacks and since the author suffers from mental illness she knows EXACTLY what she’s writing about and it is so realistic it can be triggering. More than once I had to put the book down when I noticed my heart rate speeding up and my breathing getting shallow. Honestly though, watching her go through all that was just exhausting. The never ending fight with yourself, and knowing day after day that that fight will continue. I’m not sure I buy into the romance part of the story ...because a high school boy willing to give up everything...uhhh...one in a million maybe. But I think this would be helpful to give hope to teenagers also struggling with severe mental illness. Even in fiction the boy is no magical cure, although he is a catalyst for medication...but fiction.

Gornall has crafted a story built upon her own battles with mental illness. I applaud her for taking her personal experiences and creating a character that we can easily love. My heart ached for the main character, Norah, but I also appreciated getting a glimpse of her thoughts, rational or not. Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of, however, the stigma in our society casts shame on those who struggle with it. This book is like a "behind the scenes" clip; taking the reader in to the mind of OCD and agoraphobia.

I received an eARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Review can be found on *Milky Way of Books*

Although this beauty will not be released until 2017, I really wanted to write this review. The story follows Norah, who has OCD and agoraphobia; it means that she fears everything in the world. When accidentally, because of the groceries, she meets Luke, the cute boy next door, Norah will slowly try to understand better both her life and her growing feelings for Luke.

Mental illness is always a delicate subject in YA. Some believe that it is shown way too raw, others tend to disregard the fact that there are people in the planet who try to live everyday struggling at the same time. Norah is a character like that; living in the house not even daring to get outside, she has her mother and her doctor as her only people she can talk to. She is home-schooled and she is constantly trying to battle with her mind.

When Luke comes into the picture, Norah is flooded with images and possible scenes which through her POV were funny, but brutally honest (her research on kissing had me laugh hard). Also, Luke is not Norah's white knight, he too struggles with his family. His mother is a flight attendant and his father tends to have wanderlust. He is honest and funny and understanding.

The story is short but is filled with lessons about mental illness and how a teen is both struggling with her own body and her every day life. While the ending is not the kind that solves everything in the blink of an eye, Norah becomes a character who hopes for a better future and Luke is her supporter both with his love and understanding.

It was a great read and it's reccomended both for its sweet cover and the inspiring story. ;)
emotional informative reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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