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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
Really interesting, realistic portrayal of mental illness! Very enjoyable!
This was really, really sweet while also being extremely informative. I liked this A LOT.
Absolutely amazing. Wish I could give it more than 5 stars.
I don't think I've ever related to a book as well as I did this one. Seeing your mental illness on someone else is eye opening. It makes you think of the little things you do that are the results of your anxiety, or OCD, or depression. Things that trigger your attacks. I love this book and recommend it to everyone. Anyone who suffers from mental illnesses, and even those who don't, it's a book you want to read in order to understand it better.
3.5 stars, but I'm rounding up. I spent a good portion of this book being concerned that it would end up being "girl falls in love and suddenly all mental illness is cured!" which was distracting, but it never did end up going that way, which I appreciate a lot. It was an easy read, and enjoyable, and doesn't romanticize mental illness. I listened to the audio book, and the narrator was great, too.
Contains vague spoilers and plot points.
Norah is undeniably honest, this I know from only opening the book just a crack. She talks about her mental health; her agroaphobia, OCD and depression/anxiety so bravely, reminding me in parts of my own struggles with social anxiety and OCD that I still have to this day. Norah's anxieties and problems affect her every day and the way that Louise captured the qualities of the feelings and thoughts was unerring. Norah is housebound from her illnesses, only ever getting air at her front door on occasions, life outside like a different world completely. It's there that she meets Luke, who moves in next door. Her anxieties don't stop or halt when she meets him and love doesn't conquer all her problems, but he tries to help in different ways, like trying to alter her way of looking at things and her thoughts. She can't help but feel like he deserves someone "normal", though. Nevertheless, her poignant and charming narrative of trying to cope with letting someone in whilst going through an inner battle with herself is as vulnerable and honest as a reader can observe.
Not only does Norah feel real, but her story is one I'll never forget. URTS feels real because Norah's mental health problems are real world things that can hold us back, shape our lives and try to change who we are. It's her sheer determination and enthralling, heart-felt voice that reminds me that it's okay to be different and to not be "normal" and sometimes need help along the way.
Overall, Under Rose Tainted Skies is in a word; phenomenal. It's powerful, moving, heartwarming and sincere. Norah and Luke's connection was written beautifully, as was Norah's courageous journey through the pages. I was overwhelmed at how effortlessly I fell into the story and wrapped around the characters, feeling as if they were my friends and that I knew them. URTS is a breathtaking debut that is going to sky-rocket and it deserves every amazing thing that happens. Louise has written what I can gladly say has been my favourite book of the year so far. Five stars completely.
Norah is undeniably honest, this I know from only opening the book just a crack. She talks about her mental health; her agroaphobia, OCD and depression/anxiety so bravely, reminding me in parts of my own struggles with social anxiety and OCD that I still have to this day. Norah's anxieties and problems affect her every day and the way that Louise captured the qualities of the feelings and thoughts was unerring. Norah is housebound from her illnesses, only ever getting air at her front door on occasions, life outside like a different world completely. It's there that she meets Luke, who moves in next door. Her anxieties don't stop or halt when she meets him and love doesn't conquer all her problems, but he tries to help in different ways, like trying to alter her way of looking at things and her thoughts. She can't help but feel like he deserves someone "normal", though. Nevertheless, her poignant and charming narrative of trying to cope with letting someone in whilst going through an inner battle with herself is as vulnerable and honest as a reader can observe.
Not only does Norah feel real, but her story is one I'll never forget. URTS feels real because Norah's mental health problems are real world things that can hold us back, shape our lives and try to change who we are. It's her sheer determination and enthralling, heart-felt voice that reminds me that it's okay to be different and to not be "normal" and sometimes need help along the way.
Overall, Under Rose Tainted Skies is in a word; phenomenal. It's powerful, moving, heartwarming and sincere. Norah and Luke's connection was written beautifully, as was Norah's courageous journey through the pages. I was overwhelmed at how effortlessly I fell into the story and wrapped around the characters, feeling as if they were my friends and that I knew them. URTS is a breathtaking debut that is going to sky-rocket and it deserves every amazing thing that happens. Louise has written what I can gladly say has been my favourite book of the year so far. Five stars completely.
2017 is turning out to be a pretty darned good reading year so far! Especially for Contemporary YA, which is not usually the kind of genre I like to read in large doses. But once again, I'm impressed and amazed by some of the reads I've been missing out on, this time Louise Gornall's 'Under Rose-Tainted Skies'. I have only ever read one book about Agoraphobia but that wasn't the only mental illness covered in Gornall's debut: OCD and self harm are also prevalent topics. Amazingly, I can't remember reading a book that talks openly about self harm which is strange because so many teens face such issues that I expected to read more books on the topic.
I loved Gornall's handling of her story, especially it's darker moments (the aforementioned self harm, severe panic attacks, depression etc.). She did a great job of depicting mental health issues and the severe self doubt that accompanies them. The romantic story-line was sweet to read and 100% shippable, but I enjoyed that Luke didn't 'cure' Norah and actually, in a lot of ways, made her worse. Too many YA romances give their heroes/heroines a mental illness and then a love interest that fixes them. It's just unrealistic. Luke was adorable too, as were the other characters in the book: Norah's mum and Dr. Reeves. Therapy was portrayed in a very positive way too which is important for teens to see in a book like this.
I would advise that this book could be very triggering for some readers so please be aware of that when considering it as a read. There were a few other issues that I picked up on: mostly the lack of any real plot. Apart from 'the new boy next door' the ending didn't actually lead anywhere except a slightly bizarre break-in that led to a hospital room that led to...no real conclusion. But, this is the nature of mental illness I suppose. Boys won't cure it and neither will a life-changing experience. Life goes on. I wish that Gornall had given a little more page space to end the story properly, rather than the sudden introduction of medicine that's immediately working but I enjoyed this story so much so I'm not that mad.
4.5 Stars.
For a full review, see here: http://chasedbymyimagination.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/book-review-under-rose-tainted-skies.html
I loved Gornall's handling of her story, especially it's darker moments (the aforementioned self harm, severe panic attacks, depression etc.). She did a great job of depicting mental health issues and the severe self doubt that accompanies them. The romantic story-line was sweet to read and 100% shippable, but I enjoyed that Luke didn't 'cure' Norah and actually, in a lot of ways, made her worse. Too many YA romances give their heroes/heroines a mental illness and then a love interest that fixes them. It's just unrealistic. Luke was adorable too, as were the other characters in the book: Norah's mum and Dr. Reeves. Therapy was portrayed in a very positive way too which is important for teens to see in a book like this.
I would advise that this book could be very triggering for some readers so please be aware of that when considering it as a read. There were a few other issues that I picked up on: mostly the lack of any real plot. Apart from 'the new boy next door' the ending didn't actually lead anywhere except a slightly bizarre break-in that led to a hospital room that led to...no real conclusion. But, this is the nature of mental illness I suppose. Boys won't cure it and neither will a life-changing experience. Life goes on. I wish that Gornall had given a little more page space to end the story properly, rather than the sudden introduction of medicine that's immediately working but I enjoyed this story so much so I'm not that mad.
4.5 Stars.
For a full review, see here: http://chasedbymyimagination.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/book-review-under-rose-tainted-skies.html