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oliviagraces725's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
notkaywa's review
3.0
would have given this a better rating if it weren’t so predictable and if important aspects of hannah’s life were discussed during her counseling sessions. wish there was more inclusion of sessions, in general, actually. still an enjoyable read with good writing.
bobbeym's review
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Eating disorder and Injury/Injury detail
lottie1803's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Confinement, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
ellieg2604's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I had a hard time getting into it in the beginning, but it was easy for me to get invested as the story went on. It was unpredictable, and I could not put it down because I just wanted to find out what had happened.
themushroom's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
heatherg213's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
labunnywtf's review
4.0
Received via Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
There's been a misunderstanding. Easy enough to make, Hannah knows these things happen. Everyone is very upset about what happened to her roommate Agnes, and they are confused about her involvement. She certainly didn't do anything to Agnes, Agnes was her best friend.
Once the doctors and judges get their facts straight, she'll be released from this institution and be able to go about her life.
Finally. FINALLY. After far too many duds, a thriller worth my precious time. In the past few months, I have seriously considered giving up on the thriller genre, outside of Gillian Flynn, who is, for me, the unbeatable Queen of Thrillers.
Hannah is a fantastically terrible character. Extremely intelligent, "mature for her age", manipulative, and just the slightest bit quirky. A model student, dream daughter, and the best friend you could ever want. Friend to the underdog, she wants to be your friend. Forever. Totes normal.
During a summer program for college prep, Hannah becomes best friends with Agnes. They spend all of their time together, they stay up late, talking and giggling. They are occasionally joined by Agnes' boyfriend Jonah, who eventually ends up being another thing the girls share, though Agnes doesn't know that.
And then. There is an accident. And Hannah ends up in paper clothes, trying to explain and show Dr "Lightfoot" that she would never, could never, hurt her best friend.
This isn't a very long book, but it packs one hell of a punch. It's semi obvious where the story is heading, but there are plenty of slammed brakes as you hit curves you weren't ready for.
Is this an accurate depiction of mental illness? I'm not the one to answer that. None of the characters is ever truly diagnosed, other than the ones with disordered eating. There are some conclusions we are left alone with. But as we start peeling back the layers, and finding the truth in the lies, and the lies in the truth, it feels like a very real exploration of a diseased mind.
Thank you, Alyssa B Sheinmel. Because I have a few more thrillers lined up in the coming weeks and I have been dreeeeeading them. Hannah has reinvigorated my spirit, and given me the gentle adrenaline rush I needed.
There's been a misunderstanding. Easy enough to make, Hannah knows these things happen. Everyone is very upset about what happened to her roommate Agnes, and they are confused about her involvement. She certainly didn't do anything to Agnes, Agnes was her best friend.
Once the doctors and judges get their facts straight, she'll be released from this institution and be able to go about her life.
Finally. FINALLY. After far too many duds, a thriller worth my precious time. In the past few months, I have seriously considered giving up on the thriller genre, outside of Gillian Flynn, who is, for me, the unbeatable Queen of Thrillers.
Hannah is a fantastically terrible character. Extremely intelligent, "mature for her age", manipulative, and just the slightest bit quirky. A model student, dream daughter, and the best friend you could ever want. Friend to the underdog, she wants to be your friend. Forever. Totes normal.
During a summer program for college prep, Hannah becomes best friends with Agnes. They spend all of their time together, they stay up late, talking and giggling. They are occasionally joined by Agnes' boyfriend Jonah, who eventually ends up being another thing the girls share, though Agnes doesn't know that.
And then. There is an accident. And Hannah ends up in paper clothes, trying to explain and show Dr "Lightfoot" that she would never, could never, hurt her best friend.
This isn't a very long book, but it packs one hell of a punch. It's semi obvious where the story is heading, but there are plenty of slammed brakes as you hit curves you weren't ready for.
Is this an accurate depiction of mental illness? I'm not the one to answer that. None of the characters is ever truly diagnosed, other than the ones with disordered eating. There are some conclusions we are left alone with. But as we start peeling back the layers, and finding the truth in the lies, and the lies in the truth, it feels like a very real exploration of a diseased mind.
Thank you, Alyssa B Sheinmel. Because I have a few more thrillers lined up in the coming weeks and I have been dreeeeeading them. Hannah has reinvigorated my spirit, and given me the gentle adrenaline rush I needed.
cathyolibrarian's review
4.0
Hannah is an unreliable narrator with a story to tell. We are given glimpses of truth through a reality that may or may not be real, through the eyes of the self-assured girl who believes for all the world that she does not belong in the institution she has found herself in. Very readable and intriguing from the start.