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A review by ateachersguidetoreading
Conditions of a Heart by Bethany Mangle
5.0
This is the type of book I wish I'd read as a teen with an invisible congenital heart condition!
We meet Brynn who has hEDS and PoTs as she tries to act as normal as possible, not letting anyone see how difficult life can get for her when completing every day tasks most people take for granted. Brynn attends a private school on scholarship and upholds her popular persona by hiding a big part of herself. But after being unfairly suspended for her part in a fight that wasn't her fault, she starts to re-evaluate her choices.
I enjoyed the different types of relationships in this book. The one Brynn has with her father is amazing! He is someone who understands her struggles and who she can joke with. I particular felt an emotional tug to this one as my son inherited a heart condition similar to my own and I feel I will know what he is going through as he gets older. In contrast her relationship with her Mum and sister can be strained - they want to help but she feels like they don't get it. Brynn's relationship with her ex Oliver plays throughout the book and how her condition is why she distanced herself from him. The romantic element is a side story to the real message of finding yourself and being comfortable sharing the parts of you that are most vulnerable.
This was an emotional read sprinkled with humour. And as someone who uses humour as a coping mechanism I loved it, especially the internal chats she has with her body parts (my favourite being the Shakespearean style one). The key message is around Brynn's journey of acceptance and pa inf her own identify.
I think it's a must read for anyone with chronic conditions, especially those that are invisible. It would be good to read for people who know someone going through similar conditions to have an idea on the challenges they face.
Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster and Bethany for an early copy
We meet Brynn who has hEDS and PoTs as she tries to act as normal as possible, not letting anyone see how difficult life can get for her when completing every day tasks most people take for granted. Brynn attends a private school on scholarship and upholds her popular persona by hiding a big part of herself. But after being unfairly suspended for her part in a fight that wasn't her fault, she starts to re-evaluate her choices.
I enjoyed the different types of relationships in this book. The one Brynn has with her father is amazing! He is someone who understands her struggles and who she can joke with. I particular felt an emotional tug to this one as my son inherited a heart condition similar to my own and I feel I will know what he is going through as he gets older. In contrast her relationship with her Mum and sister can be strained - they want to help but she feels like they don't get it. Brynn's relationship with her ex Oliver plays throughout the book and how her condition is why she distanced herself from him. The romantic element is a side story to the real message of finding yourself and being comfortable sharing the parts of you that are most vulnerable.
This was an emotional read sprinkled with humour. And as someone who uses humour as a coping mechanism I loved it, especially the internal chats she has with her body parts (my favourite being the Shakespearean style one). The key message is around Brynn's journey of acceptance and pa inf her own identify.
I think it's a must read for anyone with chronic conditions, especially those that are invisible. It would be good to read for people who know someone going through similar conditions to have an idea on the challenges they face.
Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster and Bethany for an early copy