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Under Rose-Tainted Skies
by Louise Gornall
Read this with the very lovely Ayla
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She thinks that all my baggage shouldn't matter. She thinks people should see past it, should see that I am more than what is wrong with me. The clouds in her sky are always rose-colored, which I know is a beautiful way to be. Alas, I have a mind that muddies everything. My skies aren't so pretty; more tainted with fear than tinted with whimsy.
TW: self harm
*Possible minor spoilers below*
Summary
Norah is a seventeen year old girl who hasn't been able to leave her home, her safe space, in four years because of her agoraphobia and OCD. A new neighbor, a teenage boy named Luke, shows up on her doorstep and sees things in Norah that even she doesn't see. He doesn't see a girl plagued down by illness but a girl who is smart, funny, and brave. Norah likes what he sees in her.
Expectations
I was expecting to read a book about mental illness that both informed and pulled at the heartstrings. I was not disappointed. I'm glad I read this with a buddy, because I think I enjoyed and got more out of it.
Mental Illness
I want to first say that I am so glad there was no romanticization of Norah's agoraphobia, OCD, or depression. Her thoughts and actions hurt me to read, but mental illness isn't supposed to be easy. I hope I can find some more books out there that are similar to this with realistic portrayals of mental illness. The author, Louise Gornall, talks about how she used some of her experience with mental illness to develop Norah's characterization.
Characters
Norah I thought Norah's characterization was amazing. You could tell that she tried her hardest even when things got tough. She was so, so funny and knew how to joke. In addition her sense of humor, I loved the relationship she has with her mother. You can tell how hard her illnesses are on her. And they were portrayed so well. I hurt when she hurt. It was distressing to read how she was affected, and that's why this is such a great book.
Norah's mom Norah's mother is so, so supportive of her daughter. I am so grateful that Norah has someone like her mother in her life to help her like she does. She will take hours at a time out of her day to talk her daughter down from anxiety attacks. She does all that she can as a single parent to take care of her child.
Luke Listen. I am so grateful for how Luke acts towards Norah. He doesn't treat her as someone with just mental illness. He sees a girl who is brave, smart, and funny. And he tries to help her whenever she appears to be struggling. His character develops when he asks questions and. (I also thought Luke was so sweet and understanding.)
Ending
The ending was the only part of the book that I was kind of iffy about. Other than that, I really loved this book. The ending was just so... out of place compared to the rest of the book. Even though the ending was strange, I still think this book deserves five stars for the mental illness portrayal.
In Conclusion
I think this book will stick with me for a while. I really enjoyed reading about the mental illness aspect. Also, if you are going to read this book, I strongly suggest you read the author's note.
● ● ●
She thinks that all my baggage shouldn't matter. She thinks people should see past it, should see that I am more than what is wrong with me. The clouds in her sky are always rose-colored, which I know is a beautiful way to be. Alas, I have a mind that muddies everything. My skies aren't so pretty; more tainted with fear than tinted with whimsy.
TW: self harm
*Possible minor spoilers below*
Summary
Norah is a seventeen year old girl who hasn't been able to leave her home, her safe space, in four years because of her agoraphobia and OCD. A new neighbor, a teenage boy named Luke, shows up on her doorstep and sees things in Norah that even she doesn't see. He doesn't see a girl plagued down by illness but a girl who is smart, funny, and brave. Norah likes what he sees in her.
Expectations
I was expecting to read a book about mental illness that both informed and pulled at the heartstrings. I was not disappointed. I'm glad I read this with a buddy, because I think I enjoyed and got more out of it.
Mental Illness
I want to first say that I am so glad there was no romanticization of Norah's agoraphobia, OCD, or depression. Her thoughts and actions hurt me to read, but mental illness isn't supposed to be easy. I hope I can find some more books out there that are similar to this with realistic portrayals of mental illness. The author, Louise Gornall, talks about how she used some of her experience with mental illness to develop Norah's characterization.
Characters
Norah I thought Norah's characterization was amazing. You could tell that she tried her hardest even when things got tough. She was so, so funny and knew how to joke. In addition her sense of humor, I loved the relationship she has with her mother. You can tell how hard her illnesses are on her. And they were portrayed so well. I hurt when she hurt. It was distressing to read how she was affected, and that's why this is such a great book.
Norah's mom Norah's mother is so, so supportive of her daughter. I am so grateful that Norah has someone like her mother in her life to help her like she does. She will take hours at a time out of her day to talk her daughter down from anxiety attacks. She does all that she can as a single parent to take care of her child.
Luke Listen. I am so grateful for how Luke acts towards Norah. He doesn't treat her as someone with just mental illness. He sees a girl who is brave, smart, and funny. And he tries to help her whenever she appears to be struggling. His character develops when he asks questions and
Spoiler
even does research about her multiple mental illnesses to better understand what is going on in her head and to understand what he said wrong that made her so upset about him kissing herEnding
The ending was the only part of the book that I was kind of iffy about. Other than that, I really loved this book. The ending was just so... out of place compared to the rest of the book.
Spoiler
While this event brought Norah and Luke back together, I just thought it was a little extreme compared to everything else that happened.In Conclusion
I think this book will stick with me for a while. I really enjoyed reading about the mental illness aspect. Also, if you are going to read this book, I strongly suggest you read the author's note.