yvo_about_books 's review for:

Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall

3.0

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Finished reading: January 29th 2018

"We can assume the best, but we can't choose how people perceive us. We can, however, chooce how those views affect us."

Spoiler

I kind of picked up this title on a whim while I was browsing my kindle looking for a YA contemporary since I was in the mood for the genre. I didn't look up the summary before I started reading, so it was a pleasant surprise when I discovered Under Rose-Tainted Skies has a very prominent mental health angle. I can always appreciate when a story focuses on this illness and helps spread the word... In this case, the main character suffers from agoraphobia and OCD, and her situation plays a very big role in the story. The main focus of Under Rose-Tainted Skies is on Norah, how she is trying to live with her illness and how it affects those close to her. I think the author did a good job portraying this element as well as addressing a few misunderstanding and cliche reactions along the way. The writing and pace made this story easy and fast to read and overall it is an engaging and entertaining read. BUT. I did feel it just all felt too similar to Everything, Everything. The girl 'trapped' inside her house due to her illness, the single mom, the cute neighbor... Even the unnatural 'fast' development of the relationship felt kind of the same. Also, I wasn't too sure about the ending or credibility of certain parts of the plot. In short, I ended up having mixed thoughts about Under Rose-Tainted Skies, but I do think contemporary romance fans will enjoy this one better than I did.

P.S. Find more of my reviews here.