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A review by jsncnrd
The Law of Inertia by Sophie Gonzales
5.0
This book was a wild ride. First of all -- HUGE trigger warning (self-harm, suicide, mental illness, depression, abuse). This book had some very painful moments that evoked emotions related to my own trauma, but I was fine with that. Personally, I think that can be a very healing experience for some. However, it is not healing for everyone -- so please tread carefully.
I will say this -- I am an emotional reader, but this was next-level. I found myself crying for the entirety of a full 20-minute chapter at one point. But that means that Sophie Gonzales did her job beautifully -- she created characters that were three-dimensional, human, and lovable. Characters who were easy to get emotionally attached to.
This story was chaotic, for lack of a better word. And I mean that in the best possible way. When revelations started to occur, I thought to myself "there's no fucking way" ... and then realized that there was, indeed, a fucking way. The plot was pulled off so well, and the use of alternating timelines was done so effectively -- not too much was given away up front or in the middle of the story. Walking into this book, I was not expecting it to become what it did. But I loved what it did become.
I loved Ash so very much. To see such a sweet character endure so much trauma and pain was absolutely heartbreaking, and all too realistic -- there are so many kids in this world who resemble him. Worst of all was seeing him blame himself for things that were not at all his fault. There was a moment where he said he did not deserve to be comforted, and that moment ripped my heart apart. It was moments like these that captured the accuracy of what mental illness feels like and what it does to someone's thoughts & emotions. The scenes of self-harm were ... challenging for me to get through. The commentary on the foster system was also so important, because it was spot-on.
This book made me so very sad, but it also made me so very happy at times. Most of the time, I was feeling both happy and sad simultaneously. I was completely speechless at several points and did not want to put this book down until I got closure. Having read Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales earlier this year, I was absolutely amazed at the versatility of her writing abilities -- she can pull off lighthearted rom-com AND emotionally-heavy stories with incredibly sensitive topics.
Again -- as much as I would love for so many people to read this book, please do not do so unless you are ready for the subject matter. This book was an easy 5 out of 5 for me. It will be sticking with me for a while. Absolutely incredible.
I will say this -- I am an emotional reader, but this was next-level. I found myself crying for the entirety of a full 20-minute chapter at one point. But that means that Sophie Gonzales did her job beautifully -- she created characters that were three-dimensional, human, and lovable. Characters who were easy to get emotionally attached to.
This story was chaotic, for lack of a better word. And I mean that in the best possible way. When revelations started to occur, I thought to myself "there's no fucking way" ... and then realized that there was, indeed, a fucking way. The plot was pulled off so well, and the use of alternating timelines was done so effectively -- not too much was given away up front or in the middle of the story. Walking into this book, I was not expecting it to become what it did. But I loved what it did become.
I loved Ash so very much. To see such a sweet character endure so much trauma and pain was absolutely heartbreaking, and all too realistic -- there are so many kids in this world who resemble him. Worst of all was seeing him blame himself for things that were not at all his fault. There was a moment where he said he did not deserve to be comforted, and that moment ripped my heart apart. It was moments like these that captured the accuracy of what mental illness feels like and what it does to someone's thoughts & emotions. The scenes of self-harm were ... challenging for me to get through. The commentary on the foster system was also so important, because it was spot-on.
This book made me so very sad, but it also made me so very happy at times. Most of the time, I was feeling both happy and sad simultaneously. I was completely speechless at several points and did not want to put this book down until I got closure. Having read Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales earlier this year, I was absolutely amazed at the versatility of her writing abilities -- she can pull off lighthearted rom-com AND emotionally-heavy stories with incredibly sensitive topics.
Again -- as much as I would love for so many people to read this book, please do not do so unless you are ready for the subject matter. This book was an easy 5 out of 5 for me. It will be sticking with me for a while. Absolutely incredible.