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A review by betweentheshelves
In Repair by A.L. Graziadei
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Nathaniel Conti hates being alone with his own thoughts. It’s why he’s always looking for ways to make sure that all eyes are on him, so he doesn’t have to feel his own emotions. That’s why he’s always had a reputation as a troublemaker.
But everything is about to change in his first year of college. He’s made some new friends in class, through lacrosse. An aspiring photographer has even asked him to be a part of their project. However, when an old friend shows back up, Nathaniel starts to spiral back into old habits.
Thanks to Macmillan Children’s and NetGalley for an advanced copy of In Repair by A.L. Graziadei to review! I loved Icebreaker when it came out a few years ago, and I was excited to find out this is set in the same place! So you’ll get to see some familiar characters pop up throughout.
A fair warning, this is a pretty emotionally heavy book to read. Nathaniel is struggling with a lot of mental health issues due to childhood trauma, and it’s expressed so well in this book. Graziadei’s writing reflects Nathaniel’s struggles so accurately that there were definitely moments where I had to pause. Because he is just hurting so much for most of the book.
However, despite the heaviness, there are so many moments of hope. Nathaniel finds some great friends, and they put in the effort to help Nathaniel. Is he the most likable character, for a lot of the book? Not necessarily, but so much of it is a facade that he puts up to hide his real emotions. Honestly, I don’t cry a lot in books, but I’m not going to lie, this one got to me a couple of times. It’s probably partly why it took me longer to read this book than it normally does.
Definitely make sure you’re in the right headspace before picking this book up. But if you do, it’s absolutely worth the read. And shows how messy recovering from trauma can actually be. This is a book I’ll probably be thinking about for a while.
But everything is about to change in his first year of college. He’s made some new friends in class, through lacrosse. An aspiring photographer has even asked him to be a part of their project. However, when an old friend shows back up, Nathaniel starts to spiral back into old habits.
Thanks to Macmillan Children’s and NetGalley for an advanced copy of In Repair by A.L. Graziadei to review! I loved Icebreaker when it came out a few years ago, and I was excited to find out this is set in the same place! So you’ll get to see some familiar characters pop up throughout.
A fair warning, this is a pretty emotionally heavy book to read. Nathaniel is struggling with a lot of mental health issues due to childhood trauma, and it’s expressed so well in this book. Graziadei’s writing reflects Nathaniel’s struggles so accurately that there were definitely moments where I had to pause. Because he is just hurting so much for most of the book.
However, despite the heaviness, there are so many moments of hope. Nathaniel finds some great friends, and they put in the effort to help Nathaniel. Is he the most likable character, for a lot of the book? Not necessarily, but so much of it is a facade that he puts up to hide his real emotions. Honestly, I don’t cry a lot in books, but I’m not going to lie, this one got to me a couple of times. It’s probably partly why it took me longer to read this book than it normally does.
Definitely make sure you’re in the right headspace before picking this book up. But if you do, it’s absolutely worth the read. And shows how messy recovering from trauma can actually be. This is a book I’ll probably be thinking about for a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Child abuse, Self harm, and Sexual assault
Minor: Suicide