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elenajohansen 's review for:
Under Rose-Tainted Skies
by Louise Gornall
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
Having recently read a different YA romance where the female lead can't touch the boy she likes for a paranormal-plot-contrivance reason, it was almost refreshing to read about one who can't do it for completely believable mental-health reasons. While Norah's issues and mine only overlap slightly, I enjoyed the honest, detailed, no-candy-coating portrayal of her illness, because I am constantly lamenting characters in both YA and adult fiction who have "anxiety" that only shows up when the plot requires it and never affects their lives otherwise.
That was not the case here. Norah's illness runs her life and coping with it is a full-time reality.
So that's the positive. The negatives are mostly about the somewhat scattershot plotting, the rushed ending, and the underdevelopment of Luke.
I don't agree with the argument that some reviewers have made that this is a "love fixes mental illness" story, because Luke was clearly supportive of Norah's needs (or intended to be despite a few mistakes) for the entire time. Also, Norah isn't "fixed" at the end, she's making efforts to improve, and that's not the same thing. But I did wonder throughout the story why Luke was so supportive, and I don't think "because he's a decent person" is enough to account for it, even if it's true; and the reveal that he thought Norah was waving/flirting with him at first and she's a pretty girl also didn't really convince me. There are hints here and there that he's struggling with his own unnamed issues (the knee-bouncing and agitation looked to me like a few visible signs of either generalized anxiety or ADHD) but since it's never explored I can't be sure.
Don't get me wrong, I want there to be decent, friendly, supportive teenage boys IRL and in media; I want everyone to be supportive and understanding of invisible illnesses, ideally. But Luke puts a lot of effort into getting to know Norah despite the difficulties standing in his way, and the narrative makes a point several times that another girl is actively pursuing him (even if she's a harpy he doesn't care for) so clearly he's attractive enough that he could get a girlfriend with relatively little trouble even if it isn't the harpy. So why is Luke attracted to Norah? I don't think the book does a good enough job developing him to answer that question, and I wish it had, because the answer I'm left with is "because this is a romance and somebody needs to be the love interest."
That was not the case here. Norah's illness runs her life and coping with it is a full-time reality.
So that's the positive. The negatives are mostly about the somewhat scattershot plotting, the rushed ending, and the underdevelopment of Luke.
I don't agree with the argument that some reviewers have made that this is a "love fixes mental illness" story, because Luke was clearly supportive of Norah's needs (or intended to be despite a few mistakes) for the entire time. Also, Norah isn't "fixed" at the end, she's making efforts to improve, and that's not the same thing. But I did wonder throughout the story why Luke was so supportive, and I don't think "because he's a decent person" is enough to account for it, even if it's true; and the reveal that he thought Norah was waving/flirting with him at first and she's a pretty girl also didn't really convince me. There are hints here and there that he's struggling with his own unnamed issues (the knee-bouncing and agitation looked to me like a few visible signs of either generalized anxiety or ADHD) but since it's never explored I can't be sure.
Don't get me wrong, I want there to be decent, friendly, supportive teenage boys IRL and in media; I want everyone to be supportive and understanding of invisible illnesses, ideally. But Luke puts a lot of effort into getting to know Norah despite the difficulties standing in his way, and the narrative makes a point several times that another girl is actively pursuing him (even if she's a harpy he doesn't care for) so clearly he's attractive enough that he could get a girlfriend with relatively little trouble even if it isn't the harpy. So why is Luke attracted to Norah? I don't think the book does a good enough job developing him to answer that question, and I wish it had, because the answer I'm left with is "because this is a romance and somebody needs to be the love interest."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm
Moderate: Car accident