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Kristin (149 KP) rated Breaking Faith in Books

Dec 7, 2018

Disclaimer: I received an e-copy from the author in exchange for an honest (not necessarily positive) review.

It feels weird to say I enjoyed this book due to its subject matter, but I did. It's a very good perspective on just what it means to deal with addiction, from growing up with it due to a family member being involved in drugs to getting dragged down into it yourself.

I will agree with a few other reviewers that the beginning does seem to drag a little bit, as there's a lot of time spent describing her elementary school years, but it's necessary to show what the girls went through dealing with their mom and her addiction and the fallout from all of that. It really picks up after that as we're focusing more on Faith's issues from that point on rather than her mom's, and I was pulled into her story.

While getting my Master's in Forensic Psychology, I had to study addiction of all types, including drugs, and I found this to be a very accurate representation of what it's like to grow up with it, deal with it firsthand, and try to bring yourself out of it.

Very interesting read!

5 stars

Kudos

Christine A. (965 KP) rated Turtles All The Way Down in Books

Jan 23, 2019

Turtles All The Way Down

John Green | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry

8.4

(60 Ratings)

Book Rating

John Green's "Turtles All the Way Down" introduces us to sixteen-year-old Aza, a teenage girl with mental health issues who is desperate to blend in and just be a normal teenage girl. After giving in to Daisy's, her best friend, nagging, the two girls attempt to solve the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Russell Pickett and collect the reward. Aza was not planning on connecting back with Davis, Russell's son, whom she knew when they were kids, but she does.

Of course there is romance, but it is not the focus of the story. It is more than just a typical YA romance novel. It deals with handling mental illness, going to counseling, thinking you are crazy, and knowing your uncontrollable behaviors are not normal. It is about trying to manage the pressures of being a teenager - family, school, friends, and a boy.

John Green's novels have probably touched as many people today as had John Hughes's movies in the 80s. He focuses on real teenage problems and allows a glimpse inside their thoughts and feelings. He allows young adults to realize they are not alone, that others feel the same way, and “Your now is not your forever.”

Kudos

Anne (15130 KP) rated Frankly in Love (Frankly in Love, #1) in Books

Nov 4, 2019

Thanks to Libro.fm and Penguin Random House Audio for letting me listen and review this book. I was curious about this book since everyone was talking about it so I decided to check it out and I'm glad I listened to the audio because I don't think I would have done as well reading it. It was a little challenging for me to finish it even with the audio as it was.
I liked the story idea and premise to the story with the fake dating trope and the insight into Korean culture and family and culture issues and differences. It was a good portrayal of YA/teen years and crushes and romances and other things. There were a few things that caught me off guard, but for the most part, it seemed to be pretty straight forward.
This isn't my usual reading genre, but I thought it was alright although my biggest things were 1-it seemed a bit long, which is one of the reasons why audio helped and 2 - the language - there was so much profanity and language that I didn't enjoy, so that's my two cents on that.
If you like romance, fake dating tropes and such then you'll probably like this.