Language: R (42 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
The illusion of her put-together life started to slip when Lily’s sister Alice (18yo) attempted suicide. Since then, Lily (16yo) has found evidence that she might also be losing her mind and is determined not to let anyone else see those cracks. But the secret of Alice’s suicide attempt is getting harder to keep – and the secret of Lily’s questionable mental state isn’t far behind.
Stewart addresses difficult topics of mental health, suicide, and the stigmas surrounding the individuals and families who deal with these struggles through Lily’s experiences. The pressure of “normal” that weighs on us actually takes away from being our beautiful selves. Lily’s story is raw, and I loved watching her poetry express her highs and lows. While the ending wraps up too nicely and happily to reflect reality in dealing with mental health struggles, I love the hope it offers readers that things will not always be hard. There are struggles to find a way forward again and a reason to live after getting to the point of wanting to die, but it’s worth it. As Lily says, “the world could use more weirdos” – that includes you and me no matter what we are struggling with.
Lily and her family are implied white, and the main male character, Micah, is implied Hispanic. The mature content rating is for innuendo; self-medicating; partial nudity; and mentions of drugs, penises, orgasms, sexting, and sex. The violence rating is for blood, self-harm, attempted suicide, and discussions of suicide.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen
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