Review: Life Inside My Mind

31 YA authors share their personal stories in small essays.

My Thoughts: Oh boy. This was a great book to read and to start conversations, but it was also hard to read because of the subject matter. I love that so many authors shared their stories and I hope that this book spurs conversations among teens. I hope they see they are not alone. I hope they find themselves sharing their own stories. There isn't any judgement here, it's all very matter of fact. I love that so many of the essays talked about what worked for them and how it won't work for everyone. I love how they advice readers to get help and figure out the method that might work best for them. This book is so powerful - from the number of authors sharing their stories to the range of mental illnesses shared. It's an eye opening read.

Cover Thoughts: Cute
Source: ARC sent for review
Library Recommendation: A must have for middle school, high school, and public libraries.

Review: When We Collided

Vivi meets Jonah - life changes for both of them. Vivi wants to be free and loved. She finds comfort in Jonah's messy family.

Jonah wants to be normal again, after his father's death left a huge whole in his life. He's helping pick up the pieces, but he's sacred to tell anyone the truth about his family life.

They find strength in each other, finding each other at just the right time.

My Thoughts: I loved this book. It's the story of how one summer changed two people forever. I loved that this book wasn't a romance. Life wasn't perfect for either of them. Vivi is bipolar and in the beginning scene, she decides to stop taking her medication. That decision influences everything. Jonah's grief is eating at him, but his mother shutting down in her grief is almost unbearable. It leaves him and his brother to pick up the slack. The responsibility eats away at him, he's not certain of anything, but he's reaching his breaking point. Vivi is a breathe of fresh air for him. They have adventures and share secrets. I love that everything isn't easy, that they have really big problems but find each other anyways.
I adored Jonah's younger siblings. They added humor to the story.
I loved the dual perspectives.
I loved the bookish references

Cover Thoughts: Love it
Source: My Library

Final Thoughts: A messy look at summer complied with grief and mental illness in an emotional powerhouse of a book. Read this one! 

Review: Finding Audrey

After an incident at school Audrey can't leave the house. She can't interact with people. She can't look at people without her dark sunglasses on for protection. She's been trying to make progress with her anxiety with the help of her psychologist.

Now, she's trying things that scare her. She's looking at the world through the lens of a camera. She's going to try to interview someone outside her family.

She interacts with her brother's new friend. He comes over to the house. He doesn't know about Audrey. Still, his kindness helps Audrey open up around him. She starts looking forward to his visits. Can Audrey find happiness again, on her own terms?

My Thoughts: I adore Sophie Kinsella's adult books and I was SO happy to hear about her YA debut. She has the perfect voice for YA. 

Top things I liked:
The moments with Dr. Sarah - how she tried to explain the rules of making strides towards getting better, but that it was going to be a matter of ups and downs. There wasn't going to be an all out cure - and while Audrey could get better, she could also take steps backwards. I found it realistic and an interesting look at life after a bullying incident.
I also really liked that you never found out what that incident was - you could just imagine the possibilities. 
I loved Frank - from his support of his sister to his love for video games. He was funny, sweet, inventive, and entertaining
Their mother - perfectly written in her own addiction to the Daily Mail, her need to get her son off video games, and the lengths she would go to achieve her goals. Wildly entertaining 
Linus - sweet, supportive, likable, and the voice of reason at times
Audrey - flawed, finding herself, taking steps to overcome her anxiety, 
I loved the moments with Audrey and Linus

Cover Thoughts: It's grown on me, but it isn't my favorite
Source: Sent for review

Final Thoughts: Sophie Kinsella knocks it out of the park with her YA debut, I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.