Tag: Mental Health

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YA Review: The Nobleman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks (Montague Siblings #3)

Title: The Nobleman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks
Author: Mackenzi Lee
Edition: Hardback
Rating: 4/5

I loved the other books in Mackenzi Lee’s Stonewall-Honor-winning historical adventure series, and I’ve been waiting for the final novel for far too long!

Adrian is the youngest of the three Montague siblings – so much younger that he doesn’t remember his brother or his sister. Both left home to pursue unconventional careers and lifestyles (Henry/Monty to live with his partner Percy, and Felicity to become a doctor in spite of her gender), and their parents have hidden their existence from Adrian for nineteen years.

On the cusp of adulthood, Adrian is living in London. He’s engaged to a political activist (the wonderful Louisa), and is expected to take his father’s seat in the House of Lords. But his politics are directly opposed to his father’s Conservatism, and he’s never felt able to confess this. When a package of belongings throws doubt on the official report’s of his mother’s recent death, Adrian finds himself on an unforgettable journey in search of the truth.

Mackenzi Lee once again throws her protagonist into a grand adventure – by sea to exotic destinations, helped (and hindered) by the friends and enemies his older siblings have made in their travels. It is wonderful to meet Monty and Felicity again – older, wiser, competent (Felicity) and disaster-prone (Monty), and to see them for the first time through their younger brother’s eyes. The story is exciting and gripping, with just a touch of magic alongside the historical facts.

The most remarkable aspect of the book is the focus on Adrian’s anxiety and mental health. He experiences intrusive thoughts, spiralling emotions, and debilitating panic, all of which are described with absolute sympathy and understanding. His symptoms are based on the author’s own anxiety, and throughout the book the other characters treat Adrian with love, and with validation and positive messaging. As the story progresses, he becomes more at home in his own skin, and less ashamed of his natural reactions. It’s a brilliantly positive message, and an absolutely organic part of his adventure.

A wonderful conclusion to the trilogy, and definitely worth the wait!

Have you read The Nobleman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks? What did you think of Adrian’s adventure? And what about meeting Monty, Percy, and Felicity again? Click through to the full blog to access the comments section, and share your thoughts! No spoilers, though – you can post those on GoodReads!

Review cross-posted to GoodReads.

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YA Review: An Abundance of Katherines

Title: An Abundance of Katherines
Author: John Green
Edition: Paperback
Rating: 5/5

Every so often I need to find a new John Green book to read, to remind me how much I enjoy his writing. Several people have recommended An Abundance of Katherines to me, and I can see why.

Colin is heartbroken over the end of his relationship. He’s been dumped, again, by a girl named Katherine, again. In fact, it’s his nineteenth dumping by a girl named Katherine, and he’s wondering why this keeps happening. In an attempt to escape from his post-high-school misery, he heads off on a road trip with his best friend Hassan. Their plan to keep moving and discover themselves on the road quickly comes to a halt in Gutshot, Tennessee, where they both find work – and girls who are not named Katherine.

Colin is a former child prodigy, and throughout the book he attempts to build a single mathematical model that accurately describes all nineteen of his Katherine relationships. If the model works for his previous experiences of being dumped, he’s hoping it will predict the course of his future relationships. It’s a girl called Lindsey who helps him to perfect his model, as he explains the circumstances of every relationship and breakup.

This is a quirky, fun read that doesn’t sidestep the very real pain of being dumped – and being dumped repeatedly. Colin’s attempts to understand his experiences feel constructive and pointless at the same time. He’s used to being able to think his way through problems, and while building a mathematical model for his relationships feels like an effective coping mechanism, Colin struggles to see past this cerebral response to an emotional solution.

Colin is a relatable character. He’s a fundamentally good person, but he is plagued by the fear that he has wasted his childhood potential. He knows that being a childhood prodigy does not automatically guarantee a successful career. Adult geniuses were not necessarily outstanding as children, and intellectually brilliant children are no more likely to become adult geniuses than anyone else. It’s a tough situation, and his obsession with the mathematical model feels like a genuine and understandable reaction to his fears for the future as he graduates from high school.

There’s an engaging cast of supporting characters. Hassan embodies everything that Colin struggles to accept. He is happy to sit and watch daytime TV, and let life happen around him, while Colin spends considerable energy on being brilliant and earning the good grades he knows he deserves. He’s the easy-going best friend who highlights Colin’s highly strung approach to life. Lindsey and her friends provide the companionship Colin and Hassan need as they navigate the summer between school and college. Their relationships are complicated, and not entirely obvious to the outsiders. Lindsey’s mother is a high-powered businesswoman with a heart, and her employees and former employees shape the small-town community of Gutshot. Every character feels real, and it is a pleasure to spend time in their company.

John Green’s positive portrayal of characters experiencing mental health challenges (in this case a crisis of confidence and a fear of the future) are always engaging and sympathetic, and Colin is another wonderfully realistic example. Like his other books, this is a quick but haunting read. There may be an appendix explaining the mathematical theory behind Colin’s relationship model (and I love John Green for providing that!), but it is the emotional impact of the story that stays with you, long after you’ve turned the final page.

Have you read An Abundance of Katherines? What did you think of the story? Did you enjoy the mathematical elements? Click through to the full blog to access the comments section, and share your thoughts! No spoilers, though – you can post those on GoodReads!

Review cross-posted to GoodReads.

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YA Review: Fangirl

Title: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Edition: Paperback
Rating: 4/5

This is another YA novel I should have read ages ago! The setup for Fangirl is very clever. Cath is starting her first year of university. She’s shy, socially awkward, and she’d rather stay in her room and write fan fiction than go to parties. Her twin sister Wren embraces the social side of college, and the two find themselves drifting apart.

Here’s the clever part – when she’s not completing assignments, Cath is one of the most popular authors of fan fiction for the Simon Snow books – a fictional series about a boy attending a school for magicians. She ships the main characters, changes their relationships with each other and with their fellow students – and she has thousands of fans. She’s writing her own version of the eighth and final book in the series, and she needs to post all her chapters on the fan fiction website before the official final book is published. Personal disasters, family emergencies, and college deadlines have to take second place to her creative project – but not everyone appreciates her devotion to Simon and Baz. Fangirl, and the extracts from Cath’s fan fiction included on the book, proved so popular that Rainbow Rowell went on to write full versions of Cath’s fan novels – Carry On and Wayward Son. It was fun to read the novel that started the series, and produced addictive fan fiction for books that don’t exist.

Just as the fictional fan fiction plays games with the reader’s expectations, Fangirl takes its characters in some unexpected directions. A story that could have followed a straightforward ‘shy girl writes books, makes mistakes with boys’ plot instead explores friendships, exploitative relationships, unconventional families, addiction, mental illness, and a wonderful moment of revenge. Definitely not what I was expecting, Fangirl plays with YA tropes, fandom, and storytelling to produce an emotional story, and – accidentally – an entirely new fandom. Carry on, Simon and Baz!

Have you read Fangirl? What did you think of the story? And what about the fan fiction extracts? Click through to the full blog to access the comments section, and share your thoughts! No spoilers, though – you can post those on GoodReads!

Review cross-posted to GoodReads.

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YA Review: This Winter

Title: This Winter
Author: Alice Oseman
Edition: Kindle
Rating: 4/5

This is a sweet, emotional novella in the Heartstopper series, following Charlie through a difficult Christmas Day. Big sister Tori, little brother Oliver, and Charlie himself narrate sections of the story, as Charlie faces his first family gathering after spending several weeks on a psychiatric ward being treated for an eating disorder. It’s a short slice-of-life narrative that gives meaningful insights into the lives of the narrators, their relationships with each other and the rest of their family, and Charlie’s relationship with boyfriend Nick. There are illustrations at key points in the story, bringing the author’s instantly recognisable artwork into the novella and reinforcing the emotional beats of the narrative.

Heartbreaking and heartwarming at once, this is a short, punchy read that showcases love – between the siblings, within families, and between Charlie and Nick. A lovely addition to the series.

Have you read This Winter? What did you think of the story? Who was your favourite narrator? Click through to the full blog to access the comments section, and share your thoughts! No spoilers, though – you can post those on GoodReads!

Review cross-posted to GoodReads.

Please keep your comments YA appropriate. Be patient! We want to hear from you, but comments are moderated, and may take some time to appear.