Intriguing but not impactful

I really liked this book. I have ADHD so it says a lot that I was immediately locked in.

However, I felt like the characters weren’t developed or real enough, like they were depthless which really sucks because the whole book was divided between two points of view.

Jamie was the worst main character I’ve ever encountered during my entire experience of being literate. She was annoying, irritating, and such a let down. She made me want to roll my eyes and leave the book almost constantly. If you don’t have depression, chances are you’ll find her to be needlessly angsty and boring. If you have a more severe psychiatric condition like bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder, you’ll still find her to be needlessly angsty and boring. It felt as if her entire reason for existing as a character was to be relatable to young girls who fetishize their depression and turn it into a personality trait while also internalizing that they’re unique and they’ll never be cured. Depression isn’t chronic or incurable, and nearly a quarter of American girls have it...Jamie wasn’t special. She didn’t have a rare condition no one could understand. The portrayal wasn’t realistic, someone who struggles with depression can’t regulate their mood so strictly that all their interactions are calculated. It was also unjust for the author to compare depression to cystic fibrosis. If anything, David should’ve been more depressed.

David was a thoroughly enjoyable character though aside from his chapters sounding like a medical textbook. I wish the author focused more on developing unique or at least individual personality traits rather than defining him by his illness.

Still, I can’t bring myself to give this anything less than a 3 star. It was a good book that I don’t regret reading.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful