If You're Lucky Review

Rating: ✭✭✭

Title: If You're Lucky
Author: Yvonne Prinz
Genre: YA, Mystery, Contemporary, Mental Illness
Publication: October 25, 2015
Format: Arc E-galley, 288 pages
Source: Thanks to Algonquin Books for sending me a copy of If You're Lucky by Yvonne Prinz

Georgia's brother Lucky drowns while surfing in Australia, but Georgia knows her brother. She knows that he couldn't have drowned. When all his friends come down to False Bay and host a memorial, Georgia meets Fin. A charismatic and charming boy claiming to be Lucky's best friend. 
The voice in her head begin to tell her that she can't trust Fin, that he killed Lucky. In an attempt to make these voices clearer, Georgia stops taking her medication and sacrifices her sanity.

If You're Lucky was a good book and had many elements that I liked enough to give 3 stars but I just thought it was lacking build up and energy. Being in a genre of mystery, I would expect a lot of tension and the feeling of needing to continue reading, but there was none of that. It had the perfect amount of twists and turns to keep me engaged but I never really felt like I was fully enjoying the book or really invested in what was happening. Even at the end, everything kind of just happened and I was confused because it wasn't very clear. Despite this, I believe that it's a difficult feat to tackle a mental disorder like schizophrenia head on but If You're Lucky has portrayed this perfectly and realistically.

Georgia investigates Fin as she begins to notice strange behaviour, but as her actions and moods become completely unstable, it becomes a challenge for the reader to determine reality from fabrication. Writing this through Georgia, the MC with the mental disorder, was a really amazing aspect of the novel because it kept me guessing throughout. I found myself more invested in what Georgia was going to do and how she would react rather than caring about what Fin would do next or how the story was progressing. Sadly, the plot was quite predictable for me, even from just reading the synopsis, but I could tell that Yvonne Prinz worked hard to articulate and develop a well thought out plot because it really showed. 

Each character was a hit for me and I liked all of them because they all had a personality. Fin was probably the best character in the book because he was so charming and really fit into the role of an identity thief stealing his dead best friend's life. I didn't find it difficult reading through Georgia's perspective either and quite enjoyed her unreliability - it was fun and intriguing to be confused about whether something was happening or not in the book. 

Overall, If You're Lucky was a great read, and a unique one, as it is written through the perspective of Georgia, a sufferer of Schizophrenia and I would recommend it for anyone searching for a refreshing, mysterious and riveting read.

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Your Voice Is All I Hear Review

Rating: ✭✭✭✭

Title: Your Voice Is All I Hear
Author: Leah Scheier
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Mental Illness, Realistic Fiction, Romance
Publication: September 1, 2015
Format: Arc E-galley, 336 pages
Source: Thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Fire for sending me a copy of this novel.

"It's not like other illnesses. A person who is sick with cancer has the support of the community. Everyone bands together and tries to help. Friends organise runs for a cure and put together and put together bake sales and blood drives. Next door neighbours bring tuna casseroles to the patient's family.

There are no casseroles for schizophrenia," I said.

- April, page 306

After meeting Jonah, the new boy at school, April immediately feels a connection and soon begin a relationship - and a good one. Then Jonah begins to slip into darkness and begins to lose a grip on reality that endangers himself and April, but April won't leave him. She decides to whatever she can to help him and protect him, even though everyone is telling her to let him go. April learns about sacrifice and loyalty, and how her love for one boy can make her change the way she sees and hears life.

Your Voice Is All I Hear was definitely not what I was expecting and a complete winner; it tackles the mental illness of Schizophrenia in very engaging way. I loved the whole idea of the story, which I will explain later, because it was very well written and thought of. I thought that Leah Scheier had a very realistic portrayal of Schizophrenia. I have read other books that feature Schizophrenia but never realised how intense it really was because I found it quite a new and shocking experience to read. Leah also did this thing where the narrator and main character April changed tenses and then she began to speak about Jonah in a different tone which completely sucked me in and from there I just had to keep on reading.

Your Voice Is All I Hear had an amazing plot line. I was really fooled by the sappy and romantic beginning which then transitioned into an amazing last half. It was extremely well paced and kept me, as a reader, engaged throughout. This also added a mystery element to it which I really loved. Others may dislike the romantic beginning, but I think that it really made this book. It 'complemented' the illness aspect of the book as it helped the readers distinguish the mannerisms and behaviours of schizophrenic individuals to others who are witnessing it. It made the expression of April and Jonah's emotions easier.

Ava was a very flat and lacking character, I couldn't get any emotion or depth out of her. That may have been because I found her naivety very annoying when it came to Jonah and his illness. I also found that a lot of the characters were stereotypical too (of course April would have an extremely attractive best friend with legs-for-days and perfect hair). On the more positive side, I think that the characters reactions towards Jonah's illness was portrayed quite well and plausible.

Your Voice Is All I Hear is a raw and fascinating novel that doesn't romanticise mental illness and portrays it in a different and realistic light. I would really recommend this.

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All The Bright Places Book Review

Rating: ✭✭✭✭

Title: All The Bright Places

Author: Jennifer Niven

Genre: YA, Romance, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Mental Health

Publication: 2015

Format: Paperback, 378 Pages

Source: Personal Copy

"You are all the colours in one, at full brightness"

- Theodore Finch, 172 

All The Bright Places is a heartbreaking young adult novel by Jennifer Niven about two teens, both with different personalities, who meet at the top of a bell tower. Neither of them know if they intended to jump or not, but they both end up climbing off the ledge. Finch is the 'freak' and Violet is the popular girl at school; each have personal struggles they believe can't be fixed. Out of luck, they wind up as partners for a project to explore the 'natural wonders' of Indiana. On this journey, Violet begins to get over the death of her sister but Finch is falling backwards. Each goes through measures for one another, but maybe it is just not enough.

I've been wondering how to rate this book for a while, and I have settled on 4 stars. All The Bright Places was emotional and very engaging read; so much so I was able to read it in two sittings. This book was very smart and well written. It was easy to follow and understand and I love a good book with quotes that mean something. Jennifer Niven has also incorporated real life problems and serious subjects into this novel and a reminder for teens that if you ever think you need help, you should look for it because it is there and you are not alone. It was written in a dual perspective between Finch and Violet with light, humorous, and sometimes meaningful, dialogue. I also love how the characters in the novel didn't fall into instalove but actually developed a relationship throughout the book. 

The plot of this book is pretty simple but it's genius. Every little thing that happens all relates and contributes to the ending of the book. I was unsure of what to expect about the story and sort of went into it without knowing what would happen and I think that made my experience of the novel better. Jennifer Niven used clever clues to hint things throughout the book and I was completely oblivious to it. This is why I really enjoyed the book; the fact that everything was there but at the same time it wasn't. I think it gave the book a slight dramatic and touching effect. The incorporation of adventure, romance and even a bit of mystery into the plot also made All The Bright Places a great read.

Both characters were quirky and unique, and equally messed up. The amount of times I caught myself smiling because of Finch was too many to count. I completely fell in love with his character. On the other hand, I did not hate Violet but I didn't love her. I personally thought she was bland and lacked compared to Finch. In the light of that, both their personalities did make for some funny and enjoyable moments. Also, I did find the characters were slightly unrealistic but their motives were justifiable and they melded well with the plot. 

As cheesy as the book sounds, I loved it and it has changed me. If you are a fan of The Fault In Our Stars, I recommend this book because they are very similar plot-wise. I'd also like to mention the Author Notes and how it addressed suicide and mental illness. I gave this book a 4 stars because although there were flaws in the characters, the narrative was amazing and very well written. Overall, I thought this book was heart-warming, emotional, intelligent and lovely. A must read.

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