I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

This was a charming, pleasant read. I particularly enjoyed the humor in the book: there were several funny situations and the sarcasm was just spot on. This is certainly a book that attempts to treat very serious issues, like grief, guilt and mental illness, in a light way. Petula is definitely already on her way to improvement, even though her anxiety at the beginning of the book is starting to spiral out of control again. But, it seemed to me, she actually wants to get better, and Jacob's arrival is just what she needs to get out of her shell again.

The characters were kind of hit and miss. I adored Petula: she really has her own voice and stands out from the background. She has been through hell, yet she still somehow finds the energy to come out on top of it and support her parents in the process. And that's another thing I liked: Petula has a good, healthy relationship with both of her parents, and actually talks to them, especially her mom, about important stuff for a teenage girl, like her love life. It's incredibly refreshing to finally see a teenager that doesn't keep a load of secrets from her parents, but actually asks for advice and talks about herself. Of course, this being a YA novel, the parents don't need to take up too much space, but they still manage to be a felt presence throughout. As for the rest of the cast, Jacob was... ok, I guess. He's charming, friendly, and hides a dark secret. Aside from this, I didn't really find that much more to him. The rest of the cast is incredibly varied and colourful. The guys in art therapy, in particular, were pretty amazing, and I would have loved to see some more of them throughout. Still, I enjoyed their evolution in the book.

The one thing that really let me down in the whole book is the fact that, after doing an amazing job of showing Petula's progress, right towards the end, everything is brought down to Jacob having "saved" her.
This is the only thing I really couldn't get past: getting over trauma and healing from anxiety cannot be reduced to a boy falling for you. Just, no.

This last point aside, I quite enjoyed the book. Its light tone, humor and short length made it a perfectly relaxing read in between other more "intense" reads. ( )

Canada, crafting and a crazy cat lady - another great book from Susin Neilsen. ( )

This was hilarious, especially in the first third or so of the book. It’s heartbreaking at times too, but I laughed out loud much of the way through that first third. It definitely went from hilarious to sad but there was no jarring transition and it was fun and serious throughout, and any shift was due to the characters revealing more about why they are the way they are and each of them (usually gradually) dealing with their life situations.

It has been a while since I read a young adult book. This is a good one.

This is the second book I’ve read consecutively where a main character/person has OCD or OCD-like tendencies/behaviors. I hadn’t known that about either book until I started reading them. As far as the hypochondria, though mine wasn’t as severe as it was for this book’s character, I feel as though this book could have been written for 11-11/12 to 17year old and even older me.

I love the cats’ names. I love the book’s dedication: “To all the other crazy cat people. You know who you are.” I do wonder though whether one of the cats was in dire need of veterinary attention!

While I’m tired of ya books that feel as though they have to have high school aged kids have sex in this case it seems to be only one girl and one guy who are girlfriend/boyfriend but the girl having sex is the one who’s scared of germs and even touching anyone and so that made the sexual contact feel less realistic, in a way. I do like the relationship here. I like all the relationships. This is a great story about friendships.

I like that not everything is wrapped up 100% neatly though it is wrapped up in a satisfying way.

The setting is Vancouver and Stanley Park is mentioned. One of my favorite cities and I love that park.

The story has something for almost everyone. I don’t want to say anything more about it in this review though I am happy to answer any questions.

There could be some triggers for some readers. Those who’ve had a child or a sibling die at a young age, drunk driving deaths & serious injuries, marriages that don’t work out, those who’ve experienced homophobia, those who’ve had experiences of unsupportive families/families kicking them out as minors, etc. etc. etc. The story does sometimes have a The Breakfast Club kind of feel. ( )

Let this be a lesson to me not to judge a book too quickly. When I started this, I found Petula’s narration underwhelming and a bit hard to take, and I was feeling cranky about having to read it for Teen Book Club. But things started clicking once more characters joined the story, and I ended up finishing it in an evening.

There’s a lot going on in this book, a lot to be resolved in a little over 200 pages. The themes of healing and forgiveness woven through the different plot lines won me over despite the feeling that the book wasn’t long enough to deal with each issue thoroughly. I couldn’t help but root for the YART kids, especially Petula and Jacob, whom I loved. I initially thought he was too good to be true, but he was still an endearing character. My misgivings in this regard were addressed later in the book.

A nice read, and a quick one. ( )

I picked up this book because I loved the title and the description. I found the first half of the book funny but it soon became just another book about mental illness being cured by a boyfriend. ( )