I feel super bad bc this barely has any reviews but the book was terrible. There was no sense of pacing and it was very unclear at a lot of points (e.g. one minute she's in the shower, the next minute she's in a park). I read it in around an hour and 45 minutes with my friend in Barnes and Noble and we laughed together because there were so many ridiculous lines and plot points. Also like, people did not make a big enough deal about half of what went on, and they made way too big a deal out of tiny things. *gets drunk to the point of hospitalization* Dr. whats his face: I'm proud of you! *drinks tea* I will kick you out of this program even though it is unclear whether you are here voluntarily and I make no sense ever!
Also, the last 5-ish pages were just... ridiculous. Like, what????? I'm convinced the author read a different trashy book about mental hospitals and then wrote this bc it was all just... oy. Also, the author kept deciding on different things halfway through, like they never brought up running until the very end and suddenly it was her entire identity?? And there was no consistency to the anxious thoughts. It was also just so unrealistic to the point that it was kind of hilarious, and literally nothing happened yet somehow so much happened and suddenly she's like "this insignificant character changed my life."
Okay I'm so sorry if the author is reading this. It's not personal and I hope you take this constructively. Maybe your next book will be better. ( )

Literary Merit: Great
Characterization: Great
Recommended: yes
Level: High School or above

Tamar is in a psychiatric hospital after her friend Iris dies. Tamar attempted sucide but her father came home early from work and saved her life.

This novel has a powerful hook that makes you want to keep reading even though sections are uncomfortable. The Hook: Tamar believes she killed Iris.

While Tamar is at the psychiatric hospital she meets several lovable characters. She befriends individuals with anorexia or bipolar disorders.

Spoiler alert: Tamar did not kill Iris. Iris killed herself. Iris’ death did cause an onset of Tamar’s borderline personality disorder. The author’s note at the end of the book is empowering to anyone suffering with mental illness.

The novel concludes: “I am proud because I killed my monster, then destroyed the evidence, and I annihilated the darkness that tried to kill me, I climbed one hundred barbed-wire fences and I escaped hopelessness.

I yearn for the madness of life and I hope you will, too.” ( )