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Get in My Head: Sara's Story
"You'll tell Mom if you're not doing good?"
I nod again, my throat's too tight to speak.
"I'm serious, you'll tell her this time?"
"Yes sir." My heart bangs on my rib cage.
"Promise?" Dad pushes.
"Promise." I lie. I could never do that to her again. I’m stronger this time.
New school. New year. It’s all too familiar for military brat, Sara Parker. After her dad gets deployed, the darkness in her mind is set free, wreaking havoc on every aspect of her life.
Stuck in the bottom of a pit with no one to turn to, Sara’s world comes crashing down as everyone around her discovers her secrets, one scar at a time.
I nod again, my throat's too tight to speak.
"I'm serious, you'll tell her this time?"
"Yes sir." My heart bangs on my rib cage.
"Promise?" Dad pushes.
"Promise." I lie. I could never do that to her again. I’m stronger this time.
New school. New year. It’s all too familiar for military brat, Sara Parker. After her dad gets deployed, the darkness in her mind is set free, wreaking havoc on every aspect of her life.
Stuck in the bottom of a pit with no one to turn to, Sara’s world comes crashing down as everyone around her discovers her secrets, one scar at a time.
- GenresContemporary
256 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 1, 2018
7 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
S.M. Holland
6 books22 followersHolland's 'Get in My Head' series depicts teenagers and their struggles with mental illness. Follow along to learn about the affects mental illness can have on a person.
If you or someone you love is suffering, please do not hesitate to ask for help. Remember: you are loved.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Call 1-800-273-8255
If you or someone you love is suffering, please do not hesitate to ask for help. Remember: you are loved.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Call 1-800-273-8255
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 9, 2018
Writing about mental illness is no easy task, especially in young adult literature, but S. M. Holland manages to do so with finesse and sensitivity in her Get In My Head series. I read Jared's Story several months ago and enjoyed it, but for me, Sara's Story just resonated so much more. Maybe that was because I found myself able to relate to her personally, not only in regards to her experience with anxiety and depression, but also because of her background. Sara comes from a family that moves around a lot, meaning she's never able to really put down roots anywhere and her relationships and friendships are in constant upheaval. She's also a highly sensitive young woman, and with everything else her family is going through, she doesn't want to rock the boat with her own issues. Having experienced some of those same feelings myself, I felt the author did a great job of capturing that perspective. There were several lines in the book where I found myself thinking, "YES! That's exactly how it feels to be in this particular situation." Just seeing a character who so clearly represented some of the same issues I struggled with as a teenager made me feel like this was the book I needed at 15 or 16, and I'm sure there are many other young people out there for whom this book will resonate.
That being said, it's definitely not an easy story to read, nor should it be. But it is an important one, and it offers some great insight into what living with anxiety and depression can be like for a young person. The author strikes a delicate balance between portraying Sara's emotions in a way that feels accurate and poignant without venturing into melodramatic territory, which could have derailed the book's significance entirely. I don't cry at books very often, but I got a teary-eyed more than once here as I was reading about Sara's experiences. It was because of that emotional connection to the character that I kept flying through the pages as fast as I could just wanting to know what would happen next.
Although this is very much Sara's story, the other characters are fleshed out enough to feel real and three-dimensional. Their portrayal is filtered through Sara's perception of them, but it was easy enough to get a clear sense of who they were and what their motivations were, even when Sara maybe couldn't sort that all out for herself. I appreciated how integral each one of them became to Sara's journey, and having such well-developed secondary characters provided some interesting conflicts for the story that allowed Sara's character development to unfold in a natural way.
If you're looking for a story that deals with mental health issues in a realistic but sensitive way, I would highly recommend this book. Just be prepared to feel all the feelings, because there are definitely a lot here.
That being said, it's definitely not an easy story to read, nor should it be. But it is an important one, and it offers some great insight into what living with anxiety and depression can be like for a young person. The author strikes a delicate balance between portraying Sara's emotions in a way that feels accurate and poignant without venturing into melodramatic territory, which could have derailed the book's significance entirely. I don't cry at books very often, but I got a teary-eyed more than once here as I was reading about Sara's experiences. It was because of that emotional connection to the character that I kept flying through the pages as fast as I could just wanting to know what would happen next.
Although this is very much Sara's story, the other characters are fleshed out enough to feel real and three-dimensional. Their portrayal is filtered through Sara's perception of them, but it was easy enough to get a clear sense of who they were and what their motivations were, even when Sara maybe couldn't sort that all out for herself. I appreciated how integral each one of them became to Sara's journey, and having such well-developed secondary characters provided some interesting conflicts for the story that allowed Sara's character development to unfold in a natural way.
If you're looking for a story that deals with mental health issues in a realistic but sensitive way, I would highly recommend this book. Just be prepared to feel all the feelings, because there are definitely a lot here.
February 16, 2018
Sara is a gripping, heartbreaking story with powerful insights that will make you reexamine your life and the lives of people around you. Unlike Jared's story, the majority of which takes place in a medical care facility, in Sara we get to see the painful, messy shockwaves that reverberate through Sara's family and her school as she tries to deal with her mental illness in secret.
The characters are beautiful, vivid, broken, and real. Nobody knows how to respond to Sara in exactly the right way, which is so incredibly true to life. So many of the characters have good intentions but can't see past their own biases and problems. And in the end, nobody "saves" Sara. She has to make her own choices about what kind of life she wants to live, and I love that about this story.
I will put a warning to anyone who has struggled with self-harm or thoughts of self-harm that this book could be triggering. But I hope that you can get to a place where you can read it, because I believe it will also offer encouragement that you are not alone and there is a way forward.
This story hits close to home for me both with my life experiences and my chosen occupation, and I am so thankful that S.M. Holland never settles for two-dimensional characters or easy answers. Hats off to Holland for her courage, her compassion, and her incredible skills as a storyteller.
The characters are beautiful, vivid, broken, and real. Nobody knows how to respond to Sara in exactly the right way, which is so incredibly true to life. So many of the characters have good intentions but can't see past their own biases and problems. And in the end, nobody "saves" Sara. She has to make her own choices about what kind of life she wants to live, and I love that about this story.
I will put a warning to anyone who has struggled with self-harm or thoughts of self-harm that this book could be triggering. But I hope that you can get to a place where you can read it, because I believe it will also offer encouragement that you are not alone and there is a way forward.
This story hits close to home for me both with my life experiences and my chosen occupation, and I am so thankful that S.M. Holland never settles for two-dimensional characters or easy answers. Hats off to Holland for her courage, her compassion, and her incredible skills as a storyteller.
July 12, 2023
I had my doubts as to whether or not Holland could possibly write anything to contend with Jared’s Story—but Sara’s Story definitely gives it a run for its money! Objectively, I would even go so far as to say that Sara’s story is an even superior work.
Sara’s Story is comprised of a series of journal entries written by a high school girl named Sara, who struggles with severe depression—as well as an addiction to cutting. Much like in Jared’s Story, Sara’s narrative voice is distinct, raw, and powerful. I was happily surprised, though, by how different the two novels ended up proving. I had expected all of the books in the Get in My Head Series to center on the experiences of young people in mental institutions—but that did not end up being the case. Sara, in fact, seems exactly like your typical high school girl on the outside. Her struggle is, in many ways, less glaring than Jared’s. But this by no means makes her narrative any less gripping or powerful.
I think that perhaps my favorite aspect of Sara’s Story would be the unforgettable nerd of voice, which included so many mesmerizing quotes. This book just has a plethora of amazing passages that periodically made me just stop and savor the text. Here are the two that probably impacted me the most:
"How am I feeling? If I could figure it out, I wouldn't be feeling this way."
“The ladybug doesn’t care that I’m sad. Not just sad. How do you describe a feeling that constantly weighs on your stomach and closes up your throat? It doesn’t matter, because the ladybug doesn’t care.”
Yeah. I’m not really sure what it was, but those two quotes just blew me away.
Another of my favorite aspects of the book was the family relationships—particularly the relationship between the twins Sara and Shane, who boast one of the most profound and best-written sibling arcs that I have ever encountered in any novel. Holland beautifully captures the type of love-hate relationship that so often exists between immediate family members. Yeah, our family members might get on our nerves sometimes. Sure, we might butt heads. But, at the end of the day, that is because we care for one another. Sometimes our caring merely manifests itself in unhealthy, broken ways. Sara’s relationship with Shane actually reminds me of the sibling relationship between Darian and Nadine in the movie Edge of 17. Seeing that Edge of 17 is my all-time favorite coming of age story, and since Nadine’s relationship with Darian sines as perhaps my favorite aspect of the whole movie, this makes for high praise from me!
And, oh my goodness, I cannot even begin to describe how much I love Garrett, who jumps off the page as by far my favorite of all of Holland’s characters from any of her four books. I found him to be a breath of fresh air in an oftentimes heavy novel (not to mention a very complex individual in his own right). He is so well-meaning and so caring, but sometimes he does not always know the right thing to say or do to help people. Despite the best of intentions, sometimes his behavior unintentionally gets in his own way. And his character has an amazing arc, too! I do not want to spoil anything beyond this—but, through Garrett’s character, Holland expertly reminds us not to judge a book by its cover.
Some of the other things that I most loved about Sara’s Story were similar to the things that I praised Jared’s Story for. Holland seamlessly builds to a major reveal, such that it is heavily foreshadowed but still deeply surprising. Also, the novel manages to give its reader a sense of hope at the end, despite its bleak subject matter. I am certain that individuals with struggles similar to Sara’s and Jared’s will find hope, solace, and understanding in the Get in my Head Series. This is not to say that things magically get better for the characters—but Holland nonetheless makes it clear that there exists hope for people with mental illness.
The closest thing that I have to a critique for Sara’s Story would be that I found many of the characters to lack a certain degree of vividness—with the exceptions of Sara and Garrett and, to some extent, Shane. To be clear, I do not think that most readers would have a problem with the characterization. Most of the reviewers have praised the characters in this book, and I can certainly understand why. It proves easy to get a general sense as to what kind of people the characters are—and Holland writes their interactions with Sara BEAUTIFULLY. Each member of the cast is distinct from one another, to say the least. But they still lacked vividness for me. I wanted to know more about their likes and their dislikes, their quirks and their passions. The likes of Kyle, Tate, Lauren, and Natalie all proved slightly lacking in vividness for me. Even Shane, while his interactions with Sara are written phenomenally, left me wanting to know more about what his general personality was like outside of these family dynamics. So, even though the characterization is overall very impressive, and while two of the characters are phenomenal, I would deem this installment to have the weakest cast in the series. While I do not feel like this would make for any kind of problem for most readers, it was the one thing that I feel like held Sara’s Story back from shining as an all-time favorite YA coming-of-age story for me.
However, everything else about Sara’s Story absolutely blew me away on both of my readings. If you like a good character study, then read this book. If you like books about mental illness, then read this book. If you like beautifully written, bitingly honest prose, then read this book. Just, read this book.
Sara’s Story is comprised of a series of journal entries written by a high school girl named Sara, who struggles with severe depression—as well as an addiction to cutting. Much like in Jared’s Story, Sara’s narrative voice is distinct, raw, and powerful. I was happily surprised, though, by how different the two novels ended up proving. I had expected all of the books in the Get in My Head Series to center on the experiences of young people in mental institutions—but that did not end up being the case. Sara, in fact, seems exactly like your typical high school girl on the outside. Her struggle is, in many ways, less glaring than Jared’s. But this by no means makes her narrative any less gripping or powerful.
I think that perhaps my favorite aspect of Sara’s Story would be the unforgettable nerd of voice, which included so many mesmerizing quotes. This book just has a plethora of amazing passages that periodically made me just stop and savor the text. Here are the two that probably impacted me the most:
"How am I feeling? If I could figure it out, I wouldn't be feeling this way."
“The ladybug doesn’t care that I’m sad. Not just sad. How do you describe a feeling that constantly weighs on your stomach and closes up your throat? It doesn’t matter, because the ladybug doesn’t care.”
Yeah. I’m not really sure what it was, but those two quotes just blew me away.
Another of my favorite aspects of the book was the family relationships—particularly the relationship between the twins Sara and Shane, who boast one of the most profound and best-written sibling arcs that I have ever encountered in any novel. Holland beautifully captures the type of love-hate relationship that so often exists between immediate family members. Yeah, our family members might get on our nerves sometimes. Sure, we might butt heads. But, at the end of the day, that is because we care for one another. Sometimes our caring merely manifests itself in unhealthy, broken ways. Sara’s relationship with Shane actually reminds me of the sibling relationship between Darian and Nadine in the movie Edge of 17. Seeing that Edge of 17 is my all-time favorite coming of age story, and since Nadine’s relationship with Darian sines as perhaps my favorite aspect of the whole movie, this makes for high praise from me!
And, oh my goodness, I cannot even begin to describe how much I love Garrett, who jumps off the page as by far my favorite of all of Holland’s characters from any of her four books. I found him to be a breath of fresh air in an oftentimes heavy novel (not to mention a very complex individual in his own right). He is so well-meaning and so caring, but sometimes he does not always know the right thing to say or do to help people. Despite the best of intentions, sometimes his behavior unintentionally gets in his own way. And his character has an amazing arc, too! I do not want to spoil anything beyond this—but, through Garrett’s character, Holland expertly reminds us not to judge a book by its cover.
Some of the other things that I most loved about Sara’s Story were similar to the things that I praised Jared’s Story for. Holland seamlessly builds to a major reveal, such that it is heavily foreshadowed but still deeply surprising. Also, the novel manages to give its reader a sense of hope at the end, despite its bleak subject matter. I am certain that individuals with struggles similar to Sara’s and Jared’s will find hope, solace, and understanding in the Get in my Head Series. This is not to say that things magically get better for the characters—but Holland nonetheless makes it clear that there exists hope for people with mental illness.
The closest thing that I have to a critique for Sara’s Story would be that I found many of the characters to lack a certain degree of vividness—with the exceptions of Sara and Garrett and, to some extent, Shane. To be clear, I do not think that most readers would have a problem with the characterization. Most of the reviewers have praised the characters in this book, and I can certainly understand why. It proves easy to get a general sense as to what kind of people the characters are—and Holland writes their interactions with Sara BEAUTIFULLY. Each member of the cast is distinct from one another, to say the least. But they still lacked vividness for me. I wanted to know more about their likes and their dislikes, their quirks and their passions. The likes of Kyle, Tate, Lauren, and Natalie all proved slightly lacking in vividness for me. Even Shane, while his interactions with Sara are written phenomenally, left me wanting to know more about what his general personality was like outside of these family dynamics. So, even though the characterization is overall very impressive, and while two of the characters are phenomenal, I would deem this installment to have the weakest cast in the series. While I do not feel like this would make for any kind of problem for most readers, it was the one thing that I feel like held Sara’s Story back from shining as an all-time favorite YA coming-of-age story for me.
However, everything else about Sara’s Story absolutely blew me away on both of my readings. If you like a good character study, then read this book. If you like books about mental illness, then read this book. If you like beautifully written, bitingly honest prose, then read this book. Just, read this book.
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December 8, 2023...
August 31, 2024
I read this book in one sitting. I've never related so much to a character (down to having an older sis named Destiny - in the book the older sis is called Fate)- It's disturbingly accurate of what it's like being a female, middle child, military brat and family more concerned with saving face than healing.
I think the writer incredible. It's a book that will haunt you with wondering what is next if you can't read it in one sitting. The complexity & family dynamic is too real & the character development is natural.
I appreciate the writer's ability to accurately capture depression, cutting, consequences, and why people do what they do even if it doesn't make sense to another.
The line that caused me to pause was when Sara told her brother, "...These are your scars, too! You just can't see them on your body!" Invisible vices are no better than visible ones. The book does well exposing how each vice tears apart the person and what it can take to find another avenue.
Also, no highschool romance. That's a win alone.
I think the writer incredible. It's a book that will haunt you with wondering what is next if you can't read it in one sitting. The complexity & family dynamic is too real & the character development is natural.
I appreciate the writer's ability to accurately capture depression, cutting, consequences, and why people do what they do even if it doesn't make sense to another.
The line that caused me to pause was when Sara told her brother, "...These are your scars, too! You just can't see them on your body!" Invisible vices are no better than visible ones. The book does well exposing how each vice tears apart the person and what it can take to find another avenue.
Also, no highschool romance. That's a win alone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2018
S.M. Holland does it again. Tapping into the character's voice so authentically you can truly believe you are listening to the story from her own lips, she drags the reader along into an emotional and riveting journey. With characters that feel like they are jumping off the page and real-world facts and applications for a lot of her story. This is a series to follow, for sure!
June 13, 2018
My first thought after reading this book: mental health counselors should read it. My second thought: Holy crap, I didn't think Jared's Story could be topped. But in my opinion, it was by this. And my third thought: SM Holland truly cares about people. You can't read this book, or Jared's Story, and not see that the author pours her heart and soul into every word. It bleeds through every page. If you struggle with depression, get this book. If you work with people who struggle with depression, get this book. If someone you love struggles with depression, you especially should get this book. It's as much about Sara's family dynamic as it is about her struggle. Mostly, it's about what NOT to say or do when someone you love is struggling. If you truly want to know what it is like inside the mind of someone who wants to cry out for help but can't...look no further. Holland's work is needed in the mental health community. As someone who toes the line of depression fairly often, if not falling over the line at times, this story resonated very deeply. Please, just do yourself a favor and get it. Like, right now.
April 30, 2019
Sara is very depressed. Her seemingly perfect family all hide their own demons. She's one of the braves ones, for she expresses how she feels, but sadly, some of her coping mechanisms are morbid. I was drawn in to this story from the start and couldn't put it down. Get In My Head: Sara's Story allows us to view how the depressed mind works and help us understand why some depressed people do what they do. I loved Sara as a protagonist. I could actually relate to her when I was a young teenager - that was back when nobody really talked about depression so I didn't know what was wrong with me, why I'd pretend to be sick so I could lie in bed for two weeks when I was 12 years old. And she overcomes - not through her own strength but with the help of her twin brother and a very good therapist. This story is real, no sugar coating what depression really feels like. The author's writing style is simply stunning in my opinion, and her author's note at the very end of the story was beautiful. I will keep reading books by S.M. Holland. She's become my new favourite author!
April 3, 2024
We were a military family. I saw some of the same struggles our family went through as we moved from base to base and around the world. Our children all dealt with it in different ways. I saw my daughter in Sara's struggles. I cried as I read remembering my daughter and her struggles. S.M. Holland hit it straight on, no sugar coating or sesationalization of what goes on with the very real issues. Holland did not disappoint in this portral.
February 20, 2018
Good read
I wasn't sure that I would like it but I am very surprised to say that it is a very good book. It makes you think about depression in a whole new light and how it affects different people. I loved it.
I wasn't sure that I would like it but I am very surprised to say that it is a very good book. It makes you think about depression in a whole new light and how it affects different people. I loved it.
April 12, 2018
Can't give this one 5 stars. I felt like I was too far into her head, and her family situation regarding feelings hits way too close to home. Kinda figured out the ending after noticing a subtle reference part way through.
March 11, 2020
Excellent Depiction of the Struggles of Mental Illness
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews