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Fade To White
Thea Fenton’s life looks picture-perfect, but inside, she is falling apart. Wracked by anxiety no one seems to understand or care about, she resorts to self-harm to deflect the pain inside.
When a local teen commits suicide, Thea’s anxiety skyrockets. Unexplainable things happen, leaving her feeling trapped within her own chaotic mind. The lines between reality and another world start to blur, and her previously mundane issues seem more daunting and insurmountable than ever.
Then she meets Khi, a mysterious new boy from the coffee shop who seems to know her better than she knows herself—and doesn’t think she’s crazy. His quiet confidence and unfounded familiarity draw her into an unconventional friendship.
Khi journeys with her through grief, fear, and confusion to arrive at compassion for the one person Thea never thought she could love.
A deeply transformational novel from an authentic new voice in Christian young adult fiction.
When a local teen commits suicide, Thea’s anxiety skyrockets. Unexplainable things happen, leaving her feeling trapped within her own chaotic mind. The lines between reality and another world start to blur, and her previously mundane issues seem more daunting and insurmountable than ever.
Then she meets Khi, a mysterious new boy from the coffee shop who seems to know her better than she knows herself—and doesn’t think she’s crazy. His quiet confidence and unfounded familiarity draw her into an unconventional friendship.
Khi journeys with her through grief, fear, and confusion to arrive at compassion for the one person Thea never thought she could love.
A deeply transformational novel from an authentic new voice in Christian young adult fiction.
230 pages, Paperback
Published May 30, 2020
23 people are currently reading
600 people want to read
About the author
Tara K. Ross
2 books132 followersAs a teen, Tara learned that well written prose can change the entire trajectory of a person's life. Case in point: her life. She now has the joy of sharing this discovery with youth everyday, through her work as a school Speech Pathologist and mentor with local youth programs. She is blessed with a ridiculously supportive family that carves out time each week for her to create stories that tackle the interplay of faith, community and mental health. FADE TO WHITE (IlluminateYA/LPC) is her debut novel.
When Tara is not writing or reading all things YA, you can find her rock climbing the Ontario escarpment, planning her family's next jungle trek or blogging about hope and gratitude at www.hopeprose.com.
When Tara is not writing or reading all things YA, you can find her rock climbing the Ontario escarpment, planning her family's next jungle trek or blogging about hope and gratitude at www.hopeprose.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
March 2, 2020
FADE TO WHITE is a story that I needed to write for my own mental health. Five years ago, when I began typing out a scattered mess of words, I used my own experiences with anxiety as a starting point. For months, I couldn’t leave home without a constricted heart, unsettled stomach and a duffle bag full of emergency supplies in the event of an impending natural disaster. Writing within the confines of my less fearful home seemed like a good alternative. It was safe. It made sense. Until, it didn’t.
In my opinion, you can’t get rid of mental illness by pretending it doesn’t exist. It doesn’t go away with a round of medicine and a day in bed. It ebbs and flows, and never really disappears. That doesn’t mean you can’t improve. Like most physical illnesses, you need to address the underlying causes if you want to really heal. I only realized this after much coercion from loved ones. I tackled my anxiety with a holistic mindset. I consider my biological state in partnership with my doctor. I attended group counseling for the cracked porcelain state of my headspace, and I surrounded myself with friends who didn’t require explanations or put out their own DIY solutions. It helped.
But there was still something deeper that wasn’t being addressed.
I was afraid of everything – from being T-boned on the road, to having my pimple called out by the coffee shop barista. I was beyond irrational, but if you hinted at my crazy, I’d guilt you into recanting your claims through tears. I was a wreck. I wasn’t healing even with all the bio-psycho-social factors considered. Then one night, while journaling I had quiet a moment of clarity. It was a simple truth that I’d known since I was a teenager but had forgotten. Most, if not all, of my fears, were lies.
This is where faith came into my healing and why, for me, it needed to be a part of FADE TO WHITE and Thea’s story.
As a character, Thea shares only a few of my life experiences, but many of my ebbs and flows. She is not based on one person, but rather she encompasses a radiant group of young people I have journeyed with over the past ten years. The actual details of Thea’s life are fictional, but the emotional highs and lows are real. Her story tackles heavy themes on purpose. Life is never perfect and we are not expected to be perfect within it. Sometimes as Christians, we forget this truth.
FADE TO WHITE is a story that I needed to write for my own mental health, but I sincerely hope it provides more than personal catharsis. Maybe it will allow for laughter within the struggle. Maybe it will inspire someone to write down their own story. Maybe it will build compassion and empathy for mental illness. If nothing else, I pray it reminds someone they are not alone and that there is hope within their brokenness.
CONTENT WARNINGS: mentions of suicide | mentions, and descriptions of self-harm | mentions of depression | mentions of suggestive sexual comments
In my opinion, you can’t get rid of mental illness by pretending it doesn’t exist. It doesn’t go away with a round of medicine and a day in bed. It ebbs and flows, and never really disappears. That doesn’t mean you can’t improve. Like most physical illnesses, you need to address the underlying causes if you want to really heal. I only realized this after much coercion from loved ones. I tackled my anxiety with a holistic mindset. I consider my biological state in partnership with my doctor. I attended group counseling for the cracked porcelain state of my headspace, and I surrounded myself with friends who didn’t require explanations or put out their own DIY solutions. It helped.
But there was still something deeper that wasn’t being addressed.
I was afraid of everything – from being T-boned on the road, to having my pimple called out by the coffee shop barista. I was beyond irrational, but if you hinted at my crazy, I’d guilt you into recanting your claims through tears. I was a wreck. I wasn’t healing even with all the bio-psycho-social factors considered. Then one night, while journaling I had quiet a moment of clarity. It was a simple truth that I’d known since I was a teenager but had forgotten. Most, if not all, of my fears, were lies.
This is where faith came into my healing and why, for me, it needed to be a part of FADE TO WHITE and Thea’s story.
As a character, Thea shares only a few of my life experiences, but many of my ebbs and flows. She is not based on one person, but rather she encompasses a radiant group of young people I have journeyed with over the past ten years. The actual details of Thea’s life are fictional, but the emotional highs and lows are real. Her story tackles heavy themes on purpose. Life is never perfect and we are not expected to be perfect within it. Sometimes as Christians, we forget this truth.
FADE TO WHITE is a story that I needed to write for my own mental health, but I sincerely hope it provides more than personal catharsis. Maybe it will allow for laughter within the struggle. Maybe it will inspire someone to write down their own story. Maybe it will build compassion and empathy for mental illness. If nothing else, I pray it reminds someone they are not alone and that there is hope within their brokenness.
CONTENT WARNINGS: mentions of suicide | mentions, and descriptions of self-harm | mentions of depression | mentions of suggestive sexual comments
January 5, 2025
5 beautiful, glowing stars
★★★★★
⋆⁺₊⋆ ❣︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
When I picked this book up, I knew vaguely that it was about mental health, but I didn’t know much about it. The author said she wrote this book to help her through her own mental health struggles, and I hope she could’ve known then how much her book would affect me and surely others when she went through that journey.
This book is adventure through a short chapter of Thea’s struggles and her life. It’s by far a clean book, as it talks about suicide, substance addiction, sex, and a lot more. It captures the sad reality of being a teenager. (I’ll revisit the content btw)
But, it also captures the beautiful love of Jesus, and how He can save anyone from the most soul crushing problems.
Being someone who’s struggled with anxiety, depression, and having close friends struggle with similar things, this book (in my opinion) perfectly captures the dark side of our world and how the light of Jesus makes it bearable.
⋆⁺₊⋆ ❣︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆ 𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐓 ⋆⁺₊⋆ ❣︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
⋆⁺ ❥ ₊⋆ Not gonna lie, sometimes the plot confused me just a bit. Whenever Thea would get her white panic attacks, I was very confused, and would often skim until they were over because it disoriented me to read them. They also hit really close to home sometimes so that might have played a part in why I skimmed over them.
⋆⁺ ❥ ₊⋆ Also the side plot with Gavin confused me to no end.
⋆⁺₊⋆ ❣︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 ⋆⁺₊⋆ ❣︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
⋆⁺ ❥ ₊⋆ 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐚 ⋆⁺ ❥ ₊⋆
THEA MY POOR GIRL. I just wanna scoop this girl beautiful broken girl into a long embrace and pray over her. I wanna tell her that I understand, that I feel her pain, that I’ve experienced exactly what she has. Unfortunately she is fictional, so I can’t. But this review will just have to do instead.
“𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞. 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧.”
She tried so hard to keep it together and gosh the girl couldn’t catch a break. Was a lot of what happened her fault? Well, kinda. But a lot of it was out of her control and I just feel so sad that she had to go through all of it at the same time.
“𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐨𝐤𝐚𝐲, 𝐈 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐭.” 𝐈 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐩 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠. “𝐈’𝐦 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩.”
Her compassion was truly a beautiful addition to the story as well.
“𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝. 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐜𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐞𝐚.” ☕︎︎
And oh my GOSH the little details. Like her dream, and the light, and arghhhhh guys you NEED to read this. The amount of times my hand FLEW to my mouth in shock at the connections and correlations inside this book—
“𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐫, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝𝐬. 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.”
Thea Fenton is such a me coded character and I will forever identify with her.
⋆⁺ ❥ ₊⋆ 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐲 & 𝐉𝐚𝐝𝐞 ⋆⁺ ❥ ₊⋆
I love her relationships with Jade and Ashley. Their bond was so sweet and made my heart melt.
“𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐚𝐝𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐲’𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐡. 𝐖𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞. 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐲’𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐝𝐞’𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠, 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬, 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐲’𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞; 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫? 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧.”
{this was after an argument Ashley and Thea had, and it just feels like such a beautiful moment}
⋆⁺ ❥ ₊⋆ 𝐊𝐡𝐢 ⋆⁺ ❥ ₊⋆
oh. my. gosh.
I loved Khi so much.
The thing about him is, as much as he could be a new book boyfriend (and trust me he could be:
“𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐛𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 ‘𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬’ 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭. 𝟐𝐂𝐎𝐑𝟏𝟐𝟗.”
I didn’t really think of him like that while reading. Instead I thought of him like Thea did.
A safe person.
“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝. 𝐓𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟?”
A person filled with light.
“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞. 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞.”
A beacon. (I wrote this before seeing that I highlighted the quote below)
“𝐊𝐡𝐢 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐧, 𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐈 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐰.“
I want my own Khi so bad.
“𝐖𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.“
⋆⁺ ❥ ₊⋆ 𝐓𝐨𝐦 ⋆⁺ ❥ ₊⋆
Tom made me want an older brother. He wasn’t perfect in any sense, but the way he watched out for Thea was so special. Not to mention what he went through—this man needs a hug too!!
“𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐓𝐨𝐦.”
Pretty sure that quote made me tear up.
⋆⁺₊⋆ ❣︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
“𝐒𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧?”
“𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥.”
“𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐢𝐭?”
{psalm 46:10, folks}
⋆⁺₊⋆ ❣︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
⋆♪ ⁺♫₊♩⋆ 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ⋆♪ ⁺♫₊♩⋆
{since I can’t find the official one the author mentioned (I’m screaming inside because I’m so frustrated I can’t find it)}
➪ Mathilda - Harry Styles
“𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 ’𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐬𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐢𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥”
➪ Flowers - Samantha Ebert [feat. Seph Schlueter]
“𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐈 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬”
➪ Misunderstood - Cory Asbury
“𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫”
➪ Friend - Benson Boone
“𝐈’𝐦 𝐬𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝”
⋆⁺₊⋆ ❣︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
I cannot stress enough how much you guys need to read this book.
Especially if you have ever struggled with anxiety, depression, faith, or if you want to know more about those things!
*ofc please look at my content warning and take it into consideration before reading bc its a doozy*
Age recommendation: 𝟏𝟒+
⋆⁺₊⋆ ❣︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆ 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐒 ⋆⁺₊⋆ ❣︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭:
Drugs, addiction, drinking, smoking, vaping, sex, two characters kiss each other on the neck in public, taunting/teasing, trying to get attention from boys by dressing up, fmc wears a really scandalous top (regrets it), a character draws revealing pictures of herself as a form of payment, cheating.
*most of this is shed in a bad light*
Suicide, anxiety, depression, self harm, cutting, grief, mental illnesses, getting therapy (thea refers to this as having a shrink), separation and divorce, fighting/arguing.
No intimate scenes other than a cheek kiss
No profanity
(⚠︎︎𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫: I think that was all the content, but don’t take this as 100% because its really hard to remember all the little comments in this book)
Also the content appears bad, but it plays a big part in the story and isnt glorified.
⋆⁺₊⋆ ❣︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
such an amazing book to start 2025 out with.
anyways yeah! new favorite ❤︎︎
★★★★★
⋆⁺₊⋆ ❣︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
When I picked this book up, I knew vaguely that it was about mental health, but I didn’t know much about it. The author said she wrote this book to help her through her own mental health struggles, and I hope she could’ve known then how much her book would affect me and surely others when she went through that journey.
This book is adventure through a short chapter of Thea’s struggles and her life. It’s by far a clean book, as it talks about suicide, substance addiction, sex, and a lot more. It captures the sad reality of being a teenager. (I’ll revisit the content btw)
But, it also captures the beautiful love of Jesus, and how He can save anyone from the most soul crushing problems.
Being someone who’s struggled with anxiety, depression, and having close friends struggle with similar things, this book (in my opinion) perfectly captures the dark side of our world and how the light of Jesus makes it bearable.
⋆⁺₊⋆ ❣︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆ 𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐓 ⋆⁺₊⋆ ❣︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
⋆⁺ ❥ ₊⋆ Not gonna lie, sometimes the plot confused me just a bit. Whenever Thea would get her white panic attacks, I was very confused, and would often skim until they were over because it disoriented me to read them. They also hit really close to home sometimes so that might have played a part in why I skimmed over them.
⋆⁺ ❥ ₊⋆ Also the side plot with Gavin confused me to no end.
⋆⁺₊⋆ ❣︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 ⋆⁺₊⋆ ❣︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
⋆⁺ ❥ ₊⋆ 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐚 ⋆⁺ ❥ ₊⋆
THEA MY POOR GIRL. I just wanna scoop this girl beautiful broken girl into a long embrace and pray over her. I wanna tell her that I understand, that I feel her pain, that I’ve experienced exactly what she has. Unfortunately she is fictional, so I can’t. But this review will just have to do instead.
“𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞. 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧.”
She tried so hard to keep it together and gosh the girl couldn’t catch a break. Was a lot of what happened her fault? Well, kinda. But a lot of it was out of her control and I just feel so sad that she had to go through all of it at the same time.
“𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐨𝐤𝐚𝐲, 𝐈 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐭.” 𝐈 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐩 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠. “𝐈’𝐦 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩.”
Her compassion was truly a beautiful addition to the story as well.
“𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝. 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐜𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐞𝐚.” ☕︎︎
And oh my GOSH the little details. Like her dream, and the light, and arghhhhh guys you NEED to read this. The amount of times my hand FLEW to my mouth in shock at the connections and correlations inside this book—
“𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐫, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝𝐬. 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.”
Thea Fenton is such a me coded character and I will forever identify with her.
⋆⁺ ❥ ₊⋆ 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐲 & 𝐉𝐚𝐝𝐞 ⋆⁺ ❥ ₊⋆
I love her relationships with Jade and Ashley. Their bond was so sweet and made my heart melt.
“𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐚𝐝𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐲’𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐡. 𝐖𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞. 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐲’𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐝𝐞’𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠, 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬, 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐲’𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞; 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫? 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧.”
{this was after an argument Ashley and Thea had, and it just feels like such a beautiful moment}
⋆⁺ ❥ ₊⋆ 𝐊𝐡𝐢 ⋆⁺ ❥ ₊⋆
oh. my. gosh.
I loved Khi so much.
The thing about him is, as much as he could be a new book boyfriend (and trust me he could be:
“𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐛𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 ‘𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬’ 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭. 𝟐𝐂𝐎𝐑𝟏𝟐𝟗.”
I didn’t really think of him like that while reading. Instead I thought of him like Thea did.
A safe person.
“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝. 𝐓𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟?”
A person filled with light.
“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞. 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞.”
A beacon. (I wrote this before seeing that I highlighted the quote below)
“𝐊𝐡𝐢 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐧, 𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐈 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐰.“
I want my own Khi so bad.
“𝐖𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.“
⋆⁺ ❥ ₊⋆ 𝐓𝐨𝐦 ⋆⁺ ❥ ₊⋆
Tom made me want an older brother. He wasn’t perfect in any sense, but the way he watched out for Thea was so special. Not to mention what he went through—this man needs a hug too!!
“𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐓𝐨𝐦.”
Pretty sure that quote made me tear up.
⋆⁺₊⋆ ❣︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
“𝐒𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧?”
“𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥.”
“𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐢𝐭?”
{psalm 46:10, folks}
⋆⁺₊⋆ ❣︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
⋆♪ ⁺♫₊♩⋆ 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ⋆♪ ⁺♫₊♩⋆
{since I can’t find the official one the author mentioned (I’m screaming inside because I’m so frustrated I can’t find it)}
➪ Mathilda - Harry Styles
“𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 ’𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐬𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐢𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥”
➪ Flowers - Samantha Ebert [feat. Seph Schlueter]
“𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐈 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬”
➪ Misunderstood - Cory Asbury
“𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫”
➪ Friend - Benson Boone
“𝐈’𝐦 𝐬𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝”
⋆⁺₊⋆ ❣︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
I cannot stress enough how much you guys need to read this book.
Especially if you have ever struggled with anxiety, depression, faith, or if you want to know more about those things!
*ofc please look at my content warning and take it into consideration before reading bc its a doozy*
Age recommendation: 𝟏𝟒+
⋆⁺₊⋆ ❣︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆ 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐒 ⋆⁺₊⋆ ❣︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭:
Drugs, addiction, drinking, smoking, vaping, sex, two characters kiss each other on the neck in public, taunting/teasing, trying to get attention from boys by dressing up, fmc wears a really scandalous top (regrets it), a character draws revealing pictures of herself as a form of payment, cheating.
*most of this is shed in a bad light*
Suicide, anxiety, depression, self harm, cutting, grief, mental illnesses, getting therapy (thea refers to this as having a shrink), separation and divorce, fighting/arguing.
No intimate scenes other than a cheek kiss
No profanity
(⚠︎︎𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫: I think that was all the content, but don’t take this as 100% because its really hard to remember all the little comments in this book)
Also the content appears bad, but it plays a big part in the story and isnt glorified.
⋆⁺₊⋆ ❣︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
such an amazing book to start 2025 out with.
anyways yeah! new favorite ❤︎︎
June 27, 2020
Mental health is a subject that is very dear to my heart, so finding a book that is so honest about it, is a breath of fresh air.
Our heroine knows she suffers from anxiety, but doesn't know what her white-outs are, and it scares her into tugging out her own hair- like most other things in her life. Her life seems so normal in its chaos- drama at school and even more drama at home- and it's easy to see why things are falling apart in her head even as the world seems to be falling apart around her. And so relatable as well. As unique a character as she is, she is also so very relatable as well.
The story is poignant, and through that poignancy, it had me on the edge of my seat, rooting that the heroine, her brother, and everyone she loves gets to the other side of this episode of their lives not only alive, but thriving. Healing. Growing.
The story read like a secular novel with the way it grappled with life, yet had an underlying current of Christian truth that gave it the hope the other gritty novels are so lacking in. I heartily recommend this tale to all teenagers and adults.
I received a copy of this book from the author, but was not required to give a favorable review.
Our heroine knows she suffers from anxiety, but doesn't know what her white-outs are, and it scares her into tugging out her own hair- like most other things in her life. Her life seems so normal in its chaos- drama at school and even more drama at home- and it's easy to see why things are falling apart in her head even as the world seems to be falling apart around her. And so relatable as well. As unique a character as she is, she is also so very relatable as well.
The story is poignant, and through that poignancy, it had me on the edge of my seat, rooting that the heroine, her brother, and everyone she loves gets to the other side of this episode of their lives not only alive, but thriving. Healing. Growing.
The story read like a secular novel with the way it grappled with life, yet had an underlying current of Christian truth that gave it the hope the other gritty novels are so lacking in. I heartily recommend this tale to all teenagers and adults.
I received a copy of this book from the author, but was not required to give a favorable review.
November 21, 2021
I was (pleasantly) surprised by this book.
At first I wasn’t sure about it. And there were a few scattered disconnections but the development and true to life scenarios really made this 5 stars for me.
Thea is caught up in her own head and what she’s told by everyone around her she should care about, that should give her what she needs. But somehow it doesn’t. Especially when a girl from school, who from every outside point of view had everything that should fulfill her, throws it all away and Thea questions her own life but can’t seem to find direction in the middle of it all.
This touches on pretty much everything a high schooler, especially without Christian influences and perspective, deals with.
And then how Christianity is brought in was so… beautiful. It was truly one of the best examples of an honest and real conversation that I’ve ever read.
I loved the emphasis on little acts of kindness and shining ones light throughout the story.
I was glad the ending wasn’t “happily ever after”, things aren’t perfect by any means, but everyone is TRyINg and hopeful and I appreciated that.
At first I wasn’t sure about it. And there were a few scattered disconnections but the development and true to life scenarios really made this 5 stars for me.
Thea is caught up in her own head and what she’s told by everyone around her she should care about, that should give her what she needs. But somehow it doesn’t. Especially when a girl from school, who from every outside point of view had everything that should fulfill her, throws it all away and Thea questions her own life but can’t seem to find direction in the middle of it all.
This touches on pretty much everything a high schooler, especially without Christian influences and perspective, deals with.
And then how Christianity is brought in was so… beautiful. It was truly one of the best examples of an honest and real conversation that I’ve ever read.
I loved the emphasis on little acts of kindness and shining ones light throughout the story.
I was glad the ending wasn’t “happily ever after”, things aren’t perfect by any means, but everyone is TRyINg and hopeful and I appreciated that.
December 22, 2020
I am HERE FOR books that deal honestly and sensitively with mental health! YES! I had the joy of reading an advance copy of FADE TO WHITE, and I’m so pleased to say that Tara’s vivid writing caught me from the start.
I really appreciated the "inside look" at an experience of mental illness that doesn't get a lot of screen time (page time?). It is SO IMPORTANT for teens (and everyone, honestly!) to find themselves and their own experiences represented in fiction, and I'm so thankful for the way that Thea expanded my understanding and empathy in the way her experiences with mental health differed from my own.
This was the perfect book to read before bed (and gave me a massive craving for a warm London Fog drink). If you want a warm, deep sort of story that will make you think twice about real-life issues, "Fade to White" is the book for you!
I really appreciated the "inside look" at an experience of mental illness that doesn't get a lot of screen time (page time?). It is SO IMPORTANT for teens (and everyone, honestly!) to find themselves and their own experiences represented in fiction, and I'm so thankful for the way that Thea expanded my understanding and empathy in the way her experiences with mental health differed from my own.
This was the perfect book to read before bed (and gave me a massive craving for a warm London Fog drink). If you want a warm, deep sort of story that will make you think twice about real-life issues, "Fade to White" is the book for you!
tbr-1
January 13, 2023Free on Amazon 19.12.22!
June 21, 2021
Great book advocating mental health awareness. One of the best YA books I've read this year.
July 7, 2020
CONTENT WARNINGS: mentions of suicide | mentions, and descriptions of self-harm | mentions of depression | mentions of suggestive sexual comments
This was a really well written and thoughtful book! I know Tara from social media as a kind of friend of a friend, and her book is one of those books that just really make a difference in the mental health space, especially in the Christian realm.
I really like this story! Thea is not a perfect main character: she has flaws, and she has issues that are not just the "oh i'm too popular whatever shall I do" issues, but instead things like, an unstable home life, going through the grieving process, and school drama. Add that to some anxiety, and you've got Thea. She's aware she has problems, but she doesn't really know how to begin to solve them.
I think in the Christian book world (not necessarily ~Christian fiction~ in the mass produced paperback sense), people don't often talk about the hard, nitty gritty, real life topics, such as school drama, or having anxiety, or seeing a therapist, or figuring out one's place in life, but it is so needed! While the main character herself is not Christian, and the exact "conversion prayer scene" never happens, I think this allows for Thea to really figure out what she needs from life and allow her to find God for herself.
Speaking of being Christian, I was really sad we didn't get to see more of Khi! He is so ~mysterious and angsty~ but also compassionate and sweet and filled with goodness. He always shows up at the right time with just the right words, and if there was a character that I could wish we could get a sequel/spinoff from, it would be him :). I also really liked the other side characters, especially Thea's brother Tom, and also her two friends.
Overall, I think this book has a spectacular message, and is very clean and hopeful, while not detracting from the pain within the world at all. It does cover some deeper and heavier topics, although they were very well spoken about, and fulfilled the purpose of the story very well.
My Rating-
7/10
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion; I was not required to write a positive review.
This was a really well written and thoughtful book! I know Tara from social media as a kind of friend of a friend, and her book is one of those books that just really make a difference in the mental health space, especially in the Christian realm.
I really like this story! Thea is not a perfect main character: she has flaws, and she has issues that are not just the "oh i'm too popular whatever shall I do" issues, but instead things like, an unstable home life, going through the grieving process, and school drama. Add that to some anxiety, and you've got Thea. She's aware she has problems, but she doesn't really know how to begin to solve them.
I think in the Christian book world (not necessarily ~Christian fiction~ in the mass produced paperback sense), people don't often talk about the hard, nitty gritty, real life topics, such as school drama, or having anxiety, or seeing a therapist, or figuring out one's place in life, but it is so needed! While the main character herself is not Christian, and the exact "conversion prayer scene" never happens, I think this allows for Thea to really figure out what she needs from life and allow her to find God for herself.
Speaking of being Christian, I was really sad we didn't get to see more of Khi! He is so ~mysterious and angsty~ but also compassionate and sweet and filled with goodness. He always shows up at the right time with just the right words, and if there was a character that I could wish we could get a sequel/spinoff from, it would be him :). I also really liked the other side characters, especially Thea's brother Tom, and also her two friends.
Overall, I think this book has a spectacular message, and is very clean and hopeful, while not detracting from the pain within the world at all. It does cover some deeper and heavier topics, although they were very well spoken about, and fulfilled the purpose of the story very well.
My Rating-
7/10
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion; I was not required to write a positive review.
February 15, 2022
Mental health is an extremely important subject and I was super excited when I saw there was finally a mental health book that was Christian! I really enjoyed this book from the aspect that the story was fun and engaging and extremely relatable. It covered some tough and dark subjects. However there were some problems that I just can't ignore. Upon finding it was Christian I was excited because I thought finally a book that address mental health but will emphasize that Christ is the only way to over come and help you through the darkness of anxiety and depression. The author did touch on that and for a bit it was going really well. I was geared up and like here we go! Unfortunately it just sorta evened out and for me never truly hit home. Now don't get me wrong loving others is incredibly important and I was glad how it addressed Gods presents is always with you but, its the relationship with him that needed to be explained first and then build on that. It was never clarify that Thea except Christ and is growing a relationship with him. For me the ending just felt dull and just wrapped up quick and happy and as long as you are kind to people all will be well. There were some other things that you just wondered where the author was coming from on different things she mentioned in the story. To be honest it didn't even feel like a Christan based novel till almost the end of the book. So with all that said would I recommend this book yes and no. If you are someone struggling deeply with anxiety and depression I would not recommend reading this book due to the amount of triggers that are in this book. I feel I should mention there is a suicide and suicide is mentioned several times through out the story. If you are looking for a mental health story that is clean with light Christan themes. Then yes I would recommend this book. Also remember if you are struggling with mental health issues that God is always there to hold you through all the ups and downs.
September 28, 2020
I loved this book. Thea was an extremely sympathetic character, and from the very first page, I was rooting for her. The whole book talked about tough subjects in a hopeful and gentle light. It helped me understand anxiety better, while also showing hope.
June 23, 2020
This book was quite the wild ride! While it wasn't exactly what I was expecting after reading the synopsis, it was attention-grabbing from the start and it's easy to sympathize with the characters, especially Thea. Written in the first-person POV, it almost feels like you're stepping into Thea's shoes, especially with some of the problems she experiences through the story. It was a quick read for me - I read a bit more than the second half of it in one day. Thea deals with a lot of problems that are becoming more and more prevalent in today's society, especially among youth: mental health problems, stress, broken families, and just trying to find your place in the world. She struggles with anxiety while her family falls apart, and all of that stress is compounded by the shocking death of one of her classmates -- and she still refuses help, refuses to accept that she needs it. While we didn't see as much of the mysterious Khi as I would've liked, especially considering his role in the story, it was still very interesting to see how all of the pieces of the story wove together: Khi's convenient presence when Thea needed him most; her "fair-haired-child" brother's arrival back in town, the girl's suicide, and how it all ties the story up. It's almost like a contemporary YA meets just a taste of mystery and a good balance of faith (not overbearing, but a definite portion of the story), so it was a great read with excellent themes on growing past old grudges, overcoming peer pressure, healing, and accepting help when it's needed. Fade to White deals with all of these topics - and the ones I mentioned earlier - with grace and balances the bad side with the good rather well. It's difficult to find books that strike that balance among the scores of books that either romanticize suicide and anxiety and the ones that pretend neither exist in the world -- but this book is one of the good ones, and I'm glad it's out there for YA readers.
April 2, 2022
This book tells a story of a girl, Thea, who is going through mental illness including her family issues and various problems in teenage life. I think this book shows every problem that happens nowadays. And how to survive in this world with compassion for others when no one cares. But in this book, every character shows care for Thea and especially her mother and her older brother. Thea thought she is different from others because of her mental condition or feeling for other people's suffering. But in the end, the book makes us believe that everyone is fighting against his/her own demon in life. You just have to believe in yourself that you are strong. A remarkable story of how to fight your own demon with your everyday life problems. And we can make our life better. ( If anyone wants to read this, please read the author's note in this book, she wrote this book for her mental health and explains many things. Hope It will make you enjoy the book more)
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July 18, 2020A thoughtful contemporary YA debut novel with a glimmer of the supernatural, this book tackles a number of tough, complicated teen issues without offering glib answers or quick fixes. Thea's self-deprecating internal monologue is enlivened by wry observations about her family and friends that add humour without losing the reader's sympathy, and her depression and anxiety are handled in a realistic and careful way. A good story about teen mental health issues and family conflicts that acknowledges the darkness and complexity of the human heart, but also offers glimpses of light and hope.
May 28, 2021
This book has been on my to-be-read list for a year, but I've been putting it off because of its heavy topic. But I wish I'd read it sooner.
This hope-filled book makes anyone who struggles with anxiety feel seen. The main character jumps off the page with all of her strengths and flaws in a way that's so raw and real. I saw my anxiety in her and even learned some things about myself. I often thought "wait…I'm not the only one who thinks that way?"
This hope-filled book makes anyone who struggles with anxiety feel seen. The main character jumps off the page with all of her strengths and flaws in a way that's so raw and real. I saw my anxiety in her and even learned some things about myself. I often thought "wait…I'm not the only one who thinks that way?"
Read
June 7, 2020Honest and vulnerable, Fade to White is a story that I keep thinking about. With a plot that keeps pages turning and a cast of characters who feel like friends, Ross has given us a pure and dignified look into the life of a teen who is facing her mental illness. Without a hint of exploitation or sensationalism this author has given her reader the gift of seeing Thea Fenton's humanity.
February 25, 2020
Wow! I absolutely loved Fade to White and was quite annoyed that life was keeping me away from reading all day! This one is a page-turner.
Tara Ross has captured the struggle young adults go through with precision and compassion.
Grab a cup of tea and enjoy this one. I look forward to more from Tara Ross.
I received an advance reader copy from the publisher, my opinion is my own
Tara Ross has captured the struggle young adults go through with precision and compassion.
Grab a cup of tea and enjoy this one. I look forward to more from Tara Ross.
I received an advance reader copy from the publisher, my opinion is my own
June 15, 2020
I loved this book so much.
Immediately, I was drawn into Thea's story, and her journey with anxiety. As someone who personally struggles with anxiety, I found myself understanding Thea and rooting for her. I would totally recommend this book to people who want a deep and heartfelt read.
Cannot wait to read more from this amazing author!
Immediately, I was drawn into Thea's story, and her journey with anxiety. As someone who personally struggles with anxiety, I found myself understanding Thea and rooting for her. I would totally recommend this book to people who want a deep and heartfelt read.
Cannot wait to read more from this amazing author!
June 20, 2021
A beautiful book about serious mental struggles. It's hard to compare to anything because it is a unique book, and I didn't know where Thea would take us. I enjoyed the ups and downs and wished we could've gotten more at the end - there's so much I want to know about Khi! Hopefully in a future book.
June 1, 2020
I absolutely loved this book. The writing is beautiful, the author tackles such a difficult topic in a poignant way, and the prose are so filled with hope. This is the book I needed as a high schooler.
February 17, 2020
Witty and intriguing, this novel follows the main character Thea as she faces and grapples with the symptoms, challenges and social stigma surrounding mental health and how that impacts her perceptions, relationships and self-image. The author masterfully interweaves serious social issues with emerging adolescent perspectives; keeping the individual characters and experiences authentic and engaging. A captivating read for those who are young adults or for those who enjoy exceptional writing that could be used as a tool to spark deep conversations with their own teens.
December 28, 2022
I don’t often find Christian YA books regarding mental health so I immediately was interested when I came across Fade to White. It pulled me in immediately and I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
There were a couple of things that seemed a tad disconnected, but I actually think that added to feeling like you were in Thea’s head. Christianity is brought in towards the end in a really organic way. I love seeing accurate depictions of Christianity! I genuinely think that even a non-believer would enjoy this book.
There were a couple of things that seemed a tad disconnected, but I actually think that added to feeling like you were in Thea’s head. Christianity is brought in towards the end in a really organic way. I love seeing accurate depictions of Christianity! I genuinely think that even a non-believer would enjoy this book.
March 3, 2023
4/5 stars
i love the way this one dealt with mental illness and forgiveness, especially without being too preachy. Christian novels can have "too perfect" main characters, but thea (the main character) really struggled and seemed like a real person.
this is a really nice rec for anyone who wants (non-preachy) Christian ya fiction or just a cute clean romance that also deals with mental health.
i love the way this one dealt with mental illness and forgiveness, especially without being too preachy. Christian novels can have "too perfect" main characters, but thea (the main character) really struggled and seemed like a real person.
this is a really nice rec for anyone who wants (non-preachy) Christian ya fiction or just a cute clean romance that also deals with mental health.
June 9, 2020
I have such mixed feelings about this book!
Tara K. Ross did an amazing job. Thea was such a realistic character and I could really relate to her. I've had issues with anxiety for the past three years due to my dad's sudden death, followed by the death of my nephew and great aunt, all in the space of a year. So it was amazing having the pain I'm going through translated onto paper, having a character I can relate to. It was also amazing how Ross addressed such tough subjects in a kind and forgiving light.
I really liked Tom, Thea's brother as well. He was such an organic character, that he seemed to just waltz right off the page.
There are some things that I would have liked to see more of (like Evan and Khi) mostly because I'm curious about their backstories. But that's just the phycology junkie in me coming out!
I will say, though, that it was a tough book to read. Thea's anxiety was so real that it triggered my own. So I would advise readers to be careful. That being said, I did read Fade to White to the very end, and it does get better. I got better. And I would recommend this book to everyone. Everyone needs to know that they're not suffering alone.
Whew! That's the most personal review I've ever written! Thank you, Tara, for giving me an ARC copy to read for review!
Tara K. Ross did an amazing job. Thea was such a realistic character and I could really relate to her. I've had issues with anxiety for the past three years due to my dad's sudden death, followed by the death of my nephew and great aunt, all in the space of a year. So it was amazing having the pain I'm going through translated onto paper, having a character I can relate to. It was also amazing how Ross addressed such tough subjects in a kind and forgiving light.
I really liked Tom, Thea's brother as well. He was such an organic character, that he seemed to just waltz right off the page.
There are some things that I would have liked to see more of (like Evan and Khi) mostly because I'm curious about their backstories. But that's just the phycology junkie in me coming out!
I will say, though, that it was a tough book to read. Thea's anxiety was so real that it triggered my own. So I would advise readers to be careful. That being said, I did read Fade to White to the very end, and it does get better. I got better. And I would recommend this book to everyone. Everyone needs to know that they're not suffering alone.
Whew! That's the most personal review I've ever written! Thank you, Tara, for giving me an ARC copy to read for review!
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January 17, 2021dnf
December 3, 2020
This is a quick read dealing with real life mental health issues. The character development is solid, the teen topics are authentic, and there are some interesting plot twists up to the end.
June 2, 2020
Navigating the waters of adulthood as one who isn't quite an adult yet is hard enough, but when those who are supposed to help are too busy and self-absorbed, what's a girl to do?
Highly recommended YA story of how a young woman deals with stress and anxiety through self-harm.
Highly recommended YA story of how a young woman deals with stress and anxiety through self-harm.
May 31, 2020
FADE TO WHITE - ARC REVIEW
By @tara.k.ross
This book was exactly what it was advertised as - a clean Christian YA read that deals with real life teenage issues (mental health & peer pressure & more)
The plot felt a tiny bit slow to start but I was still hooked within the first chapter. And it’s steadily picked up from there.
I did not predict anything that happened in this book; it surprised me and exceeded my expectations at every turn.
I loved Thea - she felt so relatable even though we don’t have anything in common - and she felt so much like a real person. All of the characters felt very real and different.
The setting made the story even better.
I really really liked how the book ended and learning about Thea’s “gift”
I think everyone should read this book. I think it has some element that almost everyone could like. I can’t wait to see what Tara writes in the future!
By @tara.k.ross
This book was exactly what it was advertised as - a clean Christian YA read that deals with real life teenage issues (mental health & peer pressure & more)
The plot felt a tiny bit slow to start but I was still hooked within the first chapter. And it’s steadily picked up from there.
I did not predict anything that happened in this book; it surprised me and exceeded my expectations at every turn.
I loved Thea - she felt so relatable even though we don’t have anything in common - and she felt so much like a real person. All of the characters felt very real and different.
The setting made the story even better.
I really really liked how the book ended and learning about Thea’s “gift”
I think everyone should read this book. I think it has some element that almost everyone could like. I can’t wait to see what Tara writes in the future!
December 25, 2020
"The first time it happens, I feel like I'm dying" - Thea Fenton, Fade to White.
When I first saw Fade to White by Tara K. Ross I fell in love with the cover and title. I mean just look up there! They've got aesthetic, intrigue, and just ahhh all the awesomeness. But when I read the blurb, I KNEW I HAD to read it.
Now first of all, just to get this out there, I don't read Contemporary. I find characters in Contemporary books silly, ridiculous, and downright irritating. And Fade to White IS a contemporary.
BUT despite that I decided to read FTW, and despite the Contemporaryness, it's beautiful.
Fade to White gives an honest, hard look at the world and people we pass by every single day. It follows a girl named Thea Fenton as she struggles with anxiety and trichotillomania, while her family is falling apart, and people she's known her whole life seem to be self destructing.
Life is flashing past her all too fast, and she doesn't know how to make any of it better.
I really appreciate how there wasn't just a "cure" offered to the problems Thea was facing. Yes she does get better, yes some things ARE solved, but in the end she's still got anxiety. The Gospel and Jesus wasn't portrayed as clearly as I would like, but I love how even though she did find peace in surrendering to Jesus, it didn't just "Solve" all her problems.
FTW is meant for a more mature audience, and strongly deals with things like suicide, mental illness, drugs, etc.
Some of my absolute FAVORITE things about Thea is how she takes an extra tea to school everyday to give out to someone, and how her mouths says the opposite of what she's thinking (#Relatable XD), and how she takes the time to really SEE people. But one of my favorite things about Fade to White is how it gives us a glimpse at so many different types of people all struggling with all sorts of different things, showing us that everyone--deep down--is hurting. The theme of compassion and light is so beautiful and I fiercely believe we NEED more books that handles the themes and mental illnesses found in FTW.
"Each of us wears one white addition to our black ensembles to symbolize a way out of the darkness." - Thea Fenton, Fade to White.
When I first saw Fade to White by Tara K. Ross I fell in love with the cover and title. I mean just look up there! They've got aesthetic, intrigue, and just ahhh all the awesomeness. But when I read the blurb, I KNEW I HAD to read it.
Now first of all, just to get this out there, I don't read Contemporary. I find characters in Contemporary books silly, ridiculous, and downright irritating. And Fade to White IS a contemporary.
BUT despite that I decided to read FTW, and despite the Contemporaryness, it's beautiful.
Fade to White gives an honest, hard look at the world and people we pass by every single day. It follows a girl named Thea Fenton as she struggles with anxiety and trichotillomania, while her family is falling apart, and people she's known her whole life seem to be self destructing.
Life is flashing past her all too fast, and she doesn't know how to make any of it better.
I really appreciate how there wasn't just a "cure" offered to the problems Thea was facing. Yes she does get better, yes some things ARE solved, but in the end she's still got anxiety. The Gospel and Jesus wasn't portrayed as clearly as I would like, but I love how even though she did find peace in surrendering to Jesus, it didn't just "Solve" all her problems.
FTW is meant for a more mature audience, and strongly deals with things like suicide, mental illness, drugs, etc.
Some of my absolute FAVORITE things about Thea is how she takes an extra tea to school everyday to give out to someone, and how her mouths says the opposite of what she's thinking (#Relatable XD), and how she takes the time to really SEE people. But one of my favorite things about Fade to White is how it gives us a glimpse at so many different types of people all struggling with all sorts of different things, showing us that everyone--deep down--is hurting. The theme of compassion and light is so beautiful and I fiercely believe we NEED more books that handles the themes and mental illnesses found in FTW.
"Each of us wears one white addition to our black ensembles to symbolize a way out of the darkness." - Thea Fenton, Fade to White.
April 5, 2020
I have been eagerly waiting for this book and it was really good. I finished it in one day, it kept me up late at night. Fade to White is the debut novel of Tara K Ross. This book was just as good as I had hoped, it dealt with real problems but it gave you hope.
This book follows Thea, an everything girl who is just like you and me. Thea was different and yet she was a normal girl. She didn’t always get along with her parents and she could be forgetful. She didn’t feel like she quite fit in, she liked who she was but she also wanted to be like others. She was real.
Ever since her grandmother had died, Thea has felt like her family has slowly started to drift apart. Her life has slowly started to spiral out of control. It gets worse when she learns of the death of a girl who goes to her school and her mother decides that she needs to see a therapist.
And then Thea starts to see lights around people and she starts to think that something is wrong. But just when life starts to go crazy, someone is there to shine a light on her life. She meets Khi who is like a breath of fresh air. He shows her that being yourself is enough. Thea tries to be like others and finds that you don’t always get what you want.
As the book moves along, Thea starts to more clearly see those around her. Everyone is going through something different, even those in her family. When she finally feels like she is at her worst, God is there to shine a light on her. She finds out that God can be the anchor for her when her life feels crazy.
I loved this book, it left me with a feeling of hope. This book starts off sad but it leaves you hopeful and with a better trust of God. I especially loved the way Khi was describing faith to Thea
I would definitely recommend this book, it was such a nice change of pace. It was a teen book that dealt with real problems, but it was not depressing. Thea had to learn how to see others and how to forgive.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
This book follows Thea, an everything girl who is just like you and me. Thea was different and yet she was a normal girl. She didn’t always get along with her parents and she could be forgetful. She didn’t feel like she quite fit in, she liked who she was but she also wanted to be like others. She was real.
Ever since her grandmother had died, Thea has felt like her family has slowly started to drift apart. Her life has slowly started to spiral out of control. It gets worse when she learns of the death of a girl who goes to her school and her mother decides that she needs to see a therapist.
And then Thea starts to see lights around people and she starts to think that something is wrong. But just when life starts to go crazy, someone is there to shine a light on her life. She meets Khi who is like a breath of fresh air. He shows her that being yourself is enough. Thea tries to be like others and finds that you don’t always get what you want.
As the book moves along, Thea starts to more clearly see those around her. Everyone is going through something different, even those in her family. When she finally feels like she is at her worst, God is there to shine a light on her. She finds out that God can be the anchor for her when her life feels crazy.
I loved this book, it left me with a feeling of hope. This book starts off sad but it leaves you hopeful and with a better trust of God. I especially loved the way Khi was describing faith to Thea
I would definitely recommend this book, it was such a nice change of pace. It was a teen book that dealt with real problems, but it was not depressing. Thea had to learn how to see others and how to forgive.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
June 26, 2020
This contemporary romance/slice of life release digs deep, asking questions about mental health, relationships, and faith in the midst of turmoil and chaos. A poignant read, this story asks you to think and reflect on your purpose in life, all the while using a dysfunctional family and budding romance as a backdrop to its deeper themes. Are you a fan of high school coming-of-age stories? Flawed characters? Edge-of-your-seat drama? Love triangles? Discussions on suicide and anxiety? Then this is the perfect read for you!
*Content Disclosure:
The content is relatively clean, but still authentic, containing the following:
Language: mild curse-words are used, but no cussing.
Violence: Suicide happens off screen.
Sexual/Relationship Content: Sex is implied or discussed casually among the supporting cast, but the main lead does not have sex herself.
Thematic Content: Substance abuse and alcohol consumption are implied/discussed but never shown. Divorce, infidelity, and controlling parents are also present. For religious content, the main character has Christian beliefs, but doesn’t come across as preachy.
If it sounds intriguing to you, give it a read!
*(Note, this disclosure is based off of my background and bias from a Christian worldview. As this is just my personal opinion, it is not intended in any way to negatively reflect on the author, publisher, or anyone else who worked on this book. This is simply to provide transparency about content and let you, the reader, decide if you are comfortable with reading the book or not.)
*Content Disclosure:
The content is relatively clean, but still authentic, containing the following:
Language: mild curse-words are used, but no cussing.
Violence: Suicide happens off screen.
Sexual/Relationship Content: Sex is implied or discussed casually among the supporting cast, but the main lead does not have sex herself.
Thematic Content: Substance abuse and alcohol consumption are implied/discussed but never shown. Divorce, infidelity, and controlling parents are also present. For religious content, the main character has Christian beliefs, but doesn’t come across as preachy.
If it sounds intriguing to you, give it a read!
*(Note, this disclosure is based off of my background and bias from a Christian worldview. As this is just my personal opinion, it is not intended in any way to negatively reflect on the author, publisher, or anyone else who worked on this book. This is simply to provide transparency about content and let you, the reader, decide if you are comfortable with reading the book or not.)
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