This book did not touch me at all. I think it's mainly because I couldn't stand the main character. I feel really conflicted about that, because her being a bitch is part of her mental illness, and the entire point of the book is that she can't help that she was born this way. But Olive (the main character) is just annoying me so much. Not really in being mean, because I think that's very understandable and relatable. What annoyed me is that she went to a camp to learn how to deal with her mental illness, and then she concludes that the professionals don't know how to help her so she decides to do her own thing. Hun, if you were able to help yourself, you wouldn't be in the situation you're in. The first half of the book is great and I enjoyed the characters, their dialogue, and the usual Holly Bourne humor and sarcasm. I even kept pausing to take note of quotable passages. But as soon as the characters (led by Olive, our main character) came up with their pseudo-superhero group which they call "Prime Numbers" to spread the "kindness" virus, it kind of went downhill from there. It was like the author was planning to write one thing and then ended up writing something else. I felt like it wasn't the direction she was shooting for but decided just to go through with it. Small note: I’m on a blog hiatus from today-tomorrow to July, 7th and will only answer to comments and see your wonderful blogs again then. See you soon xx

She is in pieces, and really struggles to deal with discovering this possible diagnosis... but she's also really annoyed that it's only a possible diagnosis, and not a definite one, that they're still uncertain what she's dealing with.

Books Multibuys

I’m not going to go through every character but two who stood out, and I think were meant to stand out, are Jamie and Lewis. Jamie is the typical guy you’re supposed to like, all charming and boyish, whereas Lewis is the typical awkward, never-been-kissed type of guy and I have to admit, I didn’t like him to begin with. He did eventually grow on me, and Olive’s and his friendship was sweet, but personally I will always prefer Jamie. Recently, our understanding of mental illness has begun to move away from purely biological models and towards one that considers the individual experience. Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with you?” we are finally asking, “What happened to you?” More people feel brave enough to share their stories and this should only be encouraged, never ridiculed. I’m inclined to wonder what happened to Liddle, to make him someone who sneers at those fighting to make the world a kinder, safer place for young people. But it’ll take someone braver than me to find compassion for him. I’m going to continue fighting for young snowflakes, and empowering them to share their stories. Together, we can create an avalanche and, hopefully, a world that doesn’t make people ill. I don’t think that’s such a crazy thought. I love how this book doesn't end on a happily ever after note but it so much more realistic and humanistic. Because yeah life doesn't get easier or gets solved in a swoop of a wand to be honest.

Trigger Warning: This book features suicide ideation, and discussion of sexual child abuse and selfharm. In terms of characters, where do I even start? Olive is such a likeable but also dislikable character and I really guess it depends how you see her. I liked her a lot whereas some people who may not be very familiar with her illness probably think she’s a bit of a bitch due to her actions. I like her a lot because I get tha

Other books by Holly Bourne I’ve reviewed:

The writing is hilarious and witty and Bourne, totally aces the incredibly touchy topic of mental health. The content is incredibly honest and never even for a moment gets pretentious or preachy. She seem to totally GET IT! Oh God, I can feel this thought blooming. Like on those nature programmes when they shove a camera onto a flower seed and show footage of it growing really really fast. I feel the roots go into the earth and I feel the stem start to grow and I feel the leaves unfurling and the petals turning pink one by one.' (p240-241)* I’m a big fan of Holly Bourne and everything she writes. This book was no exception. It’s an uplifting story about the power of kindness and compassion. Smart, funny, and often focused on mental health issues, a new book by her is always a grand event. Here, she portrays Olive as charismatic and unstable. Olive refuses to let the doctors tell her what her diagnosis is, but readers learning of her swing ‘from euphoria to suicidal in one earthly rotation,’ will reach their own conclusions.