Hi there!
Welcome back to another week here at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers, and THANK YOU for making us a part of your busy day. ^-^
Today, I'm pleased as punch to be shining the spotlight on a soon-to-be released title via Random House Books for Young Readers as well as participating in their virtual tour. It's a Young Adult release from a new-to-me author that really strikes a nerve as she digs into the darkest corners of the mind to expose our deepest secrets, which is often our truest selves...but I'm getting ahead of myself. First things first, and all that...it's time for the introduction. Today's book of choice is....
by
Julia Walton
9780399550881
Random House Books for Young Readers
About the book...
Fans of More Happy Than Not, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and It’s Kind of a Funny Story will cheer for Adam as he struggles with schizophrenia in this brilliantly honest and unexpectedly funny debut.
Adam has just been diagnosed with schizophrenia. He sees and hears people who aren’t there: Rebecca, a beautiful girl who understands him; the Mob Boss, who harasses him; and Jason, the naked guy who’s unfailingly polite. It should be easy to separate the real from the not real, but Adam can’t.
Still, there’s hope. As Adam starts fresh at a new school, he begins a drug trial that helps him ignore his visions. Suddenly everything seems possible, even love. When he meets Maya, a fiercely intelligent girl, he desperately wants to be the great guy that she thinks he is. But then the miracle drug begins to fail, and Adam will do anything to keep Maya from discovering his secret.
Adam has just been diagnosed with schizophrenia. He sees and hears people who aren’t there: Rebecca, a beautiful girl who understands him; the Mob Boss, who harasses him; and Jason, the naked guy who’s unfailingly polite. It should be easy to separate the real from the not real, but Adam can’t.
Still, there’s hope. As Adam starts fresh at a new school, he begins a drug trial that helps him ignore his visions. Suddenly everything seems possible, even love. When he meets Maya, a fiercely intelligent girl, he desperately wants to be the great guy that she thinks he is. But then the miracle drug begins to fail, and Adam will do anything to keep Maya from discovering his secret.
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There were no reading updates with this one (if you follow on GoodReads, you may already know this), simply a start and a finish...and that my friends speaks volumes in and of itself.
It's a curious story that lets us inside the life of Adam... and Rebecca... and the mobsters... and several others that pop in and out of existence at will. That's right... Adam is different in some ways...he's been diagnosed with schizophrenia at a rather young age...but that doesn't make him any less worthy of life, love, and the chance to simply be. This is his story (albeit, a fictitious tale) and while filled with drug trials, non-productive therapy visits (at least verbally), and battles to discern what's actually there versus what he sees/hears, it's also bursting at the seams with your usual teenage angst, affairs of the heart, and the struggle to find ones place in that black hole called high school.
Seeing Adam's struggle from the inside out was eye opening. I mean, there are a lot of WHAT IF questions posed that are really hard to fathom. WHAT IF you walked into a room and had to pretend it was empty because you couldn't trust that the crowd you first perceived was actually there? WHAT IF you screamed out against a danger you perceived to be imminent, that wasn't actually there? It's mind boggling and heart crushing at the same time knowing that people actually have to face situations like this as their version of the norm. The other other character connections made throughout the novel, really helped to balance things out and provide Adam with a support system he didn't always count on. Maya was a dream though not in the softest of tones, as was Dwight (quirky but AMAZING), Adam's mom, Paul, and the faceless/nameless therapist he's writing and discussing life with. My heart broke for him several times over, but perked right back up when all seemed right again with his world... or at least as right as it could be.
In the end, it tackles some rather large issues you weren't expecting in creative ways to provide readers an experience they won't forget, while sharing the truths about an affliction that is often approached with preconceived notions thanks to those most publicized cases in the media. It reminds us that everyone is different, everyone should be given the chance to reach their potential...some just need to choose from another toolbox.
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About the author...
JULIA WALTON received her MFA in creative writing from Chapman University. When she’s not reading or baking cookies, she’s indulging in her profound love of Swedish Fish, mechanical pencils, and hobbit-sized breakfasts. Julia lives in Huntington Beach, California, with her husband and daughter. Follow her on Twitter at @Jwaltonwrites.
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Special thanks to Allison at Random House Children's Books for the ARC for review as well as the chance to bring this tour to you. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is set for release July 4th, 2017 (at the time of this post), so mark your calendar or pre-order your copy today! ALSO, if you happen to be in California, check out her upcoming tour schedule this July!
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
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