Review: Life Inside My Mind

Life Inside My Mind
Edited by Jessica Burkhart

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: April 10, 2018

LIFE INISDE MY MIND is an essay anthology focused on YA authors’ personal experiences with mental health. Each “chapter” is a story written by a different author, and each has a vastly different focus: the topics ranged from anxiety to depression to OCD to Alzheimer's. While some of the stories were deeply personal, some were more of a reflection on societal issues and the stigma around mental health. This book was different from any I had ever read. At first, it was hard for me to make the constant switch in tone as the authors shifted, but eventually, I was able to adapt to the format, and I’m so glad I did! This book offers some incredible insights, and I really appreciated the fact that so many of the authors emphasized that there is no one “right way” to manage mental illness. 

My personal favorite essay was written in a poetry format called “This Is How You Unravel” by E.K. Anderson, which told the story of a girl living with bipolar disorder. I loved this chapter in particular because of its ability to genuinely portray the negative aspects of mental illness while offering a hopeful message. There were many essays that had a profound impact on me, though, not just this one! Even though I was skeptical about this collection at first, I would highly recommend this collection to anyone, regardless of whether they have personally experienced any of these conditions. Although I personally haven’t, I was still able to relate to all of the authors because of the honest, candid emotions that they shared with readers. Because of frequent references to suicide, addiction, abuse and violence, this book is probably best suited to older teens.

Review: Meet Cute

Meet Cute
edited by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Publication Date: January 2, 2018

MEET CUTE, a romantic anthology with contributions from top YA authors, tells the stories of 14 different couples, starting and ending at their beginnings. From the classic to the creative, each author takes his or her own spin on the infamous "meet-cute", or the way in which two people meet. A wide range of settings and characters are represented, including sci-fi worlds, typical high school environments, unlikely pairings, and several LGBTQIA+ relationships. The outcomes faced by the couples differ from romantic to sorrowful, as many of the authors are aware of the cheesiness and impossibility of actual meet cutes, and choose not to have a happy ending, which is surprisingly refreshing and grounding. New twists on old tropes make these stories exciting and unique, and there are definitely a few shocks in store.

I really enjoyed this short story collection, and would highly recommend it to any YA reader. There wasn't one story that I didn't like, and they were diverse enough to stay interesting. The only problem I had was with how short some of them were and how abrupt the endings could be, but that was the premise of the collection (in a way) so I was already expecting that to be the case. I'm a big anthology fan in general, and this one was no exception. Even the stories that didn't have the most fairytale type endings were still uplifting, making this a perfect light--yet still meaningful--read.

Review: The Problem With Forever

The Problem With Forever 
by Jennifer L. Armentrout 

Publication Date: May 17, 2016 
Publisher: Harlequin Teen 

In THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER, Mallory Dodge has had a rough life in the foster system. She's had a hard time trusting people and speaking up but now finds herself with loving, adoptive parents. Encouraged to spend her senior year in a traditional high school (rather than homeschooling), she unexpectedly runs into Rider, a boy who once lived in the same foster home. They have a history and their relationship flourishes because of their past ties. Mallory and Rider are extremely likeable characters with well written chemistry. Armentrout does a nice job showing not only Mallory, but several other characters learning from their past experiences to start shaping their futures.