Evie wants nothing more than to be a normal sixteen year old girl, she is desperate to put her OCD past behind her which led to her being admitted to a psychiatric hospital. She is starting to live a life without mental illness, she is coming off of her medication and has even started a new college where nobody knows her as "the girl who went nuts" but there is one thing missing from her so called normal life, a boyfriend. We all know that relationships can be tough, and I know for one that relationships whilst you're recovering from mental illness is extremely tough but that's not to say that it isn't do-able. This Young Adult Novel explores the stigma around mental illness, feminism, friendships and adapting back into the 'normal' world. We equally know that 'normal' isn't a thing, everybody has their own issues and we just need to embrace ourselves for who we are.
I adore the way that this novel is written, Bourne has turned into one of my favourite YA Authors and her style of writing is both addictive and unique. We learn on the first page of this novel that Evie is in therapy for her mental health problems, we take on the journey of recovery with her, through the ups and downs and even through a heartbreaking relapse. Alongside The Shock Of The Fall, this is one of the most relatable books I have read, regarding the fear of being judged for your mental illness, trying to start a fresh life whilst recovering, and the frustrations of a relapse. We even learn about the side effects of Evie's illness, the side effects of her medication and how "my drugs had made me a bit...puffy."This novel holds a whole roller coaster of emotions from start to finish, I was gripped into this book almost instantly and could not put it down. We learn about every aspect of Evie's life and one of the main focuses is her new friends, Amber and Lottie who have no idea about Evie's illness due to her being too afraid to tell them but when they do eventually find out, they have no problems with this and support her unconditionally.
Despite this, the three girls have built up an inseparable bond and have even created a group called "The Spinster Club" where they discuss the modern day issues surrounding feminism in an attempt to become stronger and more powerful women in today's society.
Like almost every Young Adult/Older Teen novel written, there has to be some romance within this novel and we follow Evie's journey on dates with a few different guys, we experience with her, falling head over heals for some of the boys and absolutely messing up other dates, something that I am sure most teenagers have experienced.
Overall, I fell in love with not only the story, but Holly Bourne's talent and I am eager to read the following books in this series. If you're looking for something relatable and about mental health problems, then this is certainly a book to read. I can't believe how much emotion was in this novel and I can't wait to read the next Spinster Club novels. I rated this book five stars on Goodreads, I can see this novel being one that I read over and over again.
Thank-you for reading, Tay x
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