Yes, yes, its what's inside that matters. And, of course, I've read plenty of book synopses that had me clicking the "Want to Read" button on Goodreads before a cover is even posted! But we all know that covers often make or break us when it comes to choosing what to read. If I see a cover that I don't like, I won't even pick it up to look at what it's about...and I might be missing out on something really good! So, I thought I'd feature the occasional book with a not-so-great cover that actually has a great story (or vice versa?).
To kick this series off, I wanted to talk about Amy Reed's Crazy.
Amy Reed's last few books have had some pretty great covers but before that, her previous books followed a very particular pattern: A photograph of a teen girl and some handwritten-style font on a white background. While there are some excellent covers with portraits/photos on them, I often feel like it's a miss, especially when the face is on full display. If I saw this on the shelf without any knowledge of the content, I admit that I would've completely ignored it. The reason I did pick it up was that I had heard good things about it on the Hey YA! podcast as they discussed books with good mental illness rep.
Crazy is an epistolary novel consisting of emails sent between Connor and Izzy, who met at summer camp and promised to stay in touch. It's obvious that Connor has feelings for Izzy, but Izzy has an older boyfriend. Still, they stay in touch. But Connor starts to see different sides of Izzy. Sometimes, she is extremely depressed. Other times, she feels invincible. So, yes, this book deals with Izzy's struggle with bipolar disorder, a very complex mental illness that I still feel is extremely misunderstood.
Crazy/Amy Reed does a wonderful job of exploring the very serious highs and lows of bipolar disorder. Izzy is spiraling and the reader feels as helpless and concerned as Connor does It's not just about the depressive episodes that Izzy experiences but the manic episodes as well, which can be very dangerous and self-destructive. We see how that not only manifests itself in Izzy but how it also leads to an even rougher time when the depression comes back.
It's a bummer that I almost missed out on a really great book because of a cover, and I'll admit that I was still iffy about Reed's other novels with similar covers. The reviews speak volumes, though, so I'm glad I didn't judge this book by its cover and you shouldn't either.
P.S. I am definitely not an expert on mental illness, so if you are interested in more information about bipolar disorder, click here.
P.P.S. I want to leave a trigger warning for suicide in this book. Also, as stated above, the content focuses almost exclusively on Izzy's illness (even when it is unknown to the characters) and might upset some readers. Please note this before reading!
Crazy is an epistolary novel consisting of emails sent between Connor and Izzy, who met at summer camp and promised to stay in touch. It's obvious that Connor has feelings for Izzy, but Izzy has an older boyfriend. Still, they stay in touch. But Connor starts to see different sides of Izzy. Sometimes, she is extremely depressed. Other times, she feels invincible. So, yes, this book deals with Izzy's struggle with bipolar disorder, a very complex mental illness that I still feel is extremely misunderstood.
Crazy/Amy Reed does a wonderful job of exploring the very serious highs and lows of bipolar disorder. Izzy is spiraling and the reader feels as helpless and concerned as Connor does It's not just about the depressive episodes that Izzy experiences but the manic episodes as well, which can be very dangerous and self-destructive. We see how that not only manifests itself in Izzy but how it also leads to an even rougher time when the depression comes back.
It's a bummer that I almost missed out on a really great book because of a cover, and I'll admit that I was still iffy about Reed's other novels with similar covers. The reviews speak volumes, though, so I'm glad I didn't judge this book by its cover and you shouldn't either.
P.S. I am definitely not an expert on mental illness, so if you are interested in more information about bipolar disorder, click here.
P.P.S. I want to leave a trigger warning for suicide in this book. Also, as stated above, the content focuses almost exclusively on Izzy's illness (even when it is unknown to the characters) and might upset some readers. Please note this before reading!
Comments
Post a Comment