This story is about a high school girl who has a car accident and the traumatic experience changes her life and how she perceives herself. She already has a panic disorder that was brought on earlier in her life at the time her parents divorced. Now things are worse and she goes to live with her dad. It is hard starting over with new friends though. This story is a great book to read to open discussions about panic disorders, physical appearances and perceptions, relationships, prescription medicine abuse, obsessions, and attitudes.

I think this book would be great in a high school library and I think many students would enjoy reading it. In fact, there may be many who could relate to some of the characters in the story and not feel so all alone. Maybe by reading this book, many can get comfort and possibly be willing to seek help if they aren’t already getting it.

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion. I could not get through 20% of this book. The main character was so annoying and immature.

I have been waiting 3 years for this book. I mean not this book in particularly, but just another book by Lauren Miller. I’m a Lauren Miller fangirl. I know it, she knows it, people that follow my reading know it. Ever since I read Parallel for the first time 4 years ago I have been a champion of all books Lauren Miller. I will tell anyone and everyone to read her books. With that in mind imagine how happy I was when I learned about All Things New. I was warned that it was very different from Miller’s other two books and I may not love it as much. Well guess what? That warning was wrong. All Things New was AMAZING! It was a book I needed without knowing I needed it.

All Things New is about Jessa, a quiet 17 year-old that has been plagued by anxiety for many years. She has done everything in her power to hide the panic attacks and fears she has and she does so successfully everything changes. Jessa gets in a terrible accident and all of a sudden she sees scars and wounds on people. The thing about these scars and wounds? They don’t exist. They are projections in Jessa mind. When Jessa moves in with her dad and starts a new life, meeting adorable Marshall in the process, she must find answers to why she is seeing things and figure out how to heal herself in the process.

This book! I seriously loved this book. What I loved most about All Things New, Marshall aside (we will get to him and Jessa later), is the message I found in it through Jessa and the scars she was seeing. The thing is, we all hide scars. We all have things that hurt us or weigh on us that people just don’t know about in everyday life. Jessa was rare and she was able to see those struggles through the manifestation she developed. She may have been seeing wounds on the outside, but really she was seeing what was happening on the inside, the hurt people were feeling in everyday life. That right there is what made All Things New so amazing and important. Jessa was hurt and angry buy what happened and how her life was and this “power” showed her she was not alone.

But she really wasn’t alone. There was Marshall. Oh adorable, lovable, genuine Marshall. He is probably one of the best characters I have read in a long time. He was insanely perfect in his flawed way and he was exactly what Jessa needed. He brought a humor out that was timed perfectly and he was just a great guy. He didn’t make Jessa feel anything she wasn’t ready to feel. He was just there for her. He listened to her and they formed a bond. It was all 100% swoon-worthy.

All I can tell you about All Things New, well that I didn’t say above, is you need to read it. There is something magical about Miller’s storytelling and Jessa’s story. It isn’t your typical mental health story, but it’s important all the same. It’s about healing and how we make ourselves heal and that is something everyone should know is possible. Well done Lauren, well done. Now write me another book.

"Crazy can’t hurt this bad. Crazy can’t be this much work."- Jessa

Jesse Gray's story is anything but a fairytale, but maybe she can get some reprieve at the end... after learning and fighting to live.

"The soul doesn’t put itself on display, which is kind of the magic in it."- Jessa

This story touched me on so many levels. I can relate to both Jess and Marshall. I've battled with both their battles. I understand. And maybe that's why I couldn't put this book down.

"here I go down circle road strong and hopeful hearted through the dust and wind up just exactly where I started"

Jessa has been battling sever anxiety since 7th grade, when her life changed drastically. One faithful night will put her on the path to hopefully learn to live and cope with her anxieties. And also bring Marshall and Hannah into her life. Friends, real friends.

". . all of me is broken. Literally. All of me. My brain, my heart— My face.”- Jessa

Everyone is facing a battle that the others don't know about. We're all fighting. How we fight these battles is what sets us apart.

I absolutely adore Marshall's character. He brought the comic relief this book needed. He was lovable, friendly and funny, with his own battle.

This book is so much more, but telling you would reveal this amazing story, and I think everyone needs to read it. Absolutely read this story!

I would love a follow up book. There is more we need to know, about after. What happen with this? Did she find out who white coat was. And so much more. Please follow up with these characters!

I absolutely loved Parallel. Even though I knew this would be much different, I was still eager to read it. Glad I did! I found it a little slow at times, but Miller did a great job with keeping me interested.

Not terrible, just sort of forgettable. It was pretty obvious what was going on with the scars Jessa was seeing on faces. That exploration was intriguing but ultimately shallow. It was decent to read one but I wouldn't bother with it a second time.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

That being said, unfortunately I did not enjoy this book. The main character has terrible anxiety issues and they seem to be the main focus of this book. She has a wreck after she finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her. After her wreck, her face is terribly scarred, which just adds to her anxiety.

I couldn't finish the book because it just seemed like the same scenario on repeat.

A couldnt put it down kind of book. It didnt go the way that I thought it would. Very good.

Jessa has been dealing with anxiety attacks on her own with her boyfriend until he wasn't there any more. When an accident leaves her with a brain injury and scars her father makes an offer for her to come live with him. It seems she didn't come out unscathed from the accident not only does she have scars but seems to be having hallucinations with those around her seeing them broken and scarred. Now shes in a new school meeting new people making and a new love interest and still got to learn to get past what happens to her.

Not sure if I ended that description right but I think I'm going to stick to it. After reading this book its beyond me why it took me so long to actually pick it up because now that I've finished reading this I found it to be interesting, unique, unexpected and enjoyable. TBH I think it was the cover that drew me in and after reading the description I was curious how it was going to be. The description sounded generic like plenty books that I've read before but turned out there was clear differences that make this book stand out. It's not the greatest book (don't want to over hype the book) but it was pretty good it hooked me and pretty much wouldn't let me go to the end. There was interesting moments and I loved that this book didn't feel rushed. I loved seeing the progression of Jessa learning and changing over the course of the book and that it wasn't some insta love thing that solved every issue she has (hate when books do that) I loved seeing that slow change and seeing her improve. Overall this book was pretty good and I really enjoyed it.

There's a lot I liked about this book. I loved the main plot concept, and how it deals with mental and physical illnesses in a very tasteful way.
I loved the characters because I related to each of them in different ways. I rooted for Jessa, Hannah, Marshall and the others.
I didn't like the way the book unfolded in the end. I feel like it all became quite moralistic and the spiel felt a lot like something from a self-help book.
It became very cliché and predictable, but then the author left every important question unanswered, which bugs me endlessly.
I loved the right, but I was disappointed with the destination at the end.

A great story but I have problem at the beginning to connect to the story.The first half was ok the rest was pretty good.Also most of the things that happened through the story was predictable.

All Things New follows the story of Jessa, our protagonist, as she attempts to come to terms with the after- effects of a terrifying accident, and the physical and mental scars left behind.

Long story short, I loved this book. It's so sensitively done, it's hard not to and I believe the comparisons with The Fault in Our Stars and All the Bright Place are justified. It tackles several very difficult subjects carefully and beautifully, weaving a sometimes heart-breaking yet hopeful tale that's part love-story part coming-of-age. I'd recommend this to everyone.

I absolutely loved the metaphors in this book! A little unbelievable/unrealistic in places, but you'll become obsessed with the characters. It wraps up cleanly, but I was left wishing for an epilogue.

Uhm... how do I start this...

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

The beginning was really powerful and engaging. I loved how the events unfolded and the struggles Jessa had to face due to the accident and before it, everything felt real and relatable as I myself have been struggling with some anxiety and depression. It sends important messages to the reader and I really did appreciate the comparison with The Picture of Dorian Gray I found this bit really great and exemplary here let me show you



In his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde suggests that man's attempt to separate his soul from his body will eventually lead to the loss of both.Dorian Gray thought that hiding his true self from the world would set him free, but it actually did the opposite. It made him a prisoner to a lie; a lie that drove him deeper and deeper into darkness and ultimately destroyed him.


More than anything, it seems to me now he was an insecure person, unsure of his own value beyond his appearance.

i know what that's like

And it strikes me now, that I probably would've made Dorian's trade, if I believed it were possible to put my true self on a painting I could hide from the world. But I didn't have a magical canvas, so I tried burying the truth inside me instead, building little mental boxes to hold the things I didn't want anyone to see. The all-consuming panic. The swirling thoughts. The sinking shame. The fear that I'm not good enough, have never been good enough, that if anyone really knew me, they'd leave.


True words, that dive deep into you and you realize that everytime you said ''I'm ok'' as an answer to that person that has asked you if you are ok, but you actually weren't makes us liars as we bury those truths underneath the surface and put on a mask and pretend that everything is OK and we are as well. That everyone is struggling with something and everyone is pretending otherwise.

I really did like these messages and the truthfulness in them.

After the accident she has she moved to live with her father in Colorado, were she befriends Hannah and Marshal; twins. My favourite character is definitely Marshal and I wanted to see more of him, he is funny, optimistic and gives you that fresh air you need after all the heaviness in this book, regardless of his own condition he always looks at the bright side.

One of the things that did not work out for me in this book was that the characters had something to cope with. I mean, why?? It just made the whole book wayy too HEAVY and how can I say I wanted some light into it more MARSHAL!!

Another thing I did not like was the direction the book took and all that after-head-concussion-thing... it would have been better to just keep it as aphantasia as a MEDICAL CONDITION and not turn it into something that just..

SPOILER

Basically after her accident, Jessa sees bruises, scars, burns ect on other people's faces and the doctors call it aphantasia and her mind's eye does not work she cannot picture nor see images with her mind. And towards the end of the book it turns out that she is seeing the hurting soul of the others, and that everything is more on a spiritual level and I was like... maaaan WHYY ruining this book... so yeah this was the major issue I had with this book...

END OF SPOILER

ruined the whole experience for me...

Overall I did like it, and I would totally invite you to pick it up and check it out. My rating is 3 stars.

This was my first experience with Lauren Miller and I am pleased to say that I really enjoyed this novel. At first it was really slow going for me. Not because of my interest in the content, but the content was slightly triggering for me since I do suffer from a lot of the mental health issue that the main character has. So I was only able to read small sections of this book at a time before I had to sit it aside. However, after I got to a certain point I was unable to put the book down at all and really flew through it.

Since I've already mentioned that this book has some triggers, I'll go ahead and include them here. Some trigger warnings: anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and I'm sure I missed some others as well.

The first thing that really drew me to this book (what made me request it from Netgalley) was the fact that I knew I would be able to relate to the main character. What I didn't expect was how much I would struggle with it. A lot of the things she was going through really struck home with me and my own experiences. That's what made it so hard to read at first. But I'm really glad I pushed through because this book was really, really great.

The descriptions of the main character Jessa's experiences with her mental illnesses were seriously spot on. They were described to a T and I feel I can say that because I have been diagnosed with all 3 of the diseases she has as well. That's part of why it was so triggering to me as well.

Another aspect of the book that really held my attention for the first section was the medical jargon and focus. This is something that really interests me and it really kept my interested when I was struggling with the content of the book at first.

Since all I have done is rave about this book so far, let me explain why I took a star off of my rating. The plot twist / big reveal of the story didn't quite make any sense given the context of the story. It was completely unexpected and I would have never guessed it, but it just didn't fit in my opinion and it wasn't really explained or portrayed in such a way that readers could make sense of why it was so necessary. I think had this paranormal aspect of the book been developed a little more it could've been a 5 star read for me.

I really, really enjoyed the fact that Jessa found a refuge / safe place with this group she met with before school. It was nice to see that she wasn't the only one that had these thoughts and feelings. It made me wonder if there was a support group for anxiety / depression / panic attacks in my area as well. Not that I would ever be brave enough to go, but I'm so glad Jessa did.

I could relate to almost every single thing in the book and I think that's why I was able to connect so strongly with the plot and the characters. The most relatable and hard hitting idea that I took from this book was how people with these invisible MI are forced to hide behind a mask because they look ok on the outside, but on the inside they are falling apart. Because damn if that isn't the truth. I feel this on every level.

I feel kind of guilty because all the notes I took about this book didn't include anything about the other characters in the book. Marshall was amazing and his heart disease completely ripped me apart. His twin sister, Hannah, was interesting to say the least. She was so up and down, but I did see a little of myself in her too. Jessa's dad was also kind of great and very supportive of her despite how he is portrayed in the beginning of the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and I think it's definitely worth reading! As you can see from my reading progress below, I experienced a wide range of emotions while reading this book from heaviness, to literal tears, to confusion, to happiness. It was seriously a rollercoaster ride!

I'm quite undecided about how I feel about this novel, there were elements I really liked, but I also disliked it too, so I thought a 3/5 rating was a fair rating, although I may change this.
This novel is about Jessa, a teenager who suffers from anxiety and panic attacks, who after being involved in a car crash moves from LA to Colorado to live with her Dad. There she meets a boy called Marshall.
First off I thought this was a very well written portrayal of anxiety, it was realistic and also descriptive so it could be imagined by even those who don't suffer from anxiety. I really appreciated this, it gives readers a character they can relate to, and definitely brings more attention to anxiety and panic attacks.
Miller's writing is emotive and descriptive, it allows us to feel exactly what Jessa is experiencing. Miller's writing is easy to read and as such the novel is a quick read.
However, I was slightly disappointed by a number of elements of this novel. I thought the character of Jessa was annoying to read, and some of her actions were bizarrely out of character. The way she treated her dad was one of these instances. It felt clunky and weirdly out of character.
Another thing that disappointed me about this novel was the romance itself. It felt a little forced to me, and seemed like it came out of no where, although I do love Marshall as a character. He was funny and charming and very caring, so I did enjoy reading about him!! However, I kind of hated the way that Jessa got a boyfriend which helped her to deal with her mental health. I hate when the author tries to write a boyfriend into a story as some sort of 'cure'.
But my main disappointment with this novel was the Christian/religious undercurrent that suddenly appeared in the novel. There was no mention of this in the blurb, but it becomes very strong towards the end of the novel. This might be a slight *spoiler* but angels start to play a part in the novel, and the way it's written it seems to suggest that Jessa was helped by the angels, and God. This suggested to me that the author is suggesting that you need religion to help/save yourself from mental health problems. This is disappointing to me, in a YA novel, especially when there is no warning in the blurb.
Overall, I gave this novel 3/5 stars, it was a fairly accurate portrayal of anxiety, but it had disappointing themes which weren't made obvious, and could've been triggering to some readers.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

When Jessa's parents get divorced and her dad moves to Colorado when she is in 7th grade, she develops generalized anxiety disorder. Jessa has learned how to hide it, but when she gets in a car accident that leaves her with broken bones and scars, she feels she can't hide it anymore. Her dad invites her to live with him in Colorado, and the people she meets there just might be able to draw her out to let her true self show.

I liked that the characters in this book were all realistic and three-dimensional. I think the one thing I could have done without in the book is all the philosophizing at the end. I would be interested in reading a sequel from Hannah's point of view.

I am not sure how to feel about this book. I think the story of Jessa learning how to adapt after a car accident leaves her struggling to deal with her anxiety, and new symptoms of hallucinations and losing her "mind's eye". It was interesting to see how her world fell apart and getting a fresh start living with her Dad and starting a new school.

Once having no friends and her world revolving around her boyfriend (now ex-boyfriend), she is having to make new friends. She meets Hannah on her first day and instantly connects with her. Marshall has to be my favorite character of the bunch. This goes through Jessa coming to grips with her new reality including going to a support group. It was a pretty interesting concept.

The parts I really struggled with was the hallucinations, including possibly the man who helped saved her the night of the accident. The philosophy that was sprinkled throughout which tried too hard or the religious part that came out at the end. It all seemed so disheveled and not thought out, like it couldn't decide what kind of book it wanted to be so it was everything.

I did like how it ended and the journey that Jessa took and how see survived.

All Things New was a nice young adult novel with a supernatural twist.

Jessa was a relatable protagonist and I really liked her friends. The writing was good and it was really interesting to watch Jessa's recovery. Neither her, nor her friends were perfect characters, but they each had their little flaws and that made them very amiable. I also very much appreciated the fact that there wasn't a love triangle.

The only thing that I didn't like was the supernatural/religious aspect because it was not consistent enough. I think that it should have either been left out completely or the author should have elaborated on that. These things felt a little out of place when they suddenly appeared throughout the story.

I would recommend this book to everyone that loves YA fiction, the topic of mental health and sweet love stories. Even though the supernatural aspect didn't really fit in, I don't think anyone should hold themselves back from reading the book because of it.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley.