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.

I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I have read several books by this author and have enjoyed them. This was no exception. I felt like the portrayal of anxiety was true to life. I also loved the relationship between father and daughter that was able to grow and develop in the face of tragedy.

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!

As I’m typing up this review I can’t help but wonder why I didn’t just stop reading and add this to my did-not-finish pile.


Let me explain why, it was all going good but then this came up:


“He usually sits on the far right, at the Aspie table.”


I tried to ignore it but couldn’t. I thought maybe I’m reading too much into things? So I googled it and well, opinions are pretty divided, some people with Asperger’s say they don’t like the term and some don’t mind it. But it felt wrong to me if I’m being honest, if you don’t have Asperger’s you shouldn’t be using it (and Marshall doesn’t).



And then a few pages later Marshall and Jessa are joking about suicide (I won’t put the quote here). Again, I couldn’t help thinking that maybe I was reading too much into things because a book couldn’t be this blatantly bad could it? But apparently it was. Still, I read on, hoping that this was the last problematic thing that would pop up in the book.


I was wrong.


Not only did the author keep using the phrase Aspie to describe the table were students with Asperger’s sat, but then a few pages later, this popped up:



“I definitely didn’t want to sit in a room with kids with actual disabilities”.


This was in regards to Marshall joining a support group for his heart condition. I realise that I might be reading it wrong but Marshall never elaborates as to what he meant by that, the sentence just ends there, and if I’m being completely honest, it rubbed me the wrong way.


It took me a while to get up the motivation to read the last 20% of the book and when I thought about why it was taking so much effort, I realised that it was not only because of the problematic attitude/language but also because nothing was happening/had happened to keep me hooked, to keep me reading on.

Jessa and Marshall came off more as friends than anything else and - I can’t believe I’m going to say this – I don’t think All Things New needed a romantic angle. It would’ve worked better without.


The ending felt rushed to me, Jessa’s recovery and the resolution’s to all the characters problems all happened in the last few pages. It was too fast for me, I think it would’ve been better had the author done it gradually over the course of the book instead of all at once with no lead up (which is how it felt).

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.

Jessa suffers from anxiety which was brought on by her parents divorce. When some unfortunate events lead to her being in a car crash, Jessa needs to learn how to adjust to some new problems which arise and cause her to have even more anxiety issues. Jessa also needs to adjust to going to a new school and making new friends.

This was a good read. I liked the connection that Jessa had to Marshall and Hannah. It was nice how even though each of them had their own problems they were able to help one another.

A compelling story about love, coming of age, anxiety and psychological issues, All Things New by Lauren Miller is a worthwile read.

I used to not like books having characters that deal with mental health wherein the characters fall in love but I guess I can make an exception to this. Jessa and Marshall's chemistry remind me of Hazel and Augustus in John Green's novel, 'The Fault in Our Stars' and it's just bomb.

I'm sorry this review is very short. I just can't find the words to describe how much I enjoyed this book. It may seem like I only gave emphasis on Jessa and Marshall but I promise, there's so much more to this book than just revolving around the two.

**1 star-DNF at 40%**

So I HATE to do this and wished it never happened again but I had to make this my 2nd DNF of the year. I decided to pick this up on my kindle after so long and I got it from netgalley as an ARC for an honest review.

I'll admit I was actually bored and annoyed with the italicized thoughts Jessa had because the i's were lowercase and there were no punctuation marks and again that was annoying. Characters thoughts like that should ALWAYS be written like any other sentence in a book in my opinion. But whether you want it italicized or not, fine. But don't start putting and making it all lower cased and no punctuation marks.

Jessa was also annoying in my opinion but I did at least meet Marshall who was nice to her. And I actually don't know who was more annoying: Hannah (Marshall's twin sister who becomes Jessa's new friend) or Jessa herself.

Overall, I was seriously bored and then it got weird for me and too wordy and descriptions etc. so I had to DNF my second book sadly. Despite Marshall being the only decent thing in here tbh. But it some liked it kudos and glad you did! But I can see why not many didn't like this or rated it so low.
So I'm afraid I'm going to have to rate this a 1 star.

I don't even know where to begin with this review. This book tugs at your heart strings and makes you think. My heart ached for the girl in this book and sometimes brought me to tears. It also made me analyze my own life. Maybe I liked it so much because I felt like I could relate to the main character and many others in the book. It deals with tough subjects but gets to the core. I absolutely love books like this, books that leave me analyzing and thinking while I'm reading and especially after I've finished the book. I highly recommend it! https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/9258396?shelf=2017&utm_campaign=mybooksnav&utm_content=mybooks_cta&utm_medium=web&utm_source=homepage

After a car accident Jessa Gray finds herself wallowing in a bout of questions and insecurities along with a new disability: aphantasia. She can no longer visualize imagery in her mind, but once she moves to Colorado to live with her dad, not only does she meets new friends, she begin to learn that maybe this disability is not a disability, but unique and useful.

This book is incredible as far as imagery and ideas. When Jessa finds her boyfriend cheating on her, it throws her into a panic attack while driving and then some car speeds past a red light and hits her causing her entire world to change. As you read, you get the feeling Jessa has always relied on her beautiful looks in the past to cover up who she really inside- which is broken. The author does an amazing job slowly peeling back the layers of Jessa’s life and helping us to see why she thinks and behaves the way she does.


The beautiful takeaway in this story is that panic disorders are real but with the right support and love, you can heal.”

The shining light is Marshall. His attraction to Jessa seems instant. Even with her scars he see her as beautiful and wants to spend time with her. He tries to see the best in everyone and even though he has a hole in his heart, his love for Jessa could repair her own. Their romance buds pretty fast and that was unexpected, however their interaction was all marshmallows and hearts.


"My eyes are on his chin, his forehead, then, finally, his eyes, which leap at me…swallowing up air between us…let go of me. But he isn’t holding on to me…He’s just looking at me.” (All Things New, 2017)

What is also interesting about the book is the references to “The Portrait of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde. The book seems to mirror the story as far as perception and the soul is concerned. It piqued my interest in reading Oscar Wilde’s novel.

In summation, the book was definitely good if you are into serious existentialist talk, Van Gogh, and teen issues. An overall good story.

This book was received for free from Netgalley!

This is the first book I've read by Lauren Miller - and I don't think it will be my last. Her word-smithing is beautiful. (I think that's a word!) It's another teenage 'issue' fiction book, but it didn't bore me in the least, despite the plethora of books of that ilk being reeled out at the moment. This book has something different - difficult to pinpoint, but thrilling to read.

Jessa suffers from panic attacks. She has done since about eighth grade when her parents divorced. When her dad moved away, her mum forced her into therapy. Jessa's confused, but there's one things she clears about: she does notwant to talk about it. So, acting becomes Jessa's talent. Before, she got good grades and made her parents proud. Now, her grades are suffering, but as long as her mum can't seeher panic, it's not a problem. Right? When she finds Wren, her boyfriend, things become easier. He likes her in a simple way. She's pretty, and she knows what to say when. Who cares if it's all an act?

When Jessa overhears at a party that Wren has been cheating on her, her world splinters. That same night, she is in an awful accident. She can remember it - but not vividly. Because, after the accident, Jessa suffers from aphantasia. This is something I've never come across before, and it greatly interested me. She has memories, but no accompanying pictures to them. Inside her head, all there is is darkness. Outside, the world becomes a riot of colour - something apparently common for people suffering from this condition - but within her head there is nothing. But it gets worse. Jessa begins to realise that she's hallucinating. Hallucinating injuries onto people - scars, burns, bruises. When she eventually confides in a doctor, it's suggested this is because she cannot cope with her own disfigurement; the accident has left her face badly scars and she refuses to confront mirrors. But is that all there is to it? Because the injuries change, and they're not similar to her own. Not everyone has scars, only people who are damaged on the inside. Is Jessa seeing their insides then, their souls? No, that's impossible. But the school counsellor, Dr I, is very open to any interpretation and it leaves Jessa wondering. Why can she see bruises on her new friend's Hannah's face, which keep getting worse, when no one else thinks anything is wrong? Why is Hannah's twin brother, an upbeat happy-go-lucky kinda guy, scarless - despite having a hole in his heart and a dangerous blood clot?

Oh, there's so much more to this story - but I can't write anymore without giving away any spoilers. I'll just say this - each time you think you have the measure of it, Miller turns everything on its head. Each time you think that Jessa's wrong - maybe she's right. It's a rollercoaster ride of a book. I found myself explaining the entire plot line of this book to someone and was practically bouncing as I described it! It's absolutely fascinating, the whole of it: the aphantasia, the hallucinations, the relationships, the philosophy, even her English class studying 'A Picture of Dorian Gray.'

The ending is superb. Miller leaves you with the choice of what you want to believe. This wasn't the book I expected to read.

And for the romance lovers out there - don't worry, there's something for you too!

All in all, a huge thanks to NetGalley and to Three Saints Press for the opportunity to read this. Please, go out and buy a copy - what are you waiting for??

"We've all got stuff...we act like we're all okay. But we're not okay, and all the junk we're hiding is right there, right in front of us, right within us." Miller gives a unique view of anxiety disorder through the mind and life of seventeen year old Jessa. With a wealth of baggage, Jessa fights through healing from a car accident, working to tame her dragons and healing her mind in the process.
Miller uses sarcasm and humor within the battle of Jessa sorting through her relationships and self, and consistently reminds us that, ..." fear isn't a kind ruler,... darkness isn't all there is. There is also light," and there's power in honesty. This story translates well to anyone who's ever dealt with anxiety disorders, fear of fitting in, and basically all teenage angst and insecurity. Well done and researched, this is a YA book for all, and one I'm certainly going to be passing on.

If you ever want to read The Picture of Dorian Gray I suggest you read that first. It's on my TBR and now I feel like it was spoiled for me. Anyway, this book dealt with trauma, mental and physical illness, broken hearts and a broken family. The main character begins to heal from a car accident and realizes she's hallucinating scars and bruises on other people's faces. This book was compared to The Fault In Our Stars and All The Bright Places and I do see some similarities although I didn't get nearly as emotional as I did with those two.

I sadly DNF this book, unfortunately, I found it quite difficult to read, simply for the fact that I deal with anxiety in my day to day life, but the main character didn't really draw me in and nothing seemed to "happen". I would love to pick this book back up in the future, but because it deals with something that is very much part of my life right now I'm finding it a little bit difficult to finish,