All Things New by Lauren Miller is a book that will pull at your heart strings leaving you crying one minute and laughing the next. Lauren Miller is an incredible writer and does an amazing job creating the characters, plot setting and over all tone of this book. I am very impressed with the way Miller created a story that everyone can relate to at some point in their life. I will admit that this book at times is really sad but next thing you know something will happen that will make you laugh out loud. The book follows Jessa Gray who is a teenager that battles with anxiety while trying to keep it a secret from everyone. Jessa at the beginning has an argument with her boyfriend, Wren, causing them to break up. She leaves his house upset and in the middle on a panic attack. Then the unexpected happens and next thing she knows she is waking up to a voice telling her that everything will be ok. The wreck cause her to suffer from brain damage. While it is not noticeable, she cannot reply or imagine an image in her mind. When she looks at people she sees “bruises” or damage/injuries making her think she is going crazy. Lucky for Jessa her dad is also at the hospital and suggests that she leave Los Angeles and going back to Colorado with him, She quickly takes him up on the offer trying to get away from her mom and the many arguments they have had over the past few months. When Jess and her dad (Eric) get to Colorado, she manages to start high school and make two new friends. She also meets a doctor/therapists at her new school whose voice sound very fimilar but she can’t figure out why. Has the story goes through many ups and downs, Jessa knows she can count on Hannah and Marshall. After learning that Marshall has a disability himself, they soon become more then friends. Towards the end of the book Jessa’s relationship with her mom and dad make a complete turn around. She also learns after meeting the real school therapist, that the man she was talking to while thinking he is the doctor is actually an angel.

I loved this book! Through the whole book your not just posed with the main characters problems , but the peoples around her too! This book will be sure leave you thinking even after you've read it.

Interesting and engaging look into the mind of a girl riddled with anxiety. Very relevant for teen girls. Also very hopeful. Enjoyed this one a lot!

Heart-felt. Humorous. Hopeful. And Marshall was my favorite! This was my first Lauren Miller book, but it won't be my last.

ALL THINGS NEW was a somewhat relatable book for me, as somebody who suffers from anxiety, although I would think Jessa's is more severe than mine, and I've also never been in a car accident or had any of the specific plot experiences that shape the book. I felt that the portrayal of anxiety was a powerful one that took it seriously and didn't dismiss it as not as bad/serious as many more 'dramatic' mental illnesses, even if it didn't entirely match my own.

However, there were a few aspects of the book that gave me mixed feelings, so I'm going to explain my thoughts with "+" and "-" signs to indicate whether they're positive or negative.

+ I liked that there was a focus on friendship, and that Jessa became close friends with Hannah even though she was also romantically interested in Hannah's brother. This friendship wasn't portrayed as a means to an end or of lesser importance than romantic interests, which I appreciated.
- That said, I wasn't a big fan of the romantic element generally, in part because Jessa had made it clear she didn't want a boyfriend after moving to live with her dad, and I didn't really see why it was necessary for her to go back on that. While Marshall was an engaging character and I enjoyed their scenes together, I felt it could have worked just as well, plot-wise, if they were close friends. But then, you know me, I hate romance unless it really bowls me over.
+ I liked that the book explores different methods of coping with mental illness, including medication and therapy and support groups, and that there was a strong focus on 'getting better' as a gradual process rather than a one-off thing, because I think that's one of the hardest things to deal with for many people.
- I didn't like how Hannah and Jessa treated Marshall because of his heart defect. There was very much a vibe that they didn't think his problems were as severe as theirs just because they weren't emotional issues (which is a bit of a reversal of normal attitudes), and they accused him of relying on his disability to shape his personality instead of making an effort to be anything more than that, which seemed... off to me. Hannah had an excuse for it (twin envy and meds making her lash out), but Jessa didn't, and I didn't think the narrative really called her out for it as much as it should have done.
- I also wasn't entirely comfortable with how the characters talked about "the Aspie table" (a group of kids with Aspergers that Marshall hangs out with sometimes), because it seemed a bit dismissive or even dehumanising in places.
+ That said, this was partly counteracted by how Jessa behaves towards some of them later and the fact she becomes closer friends with at least one of the girls; it might've just been me not reading it right.
+ There were some interesting plot twists in this, which are difficult to talk about without spoilers. One of them I sort-of guessed, but then it had an additional layer that totally threw me off and that was quite entertaining.
- However, this particular plot point was left rather mysterious and never fully resolved. I think the reader was meant to draw their own conclusions based on whether or not they believe in angels and so on, but I had a lot of questions and I would've liked them answered.

On the whole, though, the book's main strength was that it was relatable. I could identify with a lot of Jessa's feelings -- there's one particular moment when she's in the chapel at the hospital and she makes a few comments about her anxiety vs her faith that really chimed with me.

It's probably a 3.5* read because it took me a long time to engage with it, and I wasn't entirely certain about the writing style, which didn't blow me away. But on the whole, not bad.

This review is on Goodreads and will be cross-posted to my blog some time closer to the publication date -- which isn't for ages yet, whoops.

Everything I read about this book said the ending was terrible and while it has apparently been changed, it still involves an angel, which strained my credulity. Only really suitable for Christian readers.

Thanks to Net Galley and Three Saints Press for an ARC of this title, in exchange for an honest review. My 16 yo is dyslexic, so often we read YA books together, and I was happy to receive this one, thinking it mainly dealt with anxiety (from which I suffer.) As I was reading...I kept saying, "I think she has aphantasia!" Sure enough...it was diagnosed a bit through the book. I just found out I have this condition of "no mind's eye," last year, and this is the FIRST time I've seen anyone take it on. It makes me wonder if the author has the condition as well, because she did a great job of capturing a difficult subject. I loved how this book delved into the scars we all have, which might not be seen by others. I really really enjoyed this book.

ALL THINGS NEW is, yet, another excellent novel by Lauren Miller. The engaging story flows and once you latch onto the characters, a tsunami of "feels" arrive, mainly in Hanna's and Marshall's storylines.

My mind raced with the potential resolutions to the different threads and mysteries, which I cannot say much here 'cuz *spoliers*. But, trust me, they're quite the ride.

As any story, this one isn't for everyone. Actually, there's no such thing as a perfect story 'cuz audiences, yeah? For me, this kind of book is indeed my cup or tea or my enchilada plate. So, for that and this and the like and the great writing, I'll give the story 5 shining stars.

J’ai été complètement embarquée dans ce roman; j’en ai adoré chaque rebondissement si bien que la fin est venue trop vite à mon goût. J’aurais voulu que All things new n’ait pas de fin!

J’ai été particulièrement touchée par le personnage du père de Jessa. Sa maladresse et sa timidité m’ont fait sourire. Idem pour Ayo même si on ne le voit pas beaucoup.

J'ai été séduite par le twist de l’histoire. Chacun y verra ou y donnera le sens qu’il veut. Pour moi, ça restera avant tout une quête, un apprentissage universel.

I loved this book from the first chapter. Jessa's voice is honest, raw, and despite being riddled with pain, it's filled with an inner strength. It's the sort of strength girls can and need to connect with. Marshall is so much fun and just what Jessa needs to draw her out of her shy shell. Jessa's friendship with both Marshall and his twin sister Hannah is spot-on, and when Hannah's life spirals out of control due to the audition, my heart bled for her. As a parent and educator, I worry about how much pressure we put on children to succeed, but it's even worse when they apply that pressure themselves in order to stand out in some way. Thank you for allowing me to read this book. I work with teens, and one of my students is going through a similar experience with scars on her face. This book will be one I'll recommend to her once it's published.

UPDATE (05.03): After re-reading the ending I stand by my first puntuation of the book. Even more so, to be honest. The book was more or less good until I realized I was being fed some kind of christian psycho babble... so... angels? And the actual psychologist and psychiatrists are the bad guys? No. Thanks but no. I dislike this kind of bull A LOT.

ADDED NOTIFICATION (27.01.17): Since posting my review I was approached by the publisher and the author explaining that the galley I was offered was a corrupted file which had chunks of text missing which affected the comprehension of the text and so on. I have been offered a correct one and I have said I will re-read the ending when I finish the book I am reading it so I can see if my opinion of the book changes. I'll keep yopu posted about it.

I was enjoying the book so much, following the life of our main character who suffers panic attacks and is recovering from the aftermath of a car accident which has left her with a face full of scars and the "ability" of seeing scars and bruises on other people faces. Why is this happening to her?

After leaving her mother's home and moving with his father she meets a sister and brother who turn out to be a new friend and boyfriend to her, and it was nice to see the beginning of those relationships, althought the one with Hannah, the girl was a bit on the weird side because she began to be a bit... rude?

But all of a sudden the poor editing of the book turned out to be more of a "looks like there is something missing", "feels like a gap or a chunk of a text is gone" and continuity went downhill fast. Plus towards the end there were a couple weird turns and with all of this for me the whole concept of the book fell down :(

ADDED NOTIFICATION (27.01.17): Since posting my review I was approached by the publisher and the author explaining that the galley I was offered was a corrupted file which had chunks of text missing which affected the comprehension of the text and so on. I have been offered a correct one and I have said I will re-read the ending when I finish the book I am reading it so I can see if my opinion of the book changes. I'll keep yopu posted about it.

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. This book was amazing, the amount of quotes I highlighted throughout the book was ridiculous because they all spoke to me so much. So this post is going to be very long because of all the quotes I've included.

Favourite Quote:

"This is how you deal with it ... You cry. Sometimes you scream. You let out whatever it is you're feeling, and you keep letting it out until you can breathe again"

I can imagine many people will criticize this book as it is based around a mental disorder, and no one every agrees about the symptoms, improvement rates or anything else related to it. I believe this is because everyone who has experienced this or knows someone who has, experiences it differently. So saying that, I completely related to Megan. Not in the sense of having a car accident and such but the panic and anxiety are something that are very familiar to me. I think Lauren did a great job at putting Megan's feelings and thoughts into words when even I struggle to explain how I feel to people at times. I do personally criticize the fact that it is never explained exactly where Megan's hallucinations come from as this is normally a trait of psychosis and associated with for example, schizophrenia. But for the sake of the book I assumed and went along with the idea of it being a coping mechanism and/or PTSD and/or result of brain damage.

Megan is a very deep and interesting character. With it being written from her point of view, we get an insight into her mental process, her emotions and her fears. After the accident her fears are realistic, they feel real to me, I can imagine I would feel like that. And even though it is a book, I kept wishing for her to get through it and feel better. When Marshall came into the story I knew this was going to happen. A lot of people will say, oh love can't heal mental disorders, but I believe it partially can. I believe it can make the person feel more safe and secure and feel better than they did previously. It might not be something that can completely heal, but it can get better. (Yes, I'm talking from experience), and this is what Marshall did.

Megan doesn't just heal because of Marshall though. She goes to a group therapy where she opens up, she has a man in a white coat help her and she has friends she can rely on. Her father is a lot more helpful than her mother was. I think all of these aspects helped Megan. We never see her fully heal either, we see her massively improve.

That is exactly what there is. Hope. ... Where the light is visible but we're still in the dark, and the best we can do is believe that eventually we'll get there and hold each other's hands until we do. There may not be calm or certainty or confidence, but there is hope. That tears aren't forever. That one day all things will be new.
Marshall is such a great character, he is funny, blunt but also open to hearing Megan's story. He compliments her and makes her feel good about herself. Their friendship is cute, their relationship is even cuter.

Hannah's character, I think, will get some mixed reviews. She was b*tch for some parts, I do have to admit that, but then, I find that realistic. That is what stress will do to you, and considering she was on pills, I'm guessing those will do that too (wouldn't know that about these pills). But we see a good side of her as well, being a friend to someone who really needs a friend. We see her struggle with her own problems later on in the book and find she also needed Megan just as much as Megan needed her.

This book has a lot of deeper issues than just love, friendship and anxiety. With Megan 'hallucinating' bruises, burns and scars on people's faces we come to understand that these are based on the people's feelings. Megan, in the end, believes she can see their soul. It reminds us that even when people put on a happy face, a lot could be wrong with them, that they could have underlying issues and be hurting inside.

That's the thing about the invisible world, I guess. Where souls get battered and minds get muddles and hearts get broken again and again. It's a war zone, a disaster area, but no one wants to talk about how messed up things are, so we let each other pretend. We play along, 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. The brokenness, and the desolation and despairs. We tell ourselves it'll get better if we just ignore it. But wounds don't work that way. Leave them open, and you'll bleed out.

I didn't really connect with the whole angel aspect as I'm not religious and don't really believe in these things. I do however believe that everyone has a person that is looking out for them and trying to help them. I never really looked at this character as an actually angel, but just another person who helped someone else through something.

One thing I did find a shame in this book as that psychologists and psychiatrists are portrayed very negatively which could influence people who read this and are struggling themselves, not to go to one. I have to admit I haven't had the best experiences with them, but I had one counselor who was wonderful and helped me loads.

This book was a very quick read for me, it kept me hooked and I really connected with it. I definitely suggest reading it. It will be released on the 1st of August 2017.

All Things New for me has become one of my favourite YA books. The biggest takeaway for me after reading the book is about acceptance and believing in oneself. Especially when it comes to dealing with the things we are scared of; that we don’t have to be ashamed of ourselves, of having what other people might think of as a weakness.

This was the first book of Lauren Miller that I read and you bet, I will read her other books because she definitely has ways with words. While reading, I found myself tearing up after reading certain lines in the book because of how true they are and no book I’ve read so far has been able to capture those feelings in words. The depiction of anxiety in this book felt so real. Maybe it’s because of how detailed Jessa’s inner thoughts are being written in the book. The words spoken by the others felt genuine and almost felt like they are talking to me instead of the characters in the book (that’s what made me cry reading them).

So, thank you, Lauren Miller, for writing such a beautiful and uplifting book!

**Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a free e-copy of ALL NEW THINGS in exchange for my honest review. This is an updated review, because I was originally provided with an incomplete manuscript**

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

During a panic attack Jessa crashes her car and suffers a brain injury. Now, in addition to her anxiety disorder, she has a traumatic brain injury and is hallucinating scars on the faces of others. Additionally, she moves from her mom's house in LA to her dad's in Colorado and starting a new school.

ALL NEW THINGS is a quick, easy read. The writing didn't stand out, but didn't distract me. It did keep me turning the pages, though I never stopped to reread a sentence or highlight after losing my breath at the beauty of the words. Lauren Miller included characters on the autistic spectrum and those with a variety of psychological disorders and a random Filipino (though how Jessa would know the ethnic origins of a stranger puzzled me).

Miller look a lot of creative liberties with Jessa's psychological condition, her treatment and physical condition adding plot driven psychosis into Jessa's life in the form of changing scars on faces and characters who are hallucinations. Additionally she added a school psychiatrist who students could visit and who could prescribe medication to students without parental knowledge.

The trajectory of Jessa's mental illness, improving after therapy and medications that didn't work and insta-love dramatically improving, nearly curing anxiety and curing psychosis just don't play out in real life and is a dangerous message to send to teenagers. The explanation for certain psychotic symptoms bothered me as a psychologist because ideas of reference (religious hallucinations) are common amongst those why schizophrenia and similar disorders so I didn't buy into the angel angle. I also didn't appreciate the bad psychiatrist wanting to drug kids unbeknownst to their parents. I wish Miller had stuck with either a pure psychological or not used the word hallucination to describe Jessa's visions, because I think mental illness isn't understood enough at the teen level to blur the lines in a YA novel.

ALL NEW THINGS isn't a bad or a good story. It won't stay with me, but I don't regret reading it either.