A beautifully written book about a tough subject - anxiety disorder and, even worse, anxiety disorder in young adults. It's tough enough to grow into adulthood, but add crippling anxiety to the mix, and it's a recipe for lots of angst.

I won't get into the story itself, but suffice it to say it's a journey of self-discovery, healing and hope.

I thoroughly enjoyed the message this book provided and the path taken to get there. And can I just add...Marshall. Marshall is amazing. I suppose I should be creeped out that I'm pining after a 17/18 year old boy, but he's pretty damn awesome!

I believe this book would appeal to teenage girls who maybe suffer from anxiety, however, I felt the story was a bit slow developing for most young readers.

If Parallel and Free to Fall were 5 out of 5 books for me, then All Things New has to be a 6. While Lauren Miller's first two novels were exceptional, I found extra depth in All Things New. Anxiety, written well, by someone who understands it! Now, this is a combination you don't see very often. Thank you so much for writing this book, Lauren!

Because Lauren gets it, Jessa's internal voice is authentic. As someone who is all too familiar with this dragon and coincidentally has also experienced long term effects from a car accident, I went on this journey with Jessa. I empathised with Jessa recounting how it felt when her friends ditched her after her panic attacks started. I cheered internally when Jessa's courage to let her walls down was rewarded instead of punished. I felt anxious for her when she was anxious for her friends.

I loved how real the supporting characters felt to me and cared about what happened to them. I admired Jessa's father for how hard he worked to build a relationship with his daughter. I appreciated that Hannah wasn't a cliché, that she got snippy when she was frustrated by something or herself. Mr I. ... what can I say except I wanted to curl up on a comfy couch somewhere, probably next to a roaring fire, and listen to him explain philosophy to me all day. (By the way, I get so excited when a book I love includes references to other books. Oscar Wilde and Descartes are definitely getting added to my scarily high TBR pile.)

And frustratingly optimistic Marshall. I adored him despite myself and would like to put an order in for a Marshall please (albeit an age appropriate one for me). Maybe he's got an older cousin? The banter between Jessa and Marshall was so much fun! Because I read a snippet of a review that compared this book to John Green's The Fault in our Stars, I spent most of this book anxiously muttering, 'Please don't let Marshall die! Please don't let Marshall die!'

I was fascinated by the concept of the internal world that we often hide from others, sometimes more so from those closest to us, being made visible to Jessa. I loved Jessa's interactions with the other characters and watching some relationships growing stronger as others faded into the background. While life isn't a fairytale in the end, Jessa has, through her experience, learned to see and be compassionate to the internal struggles of others and her own.

We spend so much time hiding our true selves from the people around us that sometimes I wonder how much we ever really know anyone. There are entire worlds playing out inside our heads and if only we shared those with each other I'm positive we'd find out how alike we all are. Sure, everyone has their own pain and their own struggles but when it comes down to it, pain is pain. We get so afraid of rejection that we hide behind our walls, thinking we're protecting ourselves when really we're preventing ourselves from bring able to give and receive the support and validation that comes with knowing you're not alone in your experience.

I found a Hallmark card about a decade ago and bought every one I could find at the time, dispensing them in the years since to those I felt would benefit from or appreciate its message like I did. This book reminded me of the writing on that card - "Daylight will peek through a very small hole. That's how hope gets through, too." No matter what we're going through, there is hope, even if the hope is that things won't always be this way. OK, stepping off my soapbox now!

This was one of those books that made me sad that you only get to read it for the first time once. However, I'm sure there'll be a second time coming fairly soon. If I did have the chance to read it for the first time again I think I'd highlight the passages that don't resonate with me instead of the ones that do. As it stands, because I did the opposite, my highlighter would have run dry before I got to the halfway mark if I'd been reading a paperback. Instead I wore out my index finger constantly highlighting passages on my Kindle.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley (thank you so much to NetGalley and Three Saints Press) in exchange for an honest review. I'd recommend this to young adults and adults alike, to anyone who has experienced anxiety or anyone who wants to gain a better understanding of those who do, or to those who simply want to read a great book. I don't care what you write about in the future, Lauren, but please keep writing. I'll be reading anything you publish!

All Things New by Lauren Miller was a good read! The main character, Jessa was really good at presenting an image to the world, she thought. But inside she was a mass of anxiety with panic attacks that were barely in control. She struggled everyday and found her relationship with Wren, her boyfriend, a saving grace. Left to live with her mother and her mother’s new husband and their twins Jessa didn’t feel like she belonged except with Wren.

Until Jessa found out he was cheating on her and others knew about it. Until Jessa was in a horrible car accident and her world imploded. Now Jessa has a new chance to start again, living with her dad and going to a new school. No one has to know about the panic attacks - and the other problems brought on by her head injury. RIght?

I enjoyed this book. I like how some things were interwoven so seamlessly within the story. Jessa’s dad’s patience with her was another element that I liked. Jessa and her friends were well drawn characters and I felt the story was well done. I feel the book was mislabeled and should be labeled as Christian as well as Young Adult and Contemporary. I enjoyed reading the book and hope others who read this learn how debilitating panic attacks can be.

Jessa has gotten very good at hiding her brokeness. No one at school knows about the panic attacks, the therapy , the meds... But when a severe accident leaves her with a brain injury and visible scars, Jessa’sability to hide in plain sight is torn away. Escaping her old life, she moves to Colorado with her father, leaving her mother, and her focus on perfection and appearance, behind. Here, she meets a young man with his own broken qualities who helps to draw her into a complete life and learns to trust others' ability to heal and be healed.

Part family drama and part romantic fiction, this book was enjoyable from beginning to end. Jessa was easy to relate to and as a reader I found myself really caring about what happened to her. There were moments of teenage angst, moments of spiritual reflection, moments of parent-child redefinition that made this a well-rounded story.

An uplifting story of brokenness and hope

I will admit I was apprehensive picking this book up, but I found myself pleasantly surprised. This isn’t the lightest of books, but it is relatively short and ultimately uplifting.

Jessa has anxiety. Until the car accident, she could hide it behind a pretty face. Now she can’t hide it, she moves in with her dad and starts at a new school. Over time she learns to accept her brokenness and find hope in reaching forward – something we could all benefit from doing.

There’s a slight mystical element that may not suit everyone but I found it didn’t interfere with the overall feel. It’s not all happy-clappy. It’s not a story of quick fixes or easy answers. It’s a story of faith and friendship.

This is also the story of Jessa’s new friends, fraternal twins Hannah and Marshall. The relatively small cast let them be well fleshed out. They each have their own problems and Hannah, in particular, resonates strongly with me. I would’ve also liked to see more of Sophie and the support group, but that is a minor quibble.

It’s not perfect, but I finished this book feeling better than I started, so I count it as a win. Four hopeful stars.

I received a copy of this story from the author through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jessa is a high schooler with divorced parents, an anxiety disorder, and a terrible boyfriend. After a bad car accident, she find herself struggling with facial scars and processing (kinda) issues. She makes a dramatic move to live with her dad and tries to come to terms with her mental health disorders.

This book felt a little jumbled to me. I hated the new boyfriend aspect... did she have to find happiness in a new relationship?! Why couldn't she find it on her own?! It felt like there were varying concepts fighting over screen time in this. Definitely for Christian young adults.

It's great to see Lauren Miller back and telling stories once again. That said, compared to "Free to Fall" and "Parallel," her latest was not my favorite. My problem wasn't Miller's writing style, I actually really enjoy her method of storytelling, it was that her characters felt almost too melodramatic, compared to the characters in her other novels, who were more balanced. I also found it incredibly difficult to really get into this one. Regardless of this, I do think "All Things New" will have large teen appeal, and at the end of the day, I think that's what matter's most.

This novel was a new take on the inner workings of anxiety. I enjoyed this book, but as a non sufferer, found certainly some parts of it unusual and harder to understand until nearer completetion of the narration. I liked the development of the plot and the playful friendships and budding romance. This may be a really helpful book for teens with anxiety.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I dove into All Things New. The reviews are mixed (and yes, I read some of them before I started) and so I knew that this thing could go either way for me. I didn’t really expect that it would sort of blow me away. Or that it would tease my brain in a way that opened up my mind and kept me thinking about how things ended long after I turned the last page.

You guys? As far as I’m concerned this is the very best kind of YA book. Thought provoking, interesting, compelling , and full of real-life issues – I literally couldn’t put this book down. I read it in basically one sitting and I would enthusiastically recommend it for adults and young adults alike.

The storytelling is so great – I connected instantly with the writing style and with Jessa’s voice. Was I sometimes frustrated with her? Of course. But she was sometimes frustrated with herself, so I felt like that was the whole point. She resonated with me. I felt her struggles and loved watching her blossom as she grew and dealt with her issues. And Marshall? UGH. Of all the goofily adorable heroes – this guy takes the cake. I adored him. I loved how he treated Jessa – no, how he treated every single person he encountered. His heart is golden and he’s just an amazing character. The two of them together were adorable, uplifting, and heartwarming.

But this book isn’t just about a super sweet young adult relationship. There are a lot of heavy hitting issues addressed here – from mental health, to physical health, to learning how to navigate in a world that sometimes hurts just to exist in. There are philosophical elements and spiritual elements and the whole thing is wrapped up in this beautifully written, completely compelling package. I know it won’t work for everyone, but it completely worked for me and I think it’s most definitely worth checking out! ~ 4.5 Stars

This book centers around a high school girl by the Name of Jessa. When Jessa was in middle school, her parents got a divorce which causes her to develop deep anxiety. Of course, her mother helps Jessa gets help for the attacks but when it doesn’t work, Jessa decides to leave it. Soon after all of these bombs, Jessa mother makes things worst by remarrying and having a new family, which makes Jessa Anxiety worst. All of these things cause Jessa, to focus more on body image and hanging out with the wrong people. She meets a guy name Wren and everything seems to become about him and what he wants as well as her image. She fakes being the perfect popular kid to get through the anxiety. In some weird way, all of this helps her by giving her some control over her life. But on new year’s eve, after two years of dating, she finds out how much Wren is the wrong guy for her. The information she finds out causes a car accident which leads to changes in Jessa’s life. These big changes may just save her and help her grow to be a better person. So in order for you to know the rest, you need to buy this book, especially if you deal with Mental health. I do want to say that Jessa also has experiences with the spiritual world, just in case you don’t feel that way about things. Now onto my thoughts about what I felt from this book.

All Things New by Lauren Miller is a YA novel about adolescents who have trouble fitting in with their peers due to one thing or another. The main character, Jessa, suffers from anxiety and panic attacks, and a horrific automobile accident ramped them up ten-fold. Her friends, twins Hannah and Marshall, each have their own issues. Hannah over-medicates herself in an attempt to reduce her stress due to her perfectionist mindset, while Marshall has a congenital heart-condition.

This book was just OK for me. I found Marshall to be the most endearing character, as he wasn't all gloom and doom. He was witty and zany.

A quick read, many readers will find this to their liking. It definitely has a spiritual leaning which may thrill some readers and turn others off.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Three Saints Press for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this YA novel.

Jessa is so much stronger than she knows! To watch her grow and come to terms with her issues and her struggles and finally open up about them was such a treat! So man teenagers today deal with panic, anxiety, depression and put so much pressure on themselves that its important that stories like this are out there.

Story:
All Things New is an important book, as it deals with panic and mental disorders in teenagers. There were some aspects of the book that I found extremely good, and others I could have done without.
The 'angel' aspect did not work for me. Nor did the fact that the psychiatrists in this book were all smirking, pill-pushing individuals. I also think I would have liked it more if the group therapy was actually group therapy, not a group of teens just sharing among themselves, without adult supervision.
Also, it seems more than a little flimsy to me that 'love' can help Jessa get better - this could be a problem for people who do suffer from panic attacks.
I did appreciate the fact that there are parents present in All Things New. It's important sometimes to see responsible family situations.

Characters:
Jessa had some techniques to deal with her panic attacks, but not all of them helped. After a car accident, she moved to her dad's place in Colorado, to get away from everything that had made things difficult to her.
Hannah is Jessa's new best friend. A music prodigy who is stressed out, and sad about taking second-seat to her brother's illness.
Marshall is Hannah's brother. He has a hole in his heart, and is strangely happy about that.

Writing style :
First person present tense from Hannah's perspective, but with third person present tense when the spotlight is on other characters. The dialogues were rapid, and made getting to know the characters easier.

Feels :
I was a bit frustrated, to be honest. All Things New could have been a great story about teens who struggle with mental illnesses, but it felt like it didn't take mental illness seriously.

I loved this book! The lead character's struggle with mental health issues is realistic and important for teen readers. The story is strong and her work to overcome her mental health issues is powerful. I Will be highly recommending this book to team readers.

All Things New is a story all readers of YA fiction will be ready and raring to read this August and it does not disappoint. It’s a charming page turner with a poignant message and a cute little love story to boot – pick it up August 1st.

Firstly, a very big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First things first, opening the first page. This book was incredibly easy to get into; Lauren Miller really understands the importance of a fierce opening. We are instantly drawn into Jessa’s life: a lonely LA adolescence tainted by the anxiety she hides from the world. The event that changes everything is described in a way that commands the reader to keep going and follow Jessa on her recovery journey. It’s a recovery not just from the accident but from a lie she’s been living and truths she’s been constantly overlooking.

I’m a wee bit biased about this book because I found so very much of it so easy to relate to; Jessa is a likeable underdog and represents so much – most importantly she is a vessel for exploring mental health. Miller literally takes that slogan “what if we treated all illness like it was physical” and plays about with it on the page in this gorgeous little novel. The way she plays with truth using medical fact is thoroughly engaging and keeps the message upfront and easy to comprehend.

The only thing I would potentially criticise is that I certainly could have read more of it. The narrative seemed to end quite suddenly given the time Miller took to build the story’s concepts and I think there was definitely more story left to tell. That being said, forcing a story beyond its natural length is a sure way to ruin a book so perhaps it was just right left where it was. I’ve seen it compared to The Fault in Our Stars and other popular YA books but felt it more in the region of Juniper Lemon’s Happiness Index by Julie Israel myself. Overall I found it to be an enjoyable and accomplished YA novel with some interesting themes.

I haven’t read Parallel or Free to Fall, Miller’s other books, but if they’re anything like this I’m sure to find time for them. I’d dub this a worthwhile read for any YA reader.

If you liked All Things New, try Juniper Lemon’s Happiness Index.

After a car accident following the break-up with her boyfriend, Jessa's repressed panic attacks and anxiety return full force. As she tries to fit into a new school, she will have to accept that anxiety is part of her, and learn how to deal with it and the other psychological issues that came with the accident. Oh, and make new friends, fall in love, and reconnect with her divorced father.

What I loved most about this book was the brutal honesty and fitting vocabulary when it came to anxiety. Not only the way Jessa speaks about it, also how the anxious thoughts present themselves in her head. They were very realistic and it was good to have them so present. In fact, they were so life-like that a trigger warning might be in order, because reading them could bring forth a panic attack. Another very positive thing was the empowerment of our female and mentally ill protagonist. There is a clear point made against her being "saved" or "cured" by a guy or the love of a guy. She learns that she can make herself better, with the help of healthy relationships with family and friends, and does not need one boyfriend to always depend on. That was great! Her development overall was very powerful and hopeful, as she grows to accept that she can not be perfect - nobody is - and how to accept the anxiety as part of her.

First off, I felt it read in a much younger way than I expected. MC has an anxiety disorder, her boyfriend cheats, her face gets mangled in an accident..and all things hard and bad. But I couldn't shake the feeling that the author had put a cushion between everything i was experiencing.

It stayed on 2 stars til towards the end where the story took a super-natural turn, and then went on a big christian spiel that I have zero tolerance for.

On a positive not, I like the cover.

The premise of this book was great - and I think all of the subject matter is important and should definitely be seen more in the YA genre. However, I honestly just didn't feel like I emotionally bonded very well to the main character, and so that made really understanding her perspective difficult. Also, I felt that - between the body image issues to the psychological/scientific issues (which honestly confused me, because I wasn't sure if it was real or not), the friend addiction stuff, and the parent stuff, it was just....a lot. I feel like it would be better to try to tackle maybe half of the issues that were presented in the book - and to really delve deeper into focusing on those - would've made it much deeper for me as a reader. I felt that the subject matter was very broad, but also for that reason very shallow, and just tried to tackle too much at once. I would definitely give the author another shot though. (And the romance was adorable!)