Didn't leave much of an impression with me. I think I needed more conflict, and more memorable characterization.

I really loved this book and it's empathetic and educated take on mental health and it's relatable, nuanced characters.

I almost wish the description for the book was less explicit. As it's being pitched right now, you go into the story almost expecting the "seeing emotional scars" thing to be a supernatural element in the narrative. When, the reality, is there is solid scientific evidence presented in the book for why Jessa may be seeing weird things (with a touch of the spiritual thrown in to make it more compelling.) In other words, the book is so good, it doesn't NEED to rely so heavily on the metaphor at its heart. Sure the metaphor make it an easier book to sell (otherwise it's a more standard "Fault in Our Stars" kind of story), but I think it could turn off readers too (who might think that sounds too hokey) and that would be a shame.

I do have one HUGE issue with the book that I want to point out. I was really bothered by the "anti-meds" stance that this book takes. ESPECIALLY SINCE IT WILL BE READ BY KIDS WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES. The idea that Jessa tried meds and rejected them because they made her feel foggy is a valid point, but it also tells kids that (group) therapy is the best way to solve their problems or that using "mind of matter" skills and having the right, supportive friends and family members will be their best hope. For some kids this simply will not be the case. For many it will be a combo of meds AND therapy that will help them get better. For some, who have very complex mental health issues, meds may be crucial. So to have Jessa dis meds as unhelpful/unnecessary to her recovery and then to ALSO throw in the subplot of a school psychiatrist who is handing out meds willy nilly to kids who can abuse them seemed to be irresponsible and potentially dangerous. There is already a lot of resistance to these medications among teens and adults, why add to that stigma?

A book that tells the story of hurting, healing and finding the courage to forgive (oneself) and move on stronger!

Jessa's story finishes off with a lot of hope for her future - but the book is a journey of her and her newfound friends Marshall & Hannah finding the courage and strength to fight their inner demons and physical scars & ailments.

There are times when as a reader I felt a disconnect from the story or Jessa's character too depressing - and the sudden abrupt happy ending for everyone just didn't work for me - but nonetheless sweet story!

NB: Received a complimentary copy of the book in return for an honest review!

DNF

Mini review:

I received this E-ARC via Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I had heard about this book through GR, found it interesting and requested it. Unfortunately I didn't like it.

I didn't like the MC. She avoided everything to points of stupidity. She was rude to her dad because he was actually trying to get involved in her and help her. She treated her friends ten times better than her own father. Who was actually trying to be a good dad. The romance came out of nowhere. Yes the guy was nice to her and she liked him. But I didn't feel the attraction and didn't even know the MC liked him that way.

There are much better contemporaries out there. I do not recommend this.

All Things New begins in the middle of one of Jessa's panic attacks: chaos abounds through short sentences and fragmented thoughts. I was overwhelmed and confused, but this is exactly how an anxiety attack feels. Lauren Miller wasted no time getting to the point with her strong opening scene.

Jessa is a relatable high school girl, especially to someone like me who also suffers from anxiety and panic attacks. Her internal thoughts have often been my exact thoughts before. I understand why she gets anxiety about certain situations, even when it may seem illogical and irrational to others. I've been in her shoes.

After she gets into a car accident that leaves her scarred in more ways than one, Jessa begins seeing scars, burns, bruises, and cuts on others' faces. After realizing she is the only person who can see these marks, Jessa begins to wonder if there's a purpose behind their existence and if she's getting better or worse in the months post-accident.

This novel does a really good job at communicating the idea that everyone experiences pain, whether physical or emotional or mental, and that everyone has a "dragon" to fight. Just because one cannot see the hurt does not mean that it doesn't exist. Most pain we bury away anyway, putting on a facade of being happy and okay, but what if others could see what we are actually struggling with on the inside?

All Things New's diversity in mental health conditions brings awareness to the many diseases that exist. This book features characters with an array of afflictions: autism, Aspergers, panic attacks, OCD, anxiety, addiction, and anorexia, among others. Although some conditions may have been portrayed stereotypically at times, none of it was in a negative light.

This is a beautiful story of acceptance, both of yourself and of others, and the differences and trials that make us human. It is witty and heartfelt, emotional and encouraging. But most of all it is about the hope of overcoming your "dragons" and how that can revive your soul.

"I've been letting fear win. . . . Generalized anxiety disorder is no small dragon. But I'm the one who gave that dragon the throne. Not because I didn't know how to fight it, even though that's what I would've said. But because I was afraid of what fighting it would cost me."

First line: "<i>It catches my eye as it goes dark, lights blinking out all at once, upstairs, downstairs, front porch, <b>snap</b>, like someone hit a master switch.</i>

The mind is really quite an intricate and complex thing. It is beauty, intelligence, tragedy, and ultimately, it is it's own being. Anxiety disorder and/or panic disorder are somewhat common in today's society, but just like many other mental health issues - it is still quite stigmatized. This book is really an eye-opener and rings true to those who have experienced a panic attack...but also gives you somewhat of a vague idea of what it feels like to have one. Everyone is different, of course, but this novel may just help others get a slight grasp on how challenging anxiety and panic disorders are to deal with on a daily basis.

<i>"...there were so many other things I couldn't see. The beauty in brokenness. The power of honesty. The way hope lights up the dark."</i>

Jessa is a phenomenal character. At the beginning of the novel, I felt that she was definitely not a character to write home about - she was so broken and lost. However, you see her grow and transition into a beautiful girl with increasing confidence in herself, despite all she has been through and has yet to go through. And at the end of it all, I felt that she was the heroine; the heroine of her own story...which is really what life is all about.

I felt so many emotions while reading this book; heartbreak, despair, happiness...and somewhere under all of that I felt hope. Hope for what was to come and hope that Jessa could overcome her "dragon".

<i>"That's the thing about the invisible world ... Where souls get battered and minds get muddled and heart 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."</i>

I really enjoyed that Lauren Miller let Jessa's thoughts and feelings be known throughout the entire novel (which I suppose is required in this type of novel, but Jessa was so concrete to me and so believable that these inner thoughts and feelings really added another layer of connection), no matter what was going on you were right there with her. Often, it was sarcastic comments or thoughts that before even reading them I had thought in my head. I felt like I was so close to Jessa.

This novel really affected me in a way that I did not expect. I am quite thankful for the opportunity I got in reading this e-arc from Netgalley. It was a gem that I will not soon forget.

I'm not usually one to quote sections of novels in reviews or in other places, but there were a few that really stuck with me - so I thought I would share, which I have done throughout this review. Here's one last one...
<i>"None of us knows what'll happen next ... on one level [that's] terrifying, because it means there will be lots of moments like this, moments when it feels like darkness is all there is. But just because we can't see the light doesn't mean it isn't there, that it isn't right around the corner. And just because we feel alone doesn't mean we are."</i>

I love this author as she has the ability to dress up challenging concepts and parade them in front of your eyes via intriguing story arc. Parallel is one of my favourite young adult sci-fi books, so I was pumped to read All Things New by Lauren Miller.
First Line of All Things New by Lauren Miller


“It catches my eye as it goes dark, lights blinking out all at once, upstairs, downstairs, front porch, snap, like someone hit a master switch.”

My Thoughts on All Things New by Lauren Miller

Ultimately, I did enjoy this book, a lot. However I thought it lagged at the beginning, and then picked up majorly in the second half. It is a very character driven book, so luckily I liked Jessa from page one. She has an accident at the beginning of the book, which leaves her badly scarred. Jessa also has an anxiety disorder, and the knock-on consequences of the accident sends it in to overdrive for her.

I’ve never had to cope with an anxiety disorder, but I feel that I learnt a lot from reading the book. I now understand just how huge it is, and how it impacts on everything. Her thoughts are dark and deep, but there is also a very hopeful outlook which really helped me to process everything.

So thumbs up for what felt like a very authentic depiction. My flat-out favourite thing though was the ideas and thoughts that are hashed out during the book. Like a surreal discussion about Dorian Gray, or stimulating thoughts on philosophy. It was mind-boggling and very cool.

Overall a very original and thought-provoking book. My only complaint is that the start was slow but once I got stuck in, I was hooked. There is a little bit of a religious theme which I normally hate, but it wasn’t forced down your throat and I was fine with it. Also there is a romance, it wasn’t the centre focus of the book, but it was sweet and very nicely done.

Who should read All Things New by Lauren Miller?

I’d recommend this to you if you want to read an encouraging and realistic-feeling book about a teenager with anxiety. I’d also recommend it to fans of issue focused ya contemporary books, especially if you enjoy authors such as Kasie West or Jessi Kirby.

Thanks to NetGalley and Three Saints Press for giving me a copy of this book for review consideration. As always, not matter what the source of the book, you get my honest, unbiased opinion.

I was intrigued by this book for two reasons: the gorgeous cover and the on-the-page anxiety rep.
From the very beginning of the story, Jessa openly struggles with nearly debilitating anxiety. Since her dad moved away in seventh grade, Jessa’s been having panic attacks, resulting in the loss of nearly all her friends. She has learned to manage her anxiety through methods of avoidance, but when she’s involved in a life-threatening car accident, avoidance stops working. The accident leaves her with facial scarring, and she begins hallucinating scars, bruises, and burns on random people’s faces.
From what I understand of Generalized Anxiety Disorder, the anxiety rep is completely on point. One thing I loved about this was the way Jessa’s anxiety expresses itself in the writing. Her thoughts are constantly interrupting the narration without punctuation or capitalization, which reminds me of how I feel at points when I have intrusive thoughts. Jessa’s feelings and surroundings are described with intense imagery that reflects the chaos she goes through during and after the accident, and the language is absolutely beautiful.
This book intrigued me with the concept: invisible illness (anxiety) and emotional pain translate into the physical scars, burns, cuts, etc. that Jessa sees on people’s faces. I don’t know a whole lot about aphantasia (mind’s eye blindness) or hallucinations, but this seemed pretty realistic to me: Jessa’s spent years avoiding her anxiety, claiming that therapy and meds made it worse, and now she’s forced to face her fears. I appreciated the development of her friendship with Hannah and her romance with Marshall, which I felt went at a realistic pace (a rarity in YA romance).
When Jessa starts at Crossroads, an alternative school for artistic kids or those who’ve gotten kicked out of prior schools, she at first resists seeking help for her anxiety. Eventually, she begins speaking with Dr. I, the school’s psychiatrist. I had high hopes for this relationship, as he seemed like a good guy and encouraged her to attend a support group. However, I was disappointed in the way psychiatric medication got thrown around in this book. It strikes me as highly unlikely that a school would have a psychiatrist (medical doctor specializing in psychological disorders) vs. a psychologist (counselor or therapist who specializes in mental health issues). I was also disturbed that Dr. I could prescribe kids medications like Aderall without parental consent; this strikes me as unlikely and problematic, although it made for an interesting plot point in Hannah’s character.
While I was intrigued by Jessa’s hallucinations, believing them to have a unique psychological explanation, I was disappointed in where this book went at the end of the story, which is the main reason I’m giving this 3 stars.
SPOILERS AHEAD but I feel like they’re necessary to explain my issues with the book.
Near the end of the novel, Jessa discovers that the man she thought was Dr. I, the school counselor, turns out to be not real. She hallucinated the man in the white coat at the scene of her accident and then later when she encountered him in school. Rather than taking the word of the actual Dr. I, that Jessa is hallucinating, she decides that the man in the white coat is actually her guardian angel.
This is hard for me. I grew up Protestant, so I understand the idea behind angels who look out for us when we’re in trouble. In fact, in high school, my belief in God was one of the things that got me through my depression. I understand the desire to believe in a Higher Power, I really do. But to use this as a plot device strikes me as problematic. For one thing, hallucinating angels is pretty common for folks dealing with mental illnesses like schizophrenia, yet Jessa just gets to believe that she’s right because God.
On top of that, rather than following Jessa through her recovery process, her issues seemingly disappear once she realizes that it was God all along. She stops hallucinating bruises on other people when she recognizes that it was God showing her how other people were emotionally hurting. Which is cute, I guess, except it greatly misrepresents what it’s actually like to recover and forever deal with a real anxiety disorder. Mental illness doesn’t just disappear. I don’t care what God you believe in, but it just doesn’t go away if you pray hard enough. A book that ends like this one might give kids the idea that they just need to pray harder, that they will stop feeling depressed or anxious if they just want it bad enough. This is harmful—believe me, I was there at seventeen, trying to pray away my depression. Spoiler alert: it didn’t work.
So while I wanted to give this book at least 4 stars throughout the first 75%, the ending ruined it for me. No amount of beautiful language and accurate anxiety rep in the beginning can make up for ‘praying it away’ as an ending. But that’s my opinion, I suppose.

We all have baggage. Some of us are just better at hiding it than others.

In many ways, that is the underlying theme of this title.

Jessa has felt broken for years. Years filled with panic attacks and isolation (except for a boyfriend.)
It is at a party that she hears herself referred to as a Barbie with mental issues. And, it is at this party that she learns her boyfriend has been seeing another girl for months. He just hadn't broken things off because of concern that she'd take it badly.
Without even being able to confront him about it, she leaves in tears and drives towards home. Only, she never makes it home as another driver runs a red light and plows into her.

Jessa recovers but finds that 'her mind's eye' is off. She can't visualize things in her head. Plus, she seems to be hallucinating as she begins to see scars and other injuries on people.

Instead of returning to her high school, she moves from California to Colorado to live with her dad. The dad whose leaving the family years earlier brought on the panic attacks.

On her first day of school in her new location, she learns that it is an alternative school for arts and people 'with issues.' The girl showing her around is an artist. Jessa is considered one of the kids with an issue. Yet, the girls find a common ground and soon become good friends.

Slowly, Jessa learns to come out of her shell. I won't go into details...but let's just say there's a guy she is attracted to and another guy who might really be an angel. In the end, Jessa heals not only from her physical wounds but emotionally as well. And, she comes to realize that we are ALL broken in some way.

As for is this book good? Well, let's just say I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting. Yep, it was that good!

*Recieved a free copy from netgalley for a review but was an auto-buy anyway based on the author*

I really enjoyed the first 90% of this book. I didn't know what I was expecting at the end, but it wasn't that. The sci-fi aspect was really interesting until it started to skew more fantasy which was what I did not enjoy. I was hoping that it would be more like Lauren Miller's first two books and it wasn't bad, it just wasn't quite at the same level as those two were. I did have the ending ruined by one of the other reviewers who did not have a spoiler tag on their reivew, so maybe that skewed my view of the ending a bit.

The portrayal of GAD was honest and well-written. All the characters were very accepting which was nice. Marshall was wonderful and I loved their relationship. I would recommend that you read this book, if only for an accurate representation of what GAD is like majority of the time. The healing process is a little more involved than what this book portrays though. One group therapy session and she is good to go, which was a little frustrating. I believe that healing from GAD takes years and honestly, you never fully recover, you just learn how to cope with it better. I wish that was shown a little bit more but overall, I'm happy with it. Especially because you can't REALLY know what GAD is like unless you are personally the one that is suffering.

Thank you for finally getting us your third book Lauren Miller. Still a huge fan :)

Jessa Gray's panic attacks leaver her feeling broken, but she's gotten very good at hiding from the world. When a car accident leaves her with scars as visible as the brokenness she feels inside, Jessa can no longer hide. She moves to Colorado with her father to start over, but has trouble healing when she realizes she sees bruises and burns on the faces of the people around her that others don't see.
A book about healing and forgiveness, All Things New does an excellent job of showing the struggle of panic attacks and anxiety.

ublication Date:
August 01, 2017

My thoughts:
The power of Miller's prose is her ability to create characters that we care about. 17-year-old Jessa Gray should have everything, and to those on the outside, she looks like she has everything, but she is just very good at hiding what is is broken inside of her. It takes an accident to force her to literally reveal what is broken inside of her as she now has to carry her scars on the outside. The accident also allows her to see the scars that others around her carry as a way to seek answers for herself and be able to reach out to others who need her help and empathy. It doesn't hurt that she falls for indefatigable Marshall who uses his own brokenness as a rally cry to embrace life and love fully.

Miller takes these realistic issues and infuses it with very tangible chemistry between characters as well as humor and even some divine intervention. This is a devour-worthy read and puts Miller on the radar for YA authors that write movie worthy hits.

An advanced copy provided in return for an honest review by Net Galley.

When Jessa moved to a new school following an accident which left her face severely scarred, she starts hallucinating and isn't sure whether it's due to the brain damage caused by the accident or something deeper. The people she meets along the way all play a big part in her self-discovery and somehow make the reader question their own lives as well.

The diversity in this book was refreshing and fairly honest. It was a good, quick read that I would possibly recommend reading, but it isn't a book that blew me away or that I took to be overly memorable.

I liked how this book talks about mental illness and how one person cope after an accident. One thing great about this book was the friendship between Marshall and Jessa. Marshall's optimism in life, even though he has a heart defect, helped Jessa in recovering from her horrible accident. While reading this book, I felt emotional in some parts because it is just so real.

30% in and it's hard to wrap my head around the fact that she has aphantasia. It's a good thing, though, because this book makes me feel,

This book is such a great read. It is the story of Jessa who suffers from extreme anxiety. She is in a car accident and her face becomes covered in scars. She feels like her outside finally matches her inside, she feels they are both broken. Jessa moves from LA to Colorado to live with her dad and starts. New school. She meets twins Hannah and Marshall who are dealing with their own issues. This book was such a good read that I finished it in one sitting. The way that Jessa described her anxiety really hit home for me because I have some similar issues. This book is a wonderful book.

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.

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.