Cover Image: A Danger to Herself and Others

A Danger to Herself and Others

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Member Reviews

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcefire Books, and Alyssa Sheinmel for an ARC ebook copy to review. As always, an honest review from me.

Like:
- Unreliable narrator: Normally, I’m not a fan of unreliable narrators, but in this book I enjoyed it.
- Your opinion of the main character’s situation changes as you get more information.
- Shows a fairly realistic portrayal of forced inpatient psychiatric stay

Love:
- Can really feel her feelings through the writing: the panic, confusion, and desperation is evident
- Quick read
- Had to keep reading to find out what happens
- Book about mental health diagnosis that’s rarely written about
- The little clues that are left along the way for the reader and Hannah to figure out

Dislike:
- That the staff could be manipulated/bribed by the patients
- Her family wasn’t that supportive
- The circumstances that sent Hannah to the facility

Wish that:
- There’s another book to show how Hannah copes with the real world
- Could see the circumstances from Hannah’s doctor’s point of view occasionally

Overall, a great book about mental health and all the challenges that can come with first being diagnosed. An interesting story that I absolutely flew through.

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<b>Not a push. Just a little tap.</b>


Have you ever picked up a book not having expectations, not expecting it to bad but also not expecting it to be great, and then it turns out to be a book you devour? Yeah, that was this book for me. I'm still shocked at how much I loved this book!

Alyssa Sheinmel's writing of A Danger To Herself And Others was exquisite, so unlike anything I've read. The writing felt so raw and natural. I felt I was truly sitting in the mind of someone suffering from a psychosis disorder. I'm not claiming the book was a true fabrication inside the head of a person truly dealing with this reality, but for the first time I was seeing it through the eyes of the sufferer.

Hannah had such "rational" reasonings for her actions. She's smart, quick witted, sassy, dramatic, and all the things you'd expect from a NYC Upper Eastside teenage girl. It wasn't like the movies where everyone and everything is "crazy". This book takes you on the journey of terrifying real life disorders. Through the mind of someone coping with who they are and what they have to live with. It's simply imperfectly perfect.

I will be recommending this book to everyone! This book now holds a special place in my bookish heart!

Thank you so much to Netgalley & Sourcebooks Fire for this advanced readers copy!

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It has been a long time since a book has my mind asking what or who is real while I was reading. Several times I had to go back and search and see if I remembered correctly because I learned early on Hannah is extremely unreliable when it comes to recalling events. A danger to herself and others is a YA and it was done so well. The story was so good, you forget it is a 17 year old narrating. I strongly suggest going in blind and take on this wild ride.

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I absoutely enjoyed every page of this book. In the beginning I got this feeling of really not liking the main character, Hannah. The way she speaks about her intelligence came off extremely arrogant. Yet, I also believed everything she said to the reader about the incident with her most recent best friend Agnes. She may have been unlikeable, but didn't come off the least bit unrealiable...until later!

After reading for a while I realized that Hannah wasn't as reliable as I thought she was. I began to feel sort of bad for her. As her interactions with her therapist got deeper, I just wanted to reach into the book and give Hannah a big hug as what she knew as her reality crumbled to the ground. 

What I loved most about this book was the amazing portrayal of mental illnees. If you've read previous reviews I've written about books regarding mental illness you know I take this very seriously. I've read many books that don't quite speak about a character's struggle mental illness accurately. Sheinmel absolutely hits the nail on the head with this one. 

Another bonus is how fast-paced and short the chapters are! I couldn't justify putting it down because I knew the next chapter would only be a few pages. This is how I found myself awake at 2AM forcing myself to put the kindle down and get some sleep. LOL

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This book was very predictable. That being said it was also very enjoyable. This book was a very quick read and kept my attention to the very end. It also lends itself to a sequel. I would recommend this book to others. However I don’t feel asl though I need to purchase and keep in my collection.

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I received a copy of this book through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

God this book was awful. Downright boring and dreadful. Hannah’s diagnosis came as no surprise, nothing eventful happened. One of the worst books I’ve ever read. Yes, I realize I’ve said that twice already in different forms but, woof. I really wish I could get the last 3 hours back and read something else.

Now don't get me wrong, the writing was fine. It's the story and the fact that it mostly takes place in one setting between two characters that is just awful. Most of the book is hannah talking to Dr. Lightfoot. Its pretty obvious from the minute "a danger to herself AND OTHERS" is stated in the book, what's really up with Hannahs mental stated when they give her a roomate even though "SHES A DANGER TO HERSELF AND OTHERS". I mean come on.

The back and forth conversations throughout 80% of the book about hannahs mental state was a flop. We could have at least had more flashbacks to her time with Agnes, or more breakdowns from Hannah. But nope.

ALSO!!
Capital crime has been committed in this book.
Now let me say this first - I don't give a good hot dang how long a book has been out. You DO NOT SPOIL OTHER BOOKS! The author COMPLETELY freaking spoils the plot of Jane Eyre and is bold in doing so. Even goes as far as to point by point tell you the major moments in the book. I for one have not read the book yet, and it is something I would have liked to have done. So thanks for completely unearthing the plot for me.

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This was incredible. I don't really know what I was expecting when I first started it, but it wasn't this, this was way better than I imagined... It was hard, powerful and emotional. I just couldn't put it down!

Hannah is the best unreliable narrator I've read about... For the first time someone is more unreliable than Yaz from Things We Have in Common and I freaking love it! I adore reading about unreliable narrators and Hannah was just amazing. I don't wanna give too much away about this book because I think it's the perfect book to go blind into. But as you might have guessed already, it's developed around a particular mental illness, and I can't really be specific about which one. But I do have to talk a bit about Hannah. She is an incredibly strong, intelligent and not very likable person, really. She was the type of person one would think  "she must think she is better than me" and that is normally not likable, right? Well, no matter what, I actually really ended up liking her anyway! She might not be likable but the more you get to know her, it turned it impossible for me not to grew attached to her. 

That said, Hannah is a character you will slowly start to like and understand and it's 100% worth it! This book is quite emotional, realistic and utterly sad, but it made me see things in a new light. Not that I see things differently now (no pun intended) but because I actually never thought about a person going through something like Hannah is going through. It's scary, it truly is, and I could feel that. Mental health is not something to take lightly, and this book talks about a particular mental illness that I've never read about, and to be honest, a really interesting one. It's just so complex and different! But if you wanna know more, you will have to read the book, because that's all I'm gonna say.

I found this book really captivating and gripping and I absolutely loved the theme and how the story was written. It shows how a lot of people take metal illness like something stupid, or wrong. But on the other hand, it shows that anything is possible even if you have a mental illness - it might be difficult, but it is possible to achieve as much as you want in life (at least in some cases). It's a hard book for how realistic it is, but it's also helluva exciting and quite a fast read. I would definitely recommend it!

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A riveting read that grabbed me from the beginning. I loved the character of Hannah Gold and that the entire story was told from her perspective it. I didn't see the twists coming. The author told this story with compassion and it was nice to read the author's note at the end. I would love to read more books by this author!

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Review posted on Goodreads and on The Nerd Daily (closer to publication day).

Alyssa B. Sheinmel’s latest book, A Danger to Herself and Others, is a young adult dark contemporary book about mental health, about people’s prejudices, but also about gradually learning to accept yourself as you are.

Hannah Gold has been wrongly accused of hurting her best friend from summer camp and sent to a mental health institute to be diagnosed, even if she’s sure she shouldn’t be there with real patients.

"Of course, the other patients are here because there’s actually something wrong with them. I’m only here because of a misunderstanding, so there’s no need for me to panic."

However the reader knows something’s up from the first chapters of this novel. Hannah is in fact an unreliable narrator, and the book is told exclusively from her perspective. That’s why reading A Danger to Herself and Others was interesting, entertaining, and a challenge in itself.

"I gaze out the window. […] There are redwood trees as far as I can see, and when the fog gets thick, it condenseson the needlelike leaves and drips onto the roof. It sounds like rain, but it isn’t.
It’s not true that I can only see a few plants from here. We’re actually in the middle of a forest.
I was lying before."

This book has an excellent mental health representation. The main character spends almost all her days inside a single room and has daily meetings with her therapist. This way the reader gets to really understand how Hannah’s head works and why she has certain goals in her life. At the beginning she can even come out as a creepy character, for example when she seems determined to make new best friends with every girl who has something in common with her.

She is also calculative, determined to obtain what she wants, and she is not scared to use other people in the process. This is why the institute assigning her a roommate, Lucy, seems like a bad decision. However, her friendship with Lucy is going to end up influencing Hannah’s recovery in unexpected ways.

The represented mental illness is finally seen with different eyes in this book. A Danger to Herself and Others: there’s a reason behind the title and you’ll be reminded about it quite a lot (maybe too many times), but in the end it’s there to explain you that people with mental illnesses are not “crazy” or “not normal”. Their brains just work in different ways, and it’s not because of that that we should treat them differently and have prejudices against them.
Ignorant people are scared of what people with mental illnesses could do to them, but it turns out they are more a danger to themselves and they are confused about what they should feel. As a result, they should be loved more than ever.

"But can you really call it sanity when it isn’t real, it isn’t natural, it’s chemically induced? When it doesn’t technically belong to me because I wouldn’t have it without the pills they keep giving me?
Maybe I’ll never know for certain what’s real, what’s madness, what’s the medication."

All the characters shine in this book. All of them have their round personality and goals. I particularly found Hannah’s closeminded parents to be very unlikeable and vexing, but that’s why they stood out so much.
I also enjoyed the writing style a lot, as it was quick and simple, but not too much. It really showed Hannah’s personality.

The plot was the weakest part of this novel, instead. While the mental illness representation and the acceptance process were really well done, the rest wasn’t as exciting. The reader is left with Hannah’s thoughts for the entirety of the book, and only a few major plot points happen. Sometimes she wanders a bit too much with her thoughts when there’s no reason to be given that information. This can lead the reader to feel bored, even if the writing style never lets you put the book down. The “mystery” also wasn’t exactly a mystery as it was advertised.

In conclusion, this book is highly recommended to people who are tired of seeing mental illnesses romanticized and want to see good YA representation instead.

"That’s just my imagination, not a hallucination.
That’s okay."


Thank you to The Nerd Daily, Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for this ARC.

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Hannah is locked up, Four walls, one window, one door but no way out. She is " A Danger to Herself and Others" , has been deemed so by a doctor , and must stay in the institution until she is evaluated and has an opportunity to explain herself in court. She knows she doesn't belong here, it was all an accident, a mistake, her roommate fell, that's all., and once she convinces the therapist, and the judge, she'll be able to go back to her real life, surviving her senior year in high school and preparing for college. Isolated and angry, she is not at all welcoming to Lucy, the new girl who shares her room at the institution, but soon she is using her charm and persuasive skills to make a new best friend, one who may be able to help her get what she wants- her freedom.
This is an excellent contemporary YA book, with great, if unlikeable characters, especially the narrator Hannah, who is the definition of an unreliable narrator, ready to spin every story to her own advantage , determined to make everyone like her, and completely unwilling to take responsibility for anything . The claustrophobic setting really adds to the feeling of tension and isolation that permeates the book, almost all of the story takes place within the institution, with some flashbacks to the events that led to Hannah ending up there , and the author does an incredible job of portraying how trapped Hannah feels, almost to the point that I started to feel a little uncomfortable while reading. It's very difficult to say much more without spoiling the book , and it would be a shame to do that, as it is easily one of the best books I have read in quite some time. It's powerful, tense, surprising, uncomfortable and at times heartbreaking ,and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher,all opinions are my own.

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ARC provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

"I suppose your name is the first thing that ever really belongs to you, but when you think about it, it's not yours at all. Your parents chose it."

What would you do if the most important thing in your world - your brain, your mind, your intelligence - suddenly came into question? That's what happens when Hannah is sent to an institution for observation after an unfortunate accident with her summer program roommate, Agnes. At first glance, Hannah seems like the perfect high school junior: perfect grades, well-rounded, lots of best friends. She's looking forward to starting her senior year and applying to the top colleges in the country. And when she's taken to the institution, she isn't worried. She knows this is all just some huge misunderstanding. After all, why would she hurt her own best friend?

"Of course, the other patients are here because there’s actually something wrong with them. I’m only here because of a misunderstanding, so there’s no need for me to panic."

As the story continues, it becomes clear that there are definitely some inconsistencies in Hannah's stories. This book is told from Hannah's POV, so the reader is privy to all of her internal monologues. It becomes obvious that Hannah is a very unreliable narrator, and a lot of her reasoning raises some red flags. When Hannah gets a roommate, Lucy, she decides to prove that she couldn't have hurt Agnes by showing what a great best friend she is to Lucy.

"It was so easy when I was five, to manipulate my parents' friends into being ashamed of their own children, into thinking I was so much better. It's still so easy."

Unfortunately, this situation isn't one that Hannah can manipulate her way out of, and as her story continues, the reader gets to discover the truth right along with her. When everything else is taken from her - her choices, her books, all of her best friends - will Hannah be able to deal with what's left behind: the truth?

I ended up giving this book 3.5 stars overall. The writing was unique and intriguing, and I loved the little bits of mystery that were left along the way. While it's marketed as a YA contemporary, it almost reads like a YA mystery some of the time, which I really enjoyed! I also LOVED Lucy, Hannah's roommate at the institution. She was hands-down my favorite character, and I wish we could have had more of her!

Unfortunately, I am just not a huge fan of the "unreliable narrator" trope, so Hannah and I got off on the wrong foot right away. Not to mention, she's also just not... likable? I admire how determined and driven she is, but she's also manipulative to everyone around her and at times cruel. However, the author did a GREAT job at portraying Hannah's story. I really felt for her as she learned more and more about herself, and struggled with the truth of her situation. The writing really put me in her shoes, and I could see how terrified and distraught I would be if I were her.

I also felt like not a lot happened. Since the story takes place mostly in Hannah's thoughts and in the institution, the plot isn't all that exciting. I saw the one twist coming miles away, so that was a little disappointing. HOWEVER, this was a super quick and entertaining read, and I enjoyed the process!

It also touched on something that I felt was so so important. While I can't speak to how accurately the author portrayed mental illness and an experience in an institution, she did touch a lot on choices, and how it feels to have simple, daily choices taken away. For example: Hannah no longer gets to choose who she talks to, or when. She doesn't get to choose if she can take a shower, or take a pill. Coming from a life where she's made all of her own choices from a very young age, this is such a culture shock, and I can't imagine how that must feel. The author also did a great job at getting to the root of Hannah's internal struggle: what makes up a person? What makes you, YOU? Is it your brain? And what happens when you can't trust your own mind? What does "normal" mean anyway?

"The orderlies don't understand that a pill can be more invasive than a shot. Taking the pill implies that it's your choice. Willingness to swallow what they hand you suggests that you agree with them: There's something wrong with you; you need to take your medicine. If they force a shot on you, at least you're taking a stand. At least they haven't made you believe there's something wrong with you."

While I definitely had some issues with this book, it was an entertaining, although very dark, read. I really felt for Hannah, and was rooting for her throughout the book. If you like unreliable narrators with a couple of good plot twists thrown in, this is a book for you!

"Maybe I'll never know for certain what's real, what's madness, what's the medication."

A Danger To Herself and Others is releasing on February 5, 2019.

*All quotes taken from an ARC and are subject to change prior to publication.

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I’ve read a few books on mental illness which take place in a mental institution. This was an interesting book in some ways, but it fell a bit flat in too many other ways. The concept was interesting, but more could have been done to make the story hit the mark.

The reader is in Hannah’s head as the story unfolds. She’s deemed an unreliable narrator, so you question things along the way. Due to the format of the book, I expected to be more engaged than I was. I wanted a bit more suspense, drama … something. Many of the characters, such as the doctor, came across as totally incompetent or clueless, which could give the wrong image of mental hospitals and those who work in the field. The ending felt unresolved, which was a bit frustrating.

Trigger warnings: eating disorder, suicide attempt

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley, but I wasn’t required to leave a positive review.

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I struggled with my thoughts about this book. The book itself left me feeling uncomfortable, and somewhat angry. In a good, way. This is an outstanding debut and really gets under your skin.

The fast-paced plot will keep you reading, and I actually finished this one pretty quickly. Once I started I had a difficult time putting the book down. The main character is not like-able, even before we realize the full story. She is arrogant; narcissistic. In short, difficult to feel empathy for. I thought this would be a typical girl-in-hospital-learns-about-herself-and-improves-herself book.

However, this book was anything but typical. By the end of the book, Hannah has certainly learned about herself. But has she improved herself? This is more difficult to know. I think, for me, the jury is still out.

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My first book about mental illness and set in a mental hospital and I gotta say this was definitely unlike anything I’ve ever read before.

Hannah is a very unreliable narrator. At first you don’t realize that there’s something wrong with her and you start doubting your own (in)sanity because she seems so normal, until about halfway through, things in her story start falling apart and the reasons for her being institutionalized start making sense. We’re in Hannah’s head the entire time and really go through the process of realizing that she is sick, and coming to terms with it, more or less.

Though I did find the topic and the setting very interesting, I was kind of bored reading this. Not a lot happened during the story aside from Hannah going through the days, and I felt like they could’ve done a lot more with it. I personally expected more intrigue and suspense, but it was nice to have an inside look of Hannah’s mind. The title of the book is mentioned a lot, to the point of becoming a bit repetitive.

This would be a good book for you if you’re interested in the mental aspect of mental illness, or don’t know much about it like me.

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I want to thank Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review


This is a very GOOD book, although I expected to read it a lot, I admit I went into it with few expectations and managed to pleasantly surprise me. I think the book in general is very deep, powerful, addictive and has a mysterious and even a dark touch that makes it very compelling . I’m so grateful to have read it before its release date because now I can recommend it non stop!

The book follows Hannah’s point of view, she has been hospitalized in a mental institute after the doubtful accident that brought her best friend to a coma. Hannah is sure that there’s a mistake and that she shouldn’t be there, but as her parents have taught her, she’s determined to maintain a flawless behavior and use her persuasion skills, until everything is cleared up, and and so prove to the doctor that she’s not what they call “a danger to herself and others”, to finally return home. But one day Lucy arrives as her roommate and little by little Hannah realizes that Lucy is the only one who can help her face the dangerous games and secrets that took her there in the first place

Before continuing, I must mention some Trigger Warning: for suicide attempt and eating disorder, among others.

I think that in order to explain well A Danger to Herself and Others I would say that it’s a contemporary story focused on a mental illness. 80% of the book is developed with our main character in confinement, she’s hospitalized in a mental institution so we go through her days there, but all this within her own mind. It was very interesting for me to be able to explore Hannah’s mind, that’s what makes of this book something so compelling and real. Besides discovering things about her, we ‘ll also meet other characters with their own stories and affliction.
The most interesting thing, is the subtle way that this book has to show you a mental illness, I think it’s taken from a very real perspective and I really like how you can tie things together that will lead you to understand things that seem inexplicable at first. It’s a very smart and complex plot, that get more and more interesting as you advance through the story.


I really love the writing style, it’s very clear and extremely addictive , although took me a long time to read it, (which had nothing to do with the book itself but with which I’ve been very busy), it’s a very fast and easy to read book. With saying that if I had time I would have devoured this book in one day, it’s so addictive.

I love the main character, Hannah is the kind of characters I love to see in mystery and suspense movies. She’s very hateful at the beginning of the book, I was like “Who does she think she is?”, But then ends up liking her. There’s so much we don’t know at the beginning and that’s wonderful, now that I see it, it’s so smartly told. Returning to Hannah, she’s a bit egocentric and a little disrespectful at first, but she’s also very smart and it shows. She’s so proud of her life and of her “perfect” millionaire parents and doesn’t stop repeating how mature she has always been and how proud her parents are of her for being such a mature girl from such a young age. Andthis facade of her being that perfect girl isn’t really true. And at first you’ll not see it because it’s very well done, as I said, but then you’ll begin to see patterns in her behaviors, some impulses or obcessions, and you’ll begin to open your eyes to many truths and possibilities of who Hannah is

I can’t honestly talk much about this book without spoilers or revelations, it’s one of the most difficult reviews, because anything I say could be a spoiler, so I’ll try to be careful. But keep in mind that there’s much more about this book that I can’t tell you, but I recommend that you find out, because it’s worth it


Now that I’m thinking a lot about the book, I think it’s quite serious too, it touches topics, as I said, quite delicate and takes you through many emotions along with the characters, and although in the beginning there are some things that seem inexplicable or little bit unrealistic at the end when you have a more complete perspective, then you understand better and everything makes sense. It was very hard to read at times, since it’s a book that has mental illness as a central point. It’s frightening what the human mind can do. It was incredible, very intense and informative

To finish I can recommend this book with total security, if you would like a quick but very deep and shocking reading at the same time, then you should give it a try, on the other hand I’m not sure to put this book in the mystery category as such, but I would qualify it as a contemporary about mental illnesses, engaging and very suspenseful. I also recommend it if you’re looking for a unlikeable character, you’ll love this one

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Seventeen-year-old Hannah is institutionalized after her roommate at a summer program ends up in the hospital. The only person who knows what really happened is Hannah and according to her it's all just a big misunderstanding. She doesn't belong institutionalized; besides she's got better things to do with her senior year approaching and college applications looming.

When Hannah gets a new roommate, Lucy, and she hatches a new plan to get what she wants everything begins to slip out from under her self assured feet.


At first glance Hannah is a spoiled, manipulative, perfectionist. She's a perfect student, daughter and friend. She is calculating, dishonest, paranoid and clearly in denial. Hannah is an unreliable and unlikable a narrator, as unlikable as I've read from a main character. Everything is a game and she knows exactly who to be to make people like her, friends and family included. She is in control.

Painstaking detail and time go into show casing her worst qualities. That is why when her mask finally starts to slip and you find yourself beginning to sympathize with her, it is so much more powerful and shocking. The intensity with which you begin to feel for her and how complex she becomes as a character is so well done.

It does seem a slow build up at first. Hannah is bored, she's stuck in a small room, her thoughts drag, and she can be very grating. It does make the read difficult. But the wait is worth it.

You then see Hannah as vulnerable, uncertain, hurt, even selfless. Confused about relationships, about who she is, confused about everything. Hannah is not in control, she's mentally ill and though it is clear she is from the beginning, it is not until halfway through the book you see the depth and brevity of it all. Her own important realization is a sickening gut punch. The portrayal of her symptoms and experience raw and realistic.

At the end you are left with the weight of her sadness and the difficulty of her circumstances. It's not all resolved or neat. It's a step into a life long journey for Hannah. One in which she will continue to struggle.


The highlights –

The slow revelation to the reader of Hannah’s complexity as a character.

Realistic and personal way in which it’s written and paced making some of the later moments in the book all the more hard hitting.

A promising but dark and unresolved ending.


I have received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


- 4/5 While not totally original or surprising, A Danger To Herself And Others is a devastating journey to go through with Hannah, and that impact is really what stays with you long after you put down the book.

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*3.5*

This book had such a great mental health rep! I personally don't know much about Hannah's mental illnesses, but it was so interesting to read about her experiences. In most cases with young adult contemporaries that deal with mental illness, which is a very important and sensitive topic, authors often make the mistake of romanticizing the illness; which in reality is very unrealistic. Sheinmel also definitely got the point across by referring to the title various times throughout the book (like, a crazy amount of times?) yet it worked with the story and was able to get across that people with mental illnesses are really just like everyone else and they shouldn't be referred to as crazy, etc.

From the very start of the book, we can tell that we have a very unstable and unreliable character and it made for a really interesting read. Getting a look into her mind and seeing that she truly believed these specific things were reality really added to the buildup of her character. Overall, all of the characters were pretty enjoyable and well-rounded. While in the beginning, I was a bit unsure of Dr. Charan and her methods, I later began to really enjoy her character and came to love the relationship she created with Hannah; I truly believe she wanted to help Hannah and get her back on the right track. Hannah's parents are a totally different story. I found myself becoming very annoyed with them, especially near the end for the fact that they never really supported Hannah being different. We never really got any resolution from this either and the end fell a little flat in this aspect.

The one thing that fell a bit flat was the plot itself. We spend the majority of the book in Hannah's thoughts, and not a whole lot happens for a good chunk of the book. Every other aspect of this book was very enjoyable. Overall, this book was immersive, enjoyable, and quick.

Thank you to SourceBooks and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC.

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Unfortunately this book didn't work for me at all!

I was SO excited about it because most reviews said it's a good mental health rep, and mental health is a very dear topic to me.

However, I'm a plot reader and 40% into the book absolutely nothing had happened.

Hannah is institutionalized because something that happened to her best friend who is in a coma in a hospital. But she doesn't know exactly what happened. She is the typical unreliable narrator so I brace myself for a mystery and slow plot development, where Hannah slowly discovers/accepts what happened.

The issue for me is that there wasn't much story or character arc either. Neither the story nor the character were changing in any way. Most of the 40% of the book was internalization about the place where she is now and about her life before she was institutionalized. I really didn't learn anything about Hannah that got me invested in the story.

BUT, clearly many readers did, so I'd recommend that if you like YA contemporary about mental health, you give it a try

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Hanna is institutionalized after her roommate Agnes falls two stories from a window. She thinks it is all a big misunderstanding. All she needs to do is convince her doctor and the staff that she does not belong there. Readers are told what happened from Hanna's perspective but Hanna's account does not add up. A Danger to Herself and Others mostly takes place in a mental institution where Hanna the narrator is being treated. The narration could get quite disorienting as you are never quite sure whether things happened the way we are told. For most of the book there are only two other characters Agnes interacts with regularly, her psychiatrist, Dr. Priya Charan, who she refers to as "Dr. Lightfoot," and her roommate Lucy. With the bulk of the narrative taking place in one location with a narrator with little sense of reality, things get claustrophobic at times. This book has two additional parts but both seems rushed. While Hanna's mind is fascinating, the story could use some grounding in the real world.

This is a supplemental purchase for libraries where books like It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini and In Sight of Stars by Gae Polisner are popular. For other libraries I would not recommend.

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This was interesting.Although I didn't like the nd in the beginning,I definitely empathize with her as the novel went on. A definitely twisty thriller.

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