"Confessions of a Teenage Leper" by Ashley Little is a decent read that offers a fresh perspective on teenage struggles. While the story is intriguing, it falls a bit short. Abby's journey is relatable, but the pacing feels uneven at times. Ashley Little's writing style is engaging, but some parts of the story lack depth. It's worth a read if you're looking for a light and quirky coming-of-age story, but don't expect it to blow your mind. It's a solid 3-star read that delivers some fun moments but leaves room for improvement.

Exploring teenage relationships as an adult writer can always be a bit of a balancing act, as we look at our own teenage experiences through a different light. This shed a nice light on a teenager being self-reflective when put in a tough position, but feels a bit preachy at times, and not necessarily true to how reflective a teenager would be at that age.

This book had the perfect balance between funny and serious. It wasn’t the perfect book by any means but I did still enjoy it.

I rated this more 2.5 stars than 3 stars. I was very interested in the premise of this book, but it just didn't really live up. Abby was a very unlikeable narrator/main character, and though she was supposed to have redeemed herself by the end, I just didn't buy it. The plot with her brother seemed to come out of left field and didn't really feel cohesive with the rest of the story. All the scenes with Abby and her friends at school seemed like cliche teen movie "mean girl" moments, and were so predictable as to feel contrived. The writing style in this book also felt very high school creative writing class. However, I did enjoy Dean, Abby's brother, as a character, and I enjoyed learning about Hansen's disease, as this was a subject I was more or less completely unfamiliar with. I didn't hate the book by any means; I tore through it, actually, and genuinely wanted to know what would happen next/by the end. Overall though I felt like it could've used some more work, but it was, at least, enjoyable enough to see through to the end.

The first couple of chapters was engaging and had me engrossed in everything that was happening to Abby Furlowe. From doctor appointments, test results, diagnose and symptoms have been described in details which I enjoy, this makes us aware and identifies what was happening to a person who is struggling with Hansen's disease. I think Abby was brave and deserves to complain because heck she didn't even know where she got it other than mere assumptions. At the end of the book, I was expecting a marvelous transformation (both physically and emotionally) but instead got a rushed ending.

The plot device of Hansen's disease, aka leprosy, is definitely a unique one. There was quite a bit of interesting information on it, which was really what I enjoyed. The rest of the story fell flat with me, though I do appreciate the overall arc of the main character.

The ARC for this book was such a mess that it made the book unreadable. I can't rate the content of the book because of this.

This book was not what I expected, but in the best way possible. It was engaging, and I read it in one sitting!

Title: Confessions of a Teenage Leper
Author: Ashley Little
Genre: YA
Rating: 3 out of 5

Abby Furlowe is determined that this will be her year. She’ll make the cheerleading team again—she’d better, all her plans for a future as an actor hinge on a prestigious cheerleading scholarship—enjoy parties with her two besties and continue to rule the school as one of the most beautiful and popular girls. Maybe even be named prom queen!

She doesn’t have time for her brother Dean and his secret life and drama. She doesn’t have time for her boyfriend’s sudden distance or the losers at school. And she certainly doesn’t have time for the weird numbness and spots that keep showing up on her skin. Until the numbness gets worse and she takes a fall while cheering, waking up to find her whole life has changed.

That weird numbness means she has Hansen’s Disease, or leprosy, and the diagnosis is now all Abby has time for. She’ll have to go away to a treatment center if she’s to get better—or have any hope of reclaiming her old life. But time away from everything gives Abby plenty of time to think, and she comes to realize what a horrible person she is. But who she was isn’t the person she has to be now, and some of the new people she meets at the treatment center help her come to terms with her new reality.

Based on the title, I sort of thought this book would be a funny read about a girl who ends up a social outcast, not a person who actually had the disease. It wasn’t. At all. For most of the book, Abby is a horrible person. Totally unlikable. Her mean-girl persona really made me want to put the book down, but she had a few bright spots, like saving her brother’s life, so I kept reading. Abby learns a lot, about the power of words, about family, about being a better person.

Ashley Little is an award-winning author. Confessions of a Teenage Leper is her newest novel.

(Galley provided by Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review.)

More reviews at <a href=” https://tamaramorning.com/”>Tomorrow is Another Day</a>

I feel like I should give this book an extra star just because it takes on the topic of Hansen’s disease (leprosy), which is way outside the norm for YA novels. It’s not exactly a disease where you can suffer prettily.

It’s hard to like Abby, the narrator of the story. She’s shallow and vain at the start of the novel, the stereotypical mean cheerleader. Abby does have hidden depths—she saves her brother’s life when he chokes on his own vomit after drinking too much at a party—but they are VERY deeply hidden. She spends a lot of the book mired in self-pity, too. Of course, her illness (also rather stereotypically) does teach her some lessons about judging people based on their appearance and valuing people for their character. But she doesn’t turn into a saint at the end of the book, which at least was realistic.

I admit, mostly what kept me reading was the discussion of the disease itself. The progression of the symptoms, the way it was treated, the long-term damage—all interesting. The history of the stigma associated with the disease and the way people were confined at the leprosarium in Carville, Louisiana was very sad.

Overall, I thought this book was worth reading, even if the main character isn’t very likeable.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

Thought this would be interesting and give some insight into Hansen’s Disease. Instead it was your average pretty, vain cheerleader stumbles, finds the love of her life, discovers who her true friends are, and decides to be a better person. Blech and WTF with the biting her toenails? Why was that tidbit important to the story?? And how TF does the brother just skate away from the trouble he got himself into? IN TEXAS!?!?!? I would have liked to learn more about the disease itself and less about Abby’s pathetic life (seriously? She wants this big deal scholarship and NEVER ONCE MENTIONS IT TO HER COACH??).

I didn't enjoy this one, as the storyline of a popular girl getting some sort of disease and then changing who she is once she realizes looks don't matter. I have read other books with this arc that were better written and more enjoyable.

I did not connect with Abby at all. She was extremely self centered, to the point I was screaming at the book. The leprosy thing was off. It's not something I expected so I gave this book a chance. It didn't hit with me. I was unable to even finish the story because the formatting was so bad and off it took away from reading. I would be willing to try to finish the other half of the story in a proper formatting. But unless she finds a divine interception of her selfishness and stops, I don't see myself ever liking her. I made it about 45% in.

Abby is an attractive, popular high school cheerleader. She plans to use cheerleading as a means to obtain a scholarship to college - where she plans to learn acting. Though she spends months experiencing an array of symptoms, it isn't until she ends up in a coma after a cheer stunt gone wrong that they finally discover the truth - she has leprosy, a.k.a. Hansen's Disease. 

She is immediately dispatched to a Hansen Disease care facility where she must spend several weeks taking medication and learning to function with the disease. It is during this time she really begins to see what kind of person she was before the diagnosis. She struggles to understand why she got the disease, and how it will effect her future. She learns that her worth isn't based on looks alone, and she has more to offer than she thinks. 

The story is told by Abby as a memoir, of sorts, about her life before, during, and after the disease. She's the popular, attractive, mean girl from high school. I imagine her as the person you hate, and some petty part of yourself is happy when she starts to get ugly and ignored. I loved the writing style. It fit so well with how teens talk, and didn't seem to be trying to be something more than what it was. It was an easy, fast read. There were times I wanted to punch Abby in the face. There's also a kind of sub-plot/side story regarding her brother that I think was unnecessary. Unnecessary for this story, not unnecessary as a story. His predicament drew me away from her story in a frustrating way. It isn't that I didn't care for him, or his circumstances, it's just that his story was a distraction. I would, however, read a book based on his circumstances.

As I sometimes say, "I laughed, I cried. It moved me, Bob." <--- (Stolen from Veggie Tales)

4/5

Thank you to Netgalley, publisher, and author for an advanced copy of this book. **any quotes used are subject to change in the release date copy**

Confessions of a Teenage Leper is a YA coming-of-age story about main character Abby and how she discovers (and deals with) being diagnosed with Leprosy.

Trigger warnings for shaming just about anything that can be shamed - this is a story of an extremely shallow and self-centered high school girl who's live prior to diagnoses revolves around her looks and being popular. The problematic themes do not bother me, because I understand it is a story about a very problematic girl and how she comes to see that the way she viewed things (everything) was all wrong and there is a major transition in her throughout the book. The only thing I wish is that she would've outright apologized for the fat shaming and calling girls ugly, and teasing her brother about his sexuality. I'm going to give it a pass because like I said, it's a story about coming to terms with the fact that you're really not a great person and turning the corner to be better. Abby does turn that corner, and she does feel guilty and upset by how she used to act. The story ends as she's really getting into her new persona, so I like to imagine that she did eventually make those apologies. Also - found it really cool that the first thing the author mentions in her note is to apologize if anyone is offended by the usage of the words Leprosy or Leper - that they were used merely to show Abby's character.

Short synopsis - Abby is a beautiful popular cheerleader, and she knows it. If only these weird spots on her body would stop showing up and her hands and feet would stop going numb. Once the call comes in that it is indeed Leprosy, her world crumbles and she is sent away to a treatment center. There she meets a handful of characters and wipes her plan A away and has to figure out what to do next.

My Thoughts - I love a good transition story, Abby was someone I rolled my eyes at countless times through 80% of the book, but ultimately ended up rooting for. There is a male/male romance that I found adorable, even though it was mentioned very little. I adored the romance between Abby and her guy (keeping it spoiler-free over here). The book handled some tough topics that you don't see brought up a lot in YA, even though they should be (webcamming & alcohol poisoning). Good family dynamics. Overall, I enjoyed this one.

Confessions of a Teenage Leper was such a great read. I couldn't put it down for a second, I literally just finished it in one morning. I didn't really know what to expect when I received it and started reading but it definitely exceeded all my expectations. It was touching and heartbreaking. It made me think of things I hadn't thought of before and made me feel things so deeply. The writing as well the narrative being in first person really does a nice work of putting you in the main character's shoes; you feel Abby's frustration and despair and helplessness and it is painful - but in a good way, if you know what I mean.

I learned a lot about Hansen's disease from this book - how it's contracted, how it starts showing up, the treatment involved, that it can relapse and most importantly, the sentiments surrounding the L-word. When you are someone who hasn't been through an experience, you take it so lightly and you don't even realise what effect it could have on other people. Confessions of a Teenage Leper taught me that and I am thankful for it. It was a very, very beautiful story.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Confessions of a Teenage Leper is the story of Abby, a once popular high school student who thought little of mocking others as a source of entertainment, and a way to maintain status in the popular group.

Along the way, though Abby encounters an armadillo burger that is the start of a spiral to, well, ‘Leper’ status. As symptoms of the disease begin to grow, she can no longer ignore them or pretend they don’t affect her.

Abby learns about Hanson’s Disease—a much kinder name for her condition—and about what has happened to people in the past who have contracted the disease. Abby also has to face her future with a greater sense of reality. Her apparent life long goal—to get into University of Southern California on a cheerleading scholarship—suddenly becomes totally out of reach. Abby also gets a clearer picture of who her friends are—or are not! And, Abby is forced to look at her own life and realize that she needs to change some of her attitudes towards others and life in general in order to live with herself.

Overall, the whole journey is a painful one for her but one that leads to a certain amount of growth and maturity. The characters are well presented although somehow the story seems directed toward a younger crowd that the college bound age of the central characters. That said, reading this novel does inform a person about some of the histories and realities this disease brings with it. It is well researched and presented.

In keeping with other child/ young adult fiction from Netgalley, the formatting remains a problem as well. However, one learns to simply skim over the “ADVANCE COPY” print scrolled across the pages!

This book had some great messages. And though it deals with some realistic things, it still had quirk. I enjoyed reading it. The pacing was good and the writing style was perfect. Abby's journey of self-discovery reminded me a little of It's Kind of a Funny Story, but in a good way.

Written like a memoir, “Confessions of a Teenage Leper” is a highly anticipated YA release for September. Telling the story of Abbey, a popular high school cheerleader, whose life takes a dramatic turn when she is diagnosed with leperosy (aka Hansen’s disease) the novel assuredly engages readers in the real life dramatics faced by her disease and the social impact on perceived “perfect” life. Although the main character takes a somewhat stereotypical journey towards becoming a more beautiful person on the inside when her outward appearance begins to show signs of illness, there are some wonderful side characters that help draw readers in and care more deeply about Abbey. A quick read that grows more endearing and meaningful as the story proceeds,this is a great YA read for the Fall of 2018 that’s bound to be popular with fans of contemporary realistic fiction.

Not only did I love this story and appreciated the unique vehicle prompting growth and change, I also learned too! I had no idea this was even a thing people could still get, and the amount of information about the disease gave the journey of the heroine so much more depth. I recommend this unique story to all teens and YA fans. Well done spin on a familiar story!