I myself have been diagnosed with agoraphobia, and reading this book made me feel heard. I thought the author did a wonderful job of writing this book.

I unfortunately forgot to download the e-book on my kindle before it was archived and/or lost interest in the book because it’s been on my tbr for way too long, so I wasn’t able to read and review it (on time). Since I Must give a star rating, I’ve given it 3 stars to stay neutral/in the middle. Sorry to the publisher for not having gotten around to actually read it.

I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis held so much promise, but the book failed to deliver as much as I hoped for from it. I enjoyed it well enough, but with a few tweaks it could have been an even more enjoyable read.

A very good quick read about a girl who has anxiety. I really liked the concept and it was written really well, but lost a star because it could've used a bit more depth. It was woven together nicely with the cute romance and the friendship that was created alongside the anxiety. A very well written story for the YA audience.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles.
I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

RATING: 2.5/5

~warning: spoilers below:



Sadly, I'm not seventeen anymore. So, even though I think the book is kinda cute, I must say it's also unrealistic, cliché, flat and too cheesy. Besides, love is not the only thing a person needs to get better…

Let me try to explain it better:

a) Unrealistic:
I get that both of them had a crush on each other. B-but… it's weird. They also met in the chess app, more weirdness! At moments, it’s sound more like a obsession/stalking stuff. Zoe's agoraphobia get better in a few chapters, and i'm like ??? (she had a panic attack at the lobby, and few chapters later, she goes to the store like nothing bad had happened).

b) Cliché:
it’s not the first book i read talking about how a girl can solve (?) her problems with her love interest's help. But i can't stand more stories like that. It's not healthy.

c) Flat.
All the book is about the love between Zoe&Jackson. I get it, they are cute together and all that stuff. But i wanted to know more about the rest of the characters.

d) Cheesy:
I love cheesy, i love romantic stories as long as they are well written. this was not that case. it's too cheesy. they had a crush on each other for more than a year? Seriously? Jackson is weird wanting to touch Zoe all the time. The scene with her feets were weird af.

e)Love is not the answer:
I know i sound kinda cynical. But i really know what it's to think you're getting better only because your partner is at your side. I liked that Zoe gets that realization at 75% of the story (she gets that she must get better for helself, not for Jackson. She realizes it), but that’s not enough. It's not healthy to depend on each other. And with this kind of books, I always think: what it's going to happen when they break up? (i'm only saying this because i was ok when i had a boyfriend, but when we break up, it was really bad for my mental health, even thought i was older than Zoe. So… I don't think is a good message portrayed in a young adult book).


So, in conclusion, it's a debut book, and for a quick and easy read, it's ok. If i was younger, maybe i would have enjoyed it more. But now, it's not a memorable story. i'm going to forget the story.

Paper Girl by Cindy R. Wilson is a YA contemporary novel about a young girl who has not left her house for over a year due to agoraphobia. Zoe is a great heroine and I enjoyed seeing her relationship with her family and her growing relationship with Jackson. It is a quick read that I would recommend.

This is a beautifully written story with such an interesting concept. Zoe has agoraphobia and unable to leave the house due to social anxiety, however, all is looking up when Jackson is hired to be her tutor. Unfortunately for me, there wasn't enough going on to keep me interested throughout and at points, the story itself fell flat. While I did really enjoy the writing style of the story I just found myself struggling throughout to keep interested.

The story started off strong but it didn’t take long from my interest to waver. The plot is spread a little too thinly and I wanted more from the characters, they were well constructed but I didn’t engage with any of them and that’s a big reason the story started to drag on for me. I just didn’t care. The pacing of Zoe and Jackson’s relationship moved far too fast, I wish some more time had been taken to build up their relationship. I did however enjoy the portrayal of agoraphobia and social anxiety, it felt raw and honest. The writing was fine but i didn't really grasp much.

"Paper Girl" tackles some difficult issues and goes much deeper than I expected. Agoraphobia and homelessness are portrayed in stark reality and the temptation to romanticize such things is resisted. I also suffer from panic attacks and can vouch for the authenticity of how they are described. The writing is beautiful and the characters endearing, warts and all. Recommended!

Not something I could really get into, so I don't have much to say as I didn't finish it. It's something I may come back to in the future, but just not right now.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed reading this. An interesting story with fun characters. Well written.

Fun romance!
Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for the opportunity to read and review Paper Girl by Cindy R. Wilson!
Zoe is home-schooled and Jackson is homeless and they play chess together online, not knowing each other’s true identities. Before things changed for Zoe, she talked to Jackson at a basketball game her sister was cheering at. Zoe and Jackson think about each other from before she was home-schooled but neither of them realize that. Since Zoe needs help with Math and Physics, her mother hires Jackson for tutoring and their relationship grows into more than just friendly acquaintances. They help each other deal with personal struggles, Zoe’s anxiety and Jackson’s relationship with his father. Paper Girl is therapeutic and a cute young adult romance, 5 stars!

I struggle with the idea of an agoraphobic who pushes outside of their comfort zone for a friend or a romantic interest. Because if you work through your anxiety solely for another person, what are the chances that you'll relapse if they end up out of your life. Now, Wilson makes a point of saying that recovery is something that Zoe desires even before she enters into a relationship. And her therapist warns against relying too heavily on this one guy. But, he's still her major reason for leaving the house. I did like that there was no overwhelmingly traumatic inciting incident for her agoraphobia, just increasing anxiety that overwhelms her.
Character development could have been stronger. THe side plot got only surface exploration which is a shame since it actually may have been the more compelling of the two.

This book is incredible. It's a good representation of social anxiety. I loved the romance. This was also a quick read. I definitely recommend this title.

This is a story about a girl named Zoe who hasn't left her house in a year. I thought the author did a wonderful job writing about anxiety. I really enjoyed the writing and the characters! I enjoyed the romance between Zoe and Jackson. I think the author did such a good job writing about anxiety. This was a read that left me feeling hopeful and I really enjoyed it!

I think teens are more aware of mental health issues and will connect with this book more than I (an adult) did. I’m glad authors are writing about topics that teens are facing. This novel was interesting and easy to read and teens would enjoy it.

Imagine if you cannot leave your house because of your anxiety. Or imagine if you work as a tutor and you are tutoring with an anxiety person. Paper Girl is a YA contemporary book with a bit of mental issues. Zoe cannot leave her home for a while because of social anxiety. Meaning that she has a fear of talking to other people. However, when her mother hires a tutor, she is thinking about going out and talk to anyone.

I find this book fascinating. Social anxiety is one of the common mental disorders of the world. The characters are well develop. The relationship between Zoe and Jackson is okay. One that I do not like about this book is Jackson’s homelessness. I feel sad for him. Overall, Paper Girl is an excellent story. It sometimes reminds me of Everything, Everything, but mental disorder and a bit of family dilemma. People with social anxiety will like this book and hope that they can overcome their fear.

Note: Panic attacks and other problems are involve in this book.

This book was a little... meh. I don't want to lead you to believe that I disliked it, because, that isn't the case... but, I guess I didn't really like it either. Paper Girl is about an anxious girl who never leaves home and makes planets out of paper, and a homeless boy who cares about her. Honestly, those are the major highlights that you need to know going into the book- you don't need much else.
The author does a great job of conveying the fear of the girl with anxiety, however, I don't love how many times she is told to just get over it - including by one of her therapists. I struggle to believe that any therapist would EVER EVER say that.
As for the homeless boy - it felt a little problematic to me. This boy is the valedictorian - so, people know who he is. He has friends. He plays sports. He works. I just have a little trouble believing that no one would have noticed that he lived in his car.

So, this is not a spoiler: Anxiety girl and homeless boy play chess online with each other, but do not know who they are playing with - or that they know each other in the real world. The reader knows this basically from chapter one. You alternate points of view between the two of them, and they both talk about the chess games. So, this is a mystery for the characters, not the reader. HOWEVER, it feels a little far fetched that it is a mystery for the characters. To me it just felt too obvious. There were too many clues. They speak too similarly to their real life counterparts, but more importantly - they talk about chess in the real world too. To me, it seems a little inevitable, that if they talk about chess in the real world they would mention their online chess games that they play literally every day.

Overall, kind of a meh for me on this one. But if you are looking for a light high school read that shows the life of someone that can't leaver her house due to anxiety, you may enjoy it.

Even though this felt like something I've already seen and read (cue Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella), I still got swept into this thing. I connected with Zoe and was invested in her, agoraphobia, paper galaxy and chess skills included. Jackson, the math genius love interest, was also a character I adored, since he seemed like the perfect mix of imperfection (if that makes sense). Enjoyed their interactions throughout, although I have to admit some parts had me "OMG IT'S SO OBVIOUS ALREADY COME ON NOW YOU TWO." This book definitely has a lot of cute moments, but it can be triggering for those experiencing the same condition as Zoe so do read with caution!