This is a unique story about twin sisters who will go to the ends of the earth for one another. Indigo must face the fact her sister is fatally ill but it's an impossible task. Just when all hope seems lost, she begins to hear a voice in her head claiming to be God.

Typically, I would steer clear of any story with a heavy religious subtext, but I decided to step outside my comfort zone with this book because I was curious about how the story would play out. I liked the unorthodox interpretation of God and the humor that kept the book from growing too somber. At times though, the levity negated the emotion and I did feel the writing was trying too hard to be funny.

Overall, this was a cute and tender-hearted read with a fairly original premise. I would certainly recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA stories even if you're not religious, the direction the story moves in may surprise you.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Teen for the advance Kindle copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Indigo and Violet are identical twins. When Violet, who is terminally ill, decides to exercise her right to die by medical assistance, Indigo starts hearing a voice that claims t be God. With the help of this voice, Indigo convinces her family to take one last trip, hoping to keep Violet alive. Sad and deep, this one is a good fit for high school readers.

I loved the realistic nature of this book and the addition of "The Voice" in Indigo's head that lead her on this journey to save her sister. The snakiness of the voice in her head had me giggling multiple times and shaking my head because it made it easier to connect to and see the struggle of her believing it. Had a little similarity to "My Sister's Keeper," but without the level of drama and somewhat more adult-like themes. Easier for a middle school student to connect with and feel for the character.

Indigo is distraught at the coming death of her twin Violet and then a voice tells her to take her sister to Arizona. This is a tough one to review, given the hard issues of suicide, terminal illness, euthanasia, and mental illness but it's also got interesting strands of faith, love, and family. What sort of faith is up to you to decide but it is faith in the power of a family's love. This family is both funny and obnoxious- like all of us. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is sad but there are smiles along the way.

When I first read the description of this book I passed it over unsure of what to expect. The words terminally ill jumped out at me and I assumed this would just be another one of those sad stories about the journey towards someone's death. But while Violet was very sick this story instead chose to focus on her being alive. The family goes on a journey based off the hope that she will be cured. And we follow them along for this crazy road trip. There were characters who I didn't enjoy but we get to see growth and the reasons for their actions which helps you come to an understanding about why they are the way they are.

I received an ARC from Harlequin Teen via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved how it was up to the reader to decide whether the voice in Indigo’s head was an auditory hallucination or a higher power. As an atheist, I personally went with the mental illness explanation.
The characters were all so individual and I found myself really attached to Indigo’s complex and quirky family.
This book definitely succeeded at making me both cry and laugh. A really great contemporary for spring/summer.

CW: terminal illness, assisted suicide, suicide attempts, suicidal ideation

This book starts out heavy, and doesn't get much lighter, but Davis manages to make it work. It opens on Indigo Phillips, climbing as high as she can, wishing she was the one with the terminal illness instead of her perfect sister and other half, Violet. Violet is the twin everyone loves-- kind, patient, smart, easygoing, while Indigo is stubborn, prickly, and often feels like the black sheep of the family (a situation not helped by her older sister Michelle, who constantly rides Indigo for the tiniest of infractions). Violet's dying of pulmonary fibrosis, and it's throwing Indigo's entire life into a tailspin. When she falls from the building she climbed (suicide attempt? Accident?) she hears a voice. A voice that sounds like Dave Chappelle. The voice of... God?

The Voice (as they perfer to be called) comes to Indigo in the hospital, telling her that her sister will live if the whole family goes to the Wave, a landmark in Arizona, and if Indi and Violet can make it to the Wave. Indi is desperate for anything now, and when she comes home to see that her sister has acquired the drugs needed to end her life on her terms, Indi does something rash-- she dumps them out the window into the yard. In the middle of the uproar, she explains her vision, and surprisingly, the family (Mom, Dad, older sister Michelle, her husband and two kids, younger brother Alfred, and the twins) as well as their pastor (a white guy named Jedediah Barnabas) agree to it. The next morning, the motley crew sets out in the pastor's church bus, covered in psychedelic paintings, hauling themselves from Seattle to Arizona. As they drive, they're racing Violet's body, their family traumas, and the pastor's kidney stones. But when Indigo ignores The Voice in order to meet their goal, The Voice goes silent, leaving her to navigate an unthinkable situation on her own.

I have to point out that I was extremely disturbed by Indigo dumping out Violet's AS medicine-- others have no right to try to control what people take to ease their pain or suffering. it's not done out of some religious moralizing on Indigo's part, it's purely selfish. While I understand that being a teenager means your brain isn't fully formed yet, I can see this being a triggering issue for readers. Beyond that, the suicide attempt and Indigo's suicidal ideation may be issues for readers, but they're very clearly presented as her thinking about herself, and her family reflects back their pain and horror that she might do such a thing.

On the surface, this is a road trip novel-- characters forced by proximity to examine themselves and their relationships to those around them. What I'd like to see this used as is a jumping-off point as a discussion about assisted suicide, grief, and hope.

(Note: as a Seattle resident, Columbia City is like two neighborhoods away from Skyway, and Skyway Water and Power is not a thing. Retired black working-class parents who have a home in Columbia City is entirely possible, one that may not be up to the maintenance standards of others on the block, but one that is owned and that the residents take pride in. But Skyway? That's not even in Seattle city limits, it's a majority-minority neighborhood south of Seattle limits. Stg we need geography readers in fiction, starting with some retroactive looks at 50SOG.)

Overall, 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4.

Indigo and Violet are sisters. Twins, with a bond that's so essential to both of them that when Violet is diagnosed with a terminal illness, Indigo can't imagine what it would be like to live without her. She decides she's going to kill herself the night before her sister is scheduled to end her own life using medication. She wants to die with dignity, but Indigo can't abide it.

When Indigo slips and falls instead of leaping from the building that's supposed to kill her she wakes up with a noticeable breaks, bruises and a voice in her head. God. And God, tells her her sister can live, if only she can convince her and the family to postpone the euthanasia and make it to The Wave, a national park.

At it's heart, "The Voice In My Head" is a classic road-trip novel. The family packs into a handicap accessible van with the their pastor and head from Seattle to the Southwest. Hijinks ensue. It's heatbreaking at times and unbelievably funny at others. There is a strong, deep and undeniable Christian throughline, which I dig. There are lots of things we talk about in books, but God isn't one of them. Death, sometimes. Extreme violence, sure.

I can't say you won't be able to predict what's coming because you will, but that doesn't make it any less impactful.

If you've read Jodi Piccoult's The Other Sister then you'll love it. If you haven't then definitely pick it up after you've finished this one. Also, anyone who liked any of John Green's sick-kid lit will be into this one too.

A powerful story about family, love and faith and death. I was laughing out loud at the crazy, hilarious family antics! The characters in this family are so realistic and easy to relate to. It was nice balance between the somber nature of the story and the funny and sometimes crazy actions of the family. It was deeply heartbreaking to read about Violet’s terminal illness and the way she was suffering, as much as it was to read about the bond between her and her twin sister Indigo. As indigo tries to fight against her sisters desire for assisted suicide, she ends up believing she can speak with God. It was really endearing to see the lengths she would go to, to try and help her sister live and the realizations she made along the way. I think this book was really well written, heartfelt and eye opening. I really really enjoyed!

Quirky and unique. I didn't love this but it was a good read. Quirky and unique. I didn't love this but it was a good read.

Not as poignant as The Fault in our Stars and not as serious as My Sister’s Keeper, The Voice in My Head manages to address issues young people may encounter today and brings levity to the situations at the same time. In addition to the terminal illness of one twin and grief-stricken suicide attempt of the other, Violet and Indigo also have to tolerate serious familial issues while navigating the transition from underage adolescence to legal adulthood.

As a result of “the Voice of God’s” encouraging, the twins, along with their whole family—and an ecumenical spiritual leader the family calls Pastor Jedidiah—make their way to a place called the Wave, where this voice promises Violet will live if she will just make it there. While on the trip to the Wave, Indigo, in true bildungsroman fashion, finds out much about herself and grows into her own person who relies less on the input from others about herself and more on the experience of her own accomplishments.

I knew what I was getting into when I read the synopsis for The Voice in My Head, though it still did not prepare me for what I felt when I read it. If it were not for my own policy of not DNF’ing any book I request, I would have quit reading it. However, I know this book and its writer will be read by young people, particularly young people I teach, and I need to have read it in order to be able to engage my students who have also read it. With that said, there are many issues I have with some of the characterizations in the book, but I won't give details so as not to spoil it for others.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, for which I give my own opinion.

Ok.. this book was just sad!!!

Ugh... super heart breaking :(.
The book follows the story of two 18 year old twin sisters Indigo and Violet who have lost their connection along the way of growing up. Indigo and Violet are the polar opposite of one another. Violet is suffering from an intense illness that will ultimately take her life. Violet is given a choice to end her life with dignity. This changes when Indigo hears the word of God in her head. This mysterious god voice is telling Indigo that Violet will live if they make it to the Wave in Arizona.

This begins the journey for a family to save Violet's life. This book is an emotional roller coaster and you become invested in this family rooting to save beautiful Violet's life.

I really enjoyed how Dana Davis left the "voice of god" up to the interpretation to the reader.

My only issues with this one was in the beginning of the story there was a lot going on and it was a bit all over the place... hard to follow with introducing so many characters.

I also felt the ending didn't live up to my expectations and was disappointed.

Overall, this was a sweet YA novel but a tad on the sad side :).

3 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date: 5/28/19
Published to Goodreads: 4/9/19

Twin sisters are not close at all. A total tear jerking book. When one becomes ill with a terminally illness. After making her choice on how she wants to die (medically assisted) her sister freaks out and goes o efforts to cope. She starts hearing God and he tells her how to save her sister. With socially unpopular Indigo telling the story. It is funny and sad at the same time.

The family dynamics in this story felt real and honest as I was reading and the Phillips family as a whole really kept me on my toes. I found Indigo’s complicated relationships with her mother and her two sisters to be well done and relatable in the sense where you couldn’t help but feel as Indigo was feeling during the story. I enjoyed the book as a whole, but a character telling Indigo that they overheard someone say she belongs in a straitjacket (and them agreeing with the statement) just didn’t sit right with me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this title in exchange for an honest review!

TW for suicide, medical assisted suicide, terminal illness/medical stuff.

Indigo's twin sister Violet has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Indigo, unable to fathom life without her twin sister decides to jump from a building. But before she does, she calls to God to help. Then, just as Indigo decides not to jump, God answers back and she's so surprised that she falls off the building.

But she's fine! And God, aka the Voice in her head, has some news. If she can convince Violet, who is planning on dying with dignity that very day, to make this dangerous and epic hike, she'll live.

Violet shockingly agrees, but only if their whole family comes along for the journey. Meaning Indigo and Violet, their parents, their younger brother, their older sister and her husband, and their two kids. And, of course, the pastor who was about to help Violet die with dignity. Indigo knows immediately that this trip is sure to be something.

I think that overall this was a solid read, definitely 4/5 stars. There are some parts of the novel that will have you feeling feels, and parts that will make you laugh! Definitely recommend, as long as you're someone who won't be upset by the subject matter.

I absolutely loved the story and the writing. It was beautiful and touching and I loved the main character and her relationship with her family and her sister. The growth of these characters was beautiful and I want more from this author.

Violet and Indigo are twins - one has a terminal disease and the other one feels guilty that she will live. Suddenly, Indigo hears the voice of God telling her to take Violet to a far away and dangerous trail, and she will live. After convincing Violet and her family, they take off on a road trip with "God" as their guide. Cute.

Based on the description of The Voice in My Head, I was extremely intrigued and excited to read this book. It seemed to offer a YA story with deep roots, exploring multiple levels of mental illness, from depression, to delusions, and possibly schizophrenia. However, this didn't work at all for me. There's a strong religious theme here, and, I would say, an obvious religious agenda. I can't tell if the author merely intended for the characters to possess a sometimes-wavering faith, but it comes across as preachy to me. I think the book would've been more successful had the Voice not been attributed to God specifically, or had it not been so dogmatic. I tried to overlook the religious element, but the Voice itself also bothered me in his/her painfully colloquial language, that felt like the author was trying way too hard to be relevant and hip. I think this book may skew younger than most YA, but with the assisted suicide element, I don't know that it's appropriate for the age demographic for which it might be most suited in terms of the maturity.

Despite my unwillingness to finish this book, I'm going to give this 3 stars, as I do think it's important in terms of young African American females in fiction, and wouldn't want to compromise the rating of a book that speaks to an underrepresented group of people.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a complimentary arc of The Voice in My Head by Dana L. Davis in exchange for my honest review.*



tw for suicidal ideation and attempt, terminal illness, death, brief racists couple, being held at gunpoint, and physician-assisted suicide



OKAY FIRST OFF THE COVER IS SO BEAUTIFUL. I really love it, and it captures the two sisters.



There were a lot of things I loved about this book, and a few things that I thought could have been handled better. I'll start with what I liked.



The Voice (or God) is probably my favorite character, so funny and enjoyable. I loved the moments between the Voice and Indigo, the humor was nice.



I super enjoyed that this was a story about a big family going through losing a member, and the way that family secrets were slipping out and it felt authentic. The good and the bad of a family road trip (and a megachurch pastor who I thought I would hate but enjoyed. also the megachurch vibe was accurate).



ALFRED’S LETTER HAD ME CRYING, A SWEET BROTHER.



The ending to me made a lot of sense, and the way it went down and the sprinkles of the future was a nice touch.



Now moving on to some of the things I didn't really like.



The number one thing was that Indigo's suicide attempt (ideation) was not treated in the manner it should have been. Starting off you know that she doesn't seem like she has plans to go through with it, but that doesn't matter. She had a plan, she was in action, and she lied about it to her parents and family to cover it up. However, her nurse sister didn't believe her and knew what happened. As a nurse AND a sister, Michelle did not treat it right. She would make quips about it and didn't tell their parents, and as someone who loves the person in that position and being in the medical field, it should have been handled wayyyy more sensitively. (along with the aftermath of a robbery situation.) And for most of it Indigo doesn't seem to have any big reaction to almost taking her own life. It made it confusing that Indigo contemplates suicide but then doesn’t seem to understand why her sister who is physically dying would choose physician assisted suicide?



This leads to that sometimes you don’t really know why Indigo does things, she tells more than shows the whys or her feelings, however I did majorly approve of the forking of the tires.



Indigo's brother-in-law and nephews are Native (which I loved), it was nice to see that representation added, but there was a racist couple who make a racist quip towards Natives, and while I understand a lot of people use it, I'm not sure that it was the author's place to use it, if she herself is not Native.



CHAPTER FUCKING 18, this chapter was so good. It pulled the story together and it was a really good moment.



I do believe the final chapter could have showed a little more of the aftermath with the entire family.



Overall, I liked this story, I had fun and I enjoyed the family and the plot and the idea. There was just some things that could have used handled a little differently.

A powerful story about grief, and the lengths you would go to for those you love. While the premise is a bit hard to believe, the storytelling and characters keep the story moving and keep the reader engrossed.