This didn't up being a good fit for me - I have not been enjoying YA as much as I used to, so it feels unfair to criticize it for being YA

A Divided Mind is a well-crafted story with developed characters and a storyline that leaves you wanting more.

Definitely a must-read!!

This book got archived before I had a chance to download it.
I requested it because it looked like an interesting read but since I did not actually read it, I cannot honestly comment on it
I will, therefore, be unable to provide a complete review for it.

I am in charge of our Senior School library and am looking for a diverse array of new books to furnish their shelves with and inspire our young people to read a wider and more diverse range of books as they move through the senior school. It is hard sometimes to find books that will grab the attention of young people as their time is short and we are competing against technology and online entertainments.
This was a thought-provoking and well-written read that will appeal to our readers across the board. It had a really strong voice and a compelling narrative that I think would capture their attention and draw them in. It kept me engrossed and I think that it's so important that the books that we purchase for both our young people and our staff are appealing to as broad a range of readers as possible - as well as providing them with something a little 'different' that they might not have come across in school libraries before.
This was a really enjoyable read and I will definitely be purchasing a copy for school so that our young people can enjoy it for themselves. A satisfying and well-crafted read that I keep thinking about long after closing its final page - and that definitely makes it a must-buy for me!

Getting a phone call from my child letting me know they're hearing voices would rock my world! That's what happened in this book and I sympathized with these parents. As well as the 17 year old, Brandon that everything was happening to. How do you react? I really felt connected to the families pain. Great book.

Thank you Netgalley for providing an ARC for me to read and review.

Thank you to netgalley the publishers and the author for this ARC in exchanged for an unbiased review

a disturbing yet very interesting read, this book really left me thinking

Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

A Divided Mind by M. Billiter is a good emotional piece about the struggles of a family dealing with one of it's children being a schizophrenic. It's being marked as a thriller and I don't feel it fits that category, general fiction fits it better. The book does have one or two thrilling moments, but it is more of a think piece that show how an individual and his mother deal with the illness. The novel is mainly told through Branson who has schizophrenia and his mother as she deals with the diagnosis. I was not prepared for the humor in this piece, that really helps with the flow. It sometimes reminded me of a much serious version of C. D. Payne's Youth in Revolt. I enjoyed this novel and found it very engaging. I would like to think Netgalley and Hot Tree Publishing for giving me a free advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Plot: Tara receives a call from her 17 year-old son Branson that he's hearing voices as he blacked out and was found with bloody knuckles at school. Tara who is now a single mom thinks it is PTSD of her family surviving her first ex husband who was abusive towards her and her children. Branson is coy with telling people all the details about what he calls "shadow people" that will assassinate people he disagrees with in his mind. The voices have been getting louder and transforming. Tara sends him to a specialist that says it's not PTSD but schizophrenia. The disbelief is strong and she doesn't know how to deal, she finds a notebook of her son's journal and reads all about a girl who has tormented her son, and decides to get revenge as she's a college admissions officer for the university and creatively makes her not a candidate. Branson life gets more complex as he starts seeing a new person in his life, but are they real or not is what the reader will be asking.

What I Liked: The humor both Branson and his mom Tara have some wit to them in the form of internal thoughts. The struggle of Branson and his other personality be sometimes the only one he can confide in, but also wanting that person gone for his own health. Carson, Branson's sister, solves so much of his mother's problems, I loved her character. Dr. Cordova seems like the perfect doctor never rising to any bate of the characters but slipping out a smile when he can't contain the funny situation or answer in front of him. I loved the story about how the kids were named, and I loved their names. I loved Tara's revenge plot, and all that things that happened because of it. The cat creature was very scary and written really well and easy to visualize. I really liked the ending.

What I Disliked: The people in Branson's life our way too accepting. There's an instance where Branson steals something and a person that don't know him helps him out, I found really hard to believe. I found it to easy to tell who was real and not in Branson's mind, but the book acts like this is a mystery.

Recommendations: I will recommend this book as a good emotional sometimes humorous general fiction book. If you're looking for a thriller you will be a little disappointed, the book is not with some thrilling moments and one okay twist but in my humble opinion not a thriller. I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Eerily realistic book about a son hearing voices and a mother doing what every it takes to help her son. We follow the point of view of the son and the mother which really adds to the storyline. It allows us to get to know both of them very well. I don't normally feel attached to the characters but knows that this was co-authored by a mother and son that went through this before it was very gripping.

Thank you to Tangled Tree Publishing / Netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review!

This novel was not really what I was expecting. It sounded really good based on the synopsis, but the writing almost felt like young adult (minus all of the curse words).

You follow a few perspectives in this one.

Tara is a mom of four children, two of them are twin boys, Aaron and Branson. She works as a director of college admissions in Wyoming State University. You follow her and her journey through discovering what is happening to her mentally ill son, Branson. She is a caring mother, but she is also DEEPLY flawed. She makes decisions in this novel that I'm sure a lot of people would disagree with. I understand that there is no right way when it comes to parenting. She was naturally just trying her best. Her son presents himself with an illness, and her life suddenly changes. I get where she is coming from, but at the same time I didn't really connect with her.

Branson is the other perspective you follow. He is preparing for his college years, but there is a problem that may hold him back. He has been hearing voices and blacking out. The therapist originally diagnosed him with PTSD, but as you venture through the book you find out it is actually schizophrenia. The voice in his head is his imaginary friend named, Trevor.

What I did like about this book so much is that the family works with him. He doesn't become this huge outcast that no one wants to deal with. It's not completely negative, and there are little glimmers of hope throughout. I'm not going to say this is an accurate representation of schizophrenia because I have never experienced it myself. I can only tell you to read it to find out.

Do I recommend this? Maybe. It could possibly help someone figure out what's going on in their life. I don't see a lot of books about schizophrenia. This one portrays pretty raw emotion. I find it to be a little dramatic, but I basically read it all in one sitting, if that says anything about it. It is intriguing, and if you even thought about picking it up, then go for it.

Disclaimer: Do not go into this expecting a thriller.

Love the fact of putting mental health more out there for others to read and making people more aware that it is a real thing. This was a disturbing, intriguing read. I very much enjoyed this novel and recommend this one.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Alternating between a mother, Tara and her son, Branson's view, this book tells a story about a high school senior, speaking about his struggles with mental illness and schizophrenia, trying to cope and treat the illness, while him and his family come to terms with it.

Bit by bit, symptoms for Branson's sudden strange behavior are recognized. We get to read about his mother's frustration when the diagnosis came, and the denial and hurt she went through. Branson gets the treatment he needs, while the story depicts a well portrayed family adjusting to a loved member's illness. The storytelling was gripping, the dialogues felt natural.

Tara is a loving mother, willing to do anything for her children. The love really shines through her chapters. I could've done without the descriptions on her designer footwear and handbags though. At some points really irritating, she felt very honest and real to me in her actions. Not wanting to see the truth, she tries her best to be a good mom. Branson is a smart kid, very considerate towards his family as he kept his struggles to himself for quite some time, not wanting to worry anyone. The bond between him and his twin brother is lovely. I also liked his sister Carson, absolutely wise for her age and without holding things in, she speaks what her mother has been denying.

The epilogue was somewhat heart crushing, as there were streams of hope building up in the last chapters. It's a twist which I was not expecting but liked nonetheless, because with the depicted illness, it seemed realistic that this could happen.

A study in signs of mental illness. Viewpoint of family, friends and self. Not quite a thriller, but still disturbing.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks NetGalley!

"What if the only friend you have isn't real?"

High school senior Branson hears voices in his head and soon begins to realize that the one friend he has isn't real afterall.

the book has lots of twists and turns. it's told through the POV of Tara, [ bransons mom ] and Branson. This book portrays mental illness.... from the symptoms to the diagnosis to the treatment.. and i think that's extremely important. I hope this book will be helpful to other teens going through similar things.

This book was so intense and unexpected. It took me through so many twists and turns, every page was a surprise. Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this.

I have a lot of time for authors that write the book they want (need) to write and it’s clear that’s what’s happened here.

Tara is a mother of four and at the top of her profession when one of her children tells her something she didn’t see coming.

This book is a journey through mental health. The symptoms, the diagnosis, the treatment and the living with it. It depicts how it affects everyone not just the person diagnosed.

This book is told mostly from the POV of Tara and her son Branson. One of my favourite characters though was Carson, Tara’s daughter. I was honestly flipping the pages faster to see what she said next. Wise girl!

Some of the choices Tara made consciously or unconsciously, particularly professionally made me uncomfortable and her mood swings almost gave me whiplash but I understood that she was frustrated and hurting.

While I was reading this book someone on Facebook happened to ask how our current read was making us feel. I said sad and frustrated which I think sums up my feelings perfectly. I was sad that Tara, Branson and their whole family was going through this ordeal and I was frustrated that certain characters seemed to get away with things without fitting consequences. I was (and still am) sad and frustrated that the stigma surrounding mental health can prevent people from seeking help and treatment when we would for a physical illness.

The last line absolutely got me. It was almost a throw-the-kindle moment but my bestie brought it me and I need it for my next read. But woah!

As someone who studies the mind and is pursuing a career related to mental health, I appreciated this read. I thought the author did a great job at illustrating the toll mental illness takes on relationships and how mental illness can be viewed from a loved ones perspective. Schizophrenia was fairly accurately described, and yet I wanted even more of this when the therapist was educating Bransons (the young teen diagnosed with schizophrenia) parents - this would have really helped me as the reader.
The end of the story was a bit disappointing to me - although we can never tie up mental illness with a pretty bow.

Overall, I’d recommend this book!

Sometimes that little voice in your head isn’t always yours.

What if the only friend you have isn’t real? When the voices in his head begin to make sense, high school senior Branson Kovac turns to the one friend he’s still got… only to discover he’s not really there.

A Divided Mind was listed as Mystery & Thrillers. This is about a young man who is schizophrenic in high school. He was diagnosed with P.T.D.S. and started medication. It was a good book in the touch of someone and their family as he goes through this. I enjoyed the book.

Thanks very much to NetGalley for the advance copy for review.

It looks like I’m in the minority on this one but I’m 30% through and calling it quits. I don’t like the characters and I’m not sure what it is specifically - but I don’t like the way the story is told. It feels choppy. I may come back to this one later but I keep putting off picking it up so I’ve decided to stop.

A Divided Mind is an interesting read about a boy who is schizophrenic. I'm glad to read a book that doesn't shy away from mental illness. It's an important topic that needs to be addressed much more often than it actually is. The story is riveting and heart wrenching but also hopeful. I felt sympathetic toward the characters. It's a book to read with an open mind and an understanding that mental illness is very real. Families suffer and adjust as shown in the story. I hope this book speaks to you in some way that illuminates the hidden reality so many people deal with daily. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.