The Opposite of Falling Apart follows Jonas who lost his leg in a car accident. One day, while driving he gets into a fender bender with a girl named Brennan. They immediately begin a friendship because they are both misfits. Both of them have a lot in common. Brennan has horrible anxiety and Jonas can relate. The two of them are in need of a friend. The book follows the two of them as they are off to college for the first time.

The idea behind The Opposite of Falling Apart sounded so cute to me. Two disabled teens falling for each other. While some of the book was extremely cute. Other parts of the story became extremely annoying for me. I loved Jonas. He was by far my favorite character. Brennan just became extremely sulking and annoying for me at times. I could relate to her and her chronic anxiety but she almost became cruel because of it at times. She used her anxiety as an excuse for everything.

The ending was too predictable for me. The diversity of the story was something different and I applaud the author for that. This was the first paraplegic teen book that I have read. It was neat to see into that kind of life and the thoughts that go on inside that kind of mind. Both characters could relate to each other. Being stuck in life was very relatable.

Going off to college for the first time was also explored. Those chapters I enjoyed the most. I could relate to the uncertainty of having a new roommate that you didn't know for the first time. Having to get up in the middle of the night and run down the hall to use the bathroom. Using the student union for food. Not having a car. All the joys of your Freshman year of college. More books need to explore this time in your life.

Overall, I just wish I cared for these characters more. I wanted to see more of their family dynamics. Maybe even Jonas before he lost his leg. It became too average for me and predictable. The author's writing was very beautiful though. The pacing needed to go faster. Parts dragged on. It was a good love story though and a fast read which was a plus.

A strong story about resilience, strenght, struggle and love. The writer knew how to transmit all the anguish and suffering of each protagonist very well.
3,5/5 stars

I picked up this book, and tried to read it multiple times. I loved the premise and the idea behind the story, but struggled with the execution of the plot. Unfortunately, this story just wasn't for me, so it was a DNF.

Why I struggled:
*The pacing was extremely slow
*The characters were inside their heads too much, and I felt like there wasn't enough actually happening to move the story along at a better pace
*There were too many details about mundane things, which contributed to to the slow pace of the plot

I liked the storyline a lot. Two random characters who couldn’t be more different. One living a real nightmare after a car accident and the other one being an introvert and hating all kind of social interaction (this does sound a bit familiar though!) and who has an anxiety disorder. Even with these (possibly) triggering themes the book was a light read. Cute, funny and I just couldn’t put it down. I had to read it in one sitting and I absolutely wanted to know what would happen to Brennan and Jonas. It was a cute read but the author still treated the important and triggering topics in a serious way. The book showed us how these young adults are coping with the problems in their life and their inner demon. It was refreshing to read about something like this especially the morale of the story and how you might manage your inner struggles.

I seriously loved the character growth of our amazing characters. I was so proud of these two and especially how they helped each other. It was great and don’t even get me started on the friendship part. Everything was amazing. And when I say everything I mean everything!

Last but not least, the writing style. It was perfect, the description was amazingly written. I fell in love with this book after the first sentence and I kind of was disappointed when it ended.

Overall, The Opposite of Falling Apart was a great Young Adult novel that I highly recommend. Plus there are some Harry Potter mentions so that’s a reason why you need to read this book.

HUGE THANKS TO FFBC FOR INCLUDING ME TO THE BLOG TOUR OF THE OPPOSITE OF FALLING APART.



An adorable, cute and slow-paced read. I’ll never regret reading The Opposite of Falling Apart. Even if the story is somehow slow, I really enjoy the content of the story. I love how the representation in the book is well written. It’s the kind of story where the reader can feel the emotions upon reading the story. I love how it teaches us not to give up no matter what or hindrance we may have in our life.

Plot-wise, the author explicitly wrote the story beautifully. The development of the two main characters are also lovable to the extent that you will feel them and see how their characteristics is being develop. There are scene that may be to obvious but its okay, as it made the story more unique and made it to be understood.

The author really did a great job. It teaches us to be strong, accept who we are and no matter what happen, we can always stand tall and continue to live our life to the fullest. It also teaches us about some health problems that others are experiencing.

All in all, I love the whole idea of the story and it is one of the story that I’ll never forget.



FAVORITE QUOTES
“She looked so happy here, among the books, like she as in her element.”

“You don’t just stop reading a series in the middle.”

The book started off kind of slow so it was a little hard for me to get into it at first. What I liked about the storyline was that it was very realistic--there was no "love at first sight" kind of moment, and the romance between Brennan and Jonas seemed truly genuine and very admirable. While this did take away from the suspense in the storyline to propel the plot forward more, there were certain scenes that made up for it.
This is one of those books where the ending was very, VERY well done. Tied everything together so well, and ended with a cute heartfelt moment.

I will be the first to admit that I do not understand anxiety. I would venture to say that a lot of people who struggle with anxiety also do not understand it because anxiety is often not logical. I have briefly struggled with feelings of anxiety while I was on a medication that wasn't right for me. But what I experienced was nothing like what Brennan experienced. I hesitate to even discuss this part in too much detail because the author briefly touches on her own anxiety issues within the acknowledgments. And I wouldn't want anything I say about Brennan to feel like a reflection upon her and her own struggles--much less anyone else who might read this review that also struggles with anxiety. It was helpful to me to be in Brennan's head and see how much of an internal battle she has going on trying to fight against her instincts, her inner dialogue, and her anxiety itself. In a lot of ways, the things that Brennan thinks to herself or worries about felt to me like things EVERYONE thinks about or wonders about. I certainly don't enjoy new situations where I don't know what to expect. Who might be there? How they might respond to me. What's expected of me. If it's a new location, where I will park. Or being able to find the place I actually need to be. I think all of that is normal. But Brennan is crippled by these thoughts and fears. She even admits that more than anything she cares entirely too much about what other people think of her. And I think that's something I've taken for granted in my own life and confidence. I think I learned early on in life that I might be a friend to many but simply not close to a ton of people because I realized that I think differently and value different things in myself and in others than a lot of the people I was growing up with did. I didn't always feel confident that others liked me, I liked myself. And to me, that was more important. Brennan doesn't like herself (her anxiety more specifically) and that causes her to be suspicious that anyone else could or would possibly like her as well. She's constantly seeking validation, approval, and affection from others while holding herself as much at bay from them as she can. I think in other circumstances I would have flat out disliked her character because strong, confident female leads are something that I value highly in both books and in real life. I have particularly struggled with "needy" people in real life. But I feel like The Opposite of Falling Apart gave me a little bit of a new perspective on what "needy" people might be dealing within their own minds. Perhaps I will be a little more compassionate in the future. And there's not much more you can hope for from a book than for it to make you want to be a better person after reading it.

I can't say I really struggled with connecting to Jonas, but I also didn't hold him up to the same level of adoration that I often find myself feeling towards leading male characters. I think that's because Jonas is both good and flawed. Most of his flaws relate to himself and how he feels about himself since his accident and losing half of his left leg. He has a lot of anger and bitterness and sometimes that causes him to lash out at those who love him and try to help him. But honestly, I do the same. I lash out at those I love when I'm worn down, angry, or bitter too. Even though I don't mean to. Yet, I loved how he was with Brennan. He truly saw her. Beyond her anxiety. And he was the only one who seemed to really walk through it with her rather than just telling her she shouldn't be anxious. I am quite certain I'd be the one who was like "well just get over it." Or "just tell yourself XYZ instead". Like my sympathy with Brennan, I learned that amputees can have pain beyond the phantom limb pain that I think most people are familiar with. At times I would think "it's been 2 years already and you're still not walking without your crutches Jonas," but like most things, there's so much more beyond the surface level that someone who hasn't experienced a similar situation would have no way of knowing.

I will say that I would get a little frustrated with Brennan because she was all about pushing Jonas to move past his hurdles and not always respecting his own anxiety. I would have expected given her troubles that she would have been a little more understanding of his own. She pushed him beyond his comfort level more than once, and even though this is ultimately a good thing to help him grow, she shut down or retreated physically and emotionally if he ever attempted to do the same. I also got frustrated with Brennan because it seemed like so many times she could have saved herself much worry and pain by just communicating with those who love her--her parents, Jonas, and even Ambreen. And lastly, I wish that we'd been able to see a little bit more concrete steps that Brennan took to conquer her anxiety. Did she finally start taking her medication regularly? And if not that medication then another? Did she go to therapy or find a doctor that she could finally open up to about to extent of the feelings and thoughts she was dealing with?

Favorite quotes:

-"What scares you, Brennan?" Being out of control. Being known. Not being enough. Being known, and having people find out she wasn't enough, wasn't what they thought she was. Letting herself be known. and still ending up alone, with no friends, no one to love her. No one.

This quote reminds me Tauren Wells has a song called Known. The song was inspired by Timothy Kelly's statement: "To be loved and not known is comforting but superficial; to be known but not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and fully loved is a lot like being loved by God."(Reference)

-Every best friend I made always had a better best friend, or always left me in the end.
I've felt like this too except for my husband who is now my best friend.

The Opposite of Falling Apart was a good book that has caused me to think more than anything. I enjoyed the reading process but it wasn't a peppy or typical cloud-nine-new-love type of book. Even though I enjoyed the reading process, it was heavier than you would expect from a book about falling in love. Of course, heavy doesn't equal bad. And it wasn't bad. It was good. I'd definitely recommend it. Yet at the same time, this might be the type of book that is good for a specific mood or a specific reader. I'm not sure. Regardless, I'm giving The Opposite of Falling Apart 4 Stars. Have you read The Opposite of Falling Apart? What did you think? Let me know!

I loved everything about this book. The plot was easy to follow and kind of slow, but in a good way. The development of the characters and their relationship was well constructed and it was interesting to learn more about them and their respective problems that they had to deal with.
Jonas lost his left leg in a car accident and is bitter and angry since then. Brennan is anxious all the time and is afraid to start college in the fall. Jonas and Brennan met one day and this will totally change them on a deep level. Their relationship is absolutely amazing and beautiful, this is no love at first sight and they both have to accept who they are before accepting to be loved or appreciated by someone else. I simply loved it and I definitely recommend reading this book.
I enjoyed learning more about anxiety through this book, I think it was well explained and not too cliché either. This book also deals with PTSD and it was well developed.
I loved Brennan and Jonas and their story will stay with me for a long time.

I thought this book was very well written and thought out. This book was insightful and didn’t shy away from hard hitting subjects such as ptsd and depression. Jonas broke my heart in the best way. I wanted to hug him and tell him everything would be okay. My only issue with the novel was the pacing.

First I’d like to say thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad books for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
This book was beyond cute! I absolutely loved the two main characters Jonas & Brennan. The fact that they both had medical issues was so heartwarming. I love when authors are inclusive in their stories. I really connected with Brennan and her anxiety. The author did a very good job in describing what anxiety feels like. I appreciated the accuracy of Brennan’s emotions and dealings with anxiety.
All in all this was a sweet love story and I give it 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5.

I really enjoyed the story. The author gives accurate descriptions of someone suffering from extreme anxiety. I was happy to see how two broken people can heal each other. I would definitely recommend this book to others. 4 stars!

Jonas feels like his world has fallen apart after a car accident caused him to lose his leg. He's shut himself away from everyone and doesn't want to get used to the prosthetic leg. Brennan is suffering from severe anxiety. Day to day things like work and friends get her head in a spin and she is struggling but won't tell anyone the extent of her problems. Jonas mum needs him to get in the car and take a permission slip to his sister for a trip. He doesnt like cars anymore but won't admit it and gets himself in a panic on the way resulting in him bumping into Brennans car at some traffic lights. He offers to pay for the damage and doesn't divulged the real reason he bumped her. The pair meet up again by chance and Brennan tries to help Jonas walk again on his prosthetic leg.
It was a really moving story line I loved that the pair were totally different yet so alike and helped each other through their problems. It went into some really important issues and was written in a tasteful way. Unfortunately the story was just too slow paced for me and I found myself getting bored dispite the good story line.

The Opposite of Falling Apart

No rating

I could not for the life of me get into this AT ALL. And the main reason is because the writing style is just not for me. It dragged and it made the characters feel really two dimensional and boring.

I get what the author was intending to do, and I think her concept of depicting PTSD, anxiety and the affects of mental health is a great idea in hindsight but.... the execution wasn’t appealing to me as a reader. It felt a bit overdone and I was bored for a large portion of it.

And then there’s the business of adding extra ‘thoughts’ into parentheses (which didn’t work for me at all). I just couldn’t work with it, not my thing.

I think the story being told was great, it was interesting to see the motions of healing and dealing with loss in such a way from Jonas’ point of view while also seeing Brennan struggle in mundane everyday life as anxiety rears it’s head, and while this is a very accurate/relatable depiction, the writing made it feel emotionless. I couldn’t get past it enough to comprehend yet alone enjoy the story. Not to mention the pacing of the development was unbearably slow and it just added to my nonenjoyment.

Overall, I think the idea of the representation the author was trying to portray was just that— a good idea but the writing and storyline dragged and made it fall flat for me. I felt no connection whatsoever to the characters or the story but I do think others can probably relate to this portrayal and connect with the characters on a deeper level.

And with that, I do hope to someday come back to this book and give it another try, maybe it’ll appeal to me then. I don’t know, we shall see.

Very good book!

Awesome storyline & world - building.

I cannot wait to read more from this author!

The Opposite of Falling Apart by Micah Good is a story about overcoming disabilities, and moving forward. Jonas Avery was a star in high school, until the car accident that took part of his leg. Brennan Davis has an anxiety disorder, so everything is a challenge for her. The summer before college these two meet, and a romance begins. I found this book to be well written, but it just wasn't for me. I read to lift my spirit, and this book did not do that. If you enjoy a more serious romance, give it a try, you might love it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I really really enjoyed The Opposite of Falling Apart by Micah Good. It about Jonas who lost part of his leg in accident and Avery who has very bad anxiety and how they meet and form a bond. I really liked how this book portrayed anxiety. I have anxiety and I found a lot of what Avery thought or did was something I could relate to. I also really liked how Jonas’ and Avery’s friendship grew. It felt real and I loved that even with everything they were going through they could still connect. The support they offered one another was amazing. A new YA favourite!

I loved this book. It’s real, deep, moving. Jonas’s story, the loss of his leg and his coming to terms with it, shows something that isn’t seen that often. Amputees and residual limbs and PTSD aren’t usually the topic of YA novels, and it’s something that needs to be talked about. Brennan’s struggles with anxiety are written so perfectly that people with anxiety will be able to relate to her instantly. Their meeting and friendship and falling in love are so pure and simple, so heartwarming. This is a book I would read over and over again.

Insightful story of two teenagers about to start university. Jonas has PTSD after being in a car accident and losing half of his left leg. This is his story about dealing with the aftermath, his struggles and wondering whether he can move on. Brennan has an Anxiety Disorder and can only escape with her writing. She battles with her mind. Every day is a challenge, especially with moving away to start university.
This is Jonas and Brennan's story of meeting each other and helping each other as well as themselves.

This book nailed the experience of dealing with anxiety. I identified so much with Brennan. The only thing that bothered me a little is that she never really dealt with her not taking her meds. I kept shouting at the book take your meds and go to therapy. I also enjoyed Jonas’ POV. It was such a great reminder not to try to read thoughts and feelings into another person. They are rarely thinking things you are imagining them to be thinking. Everybody is just walking around with their own stuff and anxieties. This was a terrific debut novel!

Honestly this book was great. It delved into many hard topics such as PTSD and depression like symptoms in the character of Jonas, which began after a car accident coming home from school one day, which leaves him with one leg, and a paralyzing fear of driving, and of letting people in emotionally.

It also covers severe anxiety disorders in the character of Brennan, who can barely do anything without freaking out about something, even talking with her parents who can push in the wrong directions sometime (whether it be her love of writing *which they critique as a waste of time* or her lack of time outside of her room) .

The story follows this duo through their hardships of trying to get over their problems, be it physically or mentally, from Jonas's fear of driving and trouble walking on his prosthetic leg, to Brennan's severe anxiety and struggle starting college. It's full of ups and downs and moments of the two finding solace in each other's company.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
(Thank you so much to the publisher and to #netgalley for giving me the chance to read #theoppositeoffallingapart early)