The Opposite of Falling Apart by Micah Good, 352 pages.
Wattpad Books, 2020. $18.
Language: PG13 (25 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
As 18-year-olds the summer before starting college, Jonas and Brennan should be excitedly anticipating the transition to freedom away from home. Instead, both of these teens are struggling -- one with adjusting to life as an amputee and one with anxiety. After meeting due to yet more unfortunate and embarrassing situations in their lives, an unlikely friendship starts to form, giving both Jonas and Brennan hope to hold onto -- if they let themselves.
Being able to read from alternating points of view throughout this story brilliantly illustrated what I found to be the message from Good: everyone has insecurities. I loved being able to read the overwhelming and debilitating thoughts from both Jonas’s and Brennan’s points of view because I felt understood as I did. While I may not have the same issues as these characters, I have other issues that I feel vulnerable about sharing and that I try to hide. And I am not alone. I’m not the only one who overthinks and has hard days and doesn’t know how to handle a situation. It is okay that I don’t only have good days. Being able to relate to Jonas and Brennan and then read their happy ending gives hope to readers that our struggles can also be overcome to find our own happy endings.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

I went into The Opposite of Falling Apart expecting what I always expect from wattpad, a messy badly-written quick read that goes back and forth and ultimately drives me to DNFing it. But this book is the opposite of that, pun intended. The Opposite of Falling Apart is the best thing that's come from wattpad and I've had the pleasure of reading.
It's written really well, even with the heavy subject matter, the paragraphs don't feel densely packed. I really enjoyed the way it was structured, and though I think that the time jumps could've been executed a bit better, it still worked for me. I thought the characters were really good, and though I wish the side characters had a bit more 'screen time', I feel like they were all presented realistically. There was a bit of going back and forth with the development, but with the characteristics given to the characters, it was understandable why it wasn't a straight line up.
The best part of it all, I have to note, was the way anxiety was portrayed in the book. The conversations the two characters have about anxiety were candid, the way they process it is so close to how I do, and I couldn't help but enjoy those parts, as some of my feelings were being put into words.
Overall, The Opposite of Falling Apart is a solid YA romance read. It was right up my alley, and I really enjoyed it.

I don't know. I love this book's portrayal of the struggles that each of the MCs had to face, the mental and physical battles that they were subjected to. It made everything feel so personal, earnest, engaged.

However, I really don't know if I liked the main pairing much at all? It's great that Brennan and Jonas both leaned on each other and had open dialogue when it mattered, but I feel like they mean so much more as people that helped one another get back up than people who found each other attractive.

There was a lot that went on in this book, but I also feel like the pacing didn't really match up with what I would've liked to see either. They met, talked a few times, texted more times, then they transitioned and left for school, somehow falling together at the end I guess. It somehow ended up feeling detached when they weren't actively going through mental battles to me.

In the end, it was nice to get inside the heads of other people, and this was a pretty okay read for me!

Thank you to Netgalley and Wattpad Books for the ARC!

5 complete STARS ★★★★★
This book is for you if… you possess the means to consume books in any form: digital, physical, auditive. It features an underrepresented part of society that has wrongly been forced to be ashamed for way too long.

⤐ Overall.
If you don't like this book we can't be friends. It's as simple as that. This book, you guys, it's perfect. I literally want to devour this book so the happy feels never leave my body. THIS is what makes reading great. Everybody go read this book.

It makes you cry, and laugh, and smirk, and eye-roll, and everything else that makes reading this great thing. It's such a dreamy book. Without downplaying the topics of anxiety and PTSD, Micah managed to brew a potent potion that will keep its readers glued to the pages without even noticing. I can all but keep myself from doing lapses on the freezing streets.

I read the blurb no less than three months ago and instantly knew that this book has a lot of potential. Why did it take you 3 months to read it, then? Well, I'm a mess, okay? I've totally overestimated my abilities to write a thesis, read books I already got and committing to arcs. But, this. book. It's fantastic! It absolutely lived up to the expectations I head and even recovered from the slow start that made me doubt my instincts.

Characters you wanna hug. Seriously! Not because I pitied them but because they were so stinking cute in their ways and feelings towards each other. They were unique and well-drawn out and although their struggles are nothing I can relate to personally, I could relate to them still. That's everything one can ask with books like this.

Effortless world(-building). Falling into this universe was like falling into bed on a cosy Sunday morning with a cuppa in your hand. You do it with the full intent of enjoying every minute of it. This is what reading this book feels like.

The arch of suspense. Apart from the slow start, which probably served the purpose of getting a feel for the MCs, this was perfect in every way. The closer they got the more obvious their feelings became and the denser the happenings in the plot got.

P.S. Since this book didn't destroy me, I now consider myself invincible.

⤐ What’s happening.
‘He’d chosen to wear the prosthetic leg – he’d been wearing it more and more lately because he’d become almost addicted to the visual representation of having two legs.’

Jonas can't believe how much a car accident can change a person. Not only is he missing part of his leg, he's also missing part of himself. He doesn't see how anything will bee good ever again. Until Brennan.
‘You know, the one who had to walk ahead or behind when the sidewalk wasn’t wide enough for three people.’

That's the most Brennan ever got out of a friendship. Eversince her brain became more and more of an enemy, Brennan doesn't have any friends at all. Until Jonas.

‘Three and a half perfect legs.’

Con:
⇢ trauma and anxiety can be paralysing
⇢ communication is hard
⇢ afraid to get heard
Pro:
⇢ new friend means new perspective
⇢ finally feels like somebody is actually listening
⇢ finally feel good again

_____________________
writing quality + easy of reading = 5*

pace = 4.5*

plot/story in general = 5*

plot development = 5*

characters = 5*

enjoyability = 5*

insightfulness = 5*

Thanks netgalley and publisher for sending me an ARC of this!
MAN! What an emotional rollercoaster this was!
I'm still processing the whole story. I finished it last night and it was 3 stars for me but when i woke up today and thought about it I fell in love with this book. I can't stop thinking about it. The author did an amazing job. The plot and character building are just one of the few things I loved about it. I think I'll re read it next month because I want to feel the rush of emotions again. I'll definitely recommend this and would love to read more books by Micah!

Jonas was in a serious car accident and has anxiety about being different with is prosthetic. Brennan has a severe case of anxiety and is doing her best to cope while preparing to leave for college. When these two unlikely characters make a connection, it is a rollercoaster of emotions as we listen to what is happening inside their minds. It really was exhausting at times, and that made it completely believable. I like how we watched them try to overcome their hardships and it gave me a better appreciation on how to best be around those with anxiety. For that reason I give it 4 stars.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book for my honest opinion.

I had a little trouble getting into this book when I started (about the first 10 chapters or so), but after the author started to really develop the characters a bit better and their relationship started to form, I was hooked on the book and finished it pretty quickly. I like that it was a YA book that talked about both overcoming both physical disabilities as well as anxiety. I feel that not enough stories explore either of these character attributes, so it's awesome to see an author include the struggles these characters face in this story. I think it will help many teens who are facing issues or feel alone. I loved the romance aspect of this book and was definitely rooting for them the entire time!

I loved this read!

It portrayed a very real perspective of anxiety and mental health battles that I wish more YA stories would include. I like the spin as well of pairing the character with anxiety with a character struggling with PTSD and grief. I would say the best part of this story is getting to see how the characters leaned on each other throughout the story, and how this eventually blossomed into a cute, sweet romance.

It was a wonderful story!

I loved the characters of Brennan and Jonas who I felt were really relatable characters that aren't often pictured in YA books. I didnt give the story 5 stars as I felt it was a slow beginning and there were some parts that felt a little unnecessary for the plot to move forward. When you narrow down the plot lines, its a good story and told with believable characters.

I got an ARC for Netgalley in exchange from an honest review.

The PTSD & Anxiety representation in this good is so good in my opinion. I could find myself in Briennan so MUCH and it made it hard to read, but in a good way. It's rare that one get to find a character that is basically their exact representation. I am glad I found this book.

I loved how the characters grew to love each other and how they worked with their struggles together. It is so realistic and relatable.

I definitely recommend this book, but please be aware of trigger warning for throwing up (bordeline eating disorder?), PTSD.

This is a really cute book about a girl with anxiety and a boy with one and a half legs. Told in two points of virw, the reader has insight into each character and their struggles. This is a coming of age, first romance book that is appropriate for middle school and up.
I am seeing more and more kids with anxiety. I think this book would help them to feel less alone.

This book was a little slow to start for me, but once the relationship began to develop about halfway through I couldn’t put it down. Both characters were very positive toward helping each other after their initial meeting and I think teens will enjoy reading a story where characters’ lives aren’t perfect 3.5 stars for me

3.5 stars, so I rounded it up to 4.
I enjoyed the story and really liked how the romance was not a big part of the plot, just something that evolved overtime. I also enjoyed showing the sides of Anxiety and PTSD that many people don't talk about. But as someone who has anxiety, very close to the way Brennan was at that age, I wish they had explored her seeing a therapist or trying different medications, showing that it doesn't have to be that way and you don't have to do it alone (or just with a friend).
It did take me a while to get into the book, but once I was about 30-40% through is when it got to be an easier read. I also am a big fan of any author who started on WattPad, so way to go Micah!

I adored the way in which mental health was depicted in this book. It gave a very real depiction of both anxiety and PTSD, which truly heightened the overall experience of the novel. I really enjoyed the way that these two mental illnesses weren't overly glorified throughout the novel and that it made it seem very real.

I truly appreciated the setting. Not many young adult novels are set during college, and this was an interesting change of pace. From someone who reads YA and is currently in college, this was a real treat to see.

I also appreciated the relationship between Jonas and Brennan. I loved seeing it evolve in all of the right ways, and I liked how there was some discourse between them. It demonstrated that not all relationships are necessarily perfect, which I feel that a lot of YA novels attempt to do.

The only real issue is that I felt as though the relationship to other characters other than the interactions between the main two were clearly diminished. There wasn't much interaction shown in the book between a lot of different family members or even Brennan's roommate. It seemed as though the side characters were only important when it benefitted the growth between Jonas and Brennan.

I loved this book. I received an e copy from NetGalley and I want to thank them for it! This was an honest portrayal of PTSD and anxiety. I think everyone relates on some level. Jonas was the grumpy boy that everyone wants to fall in love with.

In this story we follow Jonas and Brennan. Jonas lost half his leg in a car accident and Brennan struggles with a severe anxiety disorder. After meeting after a small fender bender they develop a friendship. They both have insecurities that interfere with the blossoming relationship but that’s where we actually get to see each of them bloom. I found Brennan’s anxiety to be relatable to my own and really appreciated seeing mental illness and physical disability being represented in a Young Adult book. Normally I don’t like reading 2 points of view but this author did a wonderful job of not making it confusing.

Overall I loved that this was a story of overcoming life’s obstacles and meeting someone who makes you want to be your very best.

This was actually pretty good book, which I really enjoyed. Story of Jonah and Brennan is gripping, kind of sad and really sweet. I love how they've met each other and how their relationship bloomed into something entirely else. But, I wouldn't mind if the story was shorter. The ending seemed to be really long and I didn't enjoyed it as much as rest of the book.

Probably the worst thing on this book is predactibility. Without a doubt, you can easily guess how the story ends, and it quite disappointed me. Anyways, if you want to read good and simple young adult book, The Opposite of Falling Apart should be on your tbr list.

The Opposite of Falling Apart was exactly what I expected: great, but to Wattpad standards. Although it wasn't fanfiction, it had the same immature and inexperienced feel. The characters were realistic but cliche, the plot was developed but overused in YA, and the ending was sound but expected. The Opposite of Falling Apart deserves to be published and I am very happy for the author, but it was nothing more than a fun and feel-good read. If you are in need of a pick-me-up, this is for you!

The Quick Cut: A teen boy with an amputated leg and a girl with severe anxiety find their lives intertwined - and learn to lean on each other for support.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Wattpad Books for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Having a traumatic injury changes your life forever, but what do you do when its time to move forward? How do you learn to get out in the world again and remain open to opportunity? Not everyone will always be accepting of your pain and sometimes that can cause a little isolation. That struggle is the center of the story between Jonas and Brennan.

Jonas is still recovering from having his leg amputated after the car accident. It's been a year since the incident and he's still holding onto so much anger. All he wants to do is figure out how to live happily with his prosthesis and move forward with college. Then Brennan comes along when he accidentally runs into the back end of her car. She struggles with severe anxiety and cannot seem to escape the negativity of her mind. These two separate are falling apart, but together they slowly learn to listen and get it together. Can they repair one another or will it all fall to pieces?

Both of the main characters, Jonas and Brennan, are relatable and understandable. What they've gone through is so tough to recover from, especially when it comes to building your life back. The author here did a really great job at taking the time to encompass those struggles and feelings for each character.

The downside for me is that the pacing felt slow to me. I kept putting this one down, even though the characters definitely spoke to me. It's definitely an intriguing tale, but the writing style on this one didn't lend to my interest sticking around very long.

With a dual narrative, this story tells of two teens struggling to adapt well.

My rating: 3 out of 5

This was the story of two broken people and how they helped each other heal.

I loved both characters, and was drawn into their world. I was rooting for them both, and for their real issues. I loved their growth, and their support of each other.

This story was sweet and charming and I really enjoyed it.

I want to thank the publisher and net galley for the advance copy to read. This didn't impact my review.