Just having graduated high school, Sydney has made so many pros and cons lists for every decision she's ever made, the only logical option is to go to NYU for a business degree. The only problem is, she hasn't told her mom that she's going to the Big Apple instead of staying at home and going to Rutgers. When the truth comes out after her grandparents supply Sydney with the money to be able to afford housing, food, supplies, and more, Sydney and her mother are fighting like they never have before.

Leaving to get space and spend time with her grandparents at their beach home, Sydney starts to forge new friendships, including falling for the one guy that's off limits, the totally-hot-and-totally-taken Grayson. It's not all fun and drinking at beach parties, though, as Sydney's grandparents decide to tell her the truth about her absent father and how his schizophrenia diagnosis can affect her.

Sydney now has choices to make in regards to how she'll live her life. Is her imaginary friend of a father just that, or a schizophrenic hallucination? Is it worth bringing it up to a doctor to learn the truth? Can she risk falling in love and hurting someone? Is it still safe to go to NYU and be away from her mother who can watch over her?

Lizzy Mason wrote a beautiful and heartwarming book about growth and mental health, which is something that so many people need to find right now. Her writing was so connectable at times, I felt butterflies along with Sydney as her hands shook trying to type exciting text messages. Feeling the excitement also means feeling her fears and struggles throughout the book, growing that connection with her and the other characters.

The plot was a bit predictable at times, but that doesn't make this book any less enjoyable and it doesn't take away from the impact of a book that shows the realities of living with mental illness in the United States. This is a book that I highly recommend, as it can help people understand that they have options, that there is always support, and that they do not have to take mental health on alone.

Excellent book about Sydney getting ready for college, developing a crush on an unavailable boy in a friend’s band, and discovering a family secret about mental illness. Sydney feels confusion and some anger when she finds out a secret about her absent father. As she examines her family’s role that kept her from finding out her dad has schizophrenia, she begins to wonder did she inherit this mental illness. As Sydney searches for answers, she finds that mental illness can take many forms and she learns to live her own life.The unavailable boy becomes available, but Sydney is not sure she wants to burden him with her unknown future.

Thank you for the ARC! This was a perfect way to write about the important, scary subject of mental illness in an age-appropriate way for teen readers. Recommend 4.5 stars!

I loved this book so much! it was a fun read. I love the fact that it talks about mental illness and about how serious it can be and how some people lose that battle and just giving to the disses even if there is medication to help. overall it was an awesome read
Thank you

This book wasn’t my forte, but it was still a good read. I usually go for something with more action and suspense, but obviously this was not of that sort of genre. It was, however, very insightful and interesting to read. I liked its fresh perspective on mental illness as seen through the way it impacts the family and loved ones, rather than the individual themselves. There were quite a few cliches in this novel though, which could have been avoided. Things such as the gay best friend and writing songs for each other just felt a bit fake. The romance was also a bit too good to be true, but then again, we don’t read books for the things that can happen in real life. Rating: 2.5 stars

This is bittersweet. You smile. You cry. You sigh. You sniff. You wipe your tears more. Then eventually you nod and accept. I feel my heart hurts but it is still filled with so much hope after I finished my reading.

Such a bittersweet, thought provoking, moving story about mental illness, coping mechanism of young adults and their dysfunctional family relationships, finding their way to adulthood by doing more mistakes.

Sydney Holman thinks she can convince her overprotective mom to accept her grandparents’ grandiose birthday gift ( which is additional 30K check and they already paid entire school tuition and housing expanses. I wish they could adopt me, too, if I would be nicer and stop drinking. Nope, I think, it wouldn’t work for both of the parties! ) and her decision to go to NYU! At least she didn’t change her major but her mother is still upset to get financial aid from her parents in law.

Sydney is abandoned by her drug addict and alcoholic father when she was little girl and when she deals with depression and her mood is getting darker, she talks with her father as her imaginary friend. She keeps this situation as a secret.

But when she decides to spend some time at her grandparents’ beach house, bumping into her sudden crush Grayson Armstrong, who is charming, sweet, gifted musician, coming from wealthy family, is also taken by gorgeous girl, she thinks at least they can be friends and she can spend some quality time by knowing more about her own family.

But she learns more than she can absorb: the reason behind her father’s abandonment is a psychological illness: he is schizophrenic, homeless, living in NYC streets which means there’s %10 chance she may be inherited the illness.

Sydney feels lost, needing to find answers about her father by looking for him at the streets of NY with the help of her best friend Elliott. She also deals with the hearth ache after she starts to fall for Grayson and she feels like she is not good enough for him because of unknown things about her own mental condition.

But finding her dad may not be the exact solutions of her problems because firstly she has to discover who she is , what she is afraid of, what her dreams and expectations about her own future are.

It’s well written novel with realistic approach to the illness. I loved the characters. Especially Elliott is my favorite!

Grayson was sweet pie. I wish he may stand up for himself but living in a dysfunctional family and a bully, abusive father who has real anger issues made him more hesitant, people pleaser to balance the toxic energy in their home which I actually resonate with.
And I loved Sydney: her bravery, her confusion, her quirkiness, her genuine and straightforward style. Her mother raised her as a fighter and overachiever so she has enough confidence and she deals with her insecurities better than most teenagers do.

I’m giving four heartwarming, hopeful, musical, sweet stars!

I also enjoyed the previous book of the author and I’m looking forward to read more works of her.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Soho Press/ Soho Teen for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Loved this book!
I don't think I have read a book ad good as this one.
This one really did open my mind on a whole other level!
Grab this one..... Its amazing!

Thanks NetGalley publisher and author!