This was an interesting look at addiction. I hadn't read Shusterman and Shusterman before, and was pleasantly surprised with the depth. I know our teens are going to eat this one up, so I have ordered several copies already.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC.

While society blithely ignored the opioid crisis as it was ravaging poor and rural America, it is now an "important" and "pressing" topic to explore. Articles, podcasts, and documentaries have worked to establish the wide-ranging devastation, while a recent crop of novels strives to do the same. Of course, some are more successful than others, and every reader will bring their own experiences with drugs (or their family's experiences, or a friend's, etc) as they interpret this ambitious novel.

In Roxy, Shusterman turns each drug, prescription or otherwise, into a walking, talking character, replete with a personality that matches attributes of the drug. This personification, through literal avatars, is reminiscent of shows like Big Mouth, which uses a similar concept to explore another well-worn concept, puberty, through a radically shifted lens. This, in my opinion, is a welcome innovation, as the tropes and routines of addiction are so familiar, especially within fiction novels, that even true stereotypes come off as flattening the characters.

As a recovered alcoholic, I know as well as anyone that we all have similar stories, but "similar stories" isn't a concept that lends itself to striking fiction. The question becomes, then, how do you tell the story that is both true to the communal experience of the addict while also unique (and not overblown or fanciful, a bad faith effort to be unique just to stand out).

Shusterman, in my opinion, largely succeeds. The two main characters are compelling, rich with depth, and show two plausible arcs of teenagers experimenting with drugs. I admit that I love a playful narrator, and Shusterman doesn't shy away from injecting humor and pathos into his writing, even when the material is dark. The drug avatars let us explore the tantalizing promise of their effects, the little games our minds play to justify this pleasure-seeking, and how dependency often just feels like a welcome release of control.

If anything, however, I thought there was too much focus on the personified drugs. We spend too much time establishing their devious desires, how they interact with each other, and their nefarious conversations. While the dialogue between the drugs and the humans allow us to see the emotional interiority of fighting addiction, we drift away from grounded humanity a bit too much.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book was amazing and stunning. The personification of Roxy and Addison were so well done, and I was so happy to read their story. Issac and Ivy were intriguing characters, and the authors did an amazing job of showing their sibling relationship. The idea sounded strange and unusual, but it was amazing and turned out to be a genius idea! It was an amazingly done dark story and did a great job of showing how easy an addiction could start. Overall, this was an interesting and well-executed take on the opioid crisis.

What would it be like if drugs were personified? Whispering in a victim’s ear, offering comfort, joy, and peace; even love. Sensual and seductive. Ivy and Isaac find out in this suspenseful novel.

This book captivated me; the concept was really clever and the execution was effective. It was an extremely challenging book to read. It’s hard to watch two characters – especially siblings – fall into a downhill spiral. The voices of the drugs are eerie, yet intriguing. Like that voice in the back of your head, guiding and influencing your decisions. The author does a great job of writing likable main characters. It’s unfortunately very realistic; which tears you apart, as a reader, when you want to see a character take a step to help themselves (like Isaac did when he decided to confide in his parents), but they do not follow through and it pains you because you would do probably the same thing in that situation.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for this ARC. I think this is an important book that brings awareness to the dangers of addiction. I don’t think I would suggest it to anyone under grade 9 and even then, I think the content lends itself to little older and more mature secondary students. I am torn between 4 and 5 stars, I want to give it 5 for creativity and execution, but grrr… I wished for a happier ending.

Neal Shusterman always writes masterfully, but Roxy truly is on an entirely different level. Taking a topic that is absolutely relevant today (the opioid crisis) and truly giving a VOICE--not just the voices of teenage boys and girls--but the drugs themselves is something only a strong YA author and voice can write.

Is it an easy read? Far from it. But I could never put it down! Seeing how drug addiction can begin with one small excuse, one small injury could make the reader realize that it isn't always parties that start the spiral. It's not always with the "hard" drugs that can kill. And even those with good intentions can unintentionally cause drug addiction.

I cannot wait until I promote this book after its release. At the time, I will post my full review to Goodreads.

Although I think this book was creative in the way it was written (drugs are portrayed as actual characters), I don't know enough about the drug world to understand what was going on. It was confusing for me and it jumped around a lot to "people" at a party trying to get other "people" to like them, but it turns out these "people" are actually the drugs. Well, I think that's what was going on... it was too confusing for me to really enjoy this book. Maybe this would make more sense to someone that could put the names to drugs easier.

Thank you NetGallery for the opportunity to read this book.

The author took an interesting look at drugs but for me this novel was okay. I am a chronic pain patient and books like this in my opinion makes individuals like myself lives harder. I refuse to take anything for my pain. Yet, every time I go to the doctor, I am put into the same box because of opioid fear.

I wish I could give this book a higher rating because I feel the author put a lot of passion and creativity in it by making the drugs themselves characters.

This is an odd book that doesn't quite always work in what it is attempting to do, and yet parts of it were page-turning and utterly compelling. So I'm still not sure what my ultimate opinion is. The Shusterman father-son team have written a dark, creative, and well-researched novel about drugs and addiction. The various drugs are personified as sort of demi-gods, who have the goal of getting their "plus-ones" (human users) to "The Party" (death by overdose). Roxy (OxyContin) and Addy (Adderall) have made a wager involving teen siblings Isaac and Ivy on who can bring their mark to the party first. Their sections are narrated in the first person, while Isaac's and Ivy's are in the third person. The book also has interludes from other drugs. Overall this was a very interesting read if a bit uneven. Thanks to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, and the Shustermans for this review copy. 3.5 stars.

Roxy by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman dives into the world of drug addiction from a unique point of view by turning drugs into actual characters. I think the concept is a great one, as anything that could help raise awareness and combat the opioid epidemic through creative ways is a good thing. However, I’m sad to say this book missed the mark for me. The first chapter tells you the ending, which impacts the entire read as it takes away any hope that I wanted to muster as a reader. I understand that addiction does that, rob’s people of hope, but as a reader I think this whole book would’ve felt different without that intro. Additionally, I felt like attributes were given to the prescriptions that aren’t true. As a nurse, I felt like the medications were painted as having a devious plan- to bring marks “to the party” but in actuality a lot of addiction has to do with people being prewired for the drug to become quickly addictive. It’s a mix of the drug and genetics, and I feel like that could’ve been brought into the story. The book did highlight how addiction can happen to anyone which is important.

Overall, I respect what the authors were aiming to do with this book, and think for some people it might make a difference, so I applaud that. But for me, this was a struggle to read and I’d give it 2 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine if drugs were people. What would they say to each other? What would they say to you when you take them?

ROXY has done just that, turned the drugs themselves into characters. Roxy (oxycodone) and Addie (adderall) decide to have a contest over siblings Ivy and Isaac to see who can not only bring them to the Party as their plus one, but to take them all the way to VIP lounge by themselves, without their upline, more powerful and addictive drugs, stealing their marks.

We already know one of them succeeded from the opening scene. As the book opens, Narcan has just been administered but realizes he won’t be successful; this OD will be DOA. The first responders pull out an ID with only the first initial I.

Ivy is a ne'er-do-well high school senior on a trajectory to miss graduating, and Isaac is an overachieving A-student and soccer star, so it seems obvious that Ivy will be the one to go to the VIP lounge. But the authors, award-winning Neal Shusterman and his son Jarrod, do a masterful job of keeping the suspense going, and the odds go back and forth right up to the end.

I found the construction interesting (although my web browser must have thought I had a problem as I looked up nicknames for drugs). The pacing began slowly but it picked up and became driving. Masterful, entertaining, and instructive, ROXY should appeal to Neal Shusterman’s fans and any reader of YA lit.

I enjoyed the way this book was written. Coming from the perspective of the drugs, it was a different angle than we are normally given in books related to this topic. This book, I think, is better intended for older teens. Defintley a book I'd recommend for Junior and Seniors.

This book has such an odd premise, but as an adult, the writing is enticing. I would recommend this for my more mature students, but it is not for everyone, and I would not want students going home and miscommunicatiing the message or themes of the text to their families.

The book features various drugs, from Molly to LSD, to alcohol, Ritalin, Adderall, marijuana, and even nicotine. I highly recommend checking out this text--but not if you are someone who might be easily triggered. Check it out, this is a book I would want to read again.

Roxy is a solemn tale of a teenaged athlete who loses his battle with prescription painkiller addiction. The uniqueness of the story is that the painkillers and other drugs are personalized - they each have their own point of view, strewn in throughout the novel as the main character’s addiction unfolds.

For a teen reading this, I worry that the “party” may seem too exciting and not cautionary enough. There isn’t a lot of emotion - the story focuses on the actual dynamics between the addict and the drugs. I think it would have been more powerful to show the effect placed on the parents and sister in the aftermath.

Overall - 4/5 stars for the pace, relatability of the characters, and the concept. Would recommend to high schoolers.

This book was not for me. While I think it's very important for stories to be retold when they are based on history, I am personally the type of person who never wants to humanize traumas. So for me, Roxy was never going to be a great fit, but I respect the authors for making it and I'm glad to see others enjoy.

This copy was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Another one by Neal Shusterman! He's been one of my favorite authors ever since, so whenever he'd release a book I'll make sure I'd get it. However, much like his most recent novels, this one did not get much of my attention like the older ones did. I still enjoyed it and would certainly recommend it to friends.

This was a very interesting read. I think it was a very creative way to portray how drugs effect someone. I feel like this would be a perfect read for college students who may be around said drugs more often. It is definitely an eye opener and cool read.

It was an amazing read. I loved the characters and the plot was just so *muah. This type wouldn’t always be my go to but, this was so good. Thank you…

A moving book on the never ending drug epidemic that our nation is currently facing. Told from the perspective of the drugs and the persons using them I was immediately drawn in and flew through in almost a day. Absolutely moving.

This was definitely a deep, dark look into addiction. It was well written and thoughtfully showed some of the struggles of addiction. The characters were nicely developed. The storyline was seamless.

Shusterman never ceases to amaze me with the topics he tackles. Roxy is no exception. Drugs, like Roxy (Oxycodone) and Addison (Adderall) are personified in this novel. Their goal is to make their mark on siblings Isaac and Ivy. Drugs are not glorified in this novel. You are watching how they infiltrate and consume the lives of teens. This is a dark descent. Some may struggle piecing together the different drug nicknames and the bold coded messages often found at the beginning of the chapters, but piecing these items together is a classic Shusterman move. Overall, this is a creative (and researched) take on the opioid crisis that teens will want to read.