Till it Stops Beating

So unfortunately I'm going to go against the grain here and give it it's first 3/5. I had a sneak peak at the other reviews (the rating, rather than the writing) and so far people have given it no less than 5/5. I'm glad that it seems to be a novel that will be widely enjoyed but for me, I wasn't a huge fan, I found myself being only mildly entertained rather than the wide-eyed-no-blinking-hands-clenched-mouth-slightly-gaping reading that I would award a 5/5 to.

Maddie Hickman is an anxious seventeen year old who has always coped using self-help books. But then her grandmother gets diagnosed with cancer. And the person she really wants to be with has been sent off to military school. Suddenly the self-help books don't do it for her anymore and she spirals downwards into a pit of teenage angst and anxiety.

This is my first Maddie Hickman novel, which may be why I'm not as emotionally invested as previous reviewers. But it seemed a little messy to me. Yes, yes I know it's an ARC. But, here's one example, it started off written as diary/journal form, and then progressed to ordinary first person narrative, losing the journal entries completely. It was a little off-putting if I'm honest as I found the journal entries really personable, emotive and immersive, the switch to first person seemed to put Maddie's feelings more into a perspective that I didn't find as compelling.

Also, the themes in this novel didn't quite reveal themselves fully to me. It started off with romance, then switched to anxiety, then cancer, then back to romance again. Usually, I feel that every story has a purpose; the themes were placed but not running concurrently to each other, instead they were stopping and starting. They seemed to be mentioned, have a few dedicated chapters to the chosen theme, then move on completely to something else, leaving me a little empty and confused as to where the story was going, and absolutely no idea on what I was supposed to be focusing on and taking away from this story. Although the narrative was a little engaging, the purpose of this story wasn't clear to me.

My favourite thing about Till It Stops Beating by Hannah R. Goodman is the way the author's writing style is completely open and honest. She is comfortable talking about diverse and traditionally uncomfortable subjects in a light that is both refreshing and pleasant at the same time. She is unafraid to delve into the topics of anxiety, cancer, menopause, lgbt, and plenty others. Her writing is relevant for its time.

I related so much to Maddie’s story. As someone who really struggled with anxiety my last year of high school, reading Maddie’s experience was like stepping back in time. I will admit though, once her grandmother’s cancer was mentioned, I had to stop and take a step back. About six months after I graduated, I lost a family member to cancer and my anxiety at that point was really bad. I appreciated this story a lot, but it was a little hard hitting at times to read.

The Quick Cut: A girl struggles to cope in her senior year of high school with moving forward as her grandmother gets cancer and her anxiety reaches new levels.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Black Rose Writing for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Anxiety is a real fickle thing that can turn your dreams into nightmares. If you let it get out of control, it can ruin your life very quickly. For our leading lady Maddie Hickman, this is far too much the case.

Maddie is still devastated from her ex boyfriend when she finds out her grandma has cancer and her anxiety reaches new peaks. A panic attack hits her so hard she can barely breathe and doesn't leave the house for days out of exhaustion. Meanwhile, she dates other guys (and breaks hearts) while aimlessly dealing with whatever is happening in the moment until she decides to defer college and take a road trip to take care of her grandma. Will Maddie continue to wander through life with no control or will she figure out how to deal with her problems?

While this book is definitely a quick and breezy summer read, there are multiple things that bothered me about it. At any given point, it seemed like Maddie didn't have a passion at all beyond her family and her ex. Sure, she spends time writing for a class project and to vent some, but it comes off as work - not love. There's also the issue of theme here and how the author didnt really stick with one. Like the heroine, themes aimlessly wander in and out without sticking.

By the time you get to the end, all you have is a book with a lot of wasted potential and a girl who needs to grow up before life kicks her in the face.

I received Till It Stops Beating as an ARC from NetGalley. I found this book enjoyable to read. I suffer from anxiety at times so I could relate to Maddie the main character. During her senior year, she deals with applying to colleges, the return of her ex that she's never gotten over and her grandmother's cancer. I found the characters appealing and the story was well written.

When I first got this book I had no idea it was part of a series. I loved the cover and the plot seemed pretty nice so I decided to give it a go. At first I was a bit confused because there were a lot of references to past events and I didn't know the back story of it but the author did a great job at clarifying the past events and all that happened.

The plot and the story are nice and the characters are pretty interesting as well and nicely developed. I enjoyed how the anxiety in the main character was portrayed. I can't speak much about other characters besides what I read in this specific book but they all seemed nice. I enjoyed the romantic plot and the cabin scene and everything. It was really romantic and cute and even very real, not very fantasy like (this taken into account that, as far as I could tell, both characters already had an history together).

I did think that the plot was a bit rushed. Sometimes it would go weeks or even months between chapters and things could get a bit confusing. I'm not used to this big jumps in time and it took me a while to get used to it. The book had a bit of a rushed writing feel to it but might just be my perception of it.

Overall it's a pretty good book with good characters and I nice plot. Not sure if I'm going to read the previous books in the series, since it didn't grab my attention to the point of wanting to read what happened before but overall was a pretty good book!

The book doesn't go as expected and takes numerous surprising diversions, yet there's something so heartfelt about it all. It's refreshing to read a book that examines mental health - particularly when it comes to teens leaving for college/uni.

Unfortunately I did not realize that this was the fourth book in a series when I requested it. Wish I had read the first three first because I hate reading books out of order. I will, however, read them now:)! Super cute story of Maddie trying to find her own way and grow up facing all that her teenage life has to thrown at her... Maddie a great character: honest, sweet, funny and real. I totally enjoyed her story and look forward to reading the other books in the series. Great glimpse at a teenage girl growing up and dealing with life.

This book was really hard for me to get into. This girl had a lot of tragedies and pre-dispositions of mental issues however it was all over the place to follow. She was aware, but not aware, in denial but admitting it. With this person, than that person etc. I think it had potential, it just was work to get into it. Overall it has a good message of hope and overcoming.

Firstly, thankyou to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Till It Stops Beating in exchange for an honest review.

I was expecting this book to be a cheesy, easy contemporary and what I got instead was a heart-felt look at family, friends, relationships, illness, anxiety and the passing of loved ones. I wasn't expecting to feel so many different emotions while reading this and I was very pleasantly surprised at the realistic and sometimes confronting aspect of living with anxiety. As someone who has anxiety (and quite debilitating anxiety at times) I really related to the main character and her struggle with this. She seemed to want to fight the anxiety and didn't want to let it interfere with her life and I feel this way constantly as well.

I enjoyed the pacing and loved how the author didn't drag out certain sections of the book unnecessarily. She 'zoomed in' on sections that needed more time and attention from us readers, but then flashed over other parts that didn't, which made for a balanced pacing and read.

I found myself getting very frustrated with Bubbie's friend Joyce, and her part in the illness debate. She seemed to think she had more of a say than Bubbie's own granddaughter and I found that very annoying. When Bubbie's daughter came and put Joyce back in her place a little, I enjoyed this and was surprised that Joyce took it so well.

Justin and Tony were two characters that I really enjoyed reading about and I wish they could have entered the story a lot earlier, but I understand why they didn't. Justin was very sweet and supportive and I think he was exactly what Maddie needed, in terms of her difficult family situation and her anxiety.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and especially loved the realistic representation of both cancer and anxiety, and how it affects not just those with it, but the supporting family and friends as well.

It was a cute story. I didn't have any background on it going in because I haven't read the other books in the series, but Hannah Goodman has a nice writing style that made me feel like I was still apart of the story even though I was missing so much of it. The plot is cute and I think all around it's just a fluffier YA contemp take on some serious issues (like anxiety).

This book was a quick summer read perfect for teens. For me, it lacked a bit of substance though I see where the author was going with the story. I believe that some of my teens would enjoy this title, it just wasn't one of my favorites.

I had to read the other books by this other before I could read this one, but I am so glad that I did. Hannah Goodman is an amazing writer and this book proved it.

This novel was very sweet and poignant. Maddie is a character that you can really relate to and her voice is so strong and never wavered. The anxiety she felt about going off to college and having her whole world change felt true to the teenage experience at least from my experience. The novel was touching and was an enjoyable read.