The Opposite of Falling Apart

A beautiful story of resilience and overcoming ones flaws.
I loved how this book tackled both physical and psychological disabilities and how the characters individual struggles are dealt with. The romance was subtle and not the focus of the plot.
All the characters played their parts, had their moments to shine and felt relevant to the storyline.
The what if that the characters went through were very relatable (the whole story in fact.)

I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommended it.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review and all opinions are my own.

Luanna

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 really enjoyed the story. The author gives able accurate description of someone suffering extreme anxiety. I was happy to see how two broken people helped heal each other. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

This book is super cute and I read it in one sitting!

Jonas has been in a terrible accident and lost his leg. Brennan has awful anxiety and struggles to leave the house. Both are about to leave to go to college. What happens when Jonas and Brennan meet and form an unlikely friendship. Could it turn into more?

I seriously loved this book. I felt the chemistry between Jonas and Brennan immediately and was rooting for them from the second I started reading. After reading a few books where I struggled to sympathise with the characters, I was thrilled to read this and get so invested so quickly. Loved it!

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

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.

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*

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