NOT ABOUT A BOY follows grieving teenager Mel as she discovers the twin sister she never knew she had. Her story is sensitive and hilarious, heartbreaking and affirming. This book also has one of the strongest voices I've read in YA fiction in years. Hollis deftly weaves between dry humor and devastating prose, sometimes within the same paragraph. And, even though not everything is tied up with a bow at the end, reading this book left me hopeful, and it made me want to turn back to the first page and dive in all over again. Highly recommend reading while listening to either Lana Del Rey or Gracie Abrams' first album.

It’s truly not about a boy.

This book is so important. It has the vibes of the Euphoria but without the sensationalism. It’s real.

Not About a Boy is a beautifully crafted story that resonates with readers through its honest portrayal of Substance abuse, mental health, and life within the foster system.

I see myself so deeply in Mel. Struggling with her mental health, Not believing that people care for your wellbeing, and want to genuinely see your happiness. Having people who clock your behavior, when you’re obviously not okay, and confront you with it. It’s absolutely important to have those people in your life.

There’s a session between Mel and her psychiatrist Richards where he suggested for her to go back on her antidepressants just based on the behaviors he sees that she’s ignoring. I started to boohoo cry because I literally just met with a new psychiatrist and started my antidepressants again. I’ve never had a book speak so closely to my reality like this. You would thought Myah Hollis knew my life 🤣.

Not About a Boy has truly became one of my favorite books I’ve read this year, and a book I will keep very close to my heart.

Not About A Boy is probably one of my favourite reads of the year. The writing is beautiful and flowing yet easy to read. The story is tightly plotted and feels authentic to someone struggling with mental illness. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Kathleen Glasgow and stories about mental illness, the foster system and grief. I cannot explain just how much everyone needs to read this book.

Not About A Boy is a raw, heavy, and necessary read. Before I start, there are lots of trigger warnings (depression, suicide, drug use, overdose, death of a parent, trauma) with this one so please take care of yourself prior to reading. Amélie is only 17 but has experienced so much that has contributed to her depression and her world view. What felt special and unique about this book is that the author doesn't shy away from the darkness that surrounds depression. Hollis describes depression in a way that is so accurate it makes your heart drop multiple times.

I also loved the therapy representation in this book. Amélie's second therapist is so hopeful, endearing, and reassuring in all of the ways that Amélie needed her to be.

Lastly, the friendship in this book made me feel hopeful in ways that I didn't anticipate. It reminded me of the healing that can occur within the arms of our found family.
Not About A Boy is one of my most impactful reads of this year, I highly recommend!

Incredible story telling by Myah Hollis. This is a stunning coming of age story which is not "about a boy," but instead about the complexities of being a teenager who is aging out of the foster system, contending with hard truths about growing up, and substance abuse. I highly recommend.

When I was 19, I went through a breakup that nearly destroyed me. I stopped eating, I stopped engaging, I was so sad all the time that even just going through the motions was more energy than I could muster. The thing was, it wasn’t about my breakup, not really. That was just the final straw, the catalyst of dealing with all the emotions and thoughts that had always been present. It was this moment that forced me to deal with everything I felt, to know that change was necessary, to acknowledge those thoughts and to learn how to manage them.

In Not About a Boy, Hollis pulls back the curtain on all those thoughts and raw emotions. Because it’s “not about a boy.” It’s about being okay existing, about feeling right in your own skin, about being willing to try knowing failure is an option.

This story was so beautifully and devastatingly written. There’s experiences everyone can relate to and some that will resonate with only a select few. I wish I’d had stories like this during that time in my life, so I could know I was not alone, and I hope it finds the readers who need to hear that everything will be okay.

Thank you to Myah Hollis for putting words to all those nameless feelings and emotions. For sharing Mel’s story with all of us. I cannot recommend this remarkable debut enough!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Teen for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent coming-of-age book about Melie trying to cope with a loss, a boyfriend she keeps at a distance, and aging out of the foster care system soon. When she finds out she has an identical twin sister it’s too much for her, and Melie starts spiraling taking drugs again and keeping everyone away. When she goes to a treatment center, she wonders if she will ever find a way to be herself. Does she even want to?