Author: Tamara Ireland Stone
Publication: 16th of June 2015 by Disney-Hyperion
Format: Hardcover, 368 pages
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
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Synopsis:
If you could read my mind, you wouldn't be smiling.
Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off.
Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn't help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she'd be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam's weekly visits to her psychiatrist.
Caroline introduces Sam to Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more "normal" than she ever has as part of the popular crowd . . . until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear.
Review:
“Everything’s got something. Some people are just better actors than others.”
I can’t remember the reason why I exactly picked this book up when I was at Barnes & Noble. If not mistaken, I think it was because one of my friends on goodreads added it on her “to be read” list and me being curious as ever, I clicked on the book and was instantly attracted to the minimal and simple cover. Honestly, I don’t regret this purchase!
It was so different from all the other books that I’ve read. Samantha McCalister, lover of the number 3, words and swimming has OCD. She has no control of the thoughts running on her mind which is quite exhausting and is making her think she’s crazy. Like most people, she tends to overthink things. I loved reading this book because we really get a good insight of what OCD really is and raising awareness that people do suffer from it, even young people. Often times people would be quick to say “Oh yeah I have OCD” but haven’t got a good grasp of what the disorder really is. The story also touches on friendships and I think people my age could really relate to Samantha. She hangs out with a group called the “Eights” and they’ve been friends pretty much since they were in kindergarten. They would be your typical clean-cut jocks in high school which usually were the “cool people” and the “bullies”. She is conscious of what her friends would think in whatever she does or say. Samantha is a good person, but since she cares too much about what her friends thinks, she kinds of just goes with the flow, even if it involves torturing a classmate from middle school just because of stuttering. She felt that she had to fit in or else she’d had no one and nowhere to go. Admit it or not, there is probably a point in our life where we did something to impress our friends or when you’ve just stood there doing nothing even when you saw someone getting bullied. There would also be times where Samantha felt left out in her group of friends and again we’ve all felt left out in our lives at least once.
But Sam’s character development is something I admire and I’m proud of. She’s far from perfect but she’s a great example to everyone. She got her shit together. She literally conquered her fears and demons. She discovers a healthy therapy which would make her feel better. She learns how to be kind to herself and be brave. She knows her worth now realises her friendship with the Eights was nothing but toxic and finally decides to leave them because she deserves better than the way she’s being treated. She becomes confident and learned how to care less about her friends and what other people think. She starts to stand up for the things she loves, voice out what she thinks and most of all express what she feels instead of keeping it all in. I just want to hug her for all the things she has accomplished.
And then there’s AJ *swoons*, him and his guitar and his dimples. I love how he gives Samantha a second chance. He brings out the best in Sam and she is a complete different person when she’s with him. I loved he’s so gentle and caring. I just couldn’t help myself from smiling whenever he kisses Sam’s forehead so she would relax whenever she thinks too much. I loved how he doesn’t judge Samantha’s past and supports her in everything. You’ll love him, I promise.
This book also made me appreciate poetry anymore. I had to learn poetry for school but the poetries in the book I actually enjoyed. They varied from ones about hearbreaks, couches to food. It made me wish I didn't suck at writing poetry hahah. The only thing I hated is the fact that this book is underrated. More people should read this! 10/10 I would recommend this book to everyone. So go ahead and get yourself a copy. Not only is this so interesting, you’ll also learn about a serious mental disorder. My overall rating for this book is 5 stars. Let me know if you read this. Happy reading!
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