Publisher:
EgmontUSA
Release
Date: 23rd
July 2013
Edition:
e-book, review
copy
Other
Titles by these Authors: Notes from the Blender
A
hint of Recovery
Road, a sample of Nick & Norah’s
Infinite Playlist, and a cut of Juno.
A Really Awesome Mess is a
laugh-out-loud, gut-wrenching/heart-warming story of two teenagers struggling
to find love and themselves.
Two
teenagers. Two very bumpy roads taken that lead to Heartland Academy.
Justin
was just having fun, but when his dad walked in on him with a girl in a very
compromising position, Justin’s summer took a quick turn for the worse. His
parents’ divorce put Justin on rocky mental ground, and after a handful of
Tylenol lands him in the hospital, he has really hit rock bottom.
Emmy
never felt like part of her family. She was adopted from China. Her parents and
sister tower over her and look like they came out of a Ralph Lauren catalog
–and Emmy definitely doesn’t. After a scandalous photo of Emmy leads to vicious
rumours around school, she threatens the boy who started it all on Facebook.
Justin
and Emmy arrive at Heartland Academy, a reform school that will force them to
deal with their issues, damaged souls with little patience for authority. But
along the way they will find a ragtag group of teens who are just as broken,
stubborn, and full of sarcasm as themselves. In the end, they may even call
each other friends. A funny, sad, and remarkable story. A Really Awesome Mess is a journey of friendship and
self-discovery that teen readers will surely sign up for.
I nabbed a copy of A Really Awesome Mess off of NetGalley
on a whim as it was an auto-approval. I only started it because I wanted to
read a July review book on my Kindle. I surprisingly loved it.
Halpin and Cook
dreamed up a unique and intriguing premise that the rest of the novel lived up
to perfectly. It was honest, raw and real. So many issues were discussed and
confronted: anorexia, elective mutism, depression, abuse and quite a few more. Even
though all of those things were parts of the characters in A Really Awesome Mess and it was set in a place obsessed with
therapy and strange cures, it never came across as preachy.
I fell in love
with this ragtag bunch of damaged kids quickly and more readily that I was
prepared for. The split narrative between Justin and Emmy went down a treat,
especially as the beginning when they were giving off mixed signals to each
other! As individuals they were really interesting.
Emmy is such a
different heroine. She’s a Chinese girl who was abandoned as a baby by her
parents and adopted by a white American family. She’d always felt out of place
and different and then some anorexia was thrown in. Before I knew that it was
an illness, I was really glad to learn that Emmy was a former fat girl. As the
novel progressed I soon began to wonder if she was ever fat at all...
Then Justin
sauntered into her life. Depressed, feeling unwanted and in need of a serious
hug. I love how they helped each other on their way to happiness. They helped
each other be better and healthier and they felt comfortable with each other –
something both of them needed and hadn’t found with many other people.
A
Really Awesome Mess was
surprisingly heart-warming and emotional and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ll
definitely be looking out for more books by Halpin and Cook – they make a
brilliant team.
Thanks to NetGalley and
EgmontUSA for the review copy.
Sophie
That description has sold it to me and your review puts the icing on the cake! I hope it finds a publisher here :)
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