A Tragic Kind of Wonderful by Eric Lindstrom Published by Poppy on 2/7/17
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Depression & Mental Illness
Pages: 288
Source: NetGalley
My content rating: YA (Themes of mental illness & death, Nothing more than kissing, though some implication of a bit more)
My rating:
In the vein of It's Kind of a Funny Story and All the Bright Places, comes a captivating, immersive exploration of life with mental illness.
For sixteen-year-old Mel Hannigan, bipolar disorder makes life unpredictable. Her latest struggle is balancing her growing feelings in a new relationship with her instinct to keep everyone at arm's length. And when a former friend confronts Mel with the truth about the way their relationship ended, deeply buried secrets threaten to come out and upend her shaky equilibrium.
As the walls of Mel's compartmentalized world crumble, she fears the worst--that her friends will abandon her if they learn the truth about what she's been hiding. Can Mel bring herself to risk everything to find out?
In A Tragic Kind of Wonderful, Eric Lindstrom, author of the critically acclaimed Not If I See You First, examines the fear that keeps us from exposing our true selves, and the courage it takes to be loved for who we really are.
This story delved into mental illness in a way that felt true-to-life (complete with a bit of teen drama), and I was instantly drawn into Mel’s story.
What Fed My Addiction:
- Relatable to a younger YA audience. This book shines a light on mental illness in a way that seems a bit more approachable to a younger YA audience than some others that tackle the subject, which I think is incredibly valuable. It shows how fragile mental stability can be against a backdrop of typical teen angst—issues with friends and a new romance. Since most teens can imagine themselves in situations like the ones that Mel finds herself in, it might make the book a bit more relatable than some similar books might seem (again, especially for that younger YA set—who are sometimes overlooked a bit when it comes to books about mental illness). Many teens will be able to empathize with Mel’s “typical” problems that stem with problems with her friends and the possibility of a new romance, which will help them sympathize with Mel’s much more unique issues stemming from her mental illness (even if they’ve never been exposed to the realities of mental illness before). At least, that’s my theory. 🙂
- Importance of medicine. This book drives home how important medication can be for people with mental illness and the very real possible consequences of not getting the proper treatment. It also put counseling into a positive light and stressed that people with mental illness do not need to be ashamed and hide their illness. (There were some technical terms included in the book too, but they were peppered in with layman’s explanations, so it worked well as an educational tool without seeming like one.)
- Heartbreaking. I definitely found myself in tears more than once while reading this book. I was so connected to Mel, and my heart broke for her when she was spiraling out of control!
What Left Me Hungry for More:
- A lot going on. Since Mel’s life is headed in several different directions, none of her relationships can be completely, 100% fleshed out. The romance is cute, but nothing spectacular, and some of the drama with her friends can seem like … well, drama. Still, I thought that this book had more than enough heart to make up for some of its drawbacks.
This book explores an important topic in a way that makes it feel relatable. I easily give it 4/5 stars!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
About the Author
Eric Lindstrom enjoys writing Young Adult novels, including his debut novel, Not If I See You First, released December 2015, and A Tragic Kind of Wonderful, coming early 2017, in English in the USA from the Poppy imprint of Little, Brown for Young Readers, and in the UK and the rest of the world from HarperCollins Children’s Books.
He has also worked in the interactive entertainment industry for years as a creative director, game designer, writer, and combinations of all three. As Editor and Co-Writer for Tomb Raider: Legend he received a 2006 BAFTA nomination for Best Video Game Screenplay. As Creative Director and writer for Tomb Raider: Underworld he received a 2009 BAFTA nomination for Best Action Adventure Video Game and a 2009 Writers Guild of America (WGA) nomination for Best Writing in a Video Game.
He has also raised children, which led to becoming first a school volunteer, then a substitute teacher, then a part time kindergarten teacher, then getting a credential to teach elementary school, and most importantly the discovery that Young Adult books are awesome. It’s pretty much all he ever reads, and now writes, in his house near the beach on the west coast, with his wife and, yes, cats.
Author Links:
I am going to be reading this very soon and fingers crossed I do enjoy it just as much because I loved Not If I See You First which I had read last year!
I haven’t read that one yet, but I definitely want to now!
I loved Not If I See You First so this is on my wishlist. Sounds ike it handles tough topics well. Great review!!
I definitely want to read Not If I See You First now. I actually remember your review of that one, and it got me interested to check out Lindstrom’s books.
I absolutely loved Not If I See You First. Great read with a subtle romance.
I keep hearing that. Now I want to read that one too!
I know some people would not take to the idea of simplifying mental illness but sometimes, a broad stroke is the best way to get awareness. I think I’ll be able to appreciate this book in all its simplicity.
I wouldn’t say that the mental illness itself was simplified, just maybe the circumstances in the book that made Mel spiral. Drama with her friends pushed her over the edge, but I honestly thought that was pretty realistic and teens would be able to relate to that. I remember feeling like some of the issues with my friends at that age were life altering—and I would imagine that compounding that with mental health issues would very likely lead to thoughts of despair—enough to push Mel toward not taking care of herself and monitoring things like her medication properly.
Great review. I’m starting to see a lot of this book. I’m glad to hear that the book sends the message that treatment is important and is not something to feel ashamed of.
Yes, those were definite themes of this book!
Ooh I do want to try this one! Except, am I just missing it, or is it like a secret what the plot twist actually is?? I read the blurb a thousand times and I swear I can’t figure it out. So I might have to do some deeper digging. *nods* I did like this author’s book about blindness last year, so I do want to check out more of his writing! I’m glad you enjoyed this one, Nicole!
The plot twist stems from what it was that actually ended up causing the estrangement between Mel and her friends. There is an explanation given, but you find out toward the end that it’s more complicated (and a bit more surprising) than what you thought.
Oh YAY, you had me at “importance of medicine”. I JUST finished a book in which the MC’s parents wouldn’t let her take meds. And no one BUT the MC questioned it at all. Like what is WRONG with you people!? And I didn’t like how it was so… brushed off. Especially since the meds likely would have made a ton of difference. Ah well, I will be reviewing that one later 😉 But seriously, I think it is super important, and I like that it is relatable to a large audience- also SO important. I feel like if I had books like this when I was younger, I would have felt much more “normal”, you know? Great review!
Yes, medication was definitely strongly emphasized in this book. There was one character who was anti-medication, but she realizes that she’s been sending wrong messages (and projecting some of her own issues onto Mel) by the end of the book.
This sounds like a good book! I’m always curious about books that feature mental illness, and I’m glad to hear it’s portrayed well. Definitely adding this to my TBR! 🙂
I’m glad I could introduce you to it!
I’m so glad this book took such a realistic approach for mental illness and that Mel was relatable! Books with this theme along with those elements can hard to find, and this one sounds like a true gem! Yay! Wonderful review, Nicole!
I think relatability is important with this type of book. If YA readers can see themselves on the page in some ways, then they will feel more comfortable accepting the ways they’re different.
This sounds very good. Mental health issues are so relevant but have a huge stigma attached to them. I almost lost a friend because of peer pressure to stop her antidepressants.
That’s so sad about your friend. I hate that stigma against mental health issues can hamper someone’s healing.