A book that delves into the intersection of cut-throat college athleticism and mental health is tremendously important in this day and age, as this is a field that is not nearly covered enough. In the case of [b:What Made Maddy Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen|33296283|What Made Maddy Run The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen|Kate Fagan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1493663844l/33296283._SY75_.jpg|54027991], while the competitive sports portions are interesting and well-written, the mental illness component is woefully underdeveloped. Overall, it made for a disjointed and at times uncomfortable read.

Specifically, my issues with this story centers on the sensationalized way the author writes about Maddy Holleran’s last moments before she committed suicide. This includes cringy re-enactments of those final days, as well as the over-reliance of Maddy’s digital and social media footprint to set the scene. In general, most people post the more idealized highs of their lives, as opposed to the gritty and messy lows—Maddy was no exception. Yet this dissonance between the image and the reality is what this book focuses on, and I feel in doing so over-simplifies a complex situation.

By the final pages, I felt like I had read something more exploitative, than illuminating. That said, I feel like my opinion is the minority on this one, so it is entirely possible that this book simply was not for me.