sara_berlin's profile picture

sara_berlin 's review for:

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
4.5
adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book consumed me for three hours straight. The characters just felt so real and close to my heart, even if they were a little bit too eloquent for teenagers (which what  most of John Green’s characters are like, since he puts his own thoughts into their mouths). I found it all really emotional, and a more accurate depiction of OCD than most popular media. Even if I didn’t relate to that aspect specifically, Aza’s relationship with her mother and her thoughts on how she’ll never be “fully healed” from her mental illness struck home for me. I will say I was a little surprised of John Green’s more critical view of Indianapolis, considering how much he seems to like to live there, but I guess a lot
of teenagers hate the places they live.