Absolutely beautiful.

I've been talking with several students lately about mental health and their personal experiences. One of my students recommended this book to me. It feels like an accurate portrayal of "Pure-O" OCD. Sam still has compulsions, but it's easier for her to hide those. Her main challenge is obsessions and intrusive thoughts. This book doesn't romanticize Sam's illness. It shows that it is terrifying for her, and sometimes for those who love her.
Sam also deals with normal high school issues. She's learning to create an identity that she likes, instead of one she's fallen into. She has friends who don't act like friends to her and finds a new group to secretly meet up with as well. Sam is no stranger to living a double life, but that doesn't make it any easier for her.
This book will throw you for a loop. That loop didn't seem to fit with Sam's diagnosis, and it's really never fully addressed beyond a statement of that fact. I would have liked to see more about what that means for Sam.
This book will make you cry, so read it with some tissues on hand. It will also give a broader perspective on the dignity and humanity of those mental illness, the beauty of therapy, and the power of family and friendship despite all of our imperfections.