I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Books about teenage mental illness are risky reads. Sometimes you get a thoughtful narrative about perseverance and sometimes you get a wailing, pitiful rant. So though I was hesitant to read this book, I was also intrigued.

I knew as soon as I started that this wasn't going to be the run-of-the-mill YA mental illness novel. Mostly because I realized that the first chapter was told in the point of view of her mother. Julia was probably the most fleshed out character from all of them. We get  a lot of insight into her thoughts and how she struggles to cope with her daughter's diagnosis. The most important part is that she supports no matter what. Though Julia isn't a perfect character (at times I found her quite whiny), she is able to put aside her own problems to make sure she is there for  her daughter. Julia is also able to realize that her daughter has bipolar disorder because of a chemical imbalance instead of the classic "it's all in her head" trope. It's uncommon to see supportive parents in book about teen mental illness.

As for Sage herself, she was an okay character. I wish that the author has given her more chapters because it would've helped understand her actions better. Though she had some undesirable traits, the author made it clear that they were because of her illness or because of how dysfunctional her family was. Most of Sage's bad decisions seemed justifies. Overall, she was just another teen in NYC. Nothing extremely different.

Mike, Sage's father, was quite immature. I was hoping that there would be some redeeming moment in the book but sadly I hadn't warmed up to him at the end. He was still distant and unreliable and he blamed Sage's "daddy issues" on just being a teen. He didn't really make an effort to understand his daughter and only tried to please her through materialistic good. It seemed that he wasn't fit to be a father because he was so juvenile. 

The plot itself is very well written. The characters have distinct voices and speaking styles so it's very easy to differentiate between them. The narrative isn't taxing but is still fast-paced. It centers around overcoming obstacles that life gives you, even if they all come at the same time. This book is about recovery and coping. But most importantly, it's about family and how you need to find people that will truly help you though life's toughest moments.

Final thoughts: Read if you want an insightful story about overcoming obstacles.

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