Cori’s Pick: Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

I LOVED The Fault In Our Stars.  And when I say loved, I mean it moved me to tears.  I loved it so much I refused to watch the movie because I knew there was no way I could love the movie nearly as much as I loved the book.  Interestingly enough, since then, I had not picked up any of John Green’s other novels…until now.  I just finished Green’s newest YA novel, Turtles All the Way Down.  The title is strange but for some reason I was drawn to it and – spoiler alert – this book has nothing to do with turtles, but it does give us a tender and thoughtful look at mental illness.

The story centers on 2 best friends – Aza and Daisy – who are navigating through a typical high school life including study groups, lots of hamburgers and first loves.  Daisy is charismatic and has no problem speaking her mind.  Aza is dealing with debilitating obsessive-compulsive disorder and has no problem listening to Daisy’s rants.  When a friend’s father (who happens to be a billionaire) goes missing, Aza and Daisy are determined to solve the mystery of where and why he has gone.  Along the way, we begin to see how Aza’s OCD not only affects her own life, but also that of her mother, her best friend Daisy, and the boy that could be her first true love.  Turtles All the Way Down tells us it’s okay to not be okay.  That even when you feel like you are spiraling out of control, you are not alone.  It tells us a story of happy endings, even when daily life seems like a struggle.

The verdict – I think this is my new favorite John Green book!  There were no tears, but it is such an honest and painful story, with amazing take-aways.  I highly recommend you make time for this one!