What It Is About: Daniel has several struggles in his life. He is the "back-up" kicker for his high-school football team. He doesn't have a lot of friends at school. Daniel is also dealing with the knowledge that he is struggling with OCD. The OCD also seems to be progressing with a nighttime "ritual" that can take up to hours. Max, his one true friend, has a lot of faith in Daniel and encourages him to be everything he can be. Daniel begins a crush on a girl at school, but isn't sure he is in her league. After receiving a "mysterious" note, his life takes a turn for the "different" and "weird". Sara, the note-sender, shares a mystery with Daniel and invites him into her world and the quest to solve the mystery. This is a distraction for Daniel from worrying about the OCD, the football, and the fitting in; but it could cause more complications than he is ready for.
What I Thought Of It: Going into books that I'm super excited about can be a good thing, but can also be a "bad" thing. I've been reading several books with an OCD theme, and in some ways this particular story didn't quite measure up for me. Overall I enjoyed the story and learning about Daniel and his struggles. I just wasn't as invested in the characters and/or plot as I normally like to be. Many people "raved" about the book, but for me it was just alright. There were many plots going on and I couldn't tell which one was to be most important. I'm glad I read it. Maybe having too high of expectations was the real issue here.
Who Should Read It: I think this novel is definitely targeted for the high-school audience. Young people with OCD may also be a perfect audience. The author did a wonderful job of describing how hard this diagnosis can be and the struggles that people go through. I know several adult readers that loved the book so adult readers should also give it a try. Happy Reading!
Rating: 3 STARS out of 5 Stars
No comments:
Post a Comment