Book Review: Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

http://ellenhopkins.com/YoungAdult/

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Sometimes you don't wake up. But if you happen to, you know things will never be the same.

Three lives, three different paths to the same destination: Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital for those who have attempted the ultimate act -- suicide.

Vanessa is beautiful and smart, but her secrets keep her answering the call of the blade.

Tony, after suffering a painful childhood, can only find peace through pills.

And Conner, outwardly, has the perfect life. But dig a little deeper and find a boy who is in constant battle with his parents, his life, himself.

In one instant each of these young people decided enough was enough. They grabbed the blade, the bottle, the gun -- and tried to end it all. Now they have a second chance, and just maybe, with each other's help, they can find their way to a better life -- but only if they're strong and can fight the demons that brought them here in the first place.

666 pages.   

4.30 average rating on Goodreads

Published 2007

Genre: YA, Drama, Realistic Fiction

 My Review:

This book is yet another tragic story written beautifully in prose poetry by the infallible Ellen Hopkins. Three troubled teens, Tony, Vanessa, and Conner all come from very different upbringings, but meet and become friends when they are all admitted to Aspen Springs, a psychiatric centre for young people.

I really liked that parts of the story were told from the perspective of each of the young people. I love when books are written from more than one perspective, so that you get to see the intimate details of the past that make each character who they are.

Tony, raised by a mother who never wanted to raise him, and ignored by a father who never bothered to know him, turns to pills to deal with his feelings. He is unsure of who he is, who he wishes to become, and how to love other people. Tony is an incredibly nice, friendly person, and we get to see him open more as he learns to forgive his father and figure out who he is.

Vanessa was raised essentially by her grandmother, since her military father was usually absent and her bipolar mother preferred the pill bottle to her children. Vanessa now finds that she herself shows symptoms of bipolar disorder, as well as depression (likely brought on by guilt of a rather dark portion of her past). She cuts herself for no reason other than to feel alive. In this book we see her seeking a close relationship with someone who truly cares about her (unlike her ex-boyfriend, Trevor, who just wanted to get in her pants), and affirmation that she has made good decisions in her life.

Conner, raised with his twin sister in a seemingly perfect household, with two perfectionist parents and a nanny, finds himself finally cracking under the pressure to be nothing less than the best. Conner has grown up starving for attention from a mother who never showed him any, and finds himself drawn to older, female authority figures. Though Conner desperately wants love and approval from his mother, he needs his parents to slack off the pressure and accept his depression, and if they don't, the consequences may be fatal.

I enjoyed reading this book but I wish there would've been more time to get to know each of the characters. Some of the plot twists didn't make sense to me (ahem, Tony and Vanessa), but the ending was a complete surprise that I thought was a perfect fit! I also thought Ms. Hopkins did a great job describing each of the characters' thought processes, giving them their own quirky personalities. 

Although I enjoyed this book and plan to read the second one, Perfect, I probably wouldn't consider it a favorite, and likely won't reread it. However, Crank and Glass by Ellen Hopkins, I do consider favorites! See my review of Glass here: http://with-sugar.blogspot.ca/2014/04/book-review-glass-by-ellen-hopkins.html  

Overall I give this book 3/5 stars, simply because it wasn't as amazing as I'd hoped for. If you are new to Ellen Hopkins books though, I definitely encourage you to read it as you will probably think it's fantastic. 

Thanks for reading! :)

                                        

Book Review: Glass by Ellen Hopkins

Glass by Ellen Hopkins 

http://www.ellenhopkins.com

Goodreads description: Crank. Glass. Ice. Crystal. Whatever you call it, it's all the same: a monster. And once it's got hold of you, this monster will never let you go. 

Kristina thinks she can control it. Now with a baby to care for, she's determined to be the one deciding when and how much, the one calling the shots. But the monster is too strong, and before she knows it, Kristina is back in its grips. She needs the monster to keep going, to face the pressures of day-to-day life. She needs it to feel alive.

Once again the monster takes over Kristina's life and she will do anything for it, including giving up the one person who gives her the unconditional love she craves -- her baby.

The sequel to Crank, this is the continuing story of Kristina and her descent back to hell. Told in verse, it's a harrowing and disturbing look at addiction and the damage it inflicts. 

681 pages; 4.29 average rating on Goodreads. Published 2007. Genre: YA, Drama.

This book gave me chills from beginning to end. A fast-paced read with some heavy content that was beautifully written in verse, making it a quick read. I read Crank, the first book of this series last fall, and really enjoyed it. From the very first page I already liked Glass infinitely better. In this book we saw Kristina go from recovering addict attempting to get things together and care for her new baby, to becoming completely intertwined once again with "the monster", crystal meth, and doing no matter what it takes to get it.

I found myself really connecting with Kristina, caring about her as though she were a real person, and rooting for her to find her way again throughout the entire book. There were times at which my heart was breaking for her (when she spent Christmas alone, realized Trey didn't love her as she loved him, realized her baby no longer sees her as mom, etc.), but there were other times I felt she deserved the sad state that she had brought upon herself.

The reason this book was so easy to connect to is also the reason it is so terrifying - this book is so very realistic, and portrays the mind of an addict and their though processes to a tee. In actuality, this book is loosely based on the author's daughter, and her experience with meth. I enjoyed that the book showed how Kristina related to many other characters (her mom, siblings, step dad, baby, etc.) and how her meth addiction had an enormous effect on all of these. 

I feel that addiction and it's impact on the user and those in the user's life can be a very hard topic to accurately portray in a novel - to get inside the minds of the user and their loved ones, to know how they feel about the situation. That being said, Ellen Hopkins does a beautiful job through free verse and concrete poetry of letting the reader inside the minds of Kristina and her loved ones,

This book, though heart wrenching to read at times, is beautifully written and teaches a wonderful lesson of how quickly and drastically things can change with just one bad decision, and how what starts out as "experimenting" or "just this once" can quickly become an addiction. I think this is an important book for all young people to read as they go through the period of their lives in which they are regularly exposed to difficult situations, so they can see in-depth the consequences of making the wrong decisions.

I gave this book 5/5 stars, and sincerely recommend it to anyone and everyone. I look forward to reading more books by Ellen Hopkins and if anyone has any suggestions as to which books I should check out, they would be greatly appreciated! 

Thanks for reading, and please feel free to share your opinions on this book <3