Review: Wintergirls by Laurie H. Anderson and Willow by Julia Hoban

Hey guys! Sorry I've been so busy lately. So I have been getting into a whole new genre of books lately and it realistic fiction. But on more of a... sad level. It deals with mental illnesses and eating disorders. These books are amazing, but if you don't like it or are worried about reading books like this than be warned. But I love them!

Wintergirls

Title: Wintergirls

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson

Series: N/A

Format: Paperback

Release Date: March 19, 2009

Genre(s): YA, Realistic Fiction

Rating:

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Summary

“Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls.
“Tell us your secret,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another.
I am that girl.
I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.
I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.

Lia and Cassie were best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies. But now Cassie is dead. Lia's mother is busy saving other people's lives. Her father is away on business. Her step-mother is clueless. And the voice inside Lia's head keeps telling her to remain in control, stay strong, lose more, weigh less. If she keeps on going this way—thin, thinner, thinnest—maybe she'll disappear altogether.

In her most emotionally wrenching, lyrically written book since the National Book Award finalist Speak, best-selling author Laurie Halse Anderson explores one girl's chilling descent into the all-consuming vortex of anorexia.

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Review

Plot: Lia is a girl who's been sucked into the terrifying, addictive, fatal world of anorexia. Her old best friend Cassia and her had been competing for a while to see who could be the thinnest. But suddenly, out of nowhere, her best friend and competitor dies. Shocked by this, Lia starts wondering about her own health and how she could ever get out of this tunnel of despair. The book was overall written in a very poetic way and sometimes it was confusing, but overall I actually really liked it. It was a book different than I have ever read before and I loved it. It took me away from vampires and werewolves for a bit and put me in the mind of someone going through something beyond my comprehension.
Character(s): Lia- Lia is really the only big character in this book. She is a very confused girl who I can sometimes relate to. She feels like no matter how skinny she is, it's never enough. The thing she feels proud of is that even though she may not be the prettiest or the smartest, at least she's the thinnest.

Cover: The cover of the book has such an eerie feeling and it gives the book a great twist. It's not some girls sob story, it's almost a true horror story.

Closing Thoughts: I'm giving this book a three out of four nail polishes. I loved everything about how different it was. It was a great read, and it taught me a lot. It is a definite read for someone going through an eating disorder, but also for someone who isn't. It's a nice read. But remember, it's not a romantic book about hunky werewolves or glittering vampires. It's an intense read.

Willow

Title:

Author: Julia Hoban

Series: N/A

Willow

Format: Paperback

Release Date: April 2, 2009

Genre(s): YA, Realistic Fiction
Rating:

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Summary

Seven months ago, on a rainy March night, sixteen year- old Willow's parents died in a horrible car accident. Willow was driving. Now her older brother barely speaks to her, her new classmates know her as the killer orphan girl, and Willow is blocking the pain by secretly cutting herself. But when one boy, one sensitive, soulful boy discovers Willow's secret, it sparks an intense relationship that turns the safe world Willow has created for herself upside down. Told in an extraordinary fresh voice, Willow is an unforgettable novel about one girl's struggle to cope with tragedy, and one boy's refusal to give up on her.

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Review

Plot: One night, Willow is driving her parents home when she only has her license. Her parents had too much to drink so they asked her to. It turns out it was the biggest storm of the year and, in the end, she lost control of the car. Ever since then, Willow has been calling herself a murderer and thinking it was her fault her parents didn't survive the crash. After all this time, the only thing that can help her is the relief of cutting into her skin. But then a boy finds out and all that is ruined. What is she to do now that her secrets out? 

Character(s): Willow- She is a girl who's been strong much too long. She seems weak and fragile, and in a way she is. But once she falls victim t other blade, there's nothing she seems she can do anymore. Willow has become fragile and timid, but it takes a boy to make her see how strong she really is.

Cover: I have to say I don't actually like the cover too much. I like how there's.... strips? But I don't like the whole theme. But what I do like is how in each chapter, the lines (symbolizing the cuts) slowly start to go away.

Closing Thoughts: I am seriously in love with this book. It... hit me so hard. She had so go through so much and she has to be strong when she really just wants to give in. I could read this over and over. I love it. Be warned: It does have some content that may disturb others seeing as it is a book about a "cutter." But honestly, it's an amazing book.

So, as you can see, these are some serious books with serious topics, but they are great books. I love Willow especially (I just finished it yesterday) but Wintergirls is equally good. And Wintergirls even has a ghost for those paranormal die-hards out there. So good luck!

Sweet Daydreams,

Brooke