Being a teenager never was 'easy', but add depression and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) on top, and you have one tough life for our main character Fin.
She is in her first year of high school after moving states with her mother. The stress of the move seems to have aggravated the OCD, and she needs help.
I found that this book deals with Fin's mental health issues in a very open and straight forward manner. Nothing is sugar coated or hidden. The discussion of the drug Paxil is very brief, though I suppose you have to take such short cuts if you want to keep your teenage audience interested. I liked that the author did show the development of a trusting relationship between Fin and her doctor. I understand that teens have a harder time opening up to adults than they do with their peers. Her unlikely friend Thayer, who has mental health issues as well, seems to spring up quickly. Its interesting how the friendship between the two of them works to both their benefit. They each need something in their life that the other unwittingly provides.
I would heartily recommend this book to any teenager with or without their own mental health challenges. It just might give them the tools they need to help a friend.
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