My Heart and Other Black Holes

This book has good and bad things. I think the author is afraid to use real colours. Not everything has to be golden, honey, auburn or hazel. Things can just be brown and yellow and blue. I also think this book is trying to be too deep. All the metaphors seem a little forced. The many repetitive words also really annoyed me. Stop with all the hazel eyes and black sludge. I've read both of those phrases about 10 times already. I get it. Aysel keeps contradicting her thoughts, she says things about prejudge and how it's bad and then later says “well he doesn't look like a depressed person” It really undermines the point. Also, whole paragraphs of thought between dialogue are very annoying. Like it's trying to stall all the details to keep you reading. But its shouldn't be like that, you should wanna keep reading because you like the book not because you're thinking “god just say it already”

Apart from all that the book was pretty good, the story certainly has good things and has a good premise. I didn't entirely expect the ending which is always a plus.

This book was incredible. It moved me to tears more than any book lately has, and at other times it made me laugh. It really illuminated depression and how it affects every aspect of a person's life. The characters were deep, and the story was unpredictable.
Surprisingly, it is a book about suicide and depression that manages to be both emotional and fun. It is not a drag to read in any way.
Recommend wholeheartedly!

Originally posted on bluchickenninja.com.

This book was really fantastic at portraying depression in a real way. It was so accurate that I actually became frustrated with the characters. In the past I have had low moments and though about death and I came to the realisation that I would much rather be alive than dead. Having experience with depression I know I should have sympathised with the characters but I couldn't help but be frustrated at Aysel because she couldn't see that she still had so much to live for.

Jasmine Werga told me that she hopes this book would “start a dialog about the realities of depression” and I think it has done that. Especially after Robin Williams' suicide it was great to have a book which shows that just because someone appears to be happy on the outside doesn't mean they are happy inside. Even though this is a young adult setting I think that anyone who has experience with depression could read this and relate to the characters. I know it has made me want to write about my own experience and I hope that it encourages others to write about it too.

Started off with promise and pretty spot on descriptions of depression (though with way too much repetition of kinetic/potential energy theme). But the book then took a very misguided turn into teen-love-can-fix-depression territory. That's a scary message to set as an example for kids. I had higher hopes