Turtles All the Way Down

I have such mixed feelings about this book

Pros:
-very well written, deep, thoughtful, poetic
- many good quotes and phrases
- excellent explanation of what it's like to live with anxiety and OCD

Cons
- too many f-bombs
- a bit too crude for my liking.
- I'd hesitate to recommend it to YA readers due to some of the content.

As a person who has suffered from a anxiety disorders for the majority of my life, I have very rarely seen mental health issues depicted well in literature that I've read. In this book, John Green does a great job of showing the intrusive thoughts, thought spirals, and other aspects of mental health issues that have plagued me for over 2 decades. Add the quality of the depiction of mental health with the generally damn fine writing and plotting and you end up with a book that lives up to some pretty high expectations.

I had only read one John Green novel prior to this one, and though I didn't like that work (Paper Towns), I have since become a fan of the author as a person and a personality. I decided to read this book after subscribing to his superb podcast and after hearing his excellent interview with Terry Gross. The dominant topic of conversation in that interview was anxiety, both this book's protagonist's and Green's own, and I believe that the book is worth reading for Green's treatment of this subject alone. I didn't love this book, but I know that I would have loved it had I read it in middle school, and that's enough to earn it five stars from me.

Wow, this book blew me away, and I did not expect that at all. Our main character, 16-year-old Aza, lives with OCD and anxiety. I personally don't have OCD, but I do have depression and anxiety. Much of what Aza describes in this book - wanting to get outside of herself, away from her body, away from her thoughts - was extremely relatable for me, and I was on the verge of tears at many different points. It's been a long time since a book made me cry. I can't tell you how much I loved this book. I recommend this to everyone, but especially those who live with mental illness and those who want to understand what it's like to live with mental illness.

4.3/5

I really enjoyed reading this book, and it took me only a day to finish it. I honestly think this is one of John Green's strongest work as I didn't really like his previous books, with the exception of The Fault in Our Stars.

The real power of the book lies in its portrayal of mental illness. Aza's struggles with OCD felt so raw and unfiltered. It wasn't sugar-coated, and I really felt sorry for her most of the time. It opened my eyes to what someone with OCD might go through every day. Daisy, on the other hand, is a total gem. She's very supportive, quirky, and fiercely loyal. Honestly, who wouldn't want a friend like her? I'm starting to miss my best friend who I haven't spoken to in years.

Now, the familiar John Green tropes are there. There's the quirky dialogue, the coming-of-age story, and the exploration of love and loss. I know his writing is becoming really predictable, but I think it adds a layer of comfort to the story.

Overall, Turtles All the Way Down is a thought-provoking and relatable story. It's funny, it's sad, and ultimately hopeful. If you're struggling with anything, mental health or otherwise, don't be afraid to reach out for help.

gave it four stars right after i finished but i read a few reviews that made good points so i bumped it down to three.

i thought this book would focus more on Pickett's disappearance, but it didn't and so now i'm questioning the reason for that plot line... i feel like everything that happened with Aza and Davis could have happened without his dad being missing. same with Aza's acquaintance with Noah. perhaps their dad could just be neglectful rather than literally gone and those conversations and stuff could've still happened.

i saw a lot of people complain about the amount of philosophical details but i personally enjoy that kind of stuff so i wasn't bothered by it.

Aza and her friend Daisy decide to try to solve the mystery of the disappearance of billionaire Russell Pickett in order to obtain the $100,000 reward. In the process, Aza reconnects with Pickett's son, Davis, who she met as a child after both she and Davis lost parents. Aza is under the care of a psychiatrist for spiraling thoughts, and the relationship she develops with Davis as well as the relationship she has with her long time friend, Daisy, are precarious.

This is my third John Green book, so I can say with confidence that it is a strong John Green novel.

Wow. What a powerful book. I had a lot of people say things to me like “I hope it's an accurate representation of OCD” and it really ticked me off because it is literally HIS experience with HIS OCD. No, he isn't the main character, but he put his own experience in her and no two people experience OCD like the same way.

I felt uncomfortable reading this, and that was the entire point. Bravo, John Green! He relayed his experiences so well that it really allows readers to—as much as possibl

I LOVED THIS BOOK.
I was hesitant coming into it because I was like “oh, its just going to be another John Green”, which I'm not mad about at all, but I was looking for something new and exciting.
Little did I know that this would be the first book I ever truly saw myself in.
The insight into Aza's mind as she struggled with her anxiety and intrusive thoughts, seeing her mind as a prison she could never escape, I saw myself relating to her more than I have any character.
At the beginning, I was very nervous that she was mentally ill and she was going to fall in love with Davis and it would magically cure her. But she put her mental health first and was open with him.
This book will forever be close to my heart.
Thank you, John Green, for giving me a character I finally truly saw myself in.

Solid John Green novel. Super similar to his other works (TFIOS, LFA). Girl meets boy, some type of romance, she's super quirky or unusual, wacky storyline.

I loved reading Aza's inner thought-processes as she struggled with her OCD and anxiety. I related to her at times and I also gained a new perspective on the inner-workings of someone with her disorder.

It could be preachy/cliché at times, but books typically have lessons woven throughout. Plus, that's just Green's style. The conversations between Aza and Davis make mine look like babble between babies. Half the time, I had to rewind to try and absorb information on the stars or how earth was formed.

I like that the characters were complex. Daisy and Aza were a great duo to follow along with. Also, the Star Wars fan-fics were funny. Noah and Davis were cool, too, plus the tuatara deserves a mention.

Would recommend if you're a fan of Green's works, would like to read the POV of someone with OCD and/or anxiety, or you're a sucker for an odd romance story. Encased in the story following Aza was a Where's Waldo mystery, but Waldo is rich man with a troubled past (gasp).

As a final note and unrelated reference, here's all I could think about as I read:
“Turtles. Where are the turtles?” - Michael Scott (The Office US).

I was so down for the whole tuatara subplot and that a whole bunch of teenagers now know what a tuatara is.

The friendship between Aza and Daisy is so realistic and nice to see in a YA book. I found Daisy to be such a consistent and detailed character that I felt like I actually knew her. Aza could have used some more distinguishing characteristics that weren't about her dad, car, or mental health.

The OCD representation is perfect. It's perfect. The ending was so good, and I'm very happy John Green didn't try to wrap up everything and make Aza seem like she was suddenly so much better. It really sends home the message that you aren't able to easily overcome intrusive thoughts with OCD.

The general plot involving the dad fell short for me. I think it's unlikely that the guy would've stayed in a tunnel while freezing to death, given he wasn't homeless and had a crap load of money. However, I completely disagree with people who give the book poor ratings because of this plot (and its lack of development). This the the side plot that gets our characters in certain situations, but the main plot is about Aza's journey with her mental health. That plot doesn't have a uber satisfyingly happy ending because that isn't a reality for people with OCD.

This is a spoiler-free review
Read on In The Sheets

Turtles All The Way Down is the latest YA Contemporary from best selling author, John Green. While John has written many critically acclaimed books, from Paper Towns to The Fault in Our Stars, this is the first opportunity I've personally had to dive into one, and wasn't totally sure what to expect.

All I knew going into Turtles was that it followed a young girl and her friend pursuing the mystery of a fugitive billionaire. While that is a subplot of the book, a more accurate description would be a young girl pursuing the mystery of herself.

Turtles All the Way Down is the story of Aza, a sixteen year old girl struggling to cope with her anxiety and learning to live with mental illness. It's a very real depiction of what it's like to live with anxiety, or at least, I imagine it's a very real depiction. While I'm fortunate enough to not have anxiety or mental illness, I'm happy that this representation exists for those that do, and am also happy that it will help many others like myself, to understand it better.

I'm glad I was able to experience this book, it's something I'll take with me through life and learn from. It was incredibly eye opening to see into the mind of someone living with anxiety and the daily struggles they face while trying to live a “normal” life, do “normal people” things and just be happy.

I may give out a lot of 5 star reviews, but never as there been an easier book to rate.

Turtles All The Way Down should be mandatory reading for anyone dealing with mental illness themselves, who may have a loved one who's struggling, or are just human being. Buy this book.