A fast paced read about grief, addiction, and healing......................................................................................

I had such hope for this book as the plot sounded really interesting. But, I couldn't get into connecting with the characters nor the way the author wrote the about the experiences with the drug.

I really was not a fan of this one. It was definitely a book out of my comfort zone and I hoped I would enjoy it, but it just didn’t work out.

Pen's life has been wreck since her sister committed suicide last year. Now, she's hooked on Fix, a drug that changes how she thinks and sees. Although the drug has horrific side effects, she keeps coming back for more because she sees hallucinations of a guy called Nate. Even though she's knows Nate is only in her head, he seems to be the only person who cares about her future. She knows she has to change, but she's more confused than ever when Nate professes his love for her. Then, during a Fix trip one of her classmates goes missing and Pen quickly realizes that she's in more danger than she thought. If she doesn't get her act together quick, she may be next on the missing persons list.

Fix Me by Lisa M. Cronkhite is one of those novels where I definitely preferred the concept of the story to the overall execution of the novel. At least 95% of the novel is Pen high on Fix and hallucinating, or suffering from all sorts of insane side effects. Now, I've read a lot of selfish characters but Pen really takes the cake. She truly thinks of nothing but herself - not to mention that she's astoundingly unreliable. I was also hoping for a little more in terms of the mystery, especially one that makes a little more sense and is less contradictory. I also would have preferred a little bit more clarity when it comes to that paranormal aspect - was that just a figment or what? Quite a few events just seem to crop up with zero warning making me scratch my head and wonder if I missed something along the line. Finally, I also wanted to mention that tonally Pen doesn't really sound like a modern teen (to my ears anyway).

Overall, Fix Me wasn't for me in the long run - I enjoyed the basic premise more than the final result. The story covers dark, heavy themes, but doesn't really handle them in a satisfactory manner. There's so much more that I wish would have been done or could have been explored by our cast.

Thanks for the opportunity, NetGalley.

I couldn't continue reading after the first pages. I was not connecting with the characters. I believe it was not the perfect time for me.

I didn't real enjoy this book. The concept was really intriguing, a drug that gives the user super strong hallucinations sounded so cool and then when I started reading there seemed to be a mystery aspect which is something I love. But it fell flat for me, I didn't have much interest in reading it and it took me so long to complete.

This book was interesting to say the least. The big plot twists weren’t executed very well like finding out who the killer was, they just completely changed personalities, it didn’t really make sense. Then at the end of the book I found myself trying to skip over paragraphs, it seemed like the author was rushing as well.
That being said, the plot was interesting and I enjoyed this book. It was pretty good.

This book was interesting. It was very drug based which I knew that going into the book. That being said it is interesting to see the things that happen while the main character, Pen, is under the influence of this drug called Fix. All in all this wasn't a bad book. It can be a trigger for those with depression and suicidal thoughts though so be careful.

I couldn't do this book justice by rating it any lower than a 2.

I didn't finish the book.... what I did read I didn't enjoy which is a shame.

The cover isn't very appealing either. A book should draw you in.... this one didn't

Spoilers ahead! Prepare yourself for a bit of ranting.

This girl has literally been taking this drug for a year and only now decides to look up the side effects? *eye roll*. Plus I'm finding some things to be inconsistent, such as timing. She goes to school, leaves school practically as soon as she's arrived, then a bit later says it's like 10:45am, then asks her ex an hour after that shouldn't he be in his fifth period lesson? Aren't all lessons around an hour long? He can't have been in his fifth lesson by that time. I dunno. And she might as well not even be in school since she's skipping ALL of her classes. How much leeway does this girl have? And she gets handed a hall pass without questions, and all is la-di-da. And what's with the horrible attitudes of all these characters? Even her ex is bitchy. These are my thoughts 21% into the book so boy, let's see what's next.

Then comes Jenelle. She hasn't seen this girl Jenelle since she's been taking and then calls her and it's just like hey girl, let's hang out tonight no questions asked. And then thanking her. This is not normal. And their meet up is so short and so effing awkward. These convo's are so pointless and dull.

On to Rose. Why's she friends with Rose when she doesn't even know anything about her.. Rose bullied Janelle, Rose was friends with a girl on Fix who went missing, Rose was friends with ditzy Candace, Rose has a much more girly room than one would expect. Wow, Rose, I'm shook.

So, Penelope says she'll come into school for third period. Because obviously she can just walk in whenever she likes. (Additional comment: omg as I was reading this back -since these were notes I took whilst actually reading- I was thinking who the eff is Penelope! And then after a few seconds realised that's the MC's name - yeah, I'm really not invested in this.)

Wtf, she gets to class (as it skips all the way to seventh period), has to leave as soon as it's started to talk to the counsellor or whatever which literally takes all of five seconds. Then arrives back at class once it's ended. Yeah fucking right. Why is this pissing me off so much? And she doesn't even see her friends until after school! So was she alone at lunch? And all the way from third period until the end of school?

Another problem. Penelope finds three pills her dead sister had stashed away. She's already taken two of them. She'd only have one left. So why, when she tries to OD with said pills all three of them are there ready for her to take?.. This sounds like a maths problem.

I have no sympathy. I have no empathy. Maybe I have no soul.

I seriously don't know why I read this until the very end. I think I needed to see just how more ridiculous it could get.

I was given an e copy of this book by the publisher via net galley for an honest review.

I sped though this novel however I was hoping for a more of a sci fi futuristic take on drug addiction. But was a bit dissapointed with the ending and explanation for the paranormal aspects and for the reasoning behind the bad trip at the party.

Was enjoyable enough to get to the end but not good enough to purchase for the library I work in.

Too jumpy for me, almost like being drugged up myself.

So Fix Me By Lisa M Cronkhite was the first book I have read by this author.
I really wasn't sure what to expect of this as wasn't quite sure what it was about from the book blurb. I found this a trifle vague in style if I’m honest.
So firstly, Fix Me is a YA novel and it follows Penelope Wryter's life after the suicide of her older sister a year ago.
Ever since this tragic event Pen's life has been in a tailspin shes split up from her boyfriend and she's addicted to the illegal drug Fix.
While under the influence of this drug Pen makes what she thinks is an imaginary friend "Nate" and he seems to be the only person who cares what happens to her.
So I can't really say more than this without giving the plot away, but its safe to say the anticipation is better than the actual conclusion.
The whole time I was reading this I kept waiting for the shoe to drop.
But it never did.
Fix me was very good at building the actual moment, while not delivering on the promise.
And though "Fix Me" wrapped itself up nicely it all felt a bit flat.
I found it rather predictable with very few surprises.
I know this is aimed at a YA audience but the young readers of today are a savvy bunch and as such expect a lot more complexity nowadays in their fiction.
This was an easy read and it is well written, so "Fix Me" has these pluses in its favour.
It was just I felt lacking in its overall originality.
I found this such a shame as the onset held such promise.
So, in conclusion, This was just an alright read for me.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an ARC of "Fix Me" of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com

Content Warnings: Character deaths, depression, domestic abuse, drug use, slut-shaming, suicide mention

Review:

Considering I started right before the holidays, I finished this book really quickly! Every time I had to get up to switch laundry or take a break to help the family, I found it difficult to put this book down. Cronkhite throws you into Penelope Wryter's world with just enough information to strap you in for the ride then doesn't touch the breaks once you're going.

Drug use and the presence of mental illness is a difficult topic to discuss, and many forms of media mess it up, which ultimately sets the conversation back. Because of that, I worried as I was going into this book (as I would with any similar book). However, Cronkhite uses Penelope's character well to show how difficult it is to "just stop using drugs and you'll have a better life!" Once hooked on the drug, that's all Pen thinks about. Of course, it doesn't help that she doesn't have much of a home life or close friends or anyone that makes her feel loved for most of the story. But that all plays into her struggle with drug abuse and depression.

One recurring problem I had with the book, however, was that Pen slut-shamed her mother a few times throughout the book. Her mother is dating a man named Ken whom Penelope doesn't like, and she mentions a few times how inappropriate it is for a woman of her mother's age to dress and act the way she does. And to that, I say, "Calm down, Penelope, Jesus Crust!"

Although the story seems to more or less take place in our world, there is still a great deal of world-building that I appreciated. Cronkhite has created a fictional drug, called Fix or Phixeedifore, which many of the main characters take throughout the story, and she implemented it into the culture of Penelope's world very well. There is a scene in which Pen's health class talks about the rising presence of the drug and the dangers of taking it, and when Pen tries to quit using it, she starts research on it. These scenes make it into a real and natural part of the story.

Another note on the world-building: Since Penelope is high or otherwise suffering side effects of Fix through most of the story, she is an unreliable narrator. Being a mystery novel, the reader is never quite sure what is actually happening in Penelope's world. Why is Nate showing up to Penelope when she isn't actively taking Fix? Who can Pen trust to tell her the truth? How can we know Pen's telling the truth or even knows it herself? The questions continue to build along with the suspense, and that's why I had such trouble putting this down!

Final Thought: I honestly wish I'd started this book sooner. If you're into mystery/thriller young adult stories and novels that have real conversations about mental health, here is the book for you!

Book Review
Title: Fix Me
Author: Lisa M. Cronkhite
Genre: YA/Social/Romance
Rating: **
Review: The opening to Fix me was brilliant, we meet Penelope and her friend Rose as they get high on a hallucinogenic drug called Fix. It is while she is high that Pen can see and interact with her best friend Nate, despite the fact she knows he isn’t real she acts and talks about him as though he is. We learn that Penelope’s sister Tabatha fell to her death off the very same roof where she got high for the first and the same rooftop she is taking Nate to. While she loves Nate, she knows it is impossible as she created him inside her mind, but she is still nervous about how Nate is going to react to the news of her quitting Fix for good, quitting him for good.
When she finally tells Nate, he reacts very badly and disappears, leaving her alone as she won’t tell him how she feels, confused by her own drug clouded mind. After being left alone all Penelope can think of is seeing him again and explaining but that would mean getting high again. Despite having these confusing, twisted emotions for Nate, Penelope’s ex-boyfriend Walker seems to be a pretty decent guy and only wants what is best for her. Despite taking Fix regularly Penelope knows very little about the drug and turns to trusty Google to find the answers like any teenage would. It is around this point she begins to suffer from some of the more serious side effects of Fix and it is also unnerving to learn that a lot of people suffering from severe side effects have committed suicide even Penelope’s sister Tabatha.
As Penelope tries to wade through her mess of emotions regarding Nate, her father’s death and sister’s suicide, she also must deal with an emotional absent mother, a drug addiction and Nate. Through an old friend she remembers the imaginary boyfriend she has as a child was also called Nate and it is beginning to seem like he isn’t an effect of the drug but rather has been there all along. As she heads to a Fix circle to once again get high, she also ponders about a girl named Kelly who has gone missing. Things get a little more complicated when Walker turns up to the Fix circle with Penelope’s mortal enemy Candace but during their high something strange and slightly sinister happens almost as if Nate is trying to warn her about something, something she can’t quite grasp. At Rose’s Fix circle something strange happens when they don’t experience the high together only Walker and Pen seems to have been together although both swear they saw Candace even though she says they weren’t in hers. At school the next day Pen learns that Candace’s mother has filed a missing person’s report despite Justin swearing he walked her home the night before and his shifty behaviour doesn’t shine him in a good light. Moreover, Pen is in trouble at school for skipping so many classes and trying to untangle what Nate meant in their very strange high and who the strange people were.
At this point in the novel everything is rather confusing between the drug induced hallucinations and the people obviously lying to Pen it is very hard to grasp what is going on. In the aftermath of Candace’s disappearance Pen is questioned by the police about it and while she tells them everything she leaves out Nate. She also begins to realise that Nate may not be as imaginary as she first thought, and it terrifies her a little and while she loves Nate she also loves Walker because he is real. As she tries to figure out what is going on while constantly getting high to see Nate thinking he has some answers she sees Candace asking for help and Rose wearing the charm bracelet Candace was wearing before she disappeared. Pen immediately begins thinking there is something more than drug distribution going on here and somehow, she, Candace and her sister were/are involved in it and she is determined to work it out before something bad happens to her.
As she tries to put the pieces together she takes Nate’s advice and doesn’t trust her friends despite constantly hanging out with them but in her investigating, she finds a picture of her and Tabatha with a phone number on the back. She manages to find the address to go with the number and finds out something shocking. It turns out her Nate was a living breathing person although he died the previous year meaning her Nate isn’t a hallucination but more likely a ghost now she just needs to work out how her sister knew the boy she has come to love.
In the end, everything does come together, and all the mysteries are resolved but I honestly felt that this novel was trying to be more than what it was making it overly confusing and a pain to follow. While this had tons of potential I felt it didn’t fulfil it at all, there was so much more that could have been done with the story.

I can’t even summarize this book. The plot was all over the place.
Basically, everyone is doing drugs and having weird ass hallucinations.

The characters were all incredibly annoying, especially the main one. Pen was really into slutshaming, which I hate but more than that, she also used Internet Explorer and that really put me over the edge in my dislike of her.
The plot made no sense in my humble opinion and it found such an easy conclusion that came out of nowhere.
I was mostly annoyed throughout the whole thing.

Penelope’s/Pen sister Tabitha had committed suicide a year ago and Pen’s life has become a mess. Pen is hooked on the now illegal drug Fix which was the same thing her sister had been on. Fix was once an FDA approved drug as an antidepressant but was now illegal and very dangerous. Pen does anything she can to not have to deal with her feelings especially about her sister. Pen knows she needs to get away from Fix but it gives you such realistic hallucinations. Pen’s hallucinations seem to control her. Nate was a man Pen seen when she was high on Fix and she didn’t want to lose Nate he seemed to be the only one who cared about her and her future. Pen really cares about Nate even if he isn’t real. Fix changes how Pen thinks and feels but there are some really bad side effects also but Pen still keeps going back for more. Since her sister and father death her mother seemed to be gone somewhere else mentally. Rose and Pen have done Fix together for the last year. As Pen thinks about getting off Fix Nate tells Pen he loves her. But Nate really isn’t a hallucination he is a ghost. Walker cares about Pen he just doesn’t know how to break through to her and let her know how he feels about her. Then a girl from school ends up missing after a Fix trip. Pen realizes she could really be in danger.
I had mixed feelings about this book. Some things i liked and some not so much. I did like reading this for the most part. I liked the plot and how the author portrayed Pen and her addiction. This was mostly about Pen when she was high on Fix and her hallucinations or when she suffered from the side effects. I thought Pen was basically selfish and unreliable but then again that is how addicts really are so that was realistic. This did seem to pop up with no warning. This was a quick read. I liked Nate was a ghost and added a paranormal aspect to this book. But it was hard to know what was real and what wasn’t. I did have some trouble connecting with Pen. I feel Nate stood in between Pen and Walker’s relationship. I would have liked to seen Pen stand up to Rose and her controlling ways. As I said I had mixed feelings on this book.

I am not sure what made me choose this book. It's the type of book I usually avoid-Young Adult about kids in high school with drug addiction, usually hard for this senior citizen to relate to. However I am glad I was chosen by NetGalley and the publisher to receive a copy. It is an insightful read involving two problems plaguing our youth today, drug addiction and mental health. The character of Pen Wryter is drew me in and kept me reading. Pen's sister committed suicide after taking the drug Phixeedifore for depression. Fix as it is known was a promising new drug for depression and bipolar disorder until people began dying. It was withdrawn from the market but found it;s way into the Black Market to become the latest drug of abuse. Pen should have known better than to start taking it after her sister died but she liked the high she got and the imaginary friend Nate who came to her while she was high on it. Soon she started having serious side effects but talked herself out of quitting because she wants to see Nate one more time. The descriptions of her highs, the side effects and her reasons for not quitting read like something an addict would write. The book has a mystery aspect as two girls go missing and the solution to that mystery left me totally surprised. But I felt Pen's addiction was the major theme of the book and it was very well done. This should be required reading for the youth of today before they try drugs .

I had a hard time liking this book. I quickly became tired of hearing Pen state how she was going to quit taking Fix, an illegal hallucinogenic drug but then immediately head out to do just that. I know this is what drug addiction is like but that doesn't mean I wanted to read 205 pages of her going through it over and over again. I did feel that Ms. Cronkhite's characters were very true to teens: worried about peer pressure, dealing with broken homes, etc. But I was surprised by how nonplussed Pen was about the murders and who the murderer was. It almost felt like an afterthought. I would have enjoyed the book more if there was more of an emphasis on this story line and a better tie-in between it and the drug. While I hope somebody considering taking drugs reads this book and decides not to, this book was not for me.

While Fix Me is well-written and the author has a story-telling style that draws a reader in, I must admit to finding this one a bit perplexing. The story follows Pen Wryter as she deals with her sister's suicide while also struggling with drug abuse. There is also the added element of Pen's visions that may or may not be paranormal. There is some mystery involved with one classmate missing when another disappears and some interesting twists on that angle, but it seemed that the main focus of the story is the drug use by Pen and her friends. Instead of trying to solve the mystery, I found myself trying to decide how much of this tale was a drug addled teenager's ramblings and how much was real. By the time I turned the last page, I was left unsure about the actual focus of this one and while the author does write a compelling story, it ended up being just okay for me.