Unfortunately I didn't finish this book, as I couldn't get into it - nothing against the author or book, just not to my personal taste. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

THE 11TH HOUR is Annika’s story, though told from the points of view of both Annika and Dylan.
Annika loves Dylan so much, she runs away from home with him. She soon sees a darker side of Dylan, one she hasn't seen before. This story reminded me of when I was younger and the dangers you never see because love blinds you...or at least you think it's love. This was a very powerful story and held a lot of issues that need to be taught to girls.....for girls to see and understand the warning signs so stuff like this does not happen...even though I'm sure it happens more often than not.

I have mixed feelings about this one. The idea was good, and the story overall interesting, but I didn't love it, and wasn't able to really connect with any of the characters.

This is a moving story.

It was very emotional and relatable. The story of Annika and Dylan’s relationship is devastating. It was clear right away that something wasn’t right. Dylan lied about many things. And the way that he wanted to move Annika away from everyone else was a big warning sign for me. But Annika had that teenage innocence where she didn’t think anything could go wrong, as long as she was with her first love.

This story shows an important side of mental illness. If Dylan wasn’t ashamed of his illness and the fact that he took medication, these events probably wouldn’t have happened. It’s important to be open about these problems and not hide them. Keeping those feelings inside can lead to dangerous outcomes, just like what happened in this story.

In all honesty, this is not my favourite genre so I did not love this book but I think it's very well written and educational for young adults. It talks about mental illness, consequences, control and about being misunderstood. It would have been a good read in middle school or high school.

I just couldn't with this book. It was a mess. I did't like the characters or the plot or the writing. This was just not for me. It just came across as being so juvenile and lack any substance.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm still not sure how I really feel about this book. I just finished it, I'm still reeling from the end, and I'm part way through digesting it. I guess one really important thing that came out of reading this was the abundance of questions that I find myself asking; mainly, what could have been done differently, and would it have changed anything? I'm trying to be evasive so I don't spoil things for anyone else but if you're looking for a feel good book, this is definitely not it.

I received an advance copy of this via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not really sure what I expected but I got more than I bargained for. The reason why I rated this as a 3 star was because I'm not sure if that was good or bad.

Some things this novel has going for it was that it took place in Canada (yay!) and it provided a glimpse in how we treat mental illness here and also put the spotlight on how difficult it is to actually receive help for it. I had no idea it took that long to get an appointment with a psychiatrist! It was eye opening. The underlying and perhaps most important message of the novel is of course, to keep the lines of communication open. Don't be afraid to talk about mental illness, it's nothing to be ashamed of. There are so many resources out there, people, places, volunteer organizations that are willing to help if you want it.

The things that didn't really work for me was the juvenile relationship between Annika and Dylan. I realize they're 17/18, but I expected more to their dialogue and a more complex relationship. Annika was incredibly naive; I'm not really sure about Dylan's parents because his perception of reality was a bit off due to his illness, but I expected more from them as well. I guess it's easy to criticize other people when you're not in their situation and see how things could have been avoided.

Let me end this by saying that this book left me feeling uncomfortable, a bit disturbed, and with a bit of a bleak outlook. Others may feel very differently and I would encourage you to read it, especially if you, or someone you know may suffer from mental illness.

Well done YA crossover fiction that unfortunately likely won't be read by the teenage girls who could benefit from it the most. That's not a commentary on the author but rather on teens. This is the flip side of the Romeo-Juliet story so many think has a happy ending (it doesn't). Annika and Dylan are obsessed with one another. The novel is told from both of their standpoints. Dylan's narrative, and the writing style, reflects his struggle with mental illness. Running away is not the salutation to their romantic or other problems - it never is. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Very good read.

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This book was amazing! The subtle ways in the beginning where you hinted that something was wrong with Dylan. The ending also was insane!!! Great quick read that kept me on the edge of my seat

This is a relatively short book and the first I have read by the author. The story is told from both Annika and Dylan's perspective, flipping back and forth so we can see the situation from both perspectives. Going into this book just reading the synopsis, I assumed it was going to be more of an abusive controlling relationship, something like the story in Bad Romance by Heather Demetrios. However, this story ended up being centered around mental illness. Like I said, the story is relatively short and we don't get a very great backstory about the characters and only a short history of their relationship. The book opens with Annika sneaking out of her house and running away with Dylan to a cabin several hours away owned by his family. During the trip there and once they arrive, you can see Dylan's behavior changing and Annika notices things she previously has not.

I enjoyed this book, but I did have a few issues with it. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but we don't ever really get a clear view of what mental illness Dylan is suffering from or what medications he is supposed to be taking. I rarely read fiction that is focused on mental illness because author's very rarely portray it correctly, in my humble opinion. So I would have liked to understand Dylan and whatever mental illness he was suffering from a bit better. I also find it odd that Annika never before noticed any odd behavior from Dylan, as it sounds like they have been together for a decent amount of time, as they are talking about marriage at one point in the book and they run away together.

With that being said, I am fairly critical with any fictional books that deal with mental illness and the things I mentioned are just my own opinion. The ending of this book I both liked and didn't like at the same time. I liked it because there is a plot twist that I did not see coming, one that made me stop and re-read several sentences. On the other hand, I tend to like endings that don't leave me with any questions and I had many questions after I finished this book. Overall, I did enjoy this book, I just would have liked a bit more information about Dylan's mental illness and the main characters backgrounds. I did enjoy the author's writing and look forward to reading more from her in the future.

Thank you to the publisher, Dundurn, for sending me an ARC of this book.

This book was pretty good, tough topic for sure. Mental illness, especially in teens is a hard to portray--I've read a few other YA novels with the same topic that I felt handled it better. I thought the main characters Annika and Dylan were not written thoroughly enough for me to really know them and understand their story. They acted pretty juvenile for their ages. I definitely needed more character development and I wasn't overly impressed with the writing either. Not a total loss though because the topic is important and maybe the actual YA audience will like this book more than I did.

I didn't know what I was expecting when I picked up this book. I'm still a little torn after finishing it. But let's start from the beginning.

Annika's boyfriend, Dylan, is everything to her and she is everything to him. They love each other so much, they want to spend every waking minute of the day with each other, much to the dismay of her parents. They don't approve of him and neither do her friends. When suddenly Annika's parents forbid her to see him again, the teens, seventeen and eighteen years old, form a plan to run away together.
When they finally did run away, things begin to change rather quickly between them. Dylan gets more and more agitated by the second. At first Annika is forgiving because she knows that he had a difficult start in life. But when her life is suddenly at stake, she decides to get him help.

I had a hard time getting into the story because I was basically thrown into their run away scene. There was no approach whatsoever and I wished there would've been some. Dylan's POV was especially difficult to read since he "told" his story in choppy sentences.
Annika was a very naive seventeen-year old girl who could have easily been thirteen as well. She was very immature and annoying. I actually despise girls like her: girls who give up her friends and hobbies for a boyfriend.

The story was a little too fast-paced for my liking. As I said in the beginning, I was basically thrown into it, and it didn't stop there. Everything that happened in the novel, happened in the course of 11 hours but I wished that Kristine Scarrow would have prolonged the story a little.
What I didn't see coming was the ending of it. To say that I was shocked is an understatement.

The message that Scarrow wanted to convey, however, is important: Depression is nothing bad and should be talked about. This illness doesn't get too much recognition, it seems frowned upon in our society. Why? I don't know, but I think people link it to some sort of craziness. Hopefully this story raises a little awareness.

Although I wasn't too happy with the characters and the fast-paced story, the message and the ending of the story was great, which is why I give it 3.5 stars, leaning towards 4 stars.

Teen love, emotional decisions made with the passions of immature perceptions of reality and untreated mental illness all provide for a riveting tale from Kristine Scarrow.

The 11th Hour is a stark look at young love out of control, filled with the fantasy of a Cinderella future that will just “take care of itself.” Annika and Dylan are in love, and they want to spend their lives together, away from parental control and dominance. What the “good girl” Annika will discover is that Dylan has built their relationship on a house of cards filled with lies and secrets.

Dylan and Annika share their perspectives, hers filled with visions of sweet romance, his crumbling into a jagged tale of his unstable mental issues he has kept so well hidden until he becomes overwhelmed with reality’s trial and tribulations.

Wonderfully written, this is an eye-opening tale of young love out of control, its consequences and the dangers possible. Ms. Scarrow does not preach, her story comes through her characters in their voices, and their perceptions. They are real, they are alive and their story is a cautionary tale. A sad awakening for two young souls ill-equipped for the reality that is life.

A must-read for all ages, as teens will relate while quite possibly being the biggest critics of the actions of their peers.

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Dundurn!

Publisher: Dundurn (February 24, 2018)
Publication Date: February 24, 2018
Genre: YA (younger 12-15) | Mental Health
Print Length: 192 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

This review is based on an ARC of The 11th Hour which I received courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher (Dundurn).

Yeesh. I don't even know what just happened. Overall this short little novel flowed nicely and faced an interesting (and theoretically very realistic) concept: A couple where one half is struggling with mental health issues. I felt that the execution was way off though.

I just want to talk about the last few chapters and the climax. So, for one, I don't really know what was going on after "The 11th Hour" (the chapter), or really even why. Annika's actions seemed really unrealistic, though it did contribute to a real bang of a finale, so I can see why things happened the way they did--from a writer's standpoint. Secondly, the way Annika behaved was despicable. To react that way upon learning about mental illness, especially that of someone so close to her, is really horrible.

Could Dylan be more of an asshole? No, I doubt it. And he absolutely cannot blame that on his mental illness. Just because you're depressed doesn't make you a dick. I refuse to believe his assholeishness is because of his depression, etc.

The second to last chapter hit me out of left field, but not in a good way. And the last chapter felt wrong and just really ruined the flow of the book for me. These last two chapters had all this hope and happiness and all these sayings people who aren't depressed say to depressed people to make them feel better. Me, being the sad bitch I am, just thought 'lol nice try.'

Now that it's all over I am just confused and a little let down, because the synopsis had me stoked. Ultimately, I could have done without reading The 11th Hour.

I wanted to like this book. I really did, but I spent so much of the first half of the book wanting to punch the main characters that I just couldn't. I breezed through a large chunk of the book the first night, then just couldn't bring myself to ever pick it up again.

The 11th Hour is dominated by Annika and Dylan’s perspectives that alternate within the chapter itself. The book literally revolves around just the two of them, and a few mostly nameless secondary characters, which reflects on Dylan’s success in alienating the two of them in his perfect world. Well, almost perfect. We didn’t really get a full look into his mental health issues until the very end, which is a shame to be honest. BUT, he doesn’t exactly accept it himself, and his POV is like half of the book, so it’s justifiable. Although I think the plot was phenomenal, the writing style wasn’t really for me – it’s a YA book, yes, but it reads for 13-16 year olds, I don’t think an older YA audience will fall in love with this book – but that’s just my personal opinion. Definitely don’t discount this book, because it really is an important book for young teens to read.

This book was absolutely devoured in a single sitting. Mental illness is an incredibly difficult topic to think about and write about, as we well know. How much harder is it to live with it? As the author notes at the very end, studies show that every single person in Canada is affected by mental illness at some point in their lives - whether personally, through a friend, a relative, a partner, etc. This is a topic that warrants discussion, and consideration with an open mind and a goal of helping.



Dylan is an off-putting character. As a mother, I read his perspective and my heart just broke. How many children are facing these trials, feeling they are completely alone? How hard must it be to not be able to accurately recognize when you are loved? Especially in high school, where peers are so focused on themselves and anyone who is different is almost automatically an outcast unless they fall into some socially acceptable realm, like basketball. While reading about Dylan, I found myself wondering how much harder his life would have been if he had not had even basketball. Or worse, if he'd not been good at it but still on the team. How unaccepting and unforgiving we can be when people don't meet our expectations. Our demands, really.



Annika's character immediately took me back to being in high school. She's really not so different from Dylan at all - trying to battle through her illness, to pretend like everything is okay because she so desperately wants it to be. Neither she nor Dylan really know what they're dealing with, or how to interact with each other. They only know how they feel themselves, but struggle to try and accurately make what is inside come out in a way that makes sense to others. As a result, they both feel so misunderstood - but not wrong.



This is a tremendous, eloquently written cautionary tale. It is heartbreaking and thought-provoking. I highly, highly recommend that every single person read it.

I didn't want to like this book at first. I felt like I was listening to whiny teenagers. And I was, but that ended up being the beauty of the book. The characters were real; they were real teenagers. What's even more impressive about this tale is that it occurred in such a short amount of time. In spite of this pace, Kristine Scarrow created great tension and anticipation as the reader comes to the realization about Annika's predicament in tandem with Annika's own awareness. Scarrow uses a successful and tight he-said/she-said, back-n-forth delivery of the dialogue and action, regardless of (or in reflection of) the turmoil of the teenage mind, the disordered mind, or both. The addition of resources is an absolute plus.

The 11th Hour spans one day as two young people decide to run away, getting away from their overprotective parents. While it is supposed to be a commentary on mental health disorders (I think), it doesn't really go anywhere because the writing and characters are weak. I felt nothing while reading (okay, skimming) this.