I enjoyed this one, but I'll admit I was expecting something a little more suspenseful given the premise. Instead of a book about a double life, we get a book that is steeped in an exploration of mental illness. Which is fine, it just wasn't what I was expecting. I liked the writing style, and thought it was interesting for the most part, but I wish it had been more realistic in the portrayal of mental illness instead of adding on to the idea that everyone suffering from mental illness is crazy and unstable. But Tara Wilson Redd has a great writing style and I am definitely curious to see what she writes next.

I wasn’t able to finish this book. Because of this, it is my policy not to review the book on my site or on Goodreads/Amazon. I also didn’t mark it DNF.

I found this book to be a little confusing. Mostly, because the synopsis paints a completely different picture then what the book is actually about. Maybe that's what the publisher was going for, but I was expecting a completely different book. I thought that the writing was beautiful and that the plot was quite unique. It was interesting to go into this book not knowing exactly what is going on, which I think is the ideal way to approach this book. I just wish that the synopsis was a little less vague.

THE MUSEUM OF US by Tara Wilson Redd is the story of Sadie, and we meet her after a tragic accident has her hospitalized and calling out for her imaginary friend, George and now the very depths of her soul will be exposed and it is terrifying.

As each brittle page is turned, we are witness to Sadie’s deepest fear of exposure, of having the world she goes to taken away, of being told she has “issues.” Deep within Sadie’s mind the truth is there and we can see that to tell that truth causes her to fear losing more than just herself.

Edgy, dark and tumultuous, Tara Wilson Redd’s tale is NOT a read to settle in and cozy up to. It is a tale of the mechanisms we use to cope when we cannot accept or understand life. Prepare to be uncomfortable or unsure in the beginning, but as Sadie begins to sharpen those blurred lines, you will NEED to know the rest of the story. Sadie is truly a mess, yet as we see things from her perspective, we can see that the “help” she is receiving is hitting a brick wall or falling short of finding the key to unlock Sadie’s mind. We will see, along with Sadie that only she has the key.

This isn’t an easy read, but when all layers have been torn back, it will tear at your heart, for both Sadie and her imaginary friend George.

This was intriguing, but a hard read. I wouldn't recommend people go into this one lightly as it really talks about mental health in many different forms. Sadie was a character who was easy to relate too. Her journey is one that I think a lot of people can relate to in some way.

The alternating timelines is always a struggle for me and it was here as well. It always pulled me out of the story a little bit and made it difficult to focus.

Also, content warnings for this, please.

Instead of "adolescent struggling to maintain hold on reality," this novel mostly conveyed "sad teen has an imaginary friend." I enjoyed the novel enough, but readers looking for a gripping, heart-wrenching, and more accurate account of mental illness would be better served by "Turtles All the Way Down" instead. I don't wish to trivialize Ms. Redd's courage and effort in writing this story, and she does make you care for Sadie and feel invested in her struggle. Overall, though, the ring of authenticity isn't quite there. "The Museum of Us" didn't really resonate with me on an emotional level and embed itself in my memory, but it made for an overall enjoyable enough read.

This book made me cry so much as i read it. i was going through a tough time when i picked this up and it was something that i needed at the right time.

The Museum of Us had the potential to be an exceptionally moving novel, but for me the execution just was not there

I really enjoyed this book and found it very interesting with this take on this romance. I enjoyed the description of the romance interests and the different point of views . Overall I enjoyed this book and loved the cover. I can't to read other books by this author.

This was such a great and real approach to discussing mental health without attaching a stigma to it, or romanticizing it for that matter. It was so beautiful, raw, and real.

This was a cute contemporary book that was used a filler in between fantasy books. It served it purposed but I truly don't remember much about it other than it was cute. It was a solid 3 star book, nothing stood out but it wasn't a bad story.

What an incredible and raw story from Tara Wilson Redd. The Museum of Us opens up a unique conversation about mental health and doesn't use it for shock value. It was really well done and one can easily relate to the characters. I highly recommend to teens and adults alike.

Wow, this story...was all kinds of strange. First I have to say this book desperately needed trigger warnings for self-harm and mental illness. I was surprised that there wasn't  much warning, and automatically took off a star for that.

This book is extremely confusing to read. Sadie is a girl stuck in a world in her head, which is hard to understand. At first I had a lot of difficulty realizing that parts of the chapters were told from her imagination, not from what was actually happening. The writing is dramatic and simplistic at the same time, which only adds to the confusion.

Once I finally sort of got what was going on I still had a hard time really feeling interested in the story. For one Sadie is a dislikable character. She's borderline abusive to her in real life boyfriend. She has a lot of unexplained frustrations with her parents, that when I finally understood them, felt like the whole situation was a bit unrealistic. All of this combined had me never really connecting with the character, and thus lowering how much I cared about the story. 

The ending wasn't much better. Sadie starts to recover...but I was confused as to why. The story was somewhat dismissive of psychiatrists, so I never felt like she got help.  Which is why I didn't understand why she made the changes she so desperately needed. She just does and then the story moves on without enough explanation. 

In the end I gave this book 2 stars. Maybe you all could make more sense of this strange story, maybe it just wasn't for me.

This book wasn’t for me. I tend to like light, fluffy YA reads. However, I would recommend this for teens who want a book with a little depth. It is a book that does make you think and brings the mental illness topic to light. This book was well written and keeps your interest through the book.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Sadie and George have been on amazing adventures, and he was always there for her when she needed him. However, George was not real. He only existed in her imagination, and Sadie was struggling more and more with being present in the real world and escaping it with George.

After a car accident landed her in the hospital, Sadie was forced to confront her issues, and had to choose between George and living in the real world.

This was a really interesting exploration of mental health. Though Redd never comes out with an official diagnosis, I was well aware that Sadie was dealing with some form of mental illness. That was part of the mystery in this book, which was never fully revealed, but I was also curious about the root cause of Sadie's behavior.

Redd alternates between past and present, real world and Sadie's imaginary world, as she slowly reveals the point where George first manifested and why. The whole process was sometimes odd, but oddly interesting, and I found myself wanting to know more and more with every page, because it was obvious something was off with Sadie. Every important person in her life seemed to know there was something wrong, but Sadie constantly evaded their probing, and worked harder to keep that part of herself hidden.

This was a beautifully written and honest portrayal of one woman's struggle with trauma from her past and the choice to move forward and heal or keep it hidden away forever.

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

Sadie has had an imaginary friend named George ever since the car accident when her parents were injured and their lives changed. She goes on countless adventures with him and he is her best friend, but the people around her think she's crazy or abnormal. When Sadie gets into another accident on her own, she ends up in the hospital with a broken leg and a therapist who tries to bring Sadie back to reality. Her parents, her loyal boyfriend Henry, and her friend Lucie are all concerned about her and do the best they can to help. Sadie will have to learn to leave her past behind if she wants to hold on to the present and the people she loves the most.
I had a hard time reading this book, probably because it was sad and at times slightly confusing (probably because of various types of mental illness or depression portrayed quite realistically in the book). The writing is poignant and descriptive, and the characters came alive for me as I read. Sadie reminded me of a sadder version of Walter Mitty the daydreamer, and I sympathized with her and felt sad for her at the same time. I didn't like the profanity and the sexual content, and there did seem to be one too many Harry Potter references. I was happy with the ending, and I do recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about the perspective of someone battling with mental illness or instability, because that was done well.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. A positive review was not required, and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I really enjoyed this book. I selected this book because I was curious of what the story would be like as the concept was so interesting. The book was fascinating as it explored just how a reader can become so lost in books as a coping mechanism. I definitely identified with the characters and the story rang true to my heart. Anyone that has ever had an imaginary friend or wished that a character could escape the pages to become a friend would enjoy this book.

The Museum of Us is beautifully written novel that examines grief, loss, trauma and mental illness. The way Redd addresses the struggle Sadie faces to stay focused and grounded in reality is genuine and real. You are rooting for Sadie but understand her fear of losing George and herself as she struggles to get better. Highly recommend for every high school collection.

Musings:

It took me a while to realize how much I appreciated this book. As readers, in some ways we all can attest to the power of imagination. For many of us, we know what it is like to be lost in a day dream. “The Museum of Us” lets us see the consequences of a mind filled with that power and how it can go too far.

As a kid, I wanted to have an imaginary friend. I tried to think one up, but I could not see beyond what was directly in front of me. When stories touched my heart, all I wanted was to build worlds of the same stuff that day dreams are made of. “The Museum of Us” has the magic of dreams woven into every word.

What I Loved:

The world beyond. In this story, there is reality and there is a world of dreams. In that world, anything and everything is possible. Adventures live there and at the center of it all, a boy named George. The boy who Sadie gets to save and be saved by over and over again. I loved how fantastic their world is and how it’s accessed anywhere and at any time.

Who can say what is real and what isn’t? This question is part of what I Loved about this book so much. If you forget your day dream, does what lived inside it die? If you fell in love with someone imaginary would it matter if they are real or not.. so long as it feels real? I don’t truly know the answer to that, but in today’s society this is a question to really think about.

How much Sadie’s world and memory is touched by the imaginary. For a while, there is so little tethered to reality that it feels distant. I liked that Sadie held on so tightly to the world she created that the real one felt more like a dream.

The secret of George. For years, Sadie kept George and this other world a secret from everyone. Being in a car accident where she was in a moment of such sheer panic that she couldn’t help, but shout George’s name was brilliant. Her ending up in the hospital where she is constantly being questioned about George and the accident forces Sadie to re-evaluate everything. The thing she so desperately wants to hide bubbling to the surface.

The Writing. In general, the writing in this novel was beautiful. I was completely immersed in the world the whole time.

Final Thoughts:

The Museum of Us is magic and reality colliding and crashing in the mind of girl who is crushed between both. It is the question of how important it is to hold on to your dreams when sometimes you need to release and let go.