T Lillian Decker spends her days living as normally as possible. She avoids anything that could potentially trigger a schizophrenic episode...even though she may not be schizophrenic.

She is currently in the period of life where schizophrenia develops and with a long family history of the mental health condition, she lives constantly in fear. The only way she knows how to survive is to fly below the radar and self assess regularly.

It isn't until she takes an unpaid internship at a local newspaper and gets involved in the birth of a new elephant calf at the zoo, that her life takes a turn for the more exciting.

I enjoyed this story and felt that the author did a really good job in portraying the realities of a number of individuals who are struggling or living in fear of their genetics catching up to them. Through her internship, she begins to live less in fear and more in the moment in hopes of saving the elephant calf.

I went into this book completely blind as to what the story line was. I quickly fell in love with T. Lily Decker and Sawyer. I feel that I could relate to Lily in her feelings throughout a lot of the story, in regards to the type of friend she was. Lily’s childhood is like nothing I’ve ever heard of, and made for a great story, although tragic. I cannot imagine going through life worrying about what will be a definite outcome at some point.

As a mother, Swift Jones’ situation with her mother Raki broke my heart. Imagining a baby, human or animal, cry tears because their mom doesn’t want them to be alive absolutely wrecks me.

Otis surprised me, as did Howard.

This story does a great job of connecting the reader with the characters as well as the situations. This is one I was able to easily imagine being part of. The highs were high, and the lows were low.

Loved this! Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for gifting me a copy of this story in exchange for my honest review.

This book could have been awful.

It could have been predictable.

Instead, it was amazing.

With a depth of character that not many books can obtain, especially in YA. You ended reading this book caring more about elephants and being more curious about them then ever before.

Well done.

So good!!! I stayed up all night reading! Such a great choice for my first read of 2019! I loved everything about the book. I loved Swifty, and Lillian, the zoo, the circus, Otis and Flea. I loved that the author is willing to approach tough topics head on! These are the kind of stories I love to read. The characters are not perfect, the environment is not perfect, things are a mess, but there is still good to be found!

<blockquote><i>"Crazy is genetic. It's the house I was born inside. There are no windows, just two locked doors. One door leads to Normal, the other to Insanity. At some point, I will inherit a key, but I don't get to pick which door it unlocks."</i></blockquote>

Tiger Lily Decker has lived her entire life in fear. At 7 years old her paranoid schizophrenic mother tried to kill her and since that time she has suffered not only from the crippling aftermath of that trauma but also from the idea that she too might lose her mind one day. Each month she takes a personality quiz to see if she has succumbed to mental disease. Her father keeps close watch over her and doesn't allow her to venture out. Decisions about her future are mapped out with the idea that insanity is inevitable, that she might break under the pressure of college programs or find certain environments too stressful. Not until Lily meets Swift Taylor, a baby elephant that has been rejected by her mother does she find the strength to take a chance on herself.

Title: When Elephants Fly
Author: Nancy Richardson Fischer
Genre: YA
Rating: 5 out of 5

Lily Decker is a senior with a 12-year-plan that includes college, no caffeine, no stress, and no boys, except her best friend Sawyer. Her plan is geared towards fending off the schizophrenia that runs in her family—and that caused her mother to try to kill her when she was seven years old.

Her dad wants her to sit home and do nothing, but Lily can’t forget that he reached for her mother and not her on that fateful day, so she keeps quiet about her internship with a newspaper. Until Lily’s story about naming the zoo’s elephant calf leads to Lily being present when the calf is born—and also there when the mother rejects the baby and attacks her.

With the baby elephant, Swifty, grieving, Lily is desperate to help in whatever way she can. That turns out to be traveling with Swifty to the circus when the zoo loses custody of her. But everything at the circus is not as perfect as the owners pretend, and Lily will risk everything—including her mental health—to keep Swifty safe.

This well-written novel takes a sensitive subject—mental health—and treats it with respect, dignity, and understanding. Lily is desperate to avoid schizophrenia, but she’s also realistic about her chances and her symptoms. The bond between her and Swifty is sweet and heartbreaking, and I flew through the pages to find out what happens.

Nancy Richardson Fischer graduated from Cornell University and used to work for the circus. When Elephants Fly is her new novel.

(Galley provided by Harlequin Teen in exchange for an honest review.)

<b>TRIGGER WARNING: Schizophrenia, suicide, and animal abuse </b>

This story captured my heart. It’s not just about T. Lillian and her inner struggle with the potential of developing schizophrenia but with the horrors that can occur when animals are put into captivity. This is not just a mental health book but a book about how one person can make a difference. All of the characters left an impact. I really really loved this book and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to netgalley I received this as an ARC. I enjoyed it very much was good solid read. Solid 4 Stars for me!

I absolutely love books about mental illness and this one was amazing. It felt so realistic in its portrayal and I really loved reading it. 5 stars!

Given the description, I expected an element of magical realism. I'm not disappointed by it's absence, just surprised. Too often books with mental illness give us magic as an alternative (ie "your mother wasn't really schizophrenic; she was aware of this other magic stuff"). I was glad to see this book firmly rooted in reality. And its not just the aftermath of a parent's mental illness or the spectre of hereditary illness. Its all the ways parents can fail us even as they try to protect us. It's trying to find your way past the damage caused by your parents. Interesting ideas to explore.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

Lily isn't your normal teenager. She navigates life under the specter of her mother's mental illness, and her own fear of developing the same mental illness. her life revolves around her 12 year plan, one that falls to chaos once she befriends Swift Jones, a baby Asian elephant. As Lily tries to save the elephant, she begins to learn more about life, and herself.

I liked that this novel was engaging, and the growth of Lily. The supporting characters are also well fleshed out, and interact with purpose. The heart of the book is about life, and learning to truly live, despite the challenges you may face. I truly enjoyed the journey the book took me on.

Lily Decker is a senior in high school. She has one friend, Sawyer who she has for backup. She has a 12 year plan which she strictly adheres to. She does this for fear of inheriting her mother’s mental illness — schizophrenia. She has discovered that if she can turn 30 years old without any symptoms of schizophrenia, she is most likely not to get it. Her mother who had tried to kill Lily at age 7, was doing this due to her schizophrenia. Sawyer understands Lily fears. Lily gets an internship at the newspaper. She does an article on the birth of a baby elephant soon to be born. She suggest a contest to name the soon to be born baby elephant. What will be. The baby’s name? After a few days of birth, the baby, Swifty is rejected by her mother, Lily becomes quite involved with the baby’s survival. Will Swifty survive? Will Lily’s involvement start her to become schizophrenic?

In this amazing story, I learned from the author much I didn’t know about schizophrenia. I discovered that there are many manifestations or schizophrenia that I wasn’t aware of. I couldn’t help but be amaze at Lily’s sense of identity. It was interesting to see her relationship with her father and her mother (in flashbacks) besides with Sawyer. Mental illness does affect family and friends with the one who has mental illness. In the background of this novel is animal rights. The author did a good job with animal rights and an excellent job about schizophrenia. It’s interesting to read about this mental illness as I can’t remember reading about this in books whether adult or young adults in novels. This is an important novel for everyone to read regardless of age. Read it!!!

This was a heart warming story about a young girl who must try to find her own path in life no matter what circumstances are put in her path.  T. Lily has been checking for signs of schizophrenia every year on her birthday.  As long as she "aces" the mental health quiz, she knows at that moment, that she is ok.  But how can someone live their life like that, always in a constant state of fear and trepidation?

When her internship as a journalist for the newspaper puts her in the path of a newborn elephant, little does she know that this baby calf with the celebrity name will change her life forever.

I was hesitant about this story when it first began but I quickly became invested in it.  It is a touching story that brings so many issues to light; abuse, mental illness, animal neglect and awareness.  I am in awe of what Nancy Richardson Fischer has accomplished with the writing of this book.

When Elephants Fly
by Nancy Richardson Fischer
Harlequin TEEN (US & Canada)
Harlequin Teen
Teens & YA
Pub Date 04 Sep 2018


I am reviewing a copy of When Elephants Fly through Harlequin Teen and Netgalley:


T. Lillian Decker is a high school Senior who has a twelve year plan she's going to avoid stress, drugs, alcohol and boyfriends. She’s going to take regular patch quizses given to her by her best friend, Sawyer, to make sure she's not becoming a schizophrenic.


Lillian knows genetics are not on her side, when she was seven her Mother who had paranoid Schizophrenia had tried to kill her. A secret has revealed her odds are even worse than she thought. There is a chance to avoid triggering the mental health condition, if Lily can live a careful life from eighteen to thirteen when schizophrenia usually manifests.


When a newspaper internship results in Lily having to see a Mother elephant trying to kill her three week old calf. With Swiftly in danger of dying from grief, Lily must decide to risk everything including her sanity to save Swiftly.


I give When Elephants fly five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

I had no expectations of this book, except liking the title. Actually, I had less than no expectations and perhaps this is why I was so overwhelmed by everything about this book. It is insightful. It is tender. It is tragic. But it is also humorous, downright funny in places.

Lesson to be learned; to be a good friend you have to listen even to the silence. You have to give more than you take. You have to be there when it is uncomfortable and most inconvenient. because that is the most important time.

Lesson; to be crazy you have to acknowledge that you might understand sanity and that you have no say in whether you own it or it owns you. You have to understand that your genetic DNA is larger than your twelve-year plan and today is now and that is really all you will ever have.

Lesson; T. Lily Decker will make you laugh, shake you head, drop your jaw to the ground, and laugh a bit more. She sees herself a “life coward” but her best friend calls her “fierce” and she can be the most believable liar.
T. Lily Decker will make you question what is here and now and what may never be and what may ultimately happen. She will make you cry and swear at the unfairness of life and she will make you wonder how she grew to be so…everything.

Loved this book, loved the writing, spot-on dialog, so many issues, so many opinions, who is right, who is wrong, who will bend, who won’t.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for a copy

Really well written and rounded main character.

A glimpse into the mind of a worried teen that had me crying and wanting to hug all the elephants.

Lily has just turned 18, and the clock is ticking on her twelve year plan to gauge whether she will develop schizophrenia or not. She has “safe” plans to go to a community college and major in journalism and try to make it to age thirty without developing any of the signs or symptoms. While Lily is trying to play it safe, she unintentionally puts herself in the limelight to save a newborn elephant named Swift Jones and unexpected relationships and events unfold from there.

This was a story that was so immersive for me because I experienced such a wide range of emotions while reading it. When I first started reading, I thought it was just going to be a story about mental health, but what it ended up being was so much more complex than that. Courage, love, acceptance, grief, and fear all played huge parts in this story and I am so thrilled to have read this book. It is cemented as a favorite for me. There are some deep topics involved in this book including: murder, attempted murder, attempted sexual abuse of a minor, and animal abuse. Normally I shy away of books that involve ANY animal abuse, but this just felt so important and makes me love elephants even more than I already did.

My Review: I am in awe for words over this book. This really made my heart hurt so much for these characters. I just have no words to express how I feel. This was the most powerful book that I have read in a while and I could not put it down! I really do not know what to say for this title other than to read it. I tried Turtles All The Way Down a little while ago and this one blows that one out of the water!



This book was so heartbreaking and powerful! I have read a few books that deal with schizophrenia but Fischer did such a better job than the others that I have read. This was an eye-opening read for me that again I just could not put down for a second! I was up until 2am finishing it and I really kind of just wanted to start it all over again.





Lily was such a great character and I could feel how scared she was about getting schizophrenia-like her mother. The author did a great job dealing with what its like to have this illness hanging over your head and how hard it is to avoid stress. The story to this one flowed so well you could tell how much the author did in research to write this. And it is no wonder that this was so good because I found out while writing this that this story of Lily is inspired by true events. This story is so much more than a mental health story. It covers a ton of other things as well that are listed in the triggers above. I really can't say anything about those because it would really spoil the book.

In the end, this book screams how mental illness can take over your life if you let it. And how each choice can be for good or bad but its how you deal with it is really what matters.

Do I Recommend this book? Yes!

Go Into This One Knowing: Gives an eye-open perspective into mental illness, suicide, abuse, schizophrenia, animal abuse

Tiger Lilly Decker is hoping to make it through the next twelve years. Her genetics have predicted her future and it doesn't look good. Lilly's mom had schizophrenia and attempted to kill Lilly and herself by jumping off the top of a building when Lilly was seven years old. Now, as a senior in high school, the danger zone for the onset of schizophrenia is approaching. Lilly follows a strict regiment to ensure that she will not trigger any of the symptoms including reducing stress, getting plenty of sleep and avoiding certain foods. Lilly's handsome, rich, popular and not yet out of the closet, best friend, Sawyer supports her through. With Lilly's internship at the local paper, she has been reporting on the birth of an Asian Elephant Calf, Swifty. After the calf is born however, the mom rejects Swifty and Lilly is triggered to run in front of the charging elephant mother to protect Swifty. With a strong bond to the calf, Lilly is invited to follow Swifty as she is sent to the circus to be with the father that sired her. Lilly continues to report on Swifty and the circus conditions and digs until she uncovers the cruelty that happens there. With Swifty slowly dying, Lilly decides to break all of her rules and the law to get Swifty to safety.

When Elephants Fly is a powerful story of one person's journey with schizophrenia. If that weren't enough, the story also focuses on animal rights and sexuality. Lilly's story is an important one, putting into focus that people with a mental illness are people first and should not be characterized by their illness. Lilly is careful, guarded, and has an amazing heart. Her fear of inheriting schizophrenia is understandable, but rules her life. Lilly's journey to accept that she can not change her genetics is very meaningful especially when it is tied into the story of saving the life of Swifty. With Swifty's story Lilly learns that there are bigger things in life than herself. Swifty brings to light the plight that all elephants are facing now in the wild and the role of zoos in animal conservation along with the difficult decisions that people make on the elephant's behalf. Along with that, Lilly learns that some people aren't what they seem as she uncovers that hidden animal abuse at the zoo. The writing does a wonderful job of showing the complex emotions that elephants have as well as the complicated nature of a mental illness. As Swifty's life is endangered, Lilly's symptoms also begin to show, although it doesn't seem like anything that Lilly can't deal with. Inspiring and hopeful, When Elephants Fly beautifully takes difficult subjects and weaves them into an intricate and enjoyable story.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

Such a unique tale of friendship and courage… there were parts of this that were beautiful watching Lily unselfishly defend her new friend, baby elephant Swifty in a way only she can understand was inspiring. I loved schizophrenia and mental illness being discussed in such a real and relatable way, especially in a young adult novel where education about these issues should be discussed more openly. I really appreciated the complicated dynamics of her relationships with her father and best friend and how relatable they are. I did struggle with how heavy it was at times, there were a few things brought up that just didn’t feel authentic to the story for me, for show. It’s also important to note it could be triggering for some especially in adolescence as animal cruelty, suicide, sexual abuse, and domestic violence are all touched on in some way and it’s almost too much at times. In the end I loved Lily she was fearless and brave and carried me through the story she was such a good example of how nobody should live their life in fear of what might happen, to live as freely today as you will tomorrow and to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.