I really enjoyed this novel. The unreliable narrator kept me guessing what was going on and I like how the author kept things interesting even though most of the novel we are stuck in a very small space. I wish there was maybe one more twist at the end I felt like once one thing was revealed another was ki da obvious. All in all it was a very good read maybe falling a little flat towards the end

Hannah Smith has always been exceptional. A straight A student destined for success, Hannah finds herself in a summer program for advanced students where she plans to earn nine college credits before she ever begins her senior year of high school. Until her roommate falls out of a second story window and winds up in a coma. Until she finds herself locked up in an institution after the roommate's parent's blame her for the fall. But she isn't crazy. She knows that soon everyone will realize that it's all a misunderstanding and she will be back home like nothing ever happened. Right?

I really enjoyed this book. When I first started reading, I really thought I knew what was going to happen and I was totally prepared to say I knew the ending halfway through the book (I was wrong). Sheinmel did a great job portraying Hannah. She was a very strong main character. I felt like I really got to know her and I was on her side even when it felt like I shouldn't be. I really liked the way the author dealt with mental illness and the associated stigmas. Readers get to see the journey all the way through from diagnosis to life after. I was definitely left wanting more.

The beginning was a little slow. I knew based on the description that I would end up loving it, but it was hard to get into at first. There were a few instances when I was left wishing for more detail. For example, Hannah goes through best friends like kids go through candy on Halloween, but I never found out why that happened, what split them up, or if they were associated with her mental illness.

Awesome book, awesome author! I definitely want to read more from Alyssa Sheinmel. I think this is a really important topic, especially in today's times when people are finally starting to make an effort to understand mental illness and she did a fantastic job writing about it.

4/5 Stars

"Let this thing play out. Just until everything passes".

Hannah is remanded into custody at an institution for psychiatric evaluation after an accident occurs at the summer programme she's attending. She's sure it's all a formality and will all blow over, because she can't be to blame for what happened, can she?

I loved this book. There's nothing I find more entertaining than an unreliable narrator. Contradicting herself from one line to the next, can we really trust her judgement on any of this story?

"Luckily, I know how to become someone's best friend. It's a skill I've honed since kindergarten".

Hannah is so confident in her abilities and intelligence, she thinks she is a step above other people. As an only child, her parents have raised her to be mature from birth, and it's interesting to see what effect this has on her psyche.

I would recommend this book to fans of Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and obviously Girl Interrupted. There are parallels to be drawn, but this stands apart as an excellent piece of fiction that explores the world of teenagers striving to meet expectations and living with mental illness.

Disclaimer: I received this ARC courtesy of Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley. I am grateful for the opportunity to review an ARC for my readers, but this will not influence my final rating. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and based solely on the book. 

This review will contain both a spoiler-free and a with-spoiler section. I do not recommend looking at the latter if you plan on reading A Danger to Herself and Others because a major crisis in the book benefits from you having a blank slate.

<><> SPOILER-FREE REVIEW <><>
The beginning of A Danger to Herself and Others didn't draw me in right away. The narrator and our main character, Hannah, describes her arrival at the psychiatric hospital from processing to placement in her room. The action happening in front of her (which would help physically situate the reader, things like a man asking her name, or her walking down a hall) was drowned out by her very scattered, seemingly random thoughts. I quickly realized this is how Hannah likes to be, that she processes what is in front of her and thinks deeply about everything before reacting. Getting used to her character took a moment, but once I knew that she was a studious and serious girl, I began to dig deeper into the book. 

Hannah accepts her term at the psychiatric hospital with grace: she's not supposed to be there, so of course her time will be short since soon it will be discovered that she was placed by accident. Hannah knows why she was accidentally placed: it's left to the reader to uncover this information and if the decision was truly an accident over the course of the novel. Even though Hannah is calm about being placed, she still shows her dislike of being confined, of being told when to shower, of having someone else choose when and where she eats. Her bursts of panic washed over me when she walked into her room — eight feet by seven as she had measured by pacing back and forth — to see the small space she inhabited and could not leave.

Hannah's days follow a close routine: meals and talk-therapy with "Dr. Lightfoot." (Hannah nicknamed the doctor based on ballet shoes the woman would wear.) Dr. Lightfoot's positive portrayal in the book is what truly made this reading both thought-provoking and unforgettable. (Not that Hannah's journey is anything to dismiss.) The doctor does not come to each session ready to crack open Hannah's secrets. She is not a wealth of happiness and joy, promising Hannah everything is going to be sunshine and rainbows. Dr. Lightfoot works steadily to see why Hannah is at the psychiatric hospital, becoming neither a friend nor an enemy. Just a doctor. Which was exactly what Hannah needed. 

I don't know what I can say about Lucy other than her friendship with Hannah truly ruined me. 

<><> SPOILER-(ish) REVIEW <><>
If you are reading this, I really hope you have either already read A Danger to Herself and Others because going into this book already spoiled will ruin a lot of the climax. 

I want to touch on one great and grand thing that I find Sheinmel did very well with this book. A hands down reason that I believe this book needs to be shared with friends, with libraries, with teens suffering from mental illness. 

Alyssa B. Sheinmel depicted a mental health institution positively. Out of context this does not make sense, so allow me to explain. I have never visited a MHI nor have I researched them. I have no knowledge on how they are run. The most information I do have comes from, surprisingly, YA fiction. And none of those depictions are positive whatsoever. I have read a book where an underage teenager is committed against her will without any medical reasons and immediately force-fed unnamed medication by the staff until she breaks out days later. I read a book where a character recalls a past trip "in the loony bin" where she lived strapped to a table. These representations tie together to create a fear of mental health institutions, places where you will be mistreated, misdiagnosed, and abused. 

I do not want to deny these things can happen. But when YA books are written for teenagers who suffer so very often from mental health issues, and then mental health institutions are depicted so terribly when for many, it's actually a life support, well, it's maybe more than disconcerting? 

In A Danger to Herself and Others, Sheinmel showed Dr. Lightman and the mental health institution as a place Hannah needed to be. At the beginning of the book, Hannah is confused but certain she should not be at the facility — in response, Dr. Lightman gives her space. Hannah begins to talk more, and Dr. Lightman listens. Hannah is given medication when the doctor knows what medication is required. Hannah is informed what the medication is for (though she does not have a choice in taking it, because she is underage). 

I am not going to say Sheinmel's representation of a MHI is positive as in "happy", because that is not the case. Hannah suffers. She is uncomfortable with her lack of privacy and she loses rights she had "on the outside." But Sheinmel shows how a MHI can help someone with a mental illness. 

This book made me shocked. This book made me sad. This book made me think more on things that I already think about, and didn't think I could think more on. 

I do want to throw in Sheinmel's disclaimer that she did not write this book to educate anyone on mental health/illness. As I said before, I myself do not know how accurate her depiction is to the current state of psychiatric hospitals today. All I do know is I think teenagers need more healthy representations of mental health and this book does that. 

I could go on about this book for sooo much longer. I could talk about Hannah's recovery process, and how the way she longs for Jonah and Lucy (particularly in the bathroom scene) really got to me. The way her parents dismissed Hannah's way of viewing the world as "just imaginary friends." 

My only true gripe with this book is how rare Hannah's form of mental illness is. Not only is she in the twenty percent for having it, she's in the one percent of the form she has. (*Forgive me if my percentages are off, I forgot to bookmark the page.) But this, of course, just goes to Sheinmel's disclaimer that she is not writing to educate and not once in reading this did I feel like she used mental illness as a plot device or hook. 

RATING
I rate this book at 4.5 with a hiiiiigh recommendation rating. On any websites that don't allow .5 expect to see this as a 5. I knocked off a point because I do find that with some of the topics covered in this book, personal experience or intensive research is required. (And maybe there is/was, it just wasn't mentioned.) But this is a personal opinion!

Review to be posted on blog on February 4 (https://bookprincessreviews.wordpress.com/)
Review to be posted on goodreads on February 4 (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2525991649)

A Danger to Herself and Others: by Alyssa Sheinmel represents mental illness and shows how it can affect anyone. The focus of this novel is Hannah as she is placed in a mental facility after her friend has an “accident”. Hannah is the main suspect. Hanna seems to be a very damaged character but she appears to be more intelligent than everyone around her. This made her so very interesting to read about. I enjoyed this authors writing style. Hannahs thoughts are scattered, which made it hard for me to figure out what's going at first. I really enjoyed this book. I highly recommend it. I will be reading more of this author. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

This book. Wow. 😩

This book is dark, eerie, atmospheric and outright freaky. I haven't read a mystery/thriller that got under my skin so much in the last 10 years. 🙃

A Danger To Herself And Others focuses around Hannah and her trying to survive in a mental health facility she's been sent to after being framed for putting her best friend in a coma and crippling her.

Hannah is fiercely intelligent and has been her whole life and we see her brain in work as she desperately tries to prove her innocence and discover what's really been happening behind the scenes. 🤓

I will warn anyone who has or knows people with mental health issues this book can be incredibly confronting. It's raw, emotional and at times freakishly accurate portrayals of the darker sides of mental health struggles may rattle you. Like I said, this book got under my skin. To me, this makes it a phenomenal book. I was feeling. I was self reflecting. It was a hell of a journey but I'm so glad I read this book. It's not gratuitous about anything, it's honest and real and very much worth the read ❤

PS. It's very different to All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven but if you enjoyed that book and wanted a dark, mystery version of that style story READ THIS.

The Quick Cut: A girl is institutionalized by court mandate after an incident at her summer program. She's convinced it's all a mistake until a roommate appears and chaos breaks out.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mental disorders can be some of the most difficult ailments a person will struggle with. Whenever your sanity and sense of self suddenly is put into question, everything about your past and future come a big blank. Hope becomes lost and worlds you knew well are now undefined again. It is in that internal battle that this story focuses on with Hannah.

With perfect grades, great decisions, and a litany of traveling to make anyone jealous, Hannah has it all from a glance. That is until an incident leaves her summer program roommate irreversibly changed and with her in a court mandated mental institution. It was just an accident, there's no reason for her to be here right? However, as the days drag on and her doctor continues to insist on Hannah focusing on the present work instead of her desire to go back to school - is something else going on?

This story starts out making you feel like everything is fine and Hannah's being wrongly held, but the farther in you get... The more you realize pieces are missing. It is interesting to watch the mental conversation occur within Hannah at first and then to see what happens once that branches out to others. Her breakdown happens about halfway to two-thirds of the way through, which I really appreciated because it gave plenty of time to really watch the aftermath of that.

Hannah is relatable in her struggle to understand what's happening to her. From her perspective, she didn't do anything wrong and this was all an accident. She doesn't see the inconsistencies in her narrative or how traumatic her past is. Truth be told, her parents are neglectful and ignored her from a young age while traipsing around the globe. How does that not change you?

What happens to Hannah isn't her fault, but you get to see the grieving process she goes through happen before your eyes. The topics covered in this book are heavy too including self harm (which made me sick I'll admit), eating disorders, depression, and psychosis (including intensely realistic hallucinations). Not all of these are Hannah, but it can be hard for some to read about so be aware of that going in.

I did have some issues with this book though. As much as I got wrapped up in what happened to Hannah, I couldn't help but feel a bit of skepticism for how the doctor treated her at times. While I understand she was in a sensitive state, a professional would have done differently. Also, it bugs me that they never say what condition Hannah has. I have my theory (I won't spoil it), but they won't put a name to it and this bothers me. The avoidance strikes me as unnecessary.

With a bold story about mental illness, the tale of Hannah is one that will stay with you long after the pages have ended.

I have read a lot of books that are set in mental hospitals and so many of them feel the same that I almost didn’t want to read this one. But something really drew me to this title, probably the title itself. Rather than reading about someone who is merely mentally ill, the title tells me that the main character is also dangerous, which I found to be different than most other novels written about mental hospitals. Sure, most of the characters that I read about were dangerous themselves, but others? No. This book seem to offer something more than I was used to.

Hannah was an interesting character to read about. She was manipulative and a bit cocky, believing that she was smarter than everyone around her. She was a very imperfect character, which made her so much fun to read about. A Danger to Herself and Others is written in first-person, which is crucial for understanding Hannah’s character arc because you see the story and events from her point of view.

The writing feels deeply personal. The amount of details given make the story come to life and feel tangible. The setting is typically one that may become boring, but it didn’t because of the way that it was written. Any novel set in a mental institution has the possibility of becoming monotonous, as the same thing happens every day. There is so much more to the story than that though. There is an interesting plot and a very important character arc.

A Danger to Herself and Others represents mental illness and shows that they can affect anyone. Hannah is a brilliant wealthy girl from the Upper East Side. She isn’t poor or dumb. She isn’t living under a bridge. It is also showed what it is like to come to terms with a diagnosis from the patient’s point of view. It showed the fear that the diagnosis might change how people looked at her and treated her. This representation is important because mental illness isn’t always understood.

This novel manages to stand out among the many other books with similar settings. The writing feels so personal and Hannah is a character that is fleshed out so well that the novel grabs you. After reading I feel as if I know Hannah and have walked this journey with her. The writing really takes this novel to a whole other level. With this book being my first read by Alyssa Sheinmel, I want to check out her other books. I believe that her writing could bring any story to life.

Something is definitely up with Hannah (our narrator). Right from the beginning I felt uneasy and creeped out while reading this. I wanted to believe there was a misunderstanding that has Hannah locked up. It’s easy to think that must be the case because she is so smart and clever, pretty, well educated, wealthy. I know those things don’t mean anything when it comes down to mental heath but I was hoping she was just a bit of a spoiled brat...

There are clues to what is happening and some of it I was able to figure out, some not. In looking at reviews after the fact many people couldn’t stomach her parents. They were definitely narcissistic, entitled people but I’m sure the reactions and emotions about the diagnosis would be similar to most people, at least initially. It’s scary stuff.

I am sad there was no actual diagnosis label - I’m guessing schizophrenia but what do I know (not much outside of after school specials). I think it’s helpful for people to read about things that ail them and see some type of silver lining which I think this somewhat provided. I wish we had even a glimpse of the transition after her plane touched home, an epilogue.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for a copy in exchange for a review.

(I received an ARC of this book thanks to Netgalley, but my opinions are my own!)

When Hannah finds herself in an institution after an accident, she knows it's a mistake. Her best friend is in the hospital, in a coma. They say Hannah may have pushed her. But why would she do that? Agnes was Hannah's best friend. And, okay, there might have been a little thing with Agnes's boyfriend Jonah, but that doesn't mean Hannah wanted to hurt her-- does it?

When Lucy arrives, Hannah is determined to show the staff she can play the game. No more losing her temper with the doctor, getting along with her roommate, and sharing what she knows they want to hear. She has more important things to do: senior year is starting, and she's sure Jonah is going to break up with Agnes to be with her. Besides. There's nothing wrong with her.

Right?

I called the twist long before it happened. I'm not even saying this is a bad thing, as it made me wonder what else might be... twisty.

But let me start off by saying that I hated Hannah. She was whiny, entitled, and thought she was better than everyone. She wasn't someone I could sympathize with at all. I thought she probably should be locked up, with her easy manipulation tactics, and her snobby "I can play people, I know better than doctors" mentality.

That said, the book was engaging. I wanted to know what would happen next, even if I didn't really care about Hannah's plight. And I was pretty happy with *how* it all happened, too. Maybe not so much the medical side, but that's easy to get past. (Like, would a few days on medication really have that much effect? Who knows!)

All in all, the first half dragged a bit, but the second half sucked me in.

Hannah Gold has somehow ended up in a secure unit and is labelled a danger to herself and others. Hannah and Agnes were only playing a game or truth or dare; how did it come to this? Stuck in a tiny cell with only daily visits from Doctor Lightfoot - so called because she wears ballet slippers and can barely be heard on the floor - to keep her going. Hannah cannot leave the room; she has not earned those privileges yet. One day, Hannah is joined by Lucy, a ballerina with an eating disorder. Slowly Hannah comes to see that Lucy is her ticket to freedom in the hospital - the ability to eat in the canteen or to not have to shower alone. Hannah comes from a jet set lifestyle with parents who have flown her all around the world and stayed in the best hotels and eaten in the best restaurants. How did she end up in here - medicated and monitored all day long and not even knowing what day it is? The answers to these come to us slowly and are just as shocking to us as they are to Hannah.

What I enjoyed most about this was Hannah. She is a fascinating character and narrator; always full of intrigue and ideas but sympathetic at the same time. Hannah could easily have come off as manipulative in how she works to use Lucy to gain more freedom but she really doesn't. You are actually willing these things to happen for her - such as helping to sneak Lucy out for her dance audition or responding far better to Lightfoot and learning just what is going on. What comes as a shock is just why she is there and just what happened. I don't want to reveal anything at all or indeed give away any spoilers so I am keeping this review as ambiguous as I can - it would simply spoil the whole thing and I don't want to do that. What I will say is the way this book is written is incredibly engaging and interesting; you learn at the same rate Hannah does. It's not like she's withholding a big reveal, she genuinely doesn't know, and when you learn it together it becomes all the more surprising and exciting.

Hannah becomes a far more sympathetic character as the story moves on. You feel her frustrations, her sadness, her shock and you end up rooting for her far more than you thought you would to begin with. She comes across as unpleasant at times, admitting she stole Agnes' boyfriend from under her nose, and more friendly at others in how she supports Lucy in achieving her dream and taking a lot of risks in the process. As her treatment progresses what we learn becomes clearer - almost the same rate the fog in her mind is clearing. I liked this aspect of the narrative a great deal. You followed the journey with her. The more you learn about Agnes, Lucy and Jonah the more shocking things become.

Definitely one of the better books I have read that deals with mental health issues with a sympathetic and interesting narrator. I would say I enjoyed this one almost as much as something like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine; a story with a character you sometimes really like, sometimes get frustrated with, and sometimes wonder what on earth she is doing and why!

Sheinmel masters the art of suspense in this novel. She takes the reader on a journey on what seems like a descent into a psychotic state, but is actually just the opposite. The reader is carried along by the suspense, fear, and anxiety Hannah experiences in confinement to a institution for psychiatric observation. Sure that her confinement is a misunderstanding after her roommate falls off a window ledge resulting in a coma, Hannah waits to be released. Slowly, she begins to realize her reality is not the same as those around her.

Readers of We Where Liars will be enthralled with this novel.

Predictable but still a very interesting look into one girl's experience in an institution setting. Even though I guessed why she was there I still couldn't put it down. I wish I had a look at the 'after' - Did she take her meds, did she have any more hallucinations, who else did her mind 'create'? I hope there's a second one with more to Hannah's story! Maybe even some side stories of Queen Bee/Cassidy, and what made her so eager to behave and get out too, like Dr. Lightfoot said. I can’t remember if her disorder was directly named, but I appreciate the addition of NAMI’s information.

For the first few chapters, I wasn’t overly engaged with the novel, but then so many twists and new characters were involved within the story and I couldn’t put this novel down!
I ended up thoroughly enjoying this book and would recommend it to anyone who can get their hands on it!

Alyssa Sheinmel is one of those authors who I would love to meet and pick her brain about where she gets the ideas for her books and how can write novels that are capture living with a mental illness perfectly. This book did not disappoint and if you have loved her past books it's a must read.
I had no idea what to think of Hannah at the start, she was a confusing character to the say the least though a part of me felt mad on Hannah's behalf and how she was being treated. But as the book went on my feelings started to change about Hannah and how I felt about her and as much as the book was a journey about Hannah it was also a journey of my feelings regarding Hannah and her situation. I had no idea where the book was going and I honestly don't know what to write about this book as I feel that describing it won't do it justice and you really must read it for yourself to get the full experience.
This book is a must read and while it is dark in areas, I am so glad I read it and I have no doubt that this book will stay with me for a long time.
My one complaint is that this book needs a sequel with more of Hannah's story, I just feel like Hannah's story isn't complete yet.

A Danger to Herself and Others by Alyssa Sheinmel is the sort of book you enter with a mild curiosity. You're introduced to the rather strong personality of Hannah immediately as she opens her thoughts to you regarding the reason for her confinement in a mental health facility. She knows she does not belong there, that her captivity is a mistake, and she is just waiting for the doctor--whom she nicknames Lightfoot--to come to the same conclusion. Almost instantly we are introduced to a character who knows what has happened and what is going on as a result, however we are left in the dark about the details and events that led up to Hannah's imprisonment. This was such a fascinatingly effective tool for the author as it kept me thoroughly engaged throughout the course of the novel. I grew more and more desperate to learn what had happened to Hannah's friend Agnes as the story continued.

Hannah's voice is a powerful one, filled with a singular perspective that leaves readers feeling completely captivated by her story. Though we spend very little time outside of the hospital, every moment of Hannah's experience is thoroughly engaging. We follow her through her initial days and the start of her therapy and experience her every thought during that time. I was constantly back and forth between whether or not I liked Hannah, her thoughts alternating between the sort I could empathize with and the sort that made me feel she was an awful human being. It was a fascinating reading experience, one that I don't have very often. Despite myself, I found that I really enjoyed reading from her perspective. She’s a flawed character in many ways, but it is that fact which makes her so fascinating.

Much of A Danger to Herself and Others is shrouded in the mystery of one’s own reality, what that means, and resultingly the reality of others. The truth is opened up to readers in a slow, but enticing manner. You’re left at the edge of your seat, devouring each page with an odd need for more. In the strangest of ways, I could sometimes see myself in Hannah’s position, feeling as she was feeling. And in a character as dark as she is, the fact that the author managed to evoke such feelings from me was shocking and extrordinary. It’s certainly a reading experience that I am unlikely to ever forget.

A Danger to Herself and Others isn’t a book that I’d go out of my way to buy nor one that I see myself reading a second time. But that does not take away from how raw and exemplary the first reading of it is. I definitely am glad that I had a chance to read this book and I believe others should definitely read it themselves. The writing was superb, capturing the internal thoughts of a girl dealing with a significantly difficult to grasp change in her life, the slow burn of her realization about who she is and what that means. I would 100% recommend this book for the initial experience alone.

Meet Hannah, a teenage girl who is very intelligent, comes from a wealthy family, and has a perfect life.
Or does she....
Hannah has been placed in a mental facility after her friend has an “accident” and Hannah is the main suspect.the relationship Hannah has with her parents is very hard to read. They definitely struggle with her having a mental illness and react to it in a very ugly way.
Hannah has to come to terms with her diagnosis and we are all left wondering what really happened?

In "A DANGER TO HERSELF AND OTHERS" readers meet Hannah Gold who presents as a typical teenager. She may seem a bit arrogant, but I found that trait easy to overlook.

Hannah has been sent to a mental institution after her roommate was injured in an accident. She knows she isn't like the other residents, she is only there because of a misunderstanding.

It is the way that Hannah comes across initially that makes her such a memorable character. Even after the book ends, Hannah's journey will stay in the hearts and minds of readers for a long time.

Once in awhile a Young Adult book is published that actually provides an authentic look at the lives of a segment of the teen population that  has been largely ignored by the majority of authors. This lack of diversity is finally being charged with the publication of books like this one.

While mental illness is starting to be talked about more and more - with such movements as the "You Are Not Alone" and events such as "Mental Health Awareness Week" we still have a long way to go before the societal stigma attached to mental illness is a thing of the past.

That is why books like this are not only entertainment. They are also eye-opening and help people to identify with the person rather than the illness.

In Chapter Seven, Dr. Lightfoot says: "We need to wait until my evaluation is farther along before making any changes to your treatment plan." In her head, Hannah thinks:
"Further, not farther, I think. They could at least give me a doctor who knows basic grammar. It's not exactly comforting that my fate is in her hands."

I had already begun to like Hannah's character, and her reaction to the doctor cemented it for me. I like this girl.

I barely knew anything about her yet, but somehow the author has created a sympathetic character that I could relate to. Other readers will likely have the same reaction which means they will become invested in the outcome of her incarceration, making it likely they will not want to put this book down.

I rate "A DANGER TO HERSELF AND OTHERS" as a full 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and I believe this book will not only be on the 2019 Bestsellers List, but will also win multiple awards.

Thank you very much to the Publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC of this book.

A Danger to Herself and Others follows the main character, Hannah as she is placed in a mental facility after she was court ordered by the judge as she was deemed to be a danger to herself and others based on an accident that happened to Hannah's roommate Agnes that lead Agnes into a coma. Throughout the story line Hannah says it was an accident and does everything possible to be able to get released and go on back in her life as it was before she was sent there. We end up finding out what really happened to Agnes as Hannah starts to think and replay that day out. Agnes' accident was neither Hannah's or Agnes' fault. Eventually, Hannah does get released towards the end of the book after her appearance in court.

I really enjoyed reading this book, I just couldn't put it down. It was an easy read as the chapters didn't seem very long. The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars was because I would have wanted to read how her life would have been after being home and following up with her new doctor. It kind of just left it open with no actual ending as to how Hannah and her parents get through with her mental illness and figuring out ways to make Hannah's life better, as well as their relationship.

A Danger to Herself and Others starts off as a story of a conceited teenage girl who finds herself wrongly placed in a mental institution after being involved in a friend’s accident. Hannah is so mature, so sophisticated, and so intelligent. She certainly cannot belong in this crude and inhumane mental hospital under the watchful eye of countless orderlies and the condescending and unethical Dr. Lightfoot.
A Danger to Herself and Others immediately pulls you in and grips you tight as Hannah navigates her new surroundings and routine inside the institute while you slowly learn the truth of what happened to put here there in the first place. Hannah is eventually diagnosed with a mental illness and placed on medication. As her symptoms subside, she’s forced to reckon with her experiences of the past few months as well as what being mentally ill means for her future outside of the walls of the institute. If you’re looking for a novel that offers deep analysis of mental illness, this isn’t the book for you. Although it doesn’t really offer any profound ideas about mental illness, A Danger to Herself and Others is captivating and well written with a narrator who you can’t help but wish the best for as she starts a rocky new chapter in her life.