this book is a great read about anxiety, facing your fears and secrets. It was an easy read and one that surprised me in that there is more than meets the eye and it covers things that everyone should be able to relate to

TW: panic attacks, agoraphobic character
'Paper Girl' is a story about an agoraphobic girl that had not left her house for quite some time. Zoe is a paper girl her life is going around paper planets, chess games and walking around her huge apartment. She had mastered her routine to the perfection. With her agoraphobic mind, she was so afraid of leaving her safe zone even to check the mail.
The story is well written in a style that painted minds of Zoe and Jackson in such detailed an vivid way, that readers will be able to feel their emotions inside out. Getting into their minds was a GREAT journey into places full of self-doubt and anguish, but also light laces that showed love and hope. Jackson became a tutor of Zoe and he was supposed to help her with math and physics, but what if he will try to get to now Zoe more? What will happen when those two will collide?
Mae was the best character! She was so so true on her own - strong on the outside, but yet so fragile in the end.
I loved this story as it was true in itself!

4-1/2 Stars. I have a very good friend who suffers from agoraphobia and a daughter with social anxiety. I’ll admit I never really understood these feelings. I’m the opposite, a consummate extrovert who loves the hub of urban life and exploring everything the world has to offer. But PAPER GIRL takes me inside the life of Zoe, an agoraphobic who hasn’t left her home in over a year. Zoe was always more shy and reserved than her outgoing older sister, Mae, but before a series of events pushed her into seclusion, she lived a fairly normal life, attending Mae’s games and flirting with Mae’s friend, Jackson. After retreating into her home, she creates a haven of paper art that soothes her as well as occupies her time. Zoe is determined to return to some sort of a normal life, starting with attending her sister’s high school graduation. With the help of her therapist, she sets small goals for herself, including allowing herself to be tutored by Jackson, who has troubles of his own. Small victories and big steps backward combine to make Zoe’s journey one that is both realistic and relatable.

Plot
Told from dual points of view, there is one main plot, the romance between Zoe and Jackson, and two major subplots involving Zoe’s goal to re-enter life outside her home and Jackson’s relationship with his estranged father. The author throws enough roadblocks into both of their paths to keep things from ever getting too easy. The only thing I really wanted more of was uncertainty in their romance. There wasn’t any angst or doubt, nothing to really keep me turning the pages to make sure these two would end up together.

The Characters
I absolutely loved Zoe. She’s complex, smart, creative, funny, and just neurotic enough to be the perfect character to root for. I could feel her shame and horror when life infringed on her safe space. Watching her stretch the boundaries of that safety zone had me cheering for her every step of the way. Jackson was a little more pulled together, even though he’s homeless. His circumstances are as outside his control as Zoe’s are, but they’re environmental rather than emotional and mental. These two both overcome their own circumstances and situations to grow in believable ways.

Top Five Things I Enjoyed About PAPER GIRL
1. Paper art. Colorful origami in three-dimensional space creates a solar system and galaxy that fills Zoe’s room and life. I would love to see it, because I’m not sure my imagination does it justice.

2. Mae. She is sympathetic as the older sister who loves Zoe and struggles with supporting her sister and longing for the life they used to have together outside their home.

3. Zoe’s mom. The Instagram and YouTube star who documents all the craftiness that is her life is both a supportive and understanding parent with some of the best lines in the book.

4. Jackson. He’s sweet, patient, and brilliant. He creates the perfect balance between supporting Zoe without being a crutch.

5. Zoe. She is fascinating, at times sarcastic, terrified, artistic, smart, and more all rolled into a tiny ball of determination.

Bottom Line
A wonderful young adult contemporary romance that examines how social anxiety can transform someone from the inside out.

Disclaimer
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“Paper Girl” is for me one of those books that stick. I loved it so much that I am even afraid to review it, as my words are too little to express the value that, again, at least for me, it contains. There are mixed opinions out there and in the following lines, I will do my best to justify my rating and my feelings.

First page got me hooked. An online discussion between BlackKnight and Rogue2015, on a chess board, is my firs delight. From here onwards, I looked forward for their discussions and their banter over who is better and not only that. The comfortable feeling they both have with one another is heartwarming.

Second page has the following quote:

When there were two kids in a family and one kid couldn’t leave the house without her chest clamping tight in panic like a bear trap, then you really had 1.5 kids because .5 of one kid was defective.

Zoe has agoraphobia, anxiety, panic attacks and a lot of pressure to overcome her situation. Her family has offered her all the help a family can offer, including professional help. Jackson has family issues that keep him away from home, leaving out of his car, tutoring for money, hoping to gather enough to pay for college. Two main characters with issues and an author that treats both of them with so much respect, it’s overwhelming.

While the relationship between the two is intense and interesting to say the least, what made me love the book even more, was how Cindy R. Wilson detailed every step Zoe has to take in order to overcome her fears. Starting with the many specialists that have seen her until the “good” one comes around (underlining the fact that a doctor may be well trained, but it’s the comfort the patient has towards the person that matters) and following her goals, accustoming herself again with others, first in her safe zone and then slowly moving forward.

There are a lot of metaphors hidden in the book as well. Even the online discussions lead to metaphors of real life. But the most important of them is the universe Zoe creates out of paper. Her own world, created after her own preference.

I have spoken so much about Zoe and so little about Jackson, mainly because I see her as the masterpiece of this book. But he is not at all less important. He is a teenager forced to think like a grownup. However, it’s visible the author paid more attention to Zoe and her struggles, than with Jackson.

There are so many things to discuss here and probably a new article will follow, with spoilers for sure, where I will go deeper into this book. The objective reviewer in me has to admit that a stronger reason behind Zoe’s condition would have worked better for the story and also there are some items in regards to the secondary characters that are not well done. Because of that, I feel compelled to give 4 out of 5 stars, but this book will remain close to my heart for a lot of time now. I don’t know how to say THANK YOU in the proper way, so I’m doing it with capital letters. Cindy R. Wilson is amazing!

I wish this book was required reading for every teenager. This was not the typical YA romance that I was expecting. It brings light to mental disorders such as panic/anxiety and helps shed some understanding to how troubling it can be. This book sucked me in until I felt like I was crafting right along side with Zoe. The characters struggles are so realistic it is easy to relate to them and get caught up feeling for their plights.

I really loved the concept and the beginning really drew me in. The anxiety, the chess, Jackson, it began great. But that was it, the story fell flat fast and was quite repetitive.

I enjoyed reading this story! I liked the characters and their relationships & development throughout the book. I even almost cried a few times, which doesn't happen a lot when I'm reading books. I thought the ending was great because the MC wasn't suddenly 'cured'. Though, I couldn't always distinguish both POVs which was a bit confusing sometimes.

I really quite enjoyed reading this story. The characters and the theme were really interesting. I loved seeing the characters overcome their difficulties. Zoe and Jackson were the best, I loved the “chess chats.”
I especially loved the art and imagery, it also helped that some settings in the story were written about real places. The description of Zoe’s room was amazing, I think it would be awesome to see it in real life.
This book is perfect for teens.
#Netgalley #Papergirl

**Review can be found at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/ **
The nice thing about this book was that not only was this a (super cute and oh so sweet) YA romance, but it was also a sort of coming of age book about learning to love yourself and realizing what potential you have as well as how to have forgiveness. We have romantic love, familial love and self love all swirled together to create the perfect blend of angsty, hard emotions and aww moments. And the writing style was just about perfect to snag and keep my attention with the short engaging chapters that I had to read "just one more" until the whole book was over.

Paper Girl was dual narrated by Zoe and Jackson, two characters so different from each other yet almost fated to be together. Zoe has the most wonderful and involved of families, money, seemingly no real concerns- but debilitating anxiety that traps her inside her own home (and her dislike of small talk is 100% relatable- it too is the bane of my existence. Jackson is calm, confident and top of his class, yet hides the secret that he has lived out of his car for the last few years since his family life is a disaster. I loved how the two had basically 2 relationships, and how an online interaction can help take away the fear of judgement and bring out hard truths. I loved every interaction between the two (even the super awkward ones- ok, those were the best!) and I wanted to adopt Jackson, he was so sweet.

The side characters were also a win for me and really helped to show the character's growth and move the plot. We have Mae, the happy, normal older sister/best friend, who just wants her sister to be part of her life again and supports every way she can. There is Zoe's mom who has such enthusiasm for her family, projects and website and just wants to feed everyone. And then their was Gina the new therapist who knew how to motivate Zoe in the right ways with a past of her own (Gina deserves a hug). The people were what made this book, them and all the emotional/relationship dynamics going on during the pages that made me feel like part of the book family.

I found this to be an emotional, cute fast read that I highly recommend to any YA contemporary fan. This is the first book by Cindy and I can't wait to get my hands of more.

Ps I really wished that Jackson's photo of the incredible paper universe was included at the back of the book because I do not think my imagination did the art work justice and I so desperately want to see! (and yes, I am aware that the picture is fictional...as are the people...but still!)

"Paper Girl" is a YA novel that talks about a girl with social anxiety. As someone who experiences anxiety in social settings from time to time, I thought the author managed to craft a story with a character I can relate to. I enjoyed reading about the representation because the author doesn't shy away from portraying the difficulties of having and/or experiencing anxiety. I especially enjoyed the familial aspects in the story and how they helped the main character in times of difficulty.

I have to say that I wouldn't normally read books like "Paper Girl" because it can be triggering. However, I still gave this book a shot because the premise intrigued me. The fluffy romance aspect in this book didn't overshadow the main theme in the story. I like how the romance balances out the drama in the book. You can say this book is kind of a "slice of life" story where the main character both had positive and negative experiences (like in real life). This book just felt "real" in a good way.

Finally, while I did like this book, I just felt like I wanted something more from the story itself. Maybe, more from the plot. Even if this had been the case, I thought this was still such a good book. I'd recommend this title to those who are looking for books with good representation.

Why You Should Read Paper Girl

It talks about social anxiety. As someone who is familiar with social anxiety, I enjoyed how it was portrayed in the novel. Zoe would take small steps at the time in her struggle with social anxiety that resulted in agoraphobia. I loved how she wasn't magically cured from her anxiety.

A strong family bound. Zoe's family was very supportive. Even though some of their reactions to her anxiety and agoraphobia - especially reactions from her older sister - were not the most correct, they were still there for Zoe.

There's a cute fluffy romance. I loved how Zoe and Jackson always had a crush on each other. Although, Jackson's life had been harsh since after his mother passed away (his alcoholic father drove him out of home) he was always there for Zoe. May it be to tutor her (I completely understand Zoe's hate of Physics), help her deal with her social anxiety or to play chess - even if none of them knew who BlackKNIGHT and Rouge2015 were. And, even though Zoe lived in a "bubble", she was there for Jackson too, to help him rebuilt his relationship with his estranged father.

Heartbreak. Life needs more fluffy reads with some crushing heartbreak. And, that's what you find in Paper Girl. Jackson's story is heartbreaking. Zoe's anxiety is heartbreaking (I hated how people made her feel she wasn't living her life and was losing all those great moments. That would only make her feel more anxious). These two go through such an emotional roller coaster, having to confront their past and feelings.There's a moment that all you want is for Zoe and Jackson is to find hope and happiness.

Zoe's paper universe. Imagine a whole universe made of paper with all the planets, moons and stars and even Pluto, everyone's favourite dwarf planet. 💜

I haven’t read a YA book in what feels like forever and decided that this tour was the one to try and get me back into them. I do actually miss them!
I was originally drawn to this book because of the cover! It intrigued me and I think it's absolutely beautiful. The saying don't judge a book by it's cover certainly applied here. I knew I wanted to read just by the cover. I didn't even get to read the blurb!
Zoe is our Paper Girl, about a year ago she just stopped going out, she couldn’t go out without having panic attacks and a whole load of anxiety. Because of this she needed to be home-schooled. She had to get some extra help for maths and physics, cue the cute sounding guy, Jackson. He sounds adorable, with his thick rimmed glasses and a love for astronomy whilst being a part of the basketball team! Zoe and Jackson are also unknowingly playing chess against each other online.
There are a lot of unknowns to this book. But everything is soon revealed. I liked the way the story flowed and picture that was described of the characters, the help needed to pull Zoe through and get her to where to she wanted to be.
I can’t imagine what Zoe felt when she was trying to leave her building, she really tugged on my heart strings and have so much respect for her that she managed to do what she did. Such a strong vibrant young woman!
A truly beautiful story and I’d definitely recommend. I’d love to be able to see Zoe’s wall of planets in the flesh as it sounded wonderful!

This was an absolutely touching story to read.

We follow the main character who is battling a severe form of social anxiety who wants to be able to live a ‘normal’ life. Then we meet a boy who is also battling his own circumstances as he struggles with being homeless, just hoping to make it through the next day. Both characters want to be accepted in their world, and they find this through an epic game of online chess. Told from their two perspectives, it was entertaining to see how they merged together later on.

PGfinal1There are romantic elements in this story, and what made me chuckle was just how these two were complete opposites from one another. As I read along, I even tried to match up their personality traits and was shocked to see how the author developed them as polar opposites.

Even though I could tell where the main plot points were going to go, it was such a fun story to read. I flew through the book in only a few sittings, and it took effort to pull me away.

I really enjoyed reading the emotions that the characters run through as they walk towards their goals. Seeing the interactions they had with the outside world was inspiring and intriguing. It was quirky and innocent while also bringing some real-world mental health into the picture. The analogy of the solar system and her anxieties showed us a great picture of just how she felt, and using her talents in paper art seemed to portray perfectly.

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. This was a beautifully written story, and I think it portrayed the small world of social anxiety in a unique manner. I highly recommend this to anyone who may be battling their own anxieties and wants to find a bout of inspiration.

I really loved this story. It took things we all love from a typical high school romance and added in elements of agoraphobia, homelessness, and those "imaginary" friends online to add up to something special. Well-written and relatable characters made this one a must-read.

Though I thought the premise of the book was good, this one wasn't for me. I tried to read it, but I wasn't able to get past 50%.

Paper Girl by Cindy R. Wilson is a delightful young adult book, that deals with mental health. Zoe is an agoraphobia who has not left her house in over a year. Jackson is homeless due to his father addiction. Jackson is hire as a tutor for Zoe, who is struggling with school work. I really enjoyed this book, and it was interesting how the couple and their family members change and grow. I recommend this book

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is a novel that I was really very curious to discover. Agoraphobia / Social Anxiety is a theme I’ve seen little in literature, so I was eager to discover the author’s ideas here!

Zoe has not been out of her home for over a year. It’s not that she would not like to but she can not. The panic attacks are terrifying and she has discovered that staying at home, where she is safe, is ultimately the best for her. In her room, she has created a world of paper and she does school at home and exchanges and plays chess online. However, she does not know that she knows the person she is playing with and with whom she is confiding.

Jackson was always intrigued by Zoe, so when she disappeared from school, he did not understand. But now he has a second chance when he is asked to become her tutor in physics and math. With him, Zoe will gradually regain confidence in herself and in the world even if it is far from easy. But what no one knows is that Jackson carries heavy secrets and hides his life from everyone, even from Zoe.

I had a good time with this novel. It was different from what I expected but I enjoyed discovering both characters and their families. I loved Zoe’s mother or sister who are so touching. Yes, it was a good discovery!

This was the first book that I have read by this author and I am glad that I found her. This book was well written and the characters come together amazingly. Thank you for allowing me to read this book and write about it.

3.5 stars — This one left me with muddled thoughts and feelings, so rating it is a bit hard for me. I’m finding it hard to articulate how I feel, but I’m going to try…this is just your warning. Basically, I enjoyed myself, but I also wasn’t blown away. I think I expected the mental health aspects to play a stronger role, but the romance, strangely enough, was the highlight for me.

So yeah. The thing about Zoe, and her anxiety (or agoraphobia?) is that we never really get a clear idea of what she’s suffering from. Which is not to say we don’t get any idea…there’s actually some really great descriptions of what she’s going through, how her panic attacks get triggered, what she’s afraid of. (And as an aside, can I just say that I appreciated that it wasn’t as a result of some great trauma, because I don’t think everyone who suffers from anxiety necessarily has a triggering event.) And we also see her new therapist talking about cognitive behavioral therapy a bit (like when she said they needed to help retrain her thinking), but other than that, there wasn’t a lot of depth there. Like, we never learn about her coping mechanisms, or any other steps she’s taking to help deal. I felt like we got just enough to have it be an integral part of Zoe, but not enough for me to feel like it could be influential for teens. I honestly can’t speak for whether this depiction, and the consequential development/healing journey was realistic or not. Honestly, it truly felt like we were working on a fictional timeline (ie things moved fairly quickly), and that can give unrealistic expectations to readers who might be suffering from the same thing. But honestly, I’m no expert…it’s just how I felt when I was finished. I guess I just wasn’t sure what I was going to get with the mental health side of this story, and I felt that in the end the way it was addressed was rather light. It was there, we saw aspects, but in some ways it was overshadowed by the romance for me. Now, I loved the romance, it was a total highlight for me, so woop woop for that, it’s just that I was surprised. Now saying all that, I appreciated that Zoe wasn’t magically healed by love, and understood that she needed to make the changes for her. So that was a bonus.

Jackson was an interesting character, because unlike Zoe who wanted to get better but was just afraid, he seemed to be oblivious to his own issues and what he needed to do to fix them. I found that to be a fascinating twist, that he was just as screwed up as Zoe. And I felt like he still didn’t really confront all that was messed up about his choices to keep his homelessness a secret. I didn’t really get a nice resolution with his Dad…it was just sort of okay all of a sudden. I felt like I needed something more there. Like, did Jackson even learn anything in the end?

Their romance was totally sweet though. I loved the way they moved from crushing to flirting to more…it was a believable transition, and I got a lot of sweet butterflies from it. Obviously I grew frustrated with both of them for wanting to help the other but not wanting to accept help themselves. And I was frustrated with Jackson for not respecting Zoe’s need to do things on her own…and I felt like I wasn’t sure Jackson ever understood why she needed that. So there were ups and downs in their relationship as well, but on the whole I just loved them. I even loved their friendship on Chess Challenge.

I appreciated that Zoe’s family played a role in the story, though I did feel like Zoe’s Mom was a bit of an enabler and might have needed her own help. Mae was pretty cool, and I appreciated that she behaved very much like a teenager, where you could feel her heart and her hurts, but sometimes she reacted a bit over the top. It was believable.

I also appreciated what little we saw of Zoe’s new therapist, Gina. While I did want more there, I enjoyed what we saw.

Another little thing that was a highlight for me was the paper art depicted in the story. What I wouldn’t give to have seen Zoe’s Galaxy.

So yeah. A bit of a mixed bag. Like I said, I really enjoyed myself…I think I just wanted more, but I’m having a hard time describing what that more is. Ah well.

I will admit, this story was a little slow for me. It took me some time to make it through. However, I am glad I did. It is a really beautiful and real story that deals with some difficult topics and I think it is a great read with characters that people will be able to relate to. Definitely an interesting and different read.