The Edge of Anything by Nora Shalaway Carpenter is a coming-of-age story about friendship, navigating with struggles, love, and self-acceptance. This book follows two characters Charlie and Nate. Charlie recently lost her mother and having to deal with her family and Nate who plays basketball is struggling with his sexuality. Both Charlie and Nate build a beautiful friendship while dealing with the struggles. I really enjoyed seeing how these characters aren't perfect and deals with real life issues like grief and identity. I enjoyed the writing and felt that pace was great.

A powerful young adult novel that explores mental health and female friendship. I really enjoyed this read!

This contemporary novel felt lacking in both personality and interesting storytelling. Written in a style for the younger end of the young adult audience, this may be an okay book for readers new to the genre. But nothing that will standout against other books of a similar nature.

That was such an emotional read. I was very excited about the mental health representation, and I was not let down. Just wow.

I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

Heart wrenching

This couldn’t be more beautifully told. Although, at the beginning, I was extremely sceptical. I’m not really a volleyball fan, so whilst I appreciated the detail in the story of all the gameplay, it was a bit lost on me. Yet, as the story gathered momentum, the story behind everything grips and doesn’t let go.

Sage, the superstar volleyball player, considered aloof to any outsider. Yet we soon find out that Sage isn’t all she appears to be. When Sage passes out during a match, it’s discovered that she has a heart condition which disqualifies her from playing. For life.

Len, short for Lennon, named after, well, her father is a huge Beatles fan, so should be obvious. She was once an amazing student, set for great heights in photography, yet everyone at school, including her teachers, have noticed she’s changed. The students typically laugh at her for being the weirdo, the odd one out, which just isolates her even more.

Sage is surprisingly sympathetic of Len, even before her diagnosis, yet she doesn’t understand at all. Once Sage receives her diagnosis, Len is the first one to notice that Sage is carrying a heavy burden of sadness. Len is also the only one to not judge, to not push her to be happy. Somehow, through these encounters, each seeks the other out, and develop a tenuous friendship, that may indeed save both of their lives.

As the story develops, all the signs are there of Len’s OCD, yet Sage is the first to truly notice and take an interest in it. Len, of course, in all her confusion, believes it to be something entirely different. The quirks of the condition are handled so well, the panic attacks, the obsessive behaviour. If you understand any of this in any way at all, then you can appreciate fully what Len is going through and how sympathetically it is written.

It's near the ending when everything breaks lose, when Sage is on the verge of collapse after pushing herself too far, and Len comes to save her. Then Sage helps Len to finally confront what happened that changed everything. My Gods, I truly blubbed when Len was reunited with her sister.

This is a story of friendship beyond the lines, how two seemingly different teenagers meet and form a friendship from the ashes of disaster and devastation. By the time I got to the end, I appreciated, loved, and had a respect for it all.

Final rating: ★★★★★ – Loved it/couldn't put it down

*I received a free digital ARC via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

It is hard to come across a book like this. At least, it has been for me. The biggest highlight of its ‘difference’ is that the children act their age, and there are no romantic entanglements in this. It is purely a book about friendship, and despite its meagre beginnings, the power it can hold to bring forward positive change.


Our lead protagonists are at the tail end of their schooling. They will need to move on to higher education and all the complications that that entails. Sage is a star athlete and a lynchpin of her volleyball team, her situation unravels over time, whereas with the other character, Len – the issue was quite obvious. The root of Len’s problem is only explained to us in bits and pieces but is still hard to digest. It is a highly emotional read on all counts. The angst is the perfectly acceptable/expected reaction if not the sensible one.
There are no absolute happily ever afters provided, just possibilities of change in the horizon.


It is a short and engaging book, it kept me hooked enough to read it in one sitting. The children act their age, they are mature in a few scenes, where they gather their courage to help another and immature in others from which they sometimes learn and grow. It was a delightful book to read from cover to cover in the morning. Fair warning though, I shed copious tears with it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Many parents place pressure on teens to accomplish milestones. They must go to a good college, get a good job, make money, etc... They must be strong, be resilient, keep going. But what happens when they can't? What happens when their whole future collapses and they have to completely start over? Or a tragedy overtakes their mind?

This book is for all the kids who struggle with their mental health and who are afraid to say anything. I loved the energy behind the writing, how it was smooth and quick, helping to propel the friendship between Saige and Len. The friendship was realistic, not without its struggles. Mental illness was part of the friendship, but it was not the centerpiece. Instead, the kids guide and help each other, and learned to get help for themselves in the process.
I liked how the book was friendship-centered and how the author didn't introduce romantic partners to "fix" the kids' struggles. This book was honest and realistic about mental health, showing that it is not quickly fixable, and introducing the element of therapy toward the end.

*Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for a review!*

I feel like I should have liked this book better than I did. I don't like the carelessness with which sage treats her own life, the ways she manipulates everyone to get what she wants. I don't like how Len is entirely unseen by the people who are supposed to care about her. She's obviously falling apart but no one intervenes. I didn't like that a number of the characters are entirely without depth, representing a type or a cliche and nothing more. And they don't change. Most everyone is static. I found most of the elements frustrating.

I highly recommend this book! It’s such a wonderful read with so much depth. The character development and atmosphere of it is amazing. My only complaint is that some of the writing felt weird at times and some scenes seemed a little outlandish. Nonetheless, I enjoy it!

After a tragic incident, Len knows something's gone wrong with her. But she can't let anyone know, especially her parents. They barely make ends meet and she doesn't want to add to their current emotional baggage. Sage knows exactly what she wants -- to be a pro volleyball player. But after learning about her rare heart condition, she loses touch with family and friends. Sage meets Len and she is curious all of a sudden. She knows Len is being weird for a reason and wants to help her. The courage to push through brings them together and an unforgettable friendship starts.

This is not your typical YA read. It does a wonderful job of educating people and erasing the stigma on mental health and homosexuality. It's heavy from the very beginning and lightens a bit toward the end. Carpenter does a good job in creating Len and Sage; they are opposites but similar. The story alternates their points of view and it's amazing how Sage's fast-paced narrative complements Len's slow revelation. Touching hearts in many ways, this book teaches one of the most basic rules in human nature: always think about what you say and do, because they affect others more than you'll ever know. It also shows how acceptance does not always heal, but it sure helps in dealing with the pain. Trigger warnings include bullying, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dementia, OCD, panic attacks, and miscarriages.

Thanks to NetGalley and Running Press for giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review.⁣⁣

My thoughts:
• In Nora Shalaway's debut novel, The Edge Of Anything, two teenagers - Len and Sage, battle with the world and themselves when they face devastating events in their lives.
I started reading this book on a day I was feeling really low ~ with the hope that by the end, I'll feel better. AND BAM! BOY DID I FEEL BETTER. The book surpassed all of my expectations! It was a beautiful story about courage and the power of friendship.
• The author did an amazing job of showing the struggles that teenagers face in order to meet the demands of the people around them - their parents, teachers and friends. The young generation is constantly under the pressure of being perfect, so that they can build a satisfying future for the rest of their lives. We see Len and Sage being tangled in that same chain of life and how their mental health gets affected along the way.
• I loved how Len and Sage supported each other selflessly. They leaned on each other to heal their broken pieces. Sometimes strangers can break open our shells of sadness rather than those who have known us for our entire lives, and Len and Sage's friendship portrayed this aspect perfectly. From now onwards, if anyone asks me about friendship stories, I'll definitely recommend The Edge of Anything to them!
• The mental health representation in this book was spot on. Teenagers often face many challenges mentally in order to adapt to different situations, without understanding that they might even need help. The storyline reflected this case so thoughtfully. The way Len and Sage dealth with each other's needs and navigated the other to proper mental health was my favorite part of the book.
• The book was filled with many life lessons. It taught me that there is always light at the end of the tunnel, and sometimes the tunnel might be really long for us to see the light in a short time. So, we need to be patient and find the courage to fight the uncertainities that life throws at us at all angles.
Overall, The Edge of Anything was a really wonderful read! I can't recommend this book enough. 💙

I love a YA novel that doesn’t centre itself around romance. Just on friendship and dynamics as well as trauma and health.
This novel was a huge page turner and I was invested in the story on every page!
I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone and everyone!!

The Edge of Anything follows the unlikely friendship between Sage Zendasky, the star volleyball player undergoing a life-shattering revelation, and Len Madder, the social outcast grappling with issues she can’t quite understand. Both of the characters feel completely realised, owing to Nora Shalaway Carpenter drawing from her own experiences with mental health, and her dedicated research into the medical condition Sage faces. 

Taking the forefront of the novel are conversations about mental health, specifically about OCD. Often when you read stories featuring mental health issues it can feel like they’re shoe-horned in without any research or personal experience. With this book, both feel clear. Carpenter doesn’t shy away from pulling back the curtain to really emphasise the affect that OCD can have on not only those suffering, but on those close to them.

On a more technical side, the novel itself is written and structured wonderfully. Conversations about mental health could have overshadowed The Edge of Anything as a story, but Carpenter has beautifully balanced those conversations with an engaging tale which is about more than just the issues faced by the characters. 

Authentically woven throughout the novel we see themes of friendship, coping with grief and moving forward from life-changing tragedies.

From Sage’s desperation to hold onto the only future she’s ever planned for herself, to Len’s eagerness to earn a photography scholarship, the fact that these are two teens making their way through a difficult time in their lives is never lost in the shuffle.

In the growing push for books prominently featuring conversations about mental health over the past few years, we’ve seen novels such as Louise Gornall’s Under Rose-Tainted Skies, John Corey Whaley’s Highly Illogical Behaviour, and John Green’s Turtles All The Way Down. I’m quite confident in saying that The Edge of Anything joins the lineage of those books. It more than does its part to open up new discussions to be had, and to help move towards ending the stigma of mental health issues. 

The Edge of Anything is a very strong YA debut, and I personally can’t wait to see what Nora Shalaway Carpenter has to offer next.

There are books written for pleasure from which you'll learn something and there are books written especially to teach something and you'll learn it with pleasure. The Edge of Anything is a book of the second category.

The blurb gives you an idea about the subject and its gravity. Yet, all its seriousness is delivered in an artistic manner which both stresses the impact on the readers and offers them a very agreeable reading experience.

The two main characters don't only have to deal themselves with serious issues but also with the reaction of those around them. Looking for valid and satisfying solutions is hard when one is alone against the world. Because isn't it, teenagers tend to think in harsh white and black? The importance of family & friends and trust & confidence is vital and the author succeeds to communicate this to the world.

With no exaggerations, no empty declarations, no "dead" moments but with grace, a nice wording in "teenagers' language", The Edge of Anything is a book that should be read by all teens irrespectively of who they are and also by their parents. After all, the parents must understand and protect their sons and daughters.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I received an e-arc from netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Edge of Anything

Author: Nora Shalaway Carpenter

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: OCD rep! Own voice!

Publication Date: March 24, 2020

Genre: YA Contemporary

Recommended Age: 15+ (mental health, depression)

Publisher: Running Press Kids

Pages: 368

Amazon Link

Synopsis: Len is a loner teen photographer haunted by a past that’s stagnated her work and left her terrified she’s losing her mind. Sage is a high school volleyball star desperate to find a way around her sudden medical disqualification. Both girls need college scholarships. After a chance encounter, the two develop an unlikely friendship that enables them to begin facing their inner demons.

But both Len and Sage are keeping secrets that, left hidden, could cost them everything, maybe even their lives.

Set in the North Carolina mountains, this dynamic #ownvoices novel explores grief, mental health, and the transformative power of friendship.

Review: I really loved this one! It was poignant and heartbreaking all in the same. The book did well with the dual POVs and the character development was amazing. The world building was also done well and I applaud the author for making realistic characters, with flaws and all. Also, hats off to the amazing OCD rep!

The only issue I had with the book is that there were some overdramatic scenes and writing that I felt was a bit out of character. Other than that, this was a great book!

Verdict: A must read!

This book will take you by surprise by it's warmth. It's emotional and will wrap it's way around your heart. I love discovering debut author's and I am super excited to see what she writes next. Prepare to loose time as this book envelops you from the very beginning. Happy reading!

HAPPY PUB DAY!!! This book was such perfection! The representation of teens, mental illness and athletic dedication was spot on. I am the mother of a 14 year who plays sports, lives with anxiety and struggles with the social aspect of school. I think this title should be one for many to read. I believe it would resonate with so many.

In Nora Shalaway Carpenter's debut book, The Edge of Anything, she introduces us to two teenage girls struggling with difficult life experiences. The two girls seem to be polar opposites - Sage is a popular volleyball player, hoping to get a full ride to a Division 1 school to continue her sport. Len is a shrinking violet, barely noticeable, but she has secrets. So does Sage.

After passing out at a volleyball match, Sage's doctor is concerned by something that turns up in an EKG and sends her to a cardiologist. There, to her utter devastation, Sage learns she has a potentially deadly heart condition and she will not have medical clearance to ever play competitive sports again.

Len is hiding the fact that she believes she has childhood dementia, as she feels she is displaying similar symptoms to her beloved Nonni, who no longer recognizes them.

Their worlds intersect and slowly, a friendship builds between the two. But the secrets that each girl keeps eventually blow open and test the strength of the newfound friendship.

I absolutely ADORED this book. It was riveting, the characters were so well developed, and I actually loved reading a YA novel without even a glimmer of romance. This is a book about friendships, facing adversity, and growing your strength. HIGHLY recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and Perseus for the advance Kindle copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this alternating point of view story, which releases on 3.24.20. Sage is a volleyball star on the brink of making her Division 1 college commitment. Len is an outcast who blends into the background, trying her best to hide what she thinks is childhood dementia but may be something else. When Sage receives devastating news about her health and future in volleyball, her path converges with Len’s. The two form an unlikely friendship that may end up being what heals both of their souls. Mental healthy heavy and timely, I can see this one finding readers in grades 6+.