Fix presents as a story of a young woman recovering from what sounds like the most painful surgical procedure ever invented, becoming dependent on painkillers to function, and trying to navigate the demise of her best friendship. Some parts worked for me, and some parts did not, so we'll talk about all of that!

What I Liked:

►It's impossible not to root for Eve. This girl has been through it. The description of her pain alone had me near tears, because wow. Obviously I know Eve is fictional, but the thought of any human being having to go through that kind of pain is just... heartbreaking. Plus, it wasn't like life before the surgery had been easy peasy. From what Eve tells us, people have been downright cruel when it comes to her scoliosis.

►Fabulous that it followed characters with some pretty serious medical conditions. Not only did Eve have scoliosis, but it's clear that it was a very severe case that was impacting her life. Lidia was without one of her hands, and it was also really affecting her. I like how the author covered both the physical and emotional manifestation of both girls' situations.

►The tone/feeling of the book was spot on. I absolutely was able to feel Eve's pain, her desperation, and later, her dependence on pills. The author did a great job of making the reader feel as Eve fell deeper and deeper into a really confused and isolated state. It was really impressive, frankly.

What I Didn't:

►It felt a bit... all over the place? And I suppose some of that may have been because Eve was all over the place, but there was just a lot going on without a lot of it being resolved, I guess. I can't elaborate too much about these, because I don't want to go into spoiler territory, but there were a lot of side stories. There was the ex-best friend debacle, a boy who was maybe a love interest, problems with Eve's relationship with her mom, some thing where she thought she was annihilating Minnesota every time she took a pill, etc. And I just didn't feel that it tied them together enough, is what I am trying to say.

►Idk if I was supposed to want Lidia and Eve to be friends again but wow I did not. True story, (view spoiler) These two... well they weren't great to each other. Not before, and really not after.

Bottom Line: Fix is emotional and emotive, with a lot of important and relevant topics, but fell a bit short in wrapping them all up.

I'm gonna be completely honest- I did not understand 80% of this book. The synopsis made it sound like the story of a rekindled friendship and someone recovering from drug addiction. But there was no ending. It just stopped. Not only was the plot not wrapped up, but I can't tell if the ending was the ending because I can't tell the hallucinations/dreams apart from the real events

Thank you @netgalley & @hbgcanada for the gifted ecopy in exchange for an honest review.

Fix is a very unique book. It’s a combination of prose and narrative and I have to say I’ve never read anything quite like it.

Fix tells the story of Eve, post spinal surgery for severe scoliosis. It encompasses friendships, familial relationships and opioid addiction.

I’m honestly not quite sure what to think about the book. It opened a lot of doors and introduced different topics and characters that normally would captivate me as a reader. But I found the ending really abrupt and that we never truly dived into the topics or characters. . I was shocked when I turned the digital page and the book was finished because I really felt like the story had just started.

Really unique concept, great prose, but ultimately it left me feeling unfinished. I really look forward to other readers thoughts on this book.

2.5

The Quick Cut: A teen girl struggles with post surgery life without her best friend. Emotions get messy when she starts looking to the past after spending more time with a neighbor.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Little, Brown Books for providing the ARC for an honest review.

Sometimes the best friends you can have are those who can relate to what you're going through. It doesn't require you to have the same set of circumstances. The only necessity is going through similar experiences so that you can empathize with one another. For Eve, she used to have that in Lidia.

Eve struggles with her back condition called scoliosis. It means that her spine has a curvature, which can cause pain and difficulty standing straight. Having her best friend Lidia helped her feel understood since she also struggled with her physical condition having lost a hand. These two used to be the closest of friends, spending their time together working at a local restaurant in costumes. Except now Lidia is gone and Eve is left to cope along with a bottle of painkillers and a neighbor. What went wrong? Can she ever get her best friend back?

This book's summary describes it as a mystery, but it didn't read that way. Yes, the author holds back the reason why the two friends aren't talking until near the end. I hardly think that classifies this as a mystery. A better description would be that the book is about the falling out of two friends. The mix of standard writing and verse written prose did make reading a bit more interesting though.

I can relate to what Eve is going through at a certain level. I had issues with scoliosis when I was younger (which disappeared after a growth spurt straightened out my spine). Back pain is one of those conditions that can be the most devastating because there is no good way to cope with it. If you have chronic back issues, you can feel that no matter what position you're in. That means it's easy to get addicted to painkillers and once that happens, life tends to get more complicated.

Although what Eve goes through can be painful, she's also an extremely selfish person. It's not entirely clear why she feels so strongly about Lidia as she does, but her justification in her actions made me roll my eyes. I don't want to spoil the storyline, but what I will say is that Eve needs to learn how to respect her friend's feelings. If I were Lidia, I would have walked away from her as a friend too.

A blend of writing styles that works well, but the character's reasoning for their actions don't.

My rating: 3 out of 5

This raw story of Lydia and Eve is unfolded in a mixture of, prose and verse. The friends experience disability, pain, belonging, loss, addiction, and friendship.

Life used to be good for Eve and Lidia back when they could hide their physical differences inside goofy Burger Hut costumes. Back in the times when they could still laugh. They had been friends since kindergarten, both born with a structural difference; Lydia was born with only one hand and Eve with severe scoliosis. Now their friendship has been ripped apart.

That was then, everything is different now. Eve has been cut open, her insides rearranged, and stapled shut, She is left alone to recover in a world of pain and a body she no longer recognizes. Her new best friend is a bottle of Roxanol. Then there is the cute neighbor, Eve strikes up a relationship with, and makes a pact with the devil.

Fix is a riveting look into the mind of a teen struggling to find herself and move forward with her life in a mix of opioids, regret, grief, and hope.

CW: Opioid addiction

WOW..! This book was amazing in all the right places. You follow a teen girl, Eve, through her spiraling journey after spine surgery from the long-term effects of scoliosis. Along the way we are taken down a hauntingly gripping road of nightmares, flashbacks, and drug induced chats and episodes. Not just that, but Mann shows the results of what a long-time friendship breakdown can put a person’s mind through.

This book kept me hooked from the moment it started, to the moment it ended. With the ending really setting up for a sequel, though I am not sure it was meant to. While I usually love cliff hangers, this one destroyed me. I finished the book a couple days ago and I am STILL trying to get over the constant drowning effect of what could happen. The book was beautifully written with bouncing from verse writing to first person monologue style, as well as from present to past. It made me feel as though I was racing through it.

Ok, this was very odd. This is supposed to be filled with suspense and faulty memory and all that thriller type stuff. I didn't find that to be the case, instead it's clear that Lidia is dealing with an addition to painkillers and the mess that's making of her life and memory. Less an unreliable narrator, more a messed up teen. And not likeable, even when she wasn't on drugs.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

As a result of my various committee appointments and commitments I am unable to disclose my personal thoughts on this title at this time. Please see my star rating for a general overview of how I felt about this title. Additionally, you may check my GoodReads for additional information on what thoughts I’m able to share publicly. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this and any other titles you are in charge of.

This book is a perfect example of an unrelatable narrator done well. Instead of being unpleasantly confused by not understanding what exactly was happening, I was more and more drawn into, becoming desperate to decipher the protagonist's reality. In an attempt not to spoil the ending, I will only say that I spent a solid 30 seconds frantically going back and forth between the pages hoping to find more text that wasn't there.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Fix - J Albert Mann

Thank you @netgalley & @hbgcanada for the gifted copy in exchange of an honest review!

Flipping back and forth between haunting prose and narrative, Fix follows the story of Eve, post spinal surgery for severe scoliosis. Mann also eloquently navigated the depths of emotionally charged friendships. Fix also explores the slippery slope that is opioid addiction.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story from start to finish, however, while I usually enjoy stories with slightly unresolved endings that let you draw your own conclusions, I feel like MULTIPLE doors were opened and absolutely nothing was resolved, knocking it down a few stars for me (this might change if there ends up being a sequel that just hasn’t been announced? But the ending definitely just felt like we’d been pushed from the top of a mountain with no warning.

Overall a very thought provoking, and extremely emotional read.

Fix tells the story of Eve, a girl who is recovering from spinal surgery she had to help straighten her spine to help her cope with scoliosis. Despite her always feeling different from others due to her physical condition, she never felt alone because she always had her best friend, Lydia, by her side. Lydia never treated Eve differently, because Eve also was a bit different due to only having one hand.
After the surgery, however, Eve becomes increasingly reliant on painkillers she very affectionately calls "Roxy." At first, no one notices. Her mother, Lydia, and her "School Within a School" buddy Thomas all just see a girl in pain who is trying to recover from a major surgery.

Things start to get a bit out of hand, all too quickly. One pill is not enough, she starts taking more in shorter intervals, and people begin to notice changes in Eve. Eve begins to notice herself changing too, but she very easily rationalizes her behaviors. When no one steps in, things continue to snowball and her relationships with her friends and family become threatened.

Will addiction ruin everything? Is there anything or anyone that can save Eve from this self-destructive behavior?

This book was really not my thing. Verse books are just not for me as I find them extremely boring.

This is on me, I should have informed myself better,

This might be perfect for some people, but not for me.