While the story of this book is very intense, I love how Sydney also still is an 18-year-old with the regular 18-year-old problems that come with falling in love, making your own decisions while also wanting to trust people like your (grand-)parents etc. This is a great coming of age-story with some very heavy themes.

This is a book that still to this day I remember my experience reading. The plot had me intrigued from the beginning of the book and I couldn't stop reading it. I ended up loving the book and am excited to read what Lizzy Mason does next.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

18 year old Sydney Holman is trying to spread her wings, despite her mother's misgivings. Taking money from her grandparents to go to NYU for college, without her mother's knowledge, Sydney has no idea why her mother is so adamant that she stay away from the city. When living with her mom becomes unbearable, Sydney takes her grandparents up on an offer to spend two weeks with them. There, Sydney finds out the real reason behind her father's absence and her mother's unwillingness to compromise on her daughter's choice of college. She also finds comfort in an unexpected place and has new experiences that may have implications for Sydney's future. In searching for her father, Sydney comes to some realizations about herself and her mother's motivations.

Although the author touches on mental illness and finding yourself, Between the Bliss and Me is mainly a YA romance. The author took some liberties with the search for Sydney's father, as the reality of looking for a someone lost to mental illness is complicated beyond measure. I also find it hard to believe the way that Sydney's family hides the truth from her. Overall, Between the Bliss and Me is a fast read and one that I would recommend to the target audience.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of Between the Bliss and Me, by NetGalley and the publisher, Soho Teen. The decision to read and review this book was entirely my own.

DNF.

I honestly tried with this one, but couldn't get used to the narration. I had a feeling of awkwardness in every interaction, as if the characters talking were incredibly 2D. Also, the thing about wanting someone that's in a relationship isn't really up my alley.

I'ts sad, since the topics this book touches according to the synopsis are necessary.

I guess you aleready know, that I wasn't a huge fan of this book, based on my rating.
I appreatiate, that author chose such a heavy topic as schizophrenia and she tried her best with making it acceptable for younger audience. However it still wasn't enough for me to like this book.

It's hard to like the book, when you don't like the main character and others doesn't help either. The way Sydney acted was immature and some decisions she made was questionable to say the least. She is almost 18 in this book, but was portrade as 14 year old. It was almost uncomfortable to read the parts of the book were she pursued the guy who was in a relationship. And the were so much more I didn't like...
The story itself was rushed and seemed too lighthearted for such a heavy topic. I wanted more explanation, more information about the family members that were involved. Instead we got a lot of teenage tantrums, bickering and instalove.
It took me over 3 months to finally finish this book and I finished it only because I had to write a review.

DNF -did not finish. I decided not to keep reading this novel because I did not connect with the writing and plot. Thank you, netgalley and publisher for the early copy.

Firstly and most importantly, I am not an ownvoices reviewer for the schizophrenia representation. But I can weigh in on the anxiety and depression.

And I must admit, this book was difficult for me to read. Not because it was bad, but because it hit so close to home it was almost unbearable. There’s so much of Sydney’s thought pattern that reminds me of myself and it both hurt and then felt oddly cathartic.

It’s not a perfect book, I didn’t like how the romance subplot was shoehorned in there, and it was jam packed with important topics that it felt like everything could have been developed further if there had been more space.

It’s not an action packed story, it is very much a story of finding your own way and finding yourself. I liked many parts of it, but I’m also not totally won over by it. It was a good read, it kept me engaged and I was very invested in what happenened. I think I’ll be thinking about the book for a while, but it isn’t a a new favourite.

I think the author really wanted to tell an important story, but put too many things in there for them to pay off in the end. It is perhaps part of what makes it feel so real, but it is also part of why I’m not in love with the book. In the end, it was extremely thought provoking, had several important messages about mental health (and statistics and sensationalised news stories and Google holes).

I forgot to download my eARC before it got archived (opps), so this is a review of the published book.

Lizzy Mason attempts to tackle a lot with Between the Bliss and Me, and I was pleasantly surprised by how she managed to pull it all together. I will say that the pacing is a little slower than the synopsis might suggest (the search for her father doesn't happen until the second half of the book.) I actually didn't mind the slower pace, but a warning to those who might be expecting something a little exciting. My only complaint is that the romance felt unnecessary. It didn't add much to the story, and the whole "he has a girlfriend" thing is getting old. Otherwise, a thoughtful and compelling read!

I wanted to love this book. Posed as a hard-hitting, heart hurting, laugh inspiring book, it sounded right up my street. However, I was quickly put off by our main character. The book opens with Sydney telling her mother that she's moving to New York for university instead of staying closer to home, and this causes a deep divide between her and her mother which leads to Syd going and spending some time with her grandparents on her dad's side, where she discovers the truth about why her father is absent and the consequences it has for Syd's life. I'm finding this book hard to summarise because I feel like so much happens and yet kind of nothing happens at all? It's so hard to explain.

Okay so: Syd and mum fall out, Syd sings with her best friend's band (which is another issue I have with this book, but more on that later), Syd goes to the grandparent's house, hot guitar player from best friend's band is in her grandparent's rich country club town with his annoying cousin who hates her for some unknown reason, she falls in love, he has a girlfriend, she finds out her dad has schizophrenia, she might have schizophrenia or develop it in the near future, she befriends some europeans, she is having hallucinations about her absent father, she's angry at mum for not telling her, she goes back home, she sings with the band, she still is in love with the guitar player, she meets his girlfriend, is blackmailed by the cousin, she quits her job, she and the best friend go to New York to find her dad, she finds her dad, there's a therapist who tells her she's depressed, her and guitar player get together in the end anyway, her and the cousin become friends

You see what I mean? A lot happens but not a lot of it felt significant? I feel like this book tried to do so much, rather than being a book about our main character finding herself and the truth about her family and dealing with it, we had all these side plots running alongside the main story of her accepting her potential risk of developing schizophrenia.

This book wasn't bad. I will say that. I think it just wasn't for me.

Firstly, I have recently learned that I HATE YA books that involve music or bands. This is because the main character is always super talented and don't know it and everyone is always so amazed by it. I hate that trope. I find it unbearably cringy. I especially dislike it when the talented person writes their own songs, for some reason, it makes my neck want to retreat into my body even if the lyrics aren't awful, I just find it cringeworthy.

Secondly, this type of YA book just wasn't for me. I found it tedious in a way and a little difficult to get through even though the writing was great and well polished, it just had so much and yet so little happening. It was also kind of cheesy in spots which relates back to the cringe thing. The romance was grating because Grayson was in a relationship and yet they still fell for one another and it took until the end of the book for Grayson and Cynthia to actually break up.

.I loved the MC voice and the general writing style of this book. The writing and pacing made the book really readable and held my interest. This book explores a number of really interesting relationships that aren't always represented of represented well in YA. Specifically, i really loved the exploration of Sydney's relationship with her mom (yes! you read that correctly. This book features a parent who is actually involved in her child's life and isn't completely hand's off or problematic. I love seeing some realistic representation of healthy parent/ child relationships!) and the relationship between Sydney and her mom and her grandparents. Single parent homes are really common IRL but so often in books if there is a single parent home, the other parent's family is non existent. These relationships are obviously more complicated but so important to see depicted. I also love Sydney's relationship with her best friend , Elliot.
This book dealt with some serious topics including mental illness, homelessness, and the way these things can also impact the ones who love them. For the most part, I think these topics were handled pretty well though there were parts that felt less realistic and a little weaker.
I did find the last half/third of the book to be weaker in terms of the writing. Specifically, there were whole pages that just felt like one big info dump. Normally a bit of an info dump towards the beginning of a book where the main purpose is to give you the information you need as quickly as possible so that we can jump right into the actual story doesn't bother me too much. However, In this case these info dumps were very jarring and felt very un-natural. They took me out of the story a bit because it just felt so obviously out of place.
The other thing I found a bit weak were the numerous plot convivences or ex macina type of situations. There is a chunk of a few chapters where the MC wants something and then out of nowhere it just falls in her lap for no clear or specific reason. This happens with a few different things and it just felt very unrealistic and a bit lazy just for the sake of moving the plot along faster. This also made certain things feel weirdly rushed and artificial, which I also felt was an issue at the very end of the book also. This was kind of extra annoying to me because the pacing of the beginning was really good and even had room to be trimmed down in order to allow for the end to properly develop.

I requested this on a whim and boy was I not disappointed! What a thought provoking and emotional read! I loved this book, consumed it in one sitting today whilst the weather was not great outside. We need more books that highlight mental illness and the affects in can have not only on the person struggling with it but the people closest to that person. I love a book about first loves too! I always find them good and this was no different, all in all I loved reading this and recommend it to anyone and everyone! This book will hurt you in the feels but it's worth it, I promise! Thank you to the publisher for letting me have early access to it and I am sorry it took me so long to get to! I really wish I would have read it sooner!

Between the Bliss and Me is an ambitious young adult contemporary novel that tackles heavy subject matter while maintaining the conventions of its age range. It makes topics like mental health, substance abuse and schizophrenia accessible for a younger audience, something I think is incredibly important. My main issue was simply that I didn't connect with the characters, romance or plot- which is an entirely subjective thing.

Let my make one thing clear, it was by no means bad. The writing was polished and I didn't have major issues with the structure or setup. I think it is more a personal problem of my recent pickiness when it comes to YA contemporaries. Unless I feel an intense personal or emotional connection with the book and its characters- I cannot bring myself to care.

While I found the discussion of schizophrenia to be interesting and important, it didn't single handedly make me love the book. If I wanted solely to be informed about issues, I would read a non-fiction book on the topic or listen to a podcast. The reason I love fiction is because it allows me to live thousands of different lives and experience different perspectives. Unfortunately, the actual story of Between the Bliss and Me wasn't interesting to me.

I also really wasn't a fan of the romance. The love interest was already in a relationship when our main character started falling for them, which always makes me a bit icky. Putting that aside, I found it just simply didn't add much to the story and didn't have much chemistry- but again, a totally personal preference.

★★☆☆☆.5 stars

Thank you to Soho Press for this ARC

Release Date: 7 April 2021

Between The Bliss And Me is a bittersweet story following our 18 year old MC Sydney as she leaves for college. After receiving financial help from her grandparents, Sydney decides to change her plans (against the wishes of her mother) and go to NYU. She soon learns some hard truths about her father and what that means for her and her future.

The book deals with some pretty heavy themes including mental health issues (specifically schizophrenia), addiction, homelessness and family.

While I liked the story and enjoyed the authors writing style, I have to admit I didn’t always like Sydney very much, which made it harder to really love the book. The pacing was spot on, it made for a fast, easy read, in fact I read it in one sitting. Overall I would definitely recommend.

Also, let’s all just take a moment to appreciate that beautiful cover!

3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Mixed feelings here. It's a complex issue, to be certain. We have the desire to see a loved one get help at war with our granted right to freedom. When does the need for safety override the freedom to refuse treatment? Mason takes us through that full debate without ever drawing a clear conclusion. The point is not in finding answers but in being open to talking about it without shame. While there are no clear answers about these topics, I do wish Mason had drawn some clear conclusions on something - financial privilege ore parental expectation and responsibility. Something.

Apparently I've been drawn to YA as of late and this book, by Lizzy Mason, did not disappoint! A keen and empathetic perspective of mental illness from an 18 year old about to spread her wings and head off to college, but for learning that her long lost father isn't so lost and has struggled with schizophrenia for a number of years. Coming to grips with some hard truths, and hidden facts, within her own family, Sydney has a lot to process and then Mason throws in a love interest to boot. (I, too, am on the fence as to whether that plot twist was necessary or beneficial to the overall book).

On balance, a very well thought out novel exploring mental illness and how it affects not just the patient but the family and how the ripples can affect the family for years to come afterwards. Mason did a great job with presenting her research on schizophrenia in a way that makes its impact on the family very approachable and relatable.

Bravo!

Between the Bliss and Me
Author: Lizzy Mason
Genre: YA Contemporary
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ / 5
Reviewed: Maya

[Trigger Warning: drug addiction, alcoholism, verbal abuse, parent with mental illness (schizophrenia), homelessness]

This was a really interesting book which explored mental illness, and in particular schizophrenia. Mason was able to write Sydney’s journey in an extremely realistic, honest and thoughtful way, which helped to build the characters and storyline. The pacing was done very well, which meant that I always wanted to keep reading to find out what happens next, however the book never actually made me feel overly emotional (keep in mind that I am not a very emotional reader anyway). Sydney, as a character, was written well however I personally didn’t like her, which did ultimately affect my overall enjoyment of the book. There were some parts within the book, such as Sydney’s friendship with her grandparent’s hired help or the romantic subplot, which didn’t feel as authentic or realistic as the rest of the book, rather it just needed for the storyline. The discussions of mental illness was by far the most well-done part of the book - Sydney, and the readers, are able to learn more about trying to help a loved one with mental illness, specifically with their rights, the ethics of forced medication and the rates of incarceration of mentally ill people. Overall, I would recommend this book as it explores numerous important points.

Huge thanks to Netgalley, Soho Press and of course Lizzy Mason for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is set for the 6th of April, 2021.

Okay, this was not an easy book to read. It centers around mental health and mental illnesses. So, I want to start by saying that because I think this was a really good story but it’s not going to be for anyone. Also, thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Sydney just turned eighteen. She’s getting ready to go off to college, except she’s not going to the college that her mom thinks she’s going to. Sydney, with the help of her grandparents, has decided that she wants to go to NYU. This is not what Sydney and her mom discussed and agreed to. Sydney’s mom has always been over protective. And she learns why when she visits her grandparents beach house. She learns that her mom has been keeping information about her father from her. Her father has schizophrenia. She also learns that there is a chance she could develop symptoms over the next few years. While all of this is going on, she meets a boy, Grayson. She has a crush on him and ends up seeing him while she’s staying with her grandparents. The only problem with her crush on Grayson? He has a girlfriend. He also has a really bitchy cousin.
So, I really liked Sydney. She’s anxious all the time, but she doesn’t let her anxiety stop her. She stands up for herself. She has all these doubts about herself, but they don’t really show on the outside. I really liked how Sydney was portrayed and how her emotions and reactions were shown. I don’t have personal experience with schizophrenia so I can’t speak to the accuracy of the representation, but it seemed it be handled thoughtfully from my outside perspective. I thought it was interesting the way that Mason managed to show how everyone reacts differently to mental illness. We see Sydney’s grandparents come to a slow realization that there’s nothing they can do for their son, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t try to help him in any way they can again and again. We see Sydney’s mom listen to her husband when he asks her to let him go. There’s also some really good conversation about the lack of support available for people with mental illnesses, about the unfairness of the courts and prison systems when it comes to caring for people with mental illnesses. I think these topics were well done.
Now, the romance with Grayson was the one thing in this story that I didn’t really care for. I think everything that was done could have been left the same, minus Grayson as a romantic interest. I think it could have been a completely platonic relationship and the story would still have had the same effect. I don’t think this needed to be romantic in anyway. I think it would have been an even better story had it just been Sydney’s story about learning to accept herself.
Overall, I think this was a really hard hitting and emotional portrayal about what it’s like to have a family member with a mental illness and feeling helpless to help them. I especially liked Sydney’s friends. Eliot is the light of my life and I loved every moment that he was on the page. I also really loved Magda. Magda reminded me of quite a few of my friends from my hometown, which is a beachy town like the one in parts of this book. So, we also get people from other countries that come over on a student visa and work for the summer. I always loved working with them. They, much like Magda were always so interesting and fun to be around. They also always threw the best parties. I think this will be a book that some will really love and others will not. So, take this review with a grain of salt and read it if the topic is one that you can handle.

I love Lizzy's writing and this book was a wonderful sophomore novel.

The rollercoaster that the main character Sydney went on, had to be difficult. At one moment she's accepted to her dream school of NYU and the next she learns that her father is mentally ill and homeless. The way Lizzy wrote about mental illness was touching, raw, and emotional. I appreciate how she writes/deals with these "taboo" subjects with such finesse. I think the weaving in of friendships and romance was well done. I also enjoyed "watching" Sydney figure herself out.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our library collection on preorder and will recommend it to students.