Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an advance egalley of ROXY.

I recognize the sensitive nature of the subject matter explored in this book and respect the numerous personal perspectives regarding its treatment. My thoughts here are entirely my own and reflect only my personal thoughts and responses upon listening to the audiobook and its impact on me. I sincerely recommend attending to the content warnings included by the authors before reading.

I found the premise of this book incredibly insightful and entirely unsettling. Casting drugs as Gods? My inner classic lit nerd screamed brilliance and immediately connected this concept with Homer’s portrayal of the ancient Greek Gods in The Iliad—immensely powerful and immortal beings who essentially behave like spoiled children and treat humans as expendable while using us as pawns in their family squabbles.

That said, the Shustermans’ treatment of both Roxy (OxyContin) and Addison (Adderal) and their human targets, Isaac and Ivy, is intricately layered and distinctly nuanced. They explore the dual nature of these drugs—both as effective, prescribed medications with beneficial purposes; and addictive opioids with destructive potential when abused. There is a clear discussion of agency and the question of individual choice or determination when initially faced with temptation. Then follows the murky slide into addiction: when do individual actions become less outright choice and more a response or reaction to perceived needs? What is dependency? Mental? Emotional? Physical? All of the above? How does addiction impact our self-perception? Our relationships?

This book contains numerous questions and demands thoughtful discussion on issues society too often stigmatizes and ignores. Again, I recognize how deeply sensitive and intensely personal a topic ROXY explores—but I found that exploration worthwhile and important, rather than judgemental or opinionated; provoking thoughtful reflection, increased awareness, and a desire to learn and understand even more.

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I absolutely loved this book! I found it hard to put down. I highly recommend reading it! You won’t be disappointed.

A book about youth addiction. Sign me up. A book with a truly unique take on characters and characterization. Again, sign me up. With my work in mental health and addictions, this book piqued my interest on many levels. And yet I am conflicted.

The book opens with the death of Ramey, I, but which sibling does this refer to, Ivy or Isaac? Isaac, the top-performing athlete and student. Ivy, the older sister, struggling with untreated ADHD and sliding down some slippery slopes in her efforts to cope. And in an overarching story, the authors have brought the drugs to life, with detailed character traits, independent agendas, and underhanded plots to attract their "victims". The story plays out like a version of the Greek gods looking down from Mount Olympus and playing with their mortals like pawns in a fierce game of chess.

I appreciated the look into Ivy and Isaac's characters, how they came to rely on drugs, the struggles they faced, and their efforts to overcome their deepening addictions. Portraying the drugs as characters gave credence to the power that these substances can have, and gave a feel for how addictions can occur so quickly. I couldn't stop reading once I started. But...

I worry about the stigmatizing effect of this book for many youth who use many of these prescription drugs responsibly and with great effect, helping them overcome many mental health concerns. An increased focus on the benefits of these drugs, or an author's note about the role these drugs fill in current society, would go a long way (keeping in mind this was read as an eARC, and I'm not sure if there is further information or resources added into the final copy). And a minor comment... the book could have benefited from a character list, that would have matched the drug characters with the actual drugs that are being referenced, to help those readers not familiar with the drugs.

I will recommend this book, with caution, to the right reader, and acknowledge that I liked it overall. 3.75 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was good. This author duo did an amazing job. I was hooked from the start up until the end.

Although the book felt too heavy handed sometimes, teaching the drugs are bad, and the plot wasn't super exciting, I loved the POVs of the drugs. Those were super well written and intriguing, they had a lot of personality! Overall it was a unique experience in a not unique story.

This was a tough read for me. I understand the opioid crisis and drug addiction in general very well. I have seen friends taken by this and now older family members who just ran out of choices. This begins with the death of an Ramey, I... alluding to either of the brother sister duo Isaac and Ivy Ramey. Both seem to be down on their luck and it just spiraled downward from there. With the main drugs being Oxy and Adderall. There are so many triggers in this book I don't even know where to start. Drug addiction, depression... everything that comes along with that and also effects the family as a whole. I recommend this for anyone who doesn't have a complete understanding of the dangers of drugs... and if you do: Triggers!!! Overall it's a great way to speak on this issue but I did have a very difficult time pushing through.

I expected more of this book especially as I have enjoyed many of Neal Shusterman’s novels. Instead I felt bored many times while reading this story. Why? The story was predictable - the ruin of a teenager’s life to drug addiction. In addition, the prologue told the end of the story instead of suggesting it. I did like, however, the personification of the various drugs that are available in the present and past society. For me, the description of these opioids with human attributes gave the novel a little unique flavour and did encourage me to finish the book.

Do note that this novel is one that may be a trigger for some readers as it deals with drug addiction and drug overdose. The novel may also be one that can lead to discussion on drug addiction.

I honestly don’t even know how to review this book. It was suuuuuper intense. I knew it would be a tough read but damn I didn’t expect that. I think people who suffer from, know people who suffer from, or have overcome addiction might find this too hard to read so BIG trigger warning to them.

This book is really eye opening about addiction and the things people do while using.

I am Rating ROXY as 4 out of 5 Stars ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

The target readership of ROXY is young adults. Since I am older than that, I was not able to fully immerse myself in the story.

This novel highlights many of the issues teenagers face in today's society, and does so in a unique way that is sure to have potential readers eager to continue to read ... right to the final page.

While this book does address the topic of addiction, it does so with humor and wit.

This book was incredibly unique. As with many thrillers, its difficult to summarize without giving away any large plot pieces. Very briefly, this book starts at the end with an overdosed teen, who could be either Isaac or Ivy, it then jumps back two months and follows these siblings to see how we get to the beginning. The drugs are real characters, we see their perspective, and understand their motives in getting people to use them.

This was an incredibly interesting take on opioid use and the way that peoples lives can be forever changed when drugs are involved. It was totally fascinating, and I could not stop turning pages.

I did have to take some breaks to look up some of the drugs nicknames and to understand the references made to them, and can see that being a bit difficult for some readers.

I do not have any of first hand exposure with drugs, so did not have trouble with the content, but I can see it being hard for some readers to get through. There are some really big hard topics covered in Roxy that readers should know about before diving in: overdose, addiction, drugs.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Roxy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a huge Neal Shusterman fan (as in, I consider him one of my favourite authors and everyone in my life had to know the second I was approved for this) but while I get what the writing duo is trying to do here, I'm not sure it quite hits its mark.

I was originally going to brush this off as just being a book I was too dumb to understand but in hindsight, I think that's definitely part of the problem. Roxy personifies drugs and addictions with their street names, but none of them are modern street names and while I get this book doesn't take place modernly, I'm not quite sure who it's aimed at if not an attempt to caution modern teenagers about the danger of addiction. I spent a lot of this reading through descriptions of the effects of drugs trying to figure out what was being referenced and it took away virtually all investment in literally anything going on here.

So... yeah. Maybe this is a masterpiece and I'm just dumb (I am dumb, it's the masterpiece thing that's up to debate), but I don't think this works as well as the authors wanted it to.

About a year or two ago, I read “Dry” by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman and I really enjoyed it, so to say that I was excited to learn that they were releasing a new book would be something of an understatement, and I was both thrilled and deeply honoured to receive an e-ARC copy of the book from Simon & Schuster Canada, through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

“Roxy” follows two siblings, named Isaac and Ivy Ramey. Isaac is a talented soccer player, a considerate son, and a loyal friend. Ivy is his opposite. She’s a talented artist but rebellious, with failing grades, bad friends and a deadbeat boyfriend to match. However, though the circumstances differ, both of them find themselves embroiled in the opioid epidemic, with devastating consequences.

This book blew me away. I had quite enjoyed Neal and Jarrod’s last novel together, but they truly outdid themselves with this one. From the very first chapter, this book was unlike anything I had ever read before, and I mean that in the BEST possible way. It was so wildly imaginative while also being a searing, important and absolutely devastating look at an epidemic that affects far too many people.

Isaac and Ivy were fully three-dimensional characters and it was easy to connect with them, and it made their story all the more gut-wrenching to read. And it truly is an unforgettable story too. By the end of the book, I was just barely holding back the tears.

And like I said earlier, the book was so wildly imaginative. The way that Neal and Jarrod gave the opioid epidemic a physical manifestation, not just in Isaac and Ivy but also in Roxy (OxyContin) and Addison (Adderall) etc… was absolutely ingenious!

“Roxy” is scheduled for publication on November 9, 2021 from Simon & Schuster Canada, and trust me when I say you DO NOT want to miss it, so be sure to add it to your TBR’s and pre-order it, if you can!

Special thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for allowing to read it early!