Member Reviews
You know how Swifties say "I am done with Taylor Swift" every time she sings a surprise song that they love on the Eras tour? That's how I feel about Mazey Eddings at this point. She keeps breaking my heart with every book she writes. AND I AM JUST DONE. I am saying this with a lot of love.
Mazey poured her heart into Tilly in Technicolor, and I felt it on every single page. Tilly and Ollie are two neurodiverse (gent?) babies whose story is really special to me, and definitely one I will never forget. I can't wait to see what YA stories she has for us in the future, because her debut is simply out of this world.
I absolutely loved how informative the book was! The narrative on ADHD and autism was really insightful, and the author handled the topics really boldly! I could really see how personal the book was for her, especially through Tilly's blog posts. Tilly was an absolutely remarkable character. Seeing her grow, and recognise her true protential with the help of new friendships made me SO. FREAKING. HAPPY. Her POVs were so funny, man. I laughed a lot. Like a lot. (that's one the hallmarks of a M.Eddings book) Ollie was an absolute sweetheart too. The way Tilly and Ollie connected with their similar struggles of living in a world that's not made for them was absolutely beautiful. ❤️
I really loved Tilly as a character. She’s sharp and interesting, her take on things is unique. I loved how vibrant she was, even as the voice in her head told her she was going to mess everything up. At one point in the book she talked about how there wasn’t much written about ADHD from the person’s point of view- it’s always the family or husband. I feel like this might be right- looking back I don’t remember more than a few romances with a neurodivergent lead, certainly not any non fiction books I can think of.
Besides Tilly, I think my favorite character was Oliver. Even during the cute-meet-from-Hell, where he’s so far out of his comfort zone it may as well have been another planet, he struggles to help Tilly. Being Autisic, he knows he needs a stuctured, quiet life and… well, that’s not Tilly. I loved watching him grow to try to accomodate his feelings for her, how sweet he was with her. The fact that he constantly encouraged her was breathtaking, especially since her mother had never done so. The two grew together over the summer and I love who they became. I do wish there was more; I wasn’t ready to let these characters grow (a sentiment I feel with most wonderful reads).
I am not very familiar with either ADHD or autism, so I don’t know how accurate these depictions are, but judging from the fact that Eddings has both I imagine they’re fairly well informed. Their reactions, their stuggles, seemed real. Watching them navigate jobs, relationships and family… it all seemed very natural. This was a fast, charming read with pockets of hilarity amongst all the feels. I laughed, I cried, I wanted to strangle characters… yup, a good time. For me, this was a five star book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
On the adult content scale, there was language, light sexual content and extremely mild violence (mostly against a window). I would say that this is gearned toward New Adults (fifteen and up), but would not think twice before giving it to a younger teen.
I was lucky enough to recieve an eARC of this book from Netgalley working with St Martin’s Pressw in exchange for an honest review. My thanks.
The begin of the book was great. I really appreciate the representation in the book and getting to see it to both of the characters minds. The end did feel a little rushed.
This was a vibrant and colorful book. I thought that having the main characters be neurodivergent really made the story unique. It was obvious that the author knew her subject matter. I enjoyed Tilly and Oliver as well as Mona (Tilly's sister) and Amina (Mona's business partner). I think it is important to show that there are many paths after graduating college. It's not a one size fits all. Highly recommend this one!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely
“I’m very sensitive,” she blurts out. “Like, extremely sensitive. And I tend to react before I think. I can misread pretty much anything. A look. Silence. Something simple someone says. And I turn it into rejection. Like I’m a failure on a fundamental level. And I think some awful voice in the back of my head has lied to me all my life and told me I deserve that rejection—that hurt—because I’m a lot to deal with. And I try to shut that voice up, I really do, but sometimes it talks on a loudspeaker, and I start to believe it. Find moments for it to be true.”
I have a really weird relationship with my brain. I didn’t fully realize or acknowledge my neurodiversity until well into adulthood, and even still it’s a constant struggle to remind myself that just because my brain perceives something a certain way, doesn’t necessarily mean that’s how it is, or just because I struggle with something it doesn’t make me wrong or bad or unworthy. This book made me feel incredibly seen in my ADHD, and was a really sweet and much needed reminder that it’s OKAY to take up space in my neurodivergence, and to not apologize for or belittle who I am and how I see the world.
While the primary focus of this book was in the developing relationship between Tilly and Oliver, it was about so much more than that. The story provided a really honest and open narrative on two neurodivergent people navigating the world, falling in love, and becoming each other’s safe place in the process. All anyone, neurodivergent and neurotypical, wants is to be seen for who really are, and this book gives us that twofold. Not only are we given a really lovely little romance that shows two neurodivergent people feeling seen, but for those of us readers who are like Olivier and Tilly, this book, and its author, SEES US, and it’s honestly a beautiful thing.
I was given an ARC by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. All opinions are my own.
𝘛𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘐𝘯 𝘛𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘳 follows Tilly who's spending the summer traveling over Europe as an intern for her sister's company. She's accompanied by Oliver who's not quite sure what to make of her but he knows his heart start acting strange near her...he might have to call a cardiologist.
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Ohmygod! That was the cutest book ever!!!
There's something so adorable about Oliver being absolutely clueless about his crush on Tilly and her being absolutely delulu for Ollie.
I love this author's books and I hope she continues to write these masterclasses.
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4.03 / 5✩
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘵. 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯'𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.
Tilly in Technicolor is a sweet story of young love blossoming between two neurodivergent teens.
Tilly has ADHD, and she has always felt the need to mask her thoughts and emotions. When she spends the summer traveling Europe while interning for her sister’s nail polish company, she meets Oliver, an autistic teen who sees the world in dreamy color and has had trouble connecting with others in the past. The two gradually let each other in to how their brains see the world, and the story is fabulous.
I feel like I learned a lot about how neurodivergent people can see the world. It really opened my eyes to how there is a whole beautiful spectrum of ways that people can see and interpret the same thing. I loved how Oliver saw all the colors in the world, and the various explanations during his POV using color analogies were just beautiful. When he described Tilly as the whole rainbow, I just melted. Tilly’s periods of hyper focus were fascinating to me, and really eye opening as well.
The love story was sweet, with its awkward moments, hilarious mishaps, and sweet confessions. It really felt like an authentic portrait of young love.
There is also a focus on the future, as both teens just graduated high school and are springing towards their adult futures. Eddings captured the fear, exhilaration, and anxieties of that time in our lives perfectly!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Tilly in Technicolor by Mazey Eddings
Rating: 4.5 stars
Pub Date: 8/15
I will read anything Mazey Eddings writes, so when this book came up for request on NetGalley, I had to jump on it. And I’m happy to report that her debut into the realm of YA fiction is a triumph! Eddings has once again given us loveable, relatable characters, along with an exploration of complex emotions that will resonate with readers of all ages.
Ollie and Tilly stole my whole heart. Their authenticity shines throughout the story, making them feel like old friends that I couldn’t help but root for. At its core, Tilly in Technicolor is a first-love story between two neurodiverse individuals, but it’s truly so much more than that. It’s an enlightening and informative exploration of neurodiversity that I wasn’t expecting! Just the way they describe what certain noises or touches are like was so relatable to me. I loved getting to see the story through both of their POVs because it felt like we were right there with them, processing each scene the way they saw it.
This exploration of acceptance and understanding shows us how a little human connection can change everything.
Read if you like:
*YA
*workplace romance
*European travel
*neurodiverse heroes
*grumpy/sunshine
*forced proximity
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for my advanced copy!
i don’t typically read YA outside of fantasy and sci-fi. that being said, when mazey eddings comes out with a book, i’m gonna read it no matter what. Tilly in Technicolor is incredible. i felt so much representation in this book as a woman with ADHD with a husband who has undiagnosed autistic tendencies. i felt so much of both of us in these characters. it’s such a perfect coming of age story and i seriously think anyone can read this book whether they’re an older teen, young adult, or an old lady like me. mazey always does an outstanding job of writing exactly how my brain works when i can never wrap my head around explaining it to anyone.
all my life i’ve been told i’m too loud, too boisterous, too much. it was especially hard growing up knowing i was going to be perceived in every interaction just for being me. for my distinct laugh and my louder than normal way of speaking. i learned to mask myself and dim the light so i wouldn’t be noticed as much. i’ve learned to keep my thoughts to myself even if i’m bursting at the seams to be included in the conversation because who’d want an info dump from me? seeing ollie accept tilly exactly as she is without the mask makes me cry because i truly feel like the only person i can let go with is my partner and i am so grateful to have found him at the exact same age as tilly is. i cannot believe all of the similarities to my story (i was going to school for writing???) and i just didn’t know how much i needed to read this novel. thank you mazey and st martins for giving me the opportunity to read it early and happy pub day
Wednesday books/St Martin's Press, RB media for audio, thank you for the review copies! I am such a fan of Mazey Eddings and how she approaches themes on neurodiversity, particularly ADHD as a form of neurodiversity. She understands not just how these experiences are varied and complex within and across individuals (no one experience within neurodivergence is the same) but also how stigma, myths/biases are so woven into daily relationships and how these hurtful experiences undermine well-being, confidence, and connection for neurodiverse youth and adults. I really loved how she wrote for a younger audience with Tilly and Oliver and their story of connection, some coming of age vibes, and how Tilly had to handle complicated relationships with her mother and her sister.
This book is excellent on audiobook as the voice acting really brings to life the internal feelings of Tilly and Oliver with narration that feels honest and respectful of neurodiverse experiences. I recommend this format!
My only slight con, strong word so perhaps less enthused response, is for the ending... so many books try to find a way to wrap up a lovely layered story too quickly, or make the ending feel more like the start of a great new novel, and this book has this limitation.... a too quick wrap up that also felt like it could be the start of a new book.
I love Mazey Eddings books. She brings so much life and colour to her books , I feel like I can feel the emotion of her characters . The two main characters in this book Oliver and Tilly both live life with a different perspective each learning to navigate their world with what some in this world would call a debilitating mental ability to cope.. That could not be farther from the truth. This beautifully written story with laughable moments takes you on a journey where a young Tilly and Oliver , one with ADHD the other with Autism, learn how to navigate a world where they can fall in love, find themselves, learn to communicate and find beauty in the world around them and letting everyone know they are ok. That making mistakes is part of life and in the end they just want acceptance from those they love and to let them be treated like any other person and not push them to be what they are not or what they think they should be. Hurricane Tilly is a force to be reckoned with.
I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and all opinions are my own
I would recommend this book to everyone
Mazey Eddings’s has written a realistic, fun and also difficult YA romance debut about two neurodivergent teens. They’re thrown together and dont know what to do about it. It was a closed door romance just for the young adults and still had all the heartfelt, messy endearing parts I love about ME’s writing. ME has an unbelievable talent and that makes her an automatic read for me. She writes about life struggles with romance and makes it heart-worthy and adorable.
I also listened to the audiobook and the narrators were amazing. I highly recommend this and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Thanks RB media and St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.
Tilly is so excited to get out from under her family’s judgment of her ADHD - she’ll be travelling around Europe as her sister’s intern to “pick up some business savvy” and learn from her sister’s nail polish brand launch. What she didn’t expect was that she isn’t the sole summer intern - and that her new coworker happens to be the incredibly cute boy she humiliated herself in front of on the plane ride over.
This book made me feel so incredibly seen. As an ADHD girlie myself, there were so many moments that I just had to pause and soak in because they could have been moments from my own life - “did you remember your meds?”, moments of complete hyperfixation, and impulsive purchases to name a few.
I loved how Tilly and Oliver’s relationship developed - the communication that was necessary to understand each other, the acceptance of the “odd” mannerisms or behaviours that were just normal, and the joy that they brought to each other’s lives was simply beautiful.
Travelling across Europe made for a stunning backdrop to this love story, and the impulsive nature of Tilly contrasts with Oliver’s need for routine and predictability.
Tilly’s writing and Oliver’s photography also made me anxious to create for myself, so thank you for the inspiration, Mazey!
I’d highly recommend this beautiful YA love story to anyone, but especially to my neurospicy bbs!
Now excuse me while I reread all the highlights I made in this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. I have to say this book showed me a few things by letting me know about a neurodivergent. I never knew much about it and this book taught me some things I really never knew. Hoping all info is as accurate as it should be this is a tool that can be used to explain what this is.
<b> Thank you to Mazey Eddings, St. Martins Press, and Netgalley for an advanced reader copy of this book. </b>
Tilly in Technicolor is a vibrant coming-of-age story that revolves around the unique experiences of two neurodivergent teens/young adults. This opposites attract, enemies to friends to lovers story highlights the importance of having a safe space to be one's authentic self as a foundation for building supportive, understanding, and lasting relationships and finding the strength to pursue one's interests/dreams. By juxtaposing the need for chaotic/always on-the-go stimulation, and heightened emotional displays of ADHD with the need for routine/structure and slower to-verbalize emotions that are often characteristic of autism, Mazey Eddings, paints a vibrant picture of what the neurodivergent experience can look like. The book is filled with poignant moments and important practical, social, and philosophical conversations about the nature of neurodivergence in a neurotypical world. <b>Overall I'd give this book a 3.75/5 (rounded up to 4/5) stars. </b> I felt like the book did a lot more tell-than-show, making parts of it feel preachy and the overall message a little heavy-handed, though no less impactful.
3.5 stars
There was a lot of good parts of this new adult book. I was really drawn in with Tilly's struggles and story, and then Oliver as well. There is great representation for ADHD, autism, and casual queer relationships. There were minor things that didn't really make sense but I wasn't too bothered (in no universe would an international luggage bag with SIX boxes of tampons would be carry on, it would have to be checked in come on). It really lost me at the end though. I was into the mutal pining, and the instalove switch three quarters of the way in was hard to take. I hated how everyone handled everything (PSA please never accept any job without a formal offer outlining things). The end was too neat, and required almost no communication because everyone magically "got" what they did wrong and wanted to change. If you're someone who these things wouldn't bother you I think the heart of the story is still great.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
A cute YA with great representation of two neurodiverse teens (Tilly has ADHD and Oliver has Autism). Tilly and Oliver were very sweet and I enjoyed seeing them form a connection through mutual understanding. I do wish the ending was more drawn out, as it felt a bit rushed.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Tilly in Technicolor by Mazey Eddings is the perfect love letter to neurodivergent teens entering adulthood. How Eddings can take her experiences and write about them in a way that helps people understand Autism and ADHD makes my heart happy. Having worked with teens who experience the world the way Tilly and Oliver in the novel do, I would recommend it to all YA readers to help them better understand their neurodivergent peers.
The romance between Tilly and Oliver is so charming and pure. I loved how incredibly authentic it felt. I wasn’t sure at first how someone with Autism would handle someone with ADHD, but as I followed them and watched how they learned about one another, I became convinced it was possible.
I also loved watching the two main characters, who narrate the story in alternating first-person chapters, make that transition into adulthood. It’s messy and uncertain, but Tilly, in particular, shows that she can figure it out and tackle challenges in her own way. I think it is so important to show these positive aspects. I love how utterly captivating the story and the characters are and how their story is told in such a refreshingly bold manner. It makes all the difference.
Tilly is ready for a change of scenery and a trip around Europe is exactly what she needs. Sure, working as an intern for her perfect sister’s start up isn’t ideal, but after struggling through high school thanks to her ADHD, she’s excited for the opportunity to move and explore. Too bad she and the other intern, Oliver immediately get off on the wrong foot. Because of his autism, Oliver has always had difficulty when it comes to people. As they spend more time together, a connection between them grows.
I loved everything about this book. Tilly and Oliver were incredible together and I loved how they balanced each other out and supported each other in so many ways. This was a beautiful neurodiverse love story with such incredible characters. I loved both Tilly and Oliver and honestly left this book wishing they were real people so I could be their friend. From start to finish the book captured my heart.
Thank you to Wednesday books for the gifted copy.
Mazey Eddings can honestly do NO wrong. I related so hard to this book, just like I do with ALL her books because she always makes me feel seen with my ADHD and anxiety. <3 highly recommend to anyone who is neurodivergent, loves anyone who is neurodivergent, or just loves books about young love!