Sad Girls

A wonderful and moving tale about mental health. Will definitely buy this when it's published.

"Your first love isn't the first person you give your heart to; it's the first one who breaks it."
This story has it all, you will not be able to put it down!

By far the best book I have read this year! I am so excited for this book to be published so I can buy my own copy and read it whenever I want. I am more than impressed with this book!

This book covers topics such as mental health, death, abuse, drugs and bullying. The fact that this book talks about so many different and important topics in under 400 pages astounds me. I was hooked from page 7, not once did I want to put this book down - it is that captivating. Leav has done an amazing job at keeping the story interesting whilst also going over some hard-hitting aspects of life.

So much happens in the book that I never expected to happen. Some parts of this book were so shocking that I actually shivered. I also cried throughout this book. The characters in the book are so well described that I felt like I knew them, which for me, rarely happens.

I feel as though I will never be able to explain how amazing this book is. So you'll just have to read it yourself to understand how brilliant this book is.

What a deviously dark debut! This novel was a roller coaster ride for my emotions! From beginning to end, Leav Lang pulled off this disturbing plot with suspense building on each page.

Sad Girls drew me in because of the summary, but I found a story more profound than I ever could have imagined.

Audrey's panic attacks begin after she spread a rumor that led to the death of a classmate. Her life spins rapidly out of control. She has to deal with the consequences of her actions while figuring out how to handle her anxiety. On top of that, she is trying to figure out who she is.

I will never be able to express how much this book means to me. The portrayal of mental illness is vitally important; Leav thrilled me with her portrayal. Anxiety was never written about as a bad thing. People supported her! To see that being shown was important.

Throughout this novel, there was another topic I found important: girls supporting girls. This is something I was to see more of in novels. I'm so glad it was displayed so brilliantly throughout this novel.

I didn't want to put it down once I started. I hope everyone picks this book up and gives it a chance.

i have been a fan of lang leav’s work for YEARS, so when i heard that she was releasing her first full length novel, it immediately became one of my most anticipated releases of 2017. needless to say, i had been impatiently awaiting its release in may, but to my surprise & extreme delight, i randomly stumbled across an eARC of it on netgalley & i instantly downloaded it (thank you so much netgalley!!)

now, onto the actual review. first off, lang leav’s writing, as always, was absolutely breath taking. her way with words never fails to amaze me. there’s a reason i’ve been a fan of her work for so long. but aside from that, i am not really sure where to even begin. i don’t want to say too much, seeing as how this book still won’t be hitting shelves for another month. furthermore, i am still reeling from the ending, & am still trying to wrap my mind around everything that happened in this novel. this book is not called sad girls just for the hell of it. throughout this book, & certainly by the very end of it, you may not end up liking all of the characters, and you certainly may not agree with or even understand why they did some of things that they did. this was not an easy read. it was heavy. it was dark. it was hopeful. it was tragic. it was beautiful. it was ugly. it was profound. it was everything that life can be-it was REAL. it covered a variety of topics and hard hitting issues including mental illness, drug abuse, grief, and suicide. it also showed love in all of its forms, & how it can be both beautiful and tragic. and most importantly, this book showcased how one decision that we make can not only impact and change our lives forever, but also spread like wildfire and influence and change the course of the lives of those around us. it makes you stop and think about how different things in your life, as well as the lives of others, may have been had you not done that one thing.

one of the biggest things that drew me to this book in the first place (aside from the fact that it was written by lang leav, of course) was the fact that i knew from reading a summary of it that it includes a character that suffers from anxiety. i have suffered from anxiety & panic attacks for as long as i can remember, & anyone who has never experienced on going anxiety & panic attacks themselves will never truly understand how it feels. even as someone with anxiety, i find it hard to convey what its like to other people. that being said, i was very much impressed with how accurately anxiety was portrayed in this book; it was written in such a raw, unflinchingly honest way, and i am so grateful to lang leav for not holding back and shedding light on what people who suffer from anxiety go through.

there is so much more that i could say about this book (& probably will say as i will more than likely add to this review at some point after the book is actually released) but for now i am just going to end this review with a list of trigger warnings. (if i think of any more i will certain edit this review to include them)

trigger warnings: drug abuse, self harm, suicide

Wow! Lang Leav's first novel did not disappoint, it was a crazy but good story that pulled me in and I couldn't stop reading. I was mad at the main character for telling such a horrible lie but the author did an amazing job at still making you relate to her and feel sorry for her and reminds us that we all make stupid and sometimes what ends up being terrible mistakes. This book has so much in it. Lang's first novel is a masterpiece. It's brilliant, captivating, and more serious and thought provoking than I was expecting it to be. I didn't see the twist at the end coming at all. I love a good book with a twist and I loved this book for many other reasons too. This book clearly shows how one lie can change everything and ripple out to effect so many people. Also, this story does a great job showing how love can really mess you up and that love can indeed have quite a dark side to it and love isn't​ always what you think it is. It also does a great job showing what it's like to have anxiety and panic attacks and to live with anxiety. This book has a lot of darkness in it, but still some hope too. I absolutely loved this book and am so thankful that I got to receive an advance copy from Netgalley in exchange for a review. This is one that I will most likely buy a copy of because I enjoyed it so much and could see myself reading it again. Highly recommend!

I love Lang Laev and this felt recognizable as her, but also different and new. I liked it a lot.

“Your first love isn’t the first person you give your heart to—it’s the first one who breaks it.”

Sad Girls by Lang Leav is a dark but beautifully written coming of age story that covers many issues that teens go through today, such as, anxiety, drug abuse, suicide, dark secrets, and death. Lang Leav shows us how love can be both beautiful and heartbreaking, and most importantly, she shows us how one decision can change our entire life forever, and quite possibly change the lives of those around us. This book pulled me in from beginning to end. This was definitely deeper than I ever could have imagined. I can't praise this book enough -highly recommend!

*I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Lang Leav is the author of several bestselling books of prose and poetry – Love & Misadventures, Lullabies, Memories, and The Universe of Us. The literary world fell for her beautiful words – as did the hearts of millions of readers worldwide. Leav has announced the publication of her very first debut novel, Sad Girls, which will be released on May 30th online and in bookstores. (You can pre-order it now on Amazon).
Lang Leav’s poetry is insightful, beautiful, and distinct. I was extremely eager to find out how her detailed usage of language and sentimental style of prose would translate into a novel. I also wondered if her words – when written in a novel – would resonate with me the same way her poetry did. I wasn’t sure quite what to expect, but I knew I had to find out.
“Ana was the original sad girl. She held the unofficial title long before her death. We all became sad girls after that.”
When high-school senior Ana commits suicide, her death leaves an impact on the entire community, particularly one group of her classmates – Audrey, Lucy and Candela. Because Audrey had spread a terrible rumor about Ana, Audrey feels guilty, and ultimately, responsible for Ana’s death.
Stricken with feelings of grief and severe panic, Audrey experiences anxiety-driven symptoms and behavior. Nobody knows her secret, and she knows she must never make it known – not to her family, not to her best friends, and not to her sweet but terribly boring boyfriend, Duck.
When Audrey begins spending time with Ana’s ex boyfriend, Rad, everyone in town has something to say. As their friendship grows, Audrey latches on to the strong connection and the ease it brings to her seemingly out-of-control life. While Ana’s death always lingers in the back of Audrey’s mind, her worries are easily forgotten when she’s with Rad. They spend hours simply engaging in conversation, and Audrey is inspired by him, his mysteriousness, his passion for writing, and his way of seeing the world.
Despite these feelings, Audrey cannot bear the thought of being responsible for hurting her boyfriend. After they have both graduated high school, she cuts ties with Rad and they agree to never speak to one another again. Audrey finishes school and begins working for a magazine, and soon crosses path with Rad, who has become a bestselling author. To Audrey, their encounter doesn’t feel coincidental – it feels like fate.
Sad Girls is a beautiful and heartbreaking coming-of-age story about experiencing love.
“Your first love isn’t the first person you give your heart to – it’s the person that breaks it,” Leav writes. Audrey’s love for Rad is strong, but she deals with many conflicting emotions, including her desire to explore and live life on her own.
Beneath the surface, the novel has a deeper message. Audrey soon realizes that she isn’t the only one hiding a dark secret, and that nothing is what it seems. Everyone has a different way of coping with life in light of Ana’s death – some characters in the novel struggling with drug and alcohol abuse.
Sad Girls was everything I had hoped it would be – and so much more. Lang’s writing shines in a way that is beautifully vivid and poetic without being overly descriptive. The plot is fast-paced and engaging. At the end of the novel, Leav presents one extremely shocking twist that left me speechless.
I found Audrey’s character likable, and her struggles very relatable. Each of the characters are anything but perfect, and that’s what made this novel so real to me. Dealing with topics such as anxiety, depression, and suicide, the novel is especially relevant in this day and age.
For years, I have enjoyed her poetry, and I am pleased that she has taken her writing one step further with the publication of her first novel. I cannot wait to see what she releases next!

Sad Girls is a dark book with a twist. It delves into topics like the mental health, drugs and suicide. Lang Leav's debut novel is beautifully written like her poetries. Can't wait for her next book!

I have been a huge fan of this authors poetry so i was so pleased to read this and it was everything i hoped it would be. Absolutely brilliant, i was hooked from the first page and finished it in one go. Just the way it was meant to be read.

While it deals with emotionally charged issues that we all face growing up, Sad Girls has a darker side that compels you to keep reading. Through the protagonist, Audrey, we face the typical growing pains of experiencing love for the first time and coping with mistakes that have all-too-real consequences as well as the darker, deeper pains of anxiety, the agony of keeping secrets, and the unintended consequences of lies that go too far. In the words of Lang Leav, “Your first love isn’t the first person you give your heart to; it’s the first one who breaks it.” You will fall in love with Sad Girls, and it will break your heart in the most beautiful and poignant ways, but you won’t be able to put it down.