Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall Book Review

Norah is 17 and lives in constant fear. She has agoraphobia, anxiety and OCD. Leaving the house is near impossible for, she only ever leaves to go to counselling and even then it causes her great distress. Norah has learned to cope but when her Mum goes away for what should be a standard business trip and ends up away from the house much longer than anticipated, Norah must learn to tackle some of her problems. Added to this is her new next door neighbour Luke, who keeps trying to talk to Norah. Norah wants to be friends with Luke, but doesn't want to tell him about her conditions in case it scares him away. Can Norah deal with all these new problems while tackling her usual ones or will they be too much for her?

First off, let me just say what a beautiful cover this is! The watercolour is so pretty. Gornall does a great job of explaining Norah's conditions and showing us how they effect her in different ways: physically, mentally, emotionally and the impacts on her life. The story isn't autobiographical but the author also has agoraphobia and the fact that she knows what it like to go through these things means it feels very realistic when we read Norah going through these things. Not only is this book a good way to show what it's like to suffer from mental health problems like this but it's also good at showing how it impacts the lives of other people, like carers and romantic partners. I loved the relationship between Norah and her mother. I liked the character of Luke, he was sweet but not perfect which was good. I did like the character of Norah but at times she annoyed me, it had nothing to do with her mental health though, I think it was just every now and again her turn of phrase just annoyed me. I did find myself rooting for her though, especially towards the end. I was afraid that the story might wrap up all too conveniently but without giving it away, it doesn't end like that. But it IS a satisfactory ending. If you're looking for a contemporary YA book that deals with mental health issues in a realistic, believable way, then this is the book for you.

I received this e-book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I’m not required to post a review on here and all thoughts are my own