I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall
on 1/3/2017
Pages: 336 pages
Norah has agoraphobia and OCD. When groceries are left on the porch, she can’t step out to get them. Struggling to snag the bags with a stick, she meets Luke. He’s sweet and funny, and he just caught her fishing for groceries. Because of course he did.
Norah can’t leave the house, but can she let someone in? As their friendship grows deeper, Norah realizes Luke deserves a normal girl. One who can lie on the front lawn and look up at the stars. One who isn’t so screwed up.
Readers themselves will fall in love with Norah in this poignant, humorous, and deeply engaging portrait of a teen struggling to find the strength to face her demons.
Nora Dean has a disorder that will not allow her to react to life like a “normal” teen. Doing things like attending school, having a normal social life, going from the house to the car to get to a doctor’s appointment or even getting groceries off the porch, simple tasks you say unless you are her.
When the boy who just moves in next door sees Norah struggling to get her groceries off the porch; he offers to help her, and that leads to a friendship that Norah has no clue what to do with. Will Luke understand or leave when she has to tell him why she can’t do what most other people do “normally.”
For me this book was a fascinating look into the world of a person with agoraphobia, the fear of leaving the house, combined with anxiety and OCD, obsessive-compulsive disorder and more.
Ms. Gornall’s writing shows us what a person with this mental illness deals with in a thoughtful way that while it was at times uncomfortable, was very readable and for that I thank her.
If you know someone with this disorder or not, this book gives you a snapshot look at a misunderstood mental illness that can cause havoc for the person with it. I recommend this book not only for the young adult reader but for anyone who isn’t sure what a person that has this disorder deals with because after reading this it will become apparent. The author does an excellent job in this offering, and I look forward to reading more work by her. Buy this book!
Reviewed by: Linda C
