
Synopsis
As her wild behaviour spirals more and more out of control, Neena’s grip on her sanity begins to weaken too. And when her parents announce not one but two life-changing bombshells, she finally reaches breaking point.
But as Neena is about to discover, when your life falls apart, only love can piece you back together.
Thoughts
We follow Neena as she starts to discover a hidden side of herself which involves partying, drinking and finding her first love. At first you think that she’s just rebelling against her parents but you soon do find out that she’s basically finding it hard to deal with the loss of her older brother, Akash. Neena’s downward spiral with her psychosis felt so raw and gritty, and for me I found little clues that all pointed to Neena’s upcoming breaking point throughout the story, which for me made it all the more realistic.
Psychosis is an area of mental health that really isn’t touched on enough within YA and this was one of the main reasons why I loved The Million Pieces of Neena Gill so much. I, knew somewhat about the symptoms and what happens to someone suffering with Psychosis but after reading this I feel that my knowledge on this area of mental health has expanded. Neena, I feel, will help a lot of teens who are suffering with this mental health concern and the more they are given support the better. Anxiety is also touched upon within the story, and as someone who suffers from anxiety myself I could really relate to Neena’s battle with it. It really did resonate with me that’s for sure.
The Million Pieces of Neena Gill was a gorgeously written book about an area of mental health that isn’t mentioned nearly enough and one that, I think should be read by any teen who is going through a mental health concern to show that they aren’t alone and that there is support out there.
Great review, and I’m really glad you enjoyed this book! I saw Emma Smith-Barton at and event in June where she spoke about the book and read an extract, and it does seem like a very good portrayal of anxiety and psychosis.
LikeLike