The Million Pieces of Neena Gill by Emma Smith-Barton (Book Review)

The Million Pieces of Neena Gill by Emma Smith-Barton

Published by: Penguin Random House Children’s

Released: 11th July 2019

Page Count: 336 Pages

Edition: Kindle

Amazon / Waterstones

I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis

Neena’s always been a good girl – great grades, parent-approved friends and absolutely no boyfriends. But ever since her brother Akash left her, she’s been slowly falling apart – and uncovering a new version of herself who is freer, but altogether more dangerous.

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

Trigger Warnings: Death, drug abuse, binge drinking, psychotic episodes.

As someone who suffers from mental problems myself I am always on the look out for books, especially in YA, that tackle this topic head on. So, when I heard about The Million Pieces of Neena Gill I was eager to know more.

Firstly WOW! This book blew me away, so much that I finished it in a few hours as I was that engrossed in it. It was beautifully written and it was so captivating that you can’t help but read on and on. I was honestly in awe of the writing style and how it really took you into each moment throughout the story. I was very surprised that this was a debut, as I wouldn’t have guessed that by the elegance of the story and it’s style.

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.