Words On Bathroom Walls by Julia Walton

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Synopsis

Adam has just been diagnosed with schizophrenia. He sees and hears people who aren’t there: Rebecca, a beautiful girl who understands him; the Mob Boss, who harasses him; and Jason, the naked guy who’s unfailingly polite. It should be easy to separate the real from the not real, but Adam can’t.

Still, there’s hope. As Adam starts fresh at a new school, he begins a drug trial that helps him ignore his visions. Suddenly everything seems possible, even love. When he meets Maya, a fiercely intelligent girl, he desperately wants to be the great guy that she thinks he is. But then the miracle drug begins to fail, and Adam will do anything to keep Maya from discovering his secret.

Reactions

3 Reasons To Pick This Up

1. Walton did her research. While Words on Bathroom Walls isn’t own voices, it’s obvious that Walton thoroughly researched the illness and those that live with it on the daily. I felt in the moment on every page. And never questioned Adam’s reactions or responses. While the drug Adam was on wasn’t real, there are those like it. So it felt like an authentic experience.
2. There is no “my relationship healed” me bull. Adam actually says at one point that he thinks Maya is his cure. But I really feel like this idea was challenged throughout the novel. Maya and Adam’s relationship wasn’t the main focal point of the novel. The book was about friendship and how to live your daily life with mental illness. Whether that’s with friends, family, or loved ones.
3. Adam is relatable. He’s just a high school kid who doesn’t want his friends to change their minds about being friends with him. He  wants some peace and quiet to think. He wants to feel loved. And he doesn’t want to disappoint his family. These are all very relatable qualities. And if you struggle with mental illness he is all the more relatable. I saw myself in the way Adam talked about himself and the way he talked TO himself. He struggles with feeling crazy and broken. I just wanted to hug him and say, “I’ve been there. You are wonderful as is. “

Overall

I highly recommend this whether you want to know more about schizophrenia or you just like mental illness related YA. Please pick this up and support this debut author. I loved this book and want all my friends to read it.

 

I hope you guys are having a marvelous Monday! TTYL.