UNDER ROSE-TAINTED SKIES

Author: Louise Gornall

Series or stand-alone: stand-alone

Rating: 3/5

Trigger Warnings: self-harm, panic attacks, anxiety, OCD, agoraphobia

I really like the symbolism of the cover and the title. The bird not quite leaving the open cage, and the optimism that people can have. It’s a pretty cute cover and a nice title!

Under Rose-Tainted Skies follows Norah, a girl who has OCD, anxiety, and agoraphobia which prevents her from leaving her house and interacting with people other than her mom and her therapist. But when a new boy moves in next door, she must try to heal and figure out what she wants to do with her life.

I can only speak to the OCD representation, but I thought it was well done. The weird fixation with numbers (Norah’s is even numbers), the spiralling thoughts you face when you start thinking of something (if you touch this hand, where has it been, who touched it, what if it has a deadly bacteria or virus etc), the rituals, etc were well shown. I saw myself, saw the way I suffered reflected at me with Norah’s actions. I wasn’t “as bad” as Norah, but so many things were the same.

The book did drag on and it was slow at times. I found myself not really enjoying it and instead wanting to do other things. But it also gives the feeling of what it feels like when you’re stuck in your own head, held captive by your own paranoia and brain. You watch from the inside as people go about their lives without all the extra baggage that never gets lighter, just heavier. More rituals. More things to fear. More and more and more until what you can do is so little.

I really did enjoy the final chapters. I felt some adrenaline as I cheered Norah on. It did come out of nowhere, but it really saved the book a bit for me. I do think an extra chapter or two of the aftermath is needed, though.

I wish there was a little more discussion about meds. Medication is stigmatized and some people might not even know there are meds for some mental illnesses—I didn’t. I feel like that should have been a bit developed.

This is a pretty okay book. I didn’t love it but I do appreciate the way it handled and showcased living with mental illnesses. So I recommend it just for the glimpse into that.

Thank you for reading and see you next time ❤