DNF ( )

The driving scene was highly unrealistic. Take it from personal experience. Driving is not that easy if you've never done it before.

The romance felt a little bit forced here. Other than that, this was a really sweet and heartening book. I absolutely adore the elephants. Lily's changes felt very real and honest, and I loved the internal conflict with herself and the external conflicts with her peers, and the overall big conflict all in tandem.

No idea who at Harlequin sent me an ARC (sign your envelopes, Harlequin, so I can appreciate you!) but this was spot on and I'm super glad they did! ( )

I'm going to start by saying...wow. Just...wow. This was an incredible book about a girl who has to save an elephant calf, knowing that it is a risk to her own mental health. It is not a book with easy subject matter to read, but by the end of the story, you are 100% committed to the characters. I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys young adult or adult fiction and to anyone that is interested in mental health, love, loss, journalism, mother/daughter struggles, and elephants. If you enjoy a story where the character overcomes extreme challenges, this book is for you. This might be my favorite book of 2019 so far. ( )

When I began this book, I had zero expectations. It was written about by as a great read by an author I follow on Instagram. As an elephant lover, I was intrigued by the title, so I add the book to my April reading list. Let me say WOW. I was not disappointed. This incredible journey of letting go to find oneself is well written with great dialog. It is a story of one girl's journey to being the best version of herself through love, tragedy, true friendship, and of course raw humor. The emotional roller coaster I experienced while reading this book was perfect. T. Lillian Decker will leave you wanting more while crying, smiling, laughing and shaking your head but she will let you know that anything is possible and life should never be lived through fear. I truly felt for this character as she struggled to walk the line of what she had been led to believe was best for her and truly living life to be the best her. It is truly a story of self-doubt and low self-opinion while the rest of the world sits in awe or intimidation of how "fierce" she is. It is relatable even to people not battling the possibility of schizophrenia. Truly a must read. Hopefully with a second book to follow on where the characters go next that her "twelve-year plan" is in shambles as it should be. I love the line "crazy is genetic" it is provocative and honest. This book will make you evaluate what is truly important and opens up the door to several social issues for conversation. ( )

T. Lily Decker is a high school senior with a potential time bomb in her genes. She has a strong family history of schizophrenia and her mother, in a psychotic episode, tried to kill her by throwing her off the roof. So Lily is just trying to survive and live a relatively uneventful life to avoid any stress that might push her in the same direction as her mother. But, life becomes complicated for Lily when she meets a baby elephant, born in a zoo, whose mother rejects her and also tries to kill her.

If you are a fan of John Green, then you will love this book. It's a complex blend of well drawn characters, strong plot and addresses some very tough issues. Really loved this story! ( )