3.5 stars

This is one of the hardest reviews I have written. I am having a hard time putting into words my thoughts on this story. I have very mixed and conflicted feelings about it.

First, I am going to look at Kristen. She is broken. She is scared. She is running from herself and everything that has happened to her. She can't seem to escape her own mind. Her downfalls aren't those around her, they are herself. She is stuck in self-destruct mode with Mr. Sharpy. It is clear that she suffers from BPD. I saw it before it came to light. I felt for her. It is hard to be stuck in your mind and not knowing how to escape it or cope.

Then we have the back-story. I like how the author gave you pieces of her past that led her to attempting suicide without saying it was just one thing. It is obvious it was life itself, not just one defining moment. Her story is heartbreaking and tragic. Suffering abuse from the hands of the man who called himself her dad. Knowing he was abusing her little brother physically and sexually and being afraid to do anything about it will grate on anyone.

Then we have her best friend. She is self absorbed but loves Kristen unconditionally. Although she doesn't know that Kristen has strong feelings for Lexus's boyfriend, she tries really hard to understand everything Kristen is going through.

The story itself is well written and told. The downfall for me with this book was the over explaining of details. There were parts that were so spelled out, they became mundane. The over telling made parts drag. There were parts that took pages instead of paragraphs. Many of it was unnecessary. If not for this, the book would have been a quicker and more "enjoyable" read. I would recommend this book to just about anyone. It is a very unique and realistic story. ( )

It's not often that I am required to read a book for my volunteer work with the National Alliance on Mental Illness and end up enjoying it and getting as much out of it as I did with Ms. Felicia Johnson's novel, "Her." Her writing really spoke to me, it was like she was in my head! The only other authors I have felt that connection with have been the late Dr. Maya Angelou, Margaret Atwood, and Robert Graves. This book really hit me where I lived.

"Her" is the story of Kristen Elliot, a young woman who attempts suicide at the age of 17, and is sent to an inpatient psychiatric hospital, Bent Creek, on the Adolescent Unit. There, she meets other young people with whom she shares the common bond of mental illness, and a difficult home life. She makes friends with some of the other kids on the unit. Together, they learn about themselves, and they support each other. However, some of them are discharged from the unit, and two attempt suicide and are transferred to other facilities, which takes a toll not only on the other patients on the unit, but on the staff, as well.

The staff at Bent Creek are by and large (with one creepy exception) a caring and compassionate team who look out for the young people in their charge. Kristen's first doctor's contract comes to an end, or so she is told, and he stops working in the hospital. She is then assigned to Dr. Pelchat, who diagnoses her with Borderline Personality Disorder, after a careful process of observation and testing. He gives her a book to read about Borderline Personality Disorder, and he educates her on coping skills and managing her thoughts and behavior patterns. He arranges a session first with Kristen and her mother, and then, prior to discharge, with Kristen and her whole family.

*SPOILER ALERT!!!!*

After the healing process she experienced at the hospital, Kristen is deemed ready to be discharged. She feels she is ready. However, she experiences a setback and ends up back in the hospital again. However, this time it seems that she has finally conquered her inner demons and she is ready to move on to her life in recovery. She is reunited with her family. It seems that her mother finally knows what to do to help Kristen maintain her recovery, and she is willing to do it, in order to keep all her children safe.

Did I find the ending totally believable? I had my doubts that someone would learn how to get rid of their bad patterns that they've built up over a lifetime all at once, but then again, I'm a middle-aged person, not an eighteen-year old. I would not shut the door on the hopeful possibility that people really can change, once they have insight and know what to do to effect change.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to know more about what it's like to live with a mental illness, specifically Borderline Personality Disorder, or anyone who wants to understand someone who lives with the condition. I would also recommend it to anyone who is looking for an emotionally challenging but fulfilling novel to read! ( )

3.5 stars

This is one of the hardest reviews I have written. I am having a hard time putting into words my thoughts on this story. I have very mixed and conflicted feelings about it.

First, I am going to look at Kristen. She is broken. She is scared. She is running from herself and everything that has happened to her. She can't seem to escape her own mind. Her downfalls aren't those around her, they are herself. She is stuck in self-destruct mode with Mr. Sharpy. It is clear that she suffers from BPD. I saw it before it came to light. I felt for her. It is hard to be stuck in your mind and not knowing how to escape it or cope.

Then we have the back-story. I like how the author gave you pieces of her past that led her to attempting suicide without saying it was just one thing. It is obvious it was life itself, not just one defining moment. Her story is heartbreaking and tragic. Suffering abuse from the hands of the man who called himself her dad. Knowing he was abusing her little brother physically and sexually and being afraid to do anything about it will grate on anyone.

Then we have her best friend. She is self absorbed but loves Kristen unconditionally. Although she doesn't know that Kristen has strong feelings for Lexus's boyfriend, she tries really hard to understand everything Kristen is going through.

The story itself is well written and told. The downfall for me with this book was the over explaining of details. There were parts that were so spelled out, they became mundane. The over telling made parts drag. There were parts that took pages instead of paragraphs. Many of it was unnecessary. If not for this, the book would have been a quicker and more "enjoyable" read. I would recommend this book to just about anyone. It is a very unique and realistic story. ( )

http://books.moonsoar.com/archives/2014/06/19/her/ ( )