Review – Made You Up by Francesca Zappia (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Length: 464 pages
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Release Date: May 2, 2017
ISBN-13: 978-0062290113
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Alex fights a daily battle to figure out what is real and what is not. Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8 Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex wages a war against her schizophrenia, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college. She’s pretty optimistic about her chances until she runs into Miles. Didn’t she imagine him? Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers. But Alex is used to being crazy. She’s not prepared for normal. Can she trust herself? Can we trust her?”
Previous to this book I had read Zappia’s book “Eliza and Her Monsters” and loved that book. I was excited to read another book by her. This is a very unique and well done book about a teen who suffers from schizophrenia with paranoid delusions. I enjoyed it overall but thought the ending was too vague.
Alex is trying to navigate a new school and unravel some mysteries at the new school while not knowing what is real and what is imaginary. Her mom wants to commit her to an asylum but Alex is determined to make it on her own. However, when her secret gets out she finds out who her true friends are.
This was a funny, touching and intriguing story. I probably would have given it 5 stars but the ending felt very unfinished to me. I just felt like this book left me with too many questions and not enough answers. Anyone who like closure in their books will be very frustrated with this story.
Overall I liked this book and thought it was unique and engaging. I was frustrated with the vague ending though; it basically leaves the reader to decide on their own what really happened to the characters in this story. I would recommend if you are looking for a quirky YA contemporary fiction book with mystery and romance and of course some discussion around mental illness.
