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ajaubrey1's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
michelles_book_nook's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
⚠️ CW: ableism, parental death, grief, medical trauma and brief mentions of suicide ⚠️ As someone who is also a disabled wheelchair user with complex health conditions, this book meant so much more to me than I thought it would. In the wake of a devastating car accident, sixteen-year-old Micah Hunter’s world begins to unravel. A mysterious illness leaves him unable to pursue the football dreams that he once shared with his father. At the peak of his illness, Micah bumps his wheelchair into Evie Thompson, a headstrong fifteen-year-old living with her own challenges. Coming of age and coming to terms with their disabilities, Micah and Evie find solace and companionship in each other. As their connection deepens, Evie helps Micah discover the truth about his illness, allowing him to reconnect with his past. But, in doing so, Micah fails to discover Evie’s deteriorating health, which she keeps hidden. When Micah finally realizes the gravity of her situation, he must make the most difficult decision of his life, get Evie the help she needs or respect her wishes and risk losing her forever. This book is filled with amazing disabled and chronic illness representation and does an incredible job of expressing the whirlwind of emotions that you go through when becoming disabled or chronically later in life and the grief you experience for your 'old life'. Some parts were really hard to read, especially the medical trauma as it really hit hard for me, but they were all unfortunately very common experiences for disabled and chronically ill people and I think they were handled and written about so well. Overall, I highly recommend this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death of parent, Medical trauma, and Grief
Minor: Suicide
coryanderson_'s review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
This book started out well but really fell apart for me as we went. The treatment of disability and adapting to disability and chronic illness is handled very well throughout (and with a wide range of disabilities represented) and the depictions of medical gaslighting are. (Unfortunately) very accurate for the condition depicted. That said, I was disappointed that the hallmark diagnostic symptom (post exertional malaise/post exertional symptom exacerbation) of Micah’s condition was hugely glossed over, as was his path to regaining some of his health (like the author, I also live with ME/CFS). I also felt that the characters were a bit one-dimensional- the helpful/supportive characters were good and the ableist and/or gaslighting characters were over-the-too awful- not to say that isn’t also true-to-life but. A bit more nuance would have made the book more enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma and Medical content
Moderate: Death of parent, Car accident, Ableism, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Gaslighting
linuswickworth's review
challenging
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This is a young adult book about a football player who has become disabled. Over a year into being in a wheelchair due to fatigue, pain and nausea, Micah still doesn't know what's wrong and isn't any closer to feeling like his old active self.
I want to start my review with saying that I, too, am disabled. While I do not have the same conditions that Micah has, I am able to understand what his new world looks like. I relate to the moments where Micah pushes himself too far in hopes of it being a mind-over-matter problem, and his frustration that sometimes being disabled means having to get help with gross, embarrassing or uncomfortable situations.
That being said, this book was quite a struggle to get through. Many of the abled characters feel unrealistically cruel and one-dimensional, and Micah has nobody except for sometimes his grieving mother advocating for him, until he's able to find friendship with other disabled teens a year later. The ableism from the non-disabled characters, including medical professions, feels like this book would sit more in a 1920's setting, rather than a 2020's setting.
Micah spends over a year taking psychiatric medication and doing brain retraining programs, which at best do nothing and at worse actively harm him. Even his mother lets him continue these without seeking other opinions or questioning why nothing is working. The medical world can be flawed, but it felt strange to me that Micah was just allowed to continue being this ill without anyone trying to understand why, especially since he was an active football player before, so this couldn't be excused by "he's always been a little sickly".
There was good disability discussions with characters like Frankie, who has been sick his entire life and could offer a different perspective to Micah. Characters like Frankie and Evie, as fellow wheelchair users, had some initial internal biases against Micah which felt realistic. That even within the disabled community, sometimes people can be quick to judge others. Evie and Frankie were both able to understand their first impressions were wrong and each, at different times, apologize to Micah. Micah also does self reflecting throughout the novel about his previous biases, and knows that if he hadn't gotten sick, his thoughts would've stayed away from the disabled community.
I wasn't a big fan of the pacing of the book. I felt it skipped over certain important moments, like when Micah actually got his wheelchair. We have only a few flashback scenes, usually related to Micah and his father, but I had hoped we'd see more of Micah with his old friend group to understand why he'd been friends with them, and what he was like before becoming sick. He was a popular kid in school, and yet all of his friends have abandoned or actively bully him, with the exception of one friend who pops up sometimes to be kind before leaving him again.
Micah getting better near the end happened much too fast. Micah has been under new medical care for a few weeks, with a doctor who is able to identify and treat a lot of his symptoms, but he suddenly goes from still needing the wheelchair, to a week later being able to walk distances, carry his girlfriend and rejoin the football team. We don't get to see many of the moments of Micah getting stronger, he just suddenly is able to do these things again. After a year sitting down feeling weak, I have trouble believing he could do so much exercise without natural pain and fatigue. While he isn't suddenly 100% okay for the remainder of the book, the initial recovery just felt swept over.
This is not a book I'd personally read again, but there were some great moments in between all the rougher stuff.
I want to start my review with saying that I, too, am disabled. While I do not have the same conditions that Micah has, I am able to understand what his new world looks like. I relate to the moments where Micah pushes himself too far in hopes of it being a mind-over-matter problem, and his frustration that sometimes being disabled means having to get help with gross, embarrassing or uncomfortable situations.
That being said, this book was quite a struggle to get through. Many of the abled characters feel unrealistically cruel and one-dimensional, and Micah has nobody except for sometimes his grieving mother advocating for him, until he's able to find friendship with other disabled teens a year later. The ableism from the non-disabled characters, including medical professions, feels like this book would sit more in a 1920's setting, rather than a 2020's setting.
Micah spends over a year taking psychiatric medication and doing brain retraining programs, which at best do nothing and at worse actively harm him. Even his mother lets him continue these without seeking other opinions or questioning why nothing is working. The medical world can be flawed, but it felt strange to me that Micah was just allowed to continue being this ill without anyone trying to understand why, especially since he was an active football player before, so this couldn't be excused by "he's always been a little sickly".
There was good disability discussions with characters like Frankie, who has been sick his entire life and could offer a different perspective to Micah. Characters like Frankie and Evie, as fellow wheelchair users, had some initial internal biases against Micah which felt realistic. That even within the disabled community, sometimes people can be quick to judge others. Evie and Frankie were both able to understand their first impressions were wrong and each, at different times, apologize to Micah. Micah also does self reflecting throughout the novel about his previous biases, and knows that if he hadn't gotten sick, his thoughts would've stayed away from the disabled community.
I wasn't a big fan of the pacing of the book. I felt it skipped over certain important moments, like when Micah actually got his wheelchair. We have only a few flashback scenes, usually related to Micah and his father, but I had hoped we'd see more of Micah with his old friend group to understand why he'd been friends with them, and what he was like before becoming sick. He was a popular kid in school, and yet all of his friends have abandoned or actively bully him, with the exception of one friend who pops up sometimes to be kind before leaving him again.
Micah getting better near the end happened much too fast. Micah has been under new medical care for a few weeks, with a doctor who is able to identify and treat a lot of his symptoms, but he suddenly goes from still needing the wheelchair, to a week later being able to walk distances, carry his girlfriend and rejoin the football team. We don't get to see many of the moments of Micah getting stronger, he just suddenly is able to do these things again. After a year sitting down feeling weak, I have trouble believing he could do so much exercise without natural pain and fatigue. While he isn't suddenly 100% okay for the remainder of the book, the initial recovery just felt swept over.
This is not a book I'd personally read again, but there were some great moments in between all the rougher stuff.
peachiireads's review
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Something's Wrong With Micah serves as a reminder to appreciate what we have, because it can be taken from us in an instant.
This book sheds light on many issues that people with disabilities face in their every day lives, such as faulty wheelchairs and general accessibility obstacles. As Micah adjusts to using his wheelchair at school after developing a mysterious illness, he meets Evie, who also uses a wheelchair. The two have an adorable meet cute and get to know each other after Micah begins attending Evie's class at school.
This was such a sweet story. Micah and Evie are so cute together - I enjoyed their dialogue and how they love to mess around with each other, they'll do anything to put a smile on the other's face. They're accepting of each other in all aspects, and they complement one another so well.
Thank you so much to Jamison Hill for this eARC! Be sure to check for any content warnings before reading, Hill kindly lists them at the front of the book.
This book sheds light on many issues that people with disabilities face in their every day lives, such as faulty wheelchairs and general accessibility obstacles. As Micah adjusts to using his wheelchair at school after developing a mysterious illness, he meets Evie, who also uses a wheelchair. The two have an adorable meet cute and get to know each other after Micah begins attending Evie's class at school.
This was such a sweet story. Micah and Evie are so cute together - I enjoyed their dialogue and how they love to mess around with each other, they'll do anything to put a smile on the other's face. They're accepting of each other in all aspects, and they complement one another so well.
Thank you so much to Jamison Hill for this eARC! Be sure to check for any content warnings before reading, Hill kindly lists them at the front of the book.
bookedwithlex's review
4.0
thank you Jamison, for the chance to review the arc of your debut novel.
this is such an important read, and such a unique one that touches physical disabilities as well as chronic illness.
Evie is an amputee who is the epitome of resilience, independence and badass girly. she knows what she wants but especially what she doesn't want.
Micah is trying to deal with a chronic illness that causes him to faint if he stands up for too long, and seeing a teenager who was on the football team, struggles with being "stuck" in a wheelchair is so important.
the main thing I take from this book is to always look for the positive things even in the darkness of the situation. if Micah had given up, he wouldn't have gotten close to Evie and he wouldn't have found the treatment that worked for him.
this was the absolute best way to start 2024.
this is such an important read, and such a unique one that touches physical disabilities as well as chronic illness.
Evie is an amputee who is the epitome of resilience, independence and badass girly. she knows what she wants but especially what she doesn't want.
Micah is trying to deal with a chronic illness that causes him to faint if he stands up for too long, and seeing a teenager who was on the football team, struggles with being "stuck" in a wheelchair is so important.
the main thing I take from this book is to always look for the positive things even in the darkness of the situation. if Micah had given up, he wouldn't have gotten close to Evie and he wouldn't have found the treatment that worked for him.
this was the absolute best way to start 2024.
ljbj's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
haydenjules's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
excel_spreadsheet_book_nerd's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
deri_booknook's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Thank you Jamison for the gifted copy of this ebook!
Micah is navigating what life looks like with a disability and a mysterious illness that has changed his life as he knows it. I loved reading about Micah and Evie throughout this book and the way their relationship develops. Jamison does a fantastic job accurately encapsulating the teenage mindset and the stress that comes with that.
As a therapist myself, it was heartbreaking to read how Micah experiences therapy throughout this book. This is unfortunately an accurate portrayal for how some therapist operate which is beyond frustrating. I appreciated the growth that we witness Micah going through as he finds his voice and advocates for himself to receive the care he needs and deserves.
Micah is navigating what life looks like with a disability and a mysterious illness that has changed his life as he knows it. I loved reading about Micah and Evie throughout this book and the way their relationship develops. Jamison does a fantastic job accurately encapsulating the teenage mindset and the stress that comes with that.
As a therapist myself, it was heartbreaking to read how Micah experiences therapy throughout this book. This is unfortunately an accurate portrayal for how some therapist operate which is beyond frustrating. I appreciated the growth that we witness Micah going through as he finds his voice and advocates for himself to receive the care he needs and deserves.