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swimmer120x's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. I felt like the author could have gone into much more detail with this book. I did like the discussions between Callie and her therapist. It was cool watching her open up and learn to use her voice. However, the rest of the book felt like it was caught up in middle school drama, which was rather annoying at times. There were some insensitive comments, especially around those struggling with eating disorders. Nothing was too bad, but there were some back and forth comments between people dealing with anorexia versus people dealing with binge eating. Although the comments weren't terrible, I would not recommend this to someone who is struggling with an eating disorder, in an effort to mitigate the harm it could cause.
The other notable thing was the lack of transitions. Typically when there is a change in conversation, it's apparent, either by written text, a new chapter starting, etc. but this book did not have it. In Callie's therapy sessions, she always referred to her therapist as "You". The book would randomly transition from a conversation with one of the girls at residential to "You" in a therapy session. Sometimes I had to do a double-take to realize that the next paragraph was an entirely different setting than the previous one.
The other notable thing was the lack of transitions. Typically when there is a change in conversation, it's apparent, either by written text, a new chapter starting, etc. but this book did not have it. In Callie's therapy sessions, she always referred to her therapist as "You". The book would randomly transition from a conversation with one of the girls at residential to "You" in a therapy session. Sometimes I had to do a double-take to realize that the next paragraph was an entirely different setting than the previous one.
joana_stormblessed's review against another edition
3.0
i liked it.
*Update*
So I thought that I would review this book on my blog as I always do, but that did not happen. I just do not think that there is that much to say about this book.
First things first, it is one of the shortest books in the history of books. It is about 150 pages long, and it is a short book (height), so it should have been a one-sitting read, but no! It tool me about a month, bu that is because I read a lot of other books in the mean time.
Plot Summary:
This book follows a young Callie that started cutting herself a couple of months ago, and she is in this center for girls who have some sort of mental disease: cutting, eating disorders, etc. Callie doesn't really talk much during her sessions with the therapist, during group therapy, or just in general. She is very quiet, and this is her story as she decides that she WANTS to heal.
Opinion:
I liked this book, but it wasn't anything special. I have read a lot of books that fall into this genre of "problem novel," and thus I have read some that are much better. For the length of this book, I must say that it is good, but I just don't think that it is special.
If you have never read anything in this genre, then this might be a good place to start, since it is so short, and therefore you can decide if you want to read more of this genre.
*Update*
So I thought that I would review this book on my blog as I always do, but that did not happen. I just do not think that there is that much to say about this book.
First things first, it is one of the shortest books in the history of books. It is about 150 pages long, and it is a short book (height), so it should have been a one-sitting read, but no! It tool me about a month, bu that is because I read a lot of other books in the mean time.
Plot Summary:
This book follows a young Callie that started cutting herself a couple of months ago, and she is in this center for girls who have some sort of mental disease: cutting, eating disorders, etc. Callie doesn't really talk much during her sessions with the therapist, during group therapy, or just in general. She is very quiet, and this is her story as she decides that she WANTS to heal.
Opinion:
I liked this book, but it wasn't anything special. I have read a lot of books that fall into this genre of "problem novel," and thus I have read some that are much better. For the length of this book, I must say that it is good, but I just don't think that it is special.
If you have never read anything in this genre, then this might be a good place to start, since it is so short, and therefore you can decide if you want to read more of this genre.
a_leo_reading's review against another edition
5.0
This novel, yet short, was packed with a large story about a girl finding her voice, and recovering from self-harm. It was intense, haunting, and left me with chills. It is a teen read for teenagers who are also suffering through self-harm, but at the same time it is for those who want to know more.
This is one of my top favorite novels.
This is one of my top favorite novels.
sxcpixie's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
stephxsu's review against another edition
4.0
At Sick Minds a.k.a. Sea Pines, Callie lives with a bunch of other girls like herself with problems they need to overcome. Some girls are anorexic; others are cutters. Callie is a cutter. What’s more, she refuses to speak: during her individual therapy sessions, around the other girls, whenever. Something is obviously eating away at Callie inside. But maybe, with the help of her odd mates, most of who have problems of their own too, maybe Callie will finally break out of her silence and get better.
CUT is perhaps one of the best young adult debut novels of the past five years. Patricia McCormick certainly has done her research well, and is able to, through her characters, empathize with teenagers.
CUT is perhaps one of the best young adult debut novels of the past five years. Patricia McCormick certainly has done her research well, and is able to, through her characters, empathize with teenagers.
4saradouglas's review against another edition
3.0
This book was pretty good, but I feel like it was too short. I wish we could have stayed a little longer to hear more about what made the main character cut. I also wish I could have learned more about the other girls in the facility and what made them have "food issues" or "substance abuse issues."
sleepingnerd's review against another edition
3.0
This book wasn't exceptional, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be based on some of the reviews I've read. It's not as deep as I hoped it would be, and I feel that, for a book that claims to deal with self-harm, that issue was actually explored very little. It was more about her stay at a mental health institution, which reminded me of the Girl, Interrupted movie a bit.
There's a couple inaccurate stereotypes and the whole dissociation thing was a bit hard to believe and not nearly explored enough. However. The writing flows well, and it even made me tear up at one point. The ending felt sudden and vague, but it wasn't so bad.
There's a couple inaccurate stereotypes and the whole dissociation thing was a bit hard to believe and not nearly explored enough. However. The writing flows well, and it even made me tear up at one point. The ending felt sudden and vague, but it wasn't so bad.
punkassbookjockey84's review against another edition
5.0
Callie is a cutter. Using her mother's exacto-knife she cuts her arms whenever she feels anxious. When she's found out by her school nurse, she ends up at Sea Pines, which her roommate playfully refers to as Sick Minds. But Callie won't talk. She sits and looks out the window during therapy and group, thinking about what she would say, but never actually saying the words. We don't know exactly why she's there, but as the story progresses, she slowly begins to speak and the puzzle pieces of her past begin to come together. Told in the first person, this story is a believable portrayal of a cutter and the reader feels the angst and emotions of Callie throughout.
This is an extremely engaging read, truly a page turner and a quick read. It's been criticized as giving teens ideas, but I honestly think they would probably have gotten it somewhere else first; if anything, I think this book would act as bibliotherapy for the troubled teen.
This is an extremely engaging read, truly a page turner and a quick read. It's been criticized as giving teens ideas, but I honestly think they would probably have gotten it somewhere else first; if anything, I think this book would act as bibliotherapy for the troubled teen.
rachjq's review against another edition
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
3.5
lauraelizah's review against another edition
4.0
I haven't quite put my finger on why, but I really really like this book.