DISCLAIMER: I received this book from Disney-Hyperion in exchange for an honest review.
Samantha McAllister has OCD - she has to do everything in threes, sees her therapist every week...and her friends have no idea. It's like they barely know her. And they are a big part of the problem - the Crazy Eights make up a big proportion of Sam's therapy sessions.
Sam's life is a constant struggle to hide her anxiety from her friends and the people at school - until she meets Caroline Madsen. Sam completely opens up to her, and in return, Caroline introduces her to Poet's Corner...and AJ.
I must admit, I struggled to get into this book at first, as the first couple of chapters didn't grab me as much as I expected them to. But once Sam meets the Poets, and AJ, I really got into it - I'm glad that I stuck with it.
I would have felt terrible giving up, because this turned out to be a really wonderful book. The story was so lovely, and I especially enjoyed the ending. There was a major plot twist, which I will not spoil for anyone, that completely surprised me - and I enjoyed that too.
Sam was a really likeable character. I understood that she was too afraid to leave the Eights for fear of being alone, even though they were making her ill. No one wants to be alone, especially at school.
This is a really good book, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to see mental illnesses given a voice in young adult fiction. ★★★★
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