Get Well Soon

I read this book a year ago and really enjoyed it and now I'm re

I read this book a year ago and really enjoyed it and now I'm reading it again. Its a book about a mental hospital and depression but it makes me happy and laugh. Anna is a unique character that is so honest, I love it!

I Loved It, And Highly Recommend

First off, the idea of a giant yellow frowny face on the cover was genious. My copy curently is sitting on the front of my bookself, just screaming 'LOOK AT ME I'M YELLOW'. And Second, I love this book. The main character, Anna, has the best personality and thought process for mental patient, and it wasn't at all sad. I found myself laughing at least tree time a chapter. That's another thing I liked, the chapters were in a letter/journal entry format, making it feel more like a personal telling rather than a narrative say-so. So far, I've read it about nine times, plus some parts over. If you're looking for a short, quick, yet funny read, this is definately the right choice.

Semi-lighthearted look at depression

Having never been in a mental institution, I don't know exactly what they're like. However, having suffered through depression and considered going to a mental institution, "get well soon" describes it much as I imagined. At least the main character's experiences and feelings are much how I imagine I would feel in the same position.

Teenager Anna's parents send her to a mental institution after she can't make it through a class without a panic attack and so stops going to school. She is admitted as a "PSI II - Possible Self-Injury Level II," which she describes as "meaning I could kill myself at any moment, so someone has to watch me constantly." After a rough start, Anna soon finds a bunch of misfit teens to befriend and help her survive her healing time. Though she starts to feel better, she holds the very real concern, will I still be okay when I leave this place?

Julie Halpern has created a likable character in Anna, who keeps a good sense of humor throughout her ordeal and genuinely seems like the type of person you'd want to befriend. This story could appeal to anyone who is wondering what it's like to feel depressed, as well as to any teen looking for an underdog tale where the ignored become popular and personalities trump outward looks.

AWSOME BOOK

OMG this book is madd good ihts like funny cute and sadd =]] i would recomend this book to somebodyy if yu need some cheering uhp wen yur sadd

True to experience!

I absolutely freaking adore this book. I must first admit that I myself was in a psych ward as an adolescent for close to the same reasons as Anna. This book though funny is very true to the atmosphere in there. You really have to make your own fun. And the no contact rule is spot on! I love that this book told the story so that people might relate with people that have gone through this. I <3 this book.

LOVED IT!

I absolutely loved Get Well Soon. I thought it was a great book and reccomend it for everyone. It really makes you think and wonder. I loved it!

Wow

Wow, I couldn't stop thinking about this book once I read it. MY summer was very boring, all I did was sit at home. I found out that I loved to read. All summer I went to the public library and checked out books. I started to check out five books in one day and read them all in one week. One day I saw Get Well Soon. It caught my eye but once I read the teaser it caught my attention. There was no way that I could turn down this book.

This book has a great story and wonderful comedy. My favorite books are about teenage love stories. I am a teenager myself and I love it. I beleive that Halpern should make a second Get Well Soon book. This book touched my heart and made me wonder. It truly gave me great interests on how Halperns other books are. I can't wait to read them! If you like teenage love stories like I do then you would check out some of theese books I have read during the summer!!

Angieville: GET WELL SOON

I came across Julie Halpern's first novel while browsing the offerings over at Feiwel & Friends. I was so grateful they were publishing LONG MAY SHE REIGN that I grabbed CARPE DIEM and GET WELL SOON as well because if they're publishing Ellen Emerson White books they not only have superb taste, they deserve my undying loyalty. Plus, both books just looked good. GET WELL SOON tells the story of Anna Bloom, a depressed teenager whose parents commit her to a mental institution when her panic attacks get in the way of her going to school. Alone, overweight, and braless, Anna starts writing a series of letters to her best friend Tracy as a way of staying sane despite being surrounded by drug dealers, Satanists, pregnant cheerleaders, oh my!

Anna's voice is at times bitter, amused, desperate, and uncertain. But it is always matter-of-fact. And it is this quality that is most appealing. I never got the feeling she was sugar-coating the way things were or trying to put something over on her reader. She writes all of these letters describing her experience in minute detail yet she doesn't send a single one. They stay in her room with her, her roommate Sandy, and Sandy's plastic baby Morgan. They seem to be a way of processing the unimaginable thing that has happened to her. By keeping them she can continue to review and add on to the narrative so that when it is time to go home there will be a record of how she survived. In an ironic twist of fate, life in the mental hospital turns out to be more interesting and "healthy" for Anna than it was outside. She makes friends who understand her and who do not send her "Get Well Soon" cards as though she had chicken pox or mono. Despite the absurd hospital workers and a few admittedly crazy fellow patients Anna is able to be herself. Paradoxically, the confining walls give her the space she needs to figure out not only what happened to her, but what she will do with this new-found self knowledge. I laughed repeatedly while reading about Anna and Sandy, Justin and Matt O. I felt about like Anna did when the time came to leave the hospital. I wasn't ready. A little more time in the loony bin, please. The real world can wait. But Anna had to go back home and the book had to end and I'm happy I got to spend this time with her.

Reviewed by Christian C. for TeensReadToo.com

Anna is fat and depressed. She suffers from panic attacks, and has stopped going to school. Her parents, who are totally clueless, decide to send her to a mental hospital. Will that do any good? Anna doesn't think so! Not in this place. Nobody tells her anything, they have the weirdest rules ever, and she's forced to wear these ugly pajamas all day long with no bra!

But as days go by, things turn out to be not as bad as she originally thought. Anna meets other teens. Matt O. has been living there for six months. Six whole months? Will Anna ever get out of this place? She also spends time with Sandy, her roommate who's eating for two and has to carry a baby doll all day long. Victor becomes the first black friend she's ever had. And finally, there's Justin -- Oh, Justin! -- the cutest guy around who may have even looked at her.

Written in the form of a letter to her best friend, Tracy, Anna describes all of the details of her life at the nut house in a very funny way, with a writing style that is just like... well... that of a teenage girl!

This story is engaging, the characters sound real, the writing is refreshing and natural, and the descriptions of the situations are hilarious!

Great job for a first time novelist, who's also a librarian and spent time in a psychiatric hospital herself when she was a teen. (She claims to be fine now!)

A hilarious read in the most unexpected setting!

I'm serious. This is by far the funniest book I've ever read. It's one of the only books that have made me laugh out loud. Anna, the main character, has been so depressed lately that her parents have sent her off to a mental hospital. Despite Anna's pessimistic look at things in the beginning, things quickly turn around for her. She meets new people, makes friends, and might even have a cute crush. Once the tone is set, it's impossible to put this book down. Anna is quick-witted and funny, and her insecurities (such as body image and what her first kiss might be like) are pretty relatable. The other patients (major and minor alike) are truly outstanding, and never fail to put a smile on your face. While some of the patients' situations are serious (one guy was sexually abused, another attempted suicide), and some downright creepy (one girl thinks she is being possessed by Satan), the upbeat pace of the book keeps everything from getting too depressing. I would definately recommend this book to a friend (or anyone else!).

Crazy Fun!

As she sees it, Anna Bloom has been carted off to the loony bin. Why? Anna has extremely low self-esteem. She is constantly afraid people will make fun of her for how she looks or what she does. This fear makes her have panic attacks. And apparently, Anna's parents just didn't know how to deal with her, so they sent her off to a slightly crazy shrink (who thought everything was sexual in some way). When that didn't work, she was then sent to Lakeland Hospital, a mental institution. And a strange one, as Anna sees it. The rules and hierarchy at Lakeland are confusing to Anna at first because no one explains them to her. But during her three week stay, things actually start to get better. She starts to lose weight. Her new roommate, who happens to be pregnant, becomes a great friend. And then there's the cutie Justin who just might like Anna back. Get Well Soon was told in diary entries and letters to Anna's friend Tracy over the course of three weeks. It was a very cute book, but one that could be improved. Anna's love of music could've been more developed. Julie Halpern mentions how Anna's music always makes her feel better, but doesn't really go into depth. That's fine thought because music wasn't the focus of the novel. I really enjoyed the cast of characters even the creepy ones were in some way lovable or at least funny to read about. Anna did grow as a person, although not that much, but then again, I don't think she had that many problems to begin with. I also highly enjoyed the romance between Anna and Justin. All in all, Get Well Soon was one of the sweetest books I've read in a while. It left off on a bittersweet note, but one that was hopeful. If you like a lighthearted and short read, check out Get Well Soon.

a reviewer

I read 'Get Well Soon', and I loved it! It's format as a diary/letter form, is a nice twist, just like 'TTYL' and its IMing. It was really fun to read the slight tension between (oh, I already forgot the character's name!) the girl and boy. It's humor got me laughing every other page! I really recommend it!

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Anna is fat and depressed. She suffers from panic attacks, and has stopped going to school. Her parents, who are totally clueless, decide to send her to a mental hospital. Will that do any good? Anna doesn¿t think so! Not in this place. Nobody tells her anything, they have the weirdest rules ever, and she's forced to wear these ugly pajamas all day long with no bra! But as days go by, things turn out to be not as bad as she originally thought. Anna meets other teens. Matt O. has been living there for six months. Six whole months? Will Anna ever get out of this place? She also spends time with Sandy, her roommate who's eating for two and has to carry a baby doll all day long. Victor becomes the first black friend she's ever had. And finally, there's Justin -- Oh, Justin! -- the cutest guy around who may have even looked at her. Written in the form of a letter to her best friend, Tracy, Anna describes all of the details of her life at the nut house in a very funny way, with a writing style that is just like¿ well¿ that of a teenage girl! This story is engaging, the characters sound real, the writing is refreshing and natural, and the descriptions of the situations are hilarious! Great job for a first time novelist, who¿s also a librarian and spent time in a psychiatric hospital herself when she was a teen. (She claims to be fine now!) **Reviewed by: Christian C.

Get Well Soon Review

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advanced copy of Get Well Soon and I loved it. It is not the typical depressed teen in a mental hospital book. Halpern gives her main character, Anna, a unique sense of humor. The really funny moments of the book make you laugh out loud. There are also many interesting oberservations made by Anna about her fellow 'patients', and a romance that is sweet and daring under the circumstances. Get Well Soon is written in letter format, and you feel like you are sharing an inside joke with Anna the whole time you are reading. By the end of the book it feels like Anna was writing to you all along. If you're looking for a book that has a fresh new spin on what it's like to be a depressed teen, pick up Get Well Soon. It is easy to read and it would appeal to any age or gender.

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