CM: Canadian Review of Materials
The COVID-19 shutdowns, lockdowns and the constant media attention given to the pandemic have become reality for everyone over the past year and a half. Kudos to Bev Katz Rosenbaum for tackling the issues head on in I’m Good and Other Lies in a way which will resonate with her young adult audience
Storytime with Stephanie
Although the subject matter was heavy at times, there was humour in the darkness. Bev Katz Rosenbaum expertly navigated the difficult subject matter with well-timed humour and lightness…This was an incredibly engaging read and I had a hard time putting it down.
RE:BOOKS blog
In I’m Good and Other Lies by Bev Katz Rosenbaum (Cormorant Books), Kelsey is a high-school senior who, when the pandemic hits, gets stuck at home with her family. I can relate, as I was stuck in lockdown with my family and my mom. (Ugh.) Just like I did with mine, Kelsey deals with her family’s eccentricities, including depression and addiction, while trying not to mirror those behaviours.”
Kirkus Reviews
2021-11-30
A Toronto teen fights her way through loneliness and depression during the first phase of the Covid-19 pandemic.
When White 17-year-old Kelsey Kendler transfers to a new high school for the second semester of her senior year, she’s seriously on edge. Her mother was a well-known comedian until addiction rendered her unemployable; her dad “calls himself a writer” but mostly stays out of range. Kelsey’s goals are to make friends and survive until college. She gets a job at an ice cream shop and is just beginning to find her way in her new milieu when the Covid lockdown hits. Unmoored, lacking family support, and struggling with online learning, she briefly descends into substance abuse before a crisis shakes her family and she begins to understand and receive the kind of help she needs. Kelsey’s voice is pitch-perfect, equal parts snarky and vulnerable. The storyline isn’t complex, but the very real discussions of substance abuse, mental health, and the importance of community, combined with the honest depiction of the toll the pandemic took on many people, make this book valuable. In the end, Kelsey seeks professional counseling, begins taking antidepressants, and her life improves. Rosenbaum concludes with an author’s note that offers addiction and mental health resources for both Canadian and American readers and promises “things will get better.”
Its honesty and empathy make this an important book. (Fiction. 14-18)
