Paper Girl Book Review
Paper Girl by Cindy R. Wilson
Goodreads Summary:
I haven’t left my house in over a year. My doctor says it’s social anxiety, but I know the only things that are safe are made of paper. My room is paper. My world is paper. Everything outside is fire. All it would take is one spark for me to burst into flames. So I stay inside. Where nothing can touch me. Then my mom hires a tutor. Jackson. This boy I had a crush on before the world became too terrifying to live in. Jackson’s life is the complete opposite of mine, and I can tell he’s got secrets of his own. But he makes me feel things. Makes me want to try again. Makes me want to be brave. I can almost taste the outside world. But so many things could go wrong, and all it takes is one spark for everything I love to disappear…
Personal Review: 3 1/2 coffee cups
**Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review***
This book could have been a typical YA contemporary story that gets lost in the mass of other contemporary novels, but the focus on social anxiety makes this story stand out.
I'm going to do this review a little different and break it out into Pros and Cons.
Pros:
-The author's portrayal of Zoe's social anxiety. Contrary to popular belief, this isn't something you can just get over.
-The reveal of why Zoe confined herself to her apartment. It showcased how something so normal can spiral out of control and cause the reaction that it did.
-Pro-therapy message. I loved that this story showcased the benefits of therapy. Oftentimes in stories, therapists are portrayed as clinical robots that are unrelatable. Gina was the type of therapist that took the time to get to know Zoe, opened up about her own life, and gave Zoe the tools she needed to go out and take back her life.
-Zoe decided she was in control of how she lived her life. Gina didn't fix it for her. Mae didn't fix it. And Jackson didn't fix it.
-Zoe's paper room. I definitely need a picture of what this room looked like.
-Jackson's relationship with his dad. It was refreshing to see the growth in their relationship towards the end of the story.
Cons:
-Zoe's relationship with her mom and dad...I felt like Zoe's parents used their hobbies or jobs to ignore the crippling anxiety she was experiencing.
-Jackson....Even though I thought their relationship was cute (if not predictable), I felt like Jackson was rather pushy at times. At certain points throughout the story, it seemed like Jackson thought it was his job to fix Zoe instead of just being with her. That may just be me, but I got that vibe several times while reading the story.
