Turtles all the way down

 Hello everyone!

My review this month is on Turtles All the Way Down by John Green. It was a christmas gift and it is one of my favorite realistic fiction novels so far. The book's protagonist, Aza Holmes, has OCD and struggles with "thought spirals", which are essentially her getting stuck in her own thoughts and being unable to escape them. While she battles with an unrealistic obsession over a very rare stomach disease C. diff, she ends up drinking sanitizer after kissing someone just so she can feel clean. She regularly doesn't feel normal and is insecure, often believing that even her best friend doesn't like her.

She falls in love with her childhood friend, Davis Pickett, whose billionaire father recently disappeared. However, the combination of her mental health issues in addition to Davis's stress over his father makes it difficult. Towards the end of the story, Aza and Davis both experience their own traumatic and life-changing event, causing Aza to confront the complexities of her OCD and Davis to reorganize his family and maintain a sense of peace without his father. 

The reason why I like John Green's books so much is because in every one of his stories, he weaves a unique story that goes beyond the stereotypical romance. While my preferred genre isn't romance, this was one of the best love stories I've read in my life. By weaving together both love and loss, Green conveys the importance of understanding and supporting each other during life's uncertainties. In addition to romance, Turtles All the Way Down teaches us to accept ourselves for who we are instead of trying to fight it. I really enjoyed this book, highly recommend!

Comments

  1. EmmaFebruary 1, 2024 at 6:06 PM

    Hi! I really like romance novels, and this seems like one that strays from the norm. I think that the protagonist sounds really interesting, and three-dimensional. I've only really read a few John Green novels (I know him better from Crash Course) but the ones I've read, I really liked. So I think that I will really enjoy this one too! Great blog!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gail F.February 4, 2024 at 12:04 PM

    Yo DJ! This sounds like a great book! I'll be sure to add this to my reading list! Thanks for making a post about it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. SophiaFebruary 4, 2024 at 7:28 PM

    The thing that interests me the most about this novel is the "thought spirals" you mentioned? It seems that the main character has a very unique mind, and assuming it's 1st person, I feel like the narration style of this book could be so cool! I also am not a huge fan of stereotypical romance, so I'll definitely think about reading this!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lily RowellFebruary 5, 2024 at 8:08 PM

    hi DJ, as someone who love love loves John Green's stories I'll have to check this one out as it has been recommended to me before but I had not gotten the chance to read it yet. great post!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Y_Jemina_FMay 6, 2024 at 1:30 PM

    DJ, I haven't read one of your blogs in a while, but this was very well-written, and I'm successfully intrigued! I definitely have a lot of anxiety, and that does come with negative spiral-ling thoughts, but since I've never been evaluated with anything ever, I wonder if the spirals that come with OCD would be something I could relate to. I also have yet to read a book by John Green, although he's definitely on my TBR list. Thanks for the summary and the review!

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