Hey everyone! Glad to be back with another book review. This week: Impulse by Ellen Hopkins.
Sometimes you don't wake up. But if you happen to, you know things will never be the same
Three lives, three different paths to the same destination: Aspen springs, a psychiatric hospital for those who have attempted the ultimate act -- suicide.
Vanessa is beautiful and smart, but her secrets keep her answering the call of the blade.
Tony, after suffering a painful childhood, can only find peace through pills.
And Connor, outwardly, has a perfect life. But dig a little deeper and find a boy who is in constant battle with his parents, his life, and himself.
In one instant, each of these people decided enough was enough. They grabbed the blade, the bottle, the gun -- and tried to end it all. Now they have a second chance, and just maybe, with each other's help, they can find their way to a better life -- but only if they're strong and can fight the demons that brought them here in the first place.
I’m not sure what my expectations were when I first opened this book. But whatever they were, this book completely blew them away. Impulse is definitely one of the most incredible things I’ve read all year. Written entirely in stanza, this book goes into detail expressing themes of love, anger, and what it means to be alive. The three protagonists, Connor, Vanessa, and Tony, all have such rich backstories with trauma and hate and just a tad bit of happiness that’s all strung together to pull at your heartstrings for the entire book.
One of the greatest things about Impulse was the characters and how they interacted and grew with each other. The three main characters were all at Aspen Springs for generally the same reason: they all tried to commit suicide. And while each of them start out depressed and feeling alone, they work off each other throughout the book and grow with every page you’ll read.
One last thing I can say about this book is how realistic and mature it is. Normally, I stick to middle grade and fantasy stories, so Impulse was a major change for me. Without giving much away, all I can say is that it doesn’t hold much back. This book gets depressing a lot and includes some scenes that are definitely meant for a high school audience. So if you enjoy books that are a bit more mature and will leave an impression long after you’ve read the last page, then I cannot recommend Impulse by Ellen Hopkins enough!
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