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Book Review: Made You Up

Title: Made You Up
Author: Francesca Zappia
Rating: 5/5
Genre: YA fiction
Reviewer: Emily



"'But-but what if this whole place"-I had to suck in air again-'what if everything is inside my head? East Shoal and Scarlet and this bridge and you-what if you're not real because nothing is real?'"

This book is told from the point of view of Alex, a high school senior with schizophrenia, which is a mental disease which causes you to have hallucinations, or see or hear things that are not real. She constantly struggles with trying to figure out what is real. Starting her first day of senior year at a new high school, she takes pictures of possible hallucinations, and hopes that no one will ever find out about her. However, there's this boy that looks exactly like her childhood friend, but she had surely made him up, hadn't she?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEX!!!

 First of all, there is so much that goes on in this book. Also, this book is absolutely my favorite book that I have ever read. How does one write a review on a book that they think that everyone should get to read?

This book is stunning in every way. Let's first talk about the cover. Breath-taking. I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but it's hard not to, okay, Julia! The whole idea of this book is so original, and the descriptions and realism of this novel is something that I really love about this book.

I love how it brought you inside of Alex's head. You got to read about what happens to her, and I guarantee once you're done you will hold a special place in your heart for her. Seeing things from her perspective, you got to learn about what it's like to have schizophrenia, and know that despite the mental disease, they are all human.

If a book makes you cry at a certain point, you know it's good. I am not ashamed to say that I have cried several times while reading and rereading it. The pages where it shows Alex talking to Finnegan's Magic 8 Ball and the drawings at the beginning of a new chapter are simply unique! This book is just amazing, read it, okay!? Yup, main idea of this review: to persuade the reader to read Made You Up. Everyone I know knows I'm in love with this book. I've done projects on it, have a notebook of quotes from the book, have painted pictures of it (and have received a amazing picture by one of my best friends!) If your looking for the biggest fan, you have found me.

I never saw anything coming. I was constantly surprised throughout the whole book (happy and sad surprises). It was so interesting, I can't even tell you. There was a mystery to it, and had a struggle for Alex that made you (up) keep rooting for her until the end. Overall, read this book and obsess over it, but just maybe not as much as me!

-Emily (Probably the biggest Made You Up fan ever because I am awesome like that)

So now you've read about Em's favorite book. What was Julia's? It was The Light Between Oceans!
"Okay, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to give a book infinity out of 5, but I'm going to do it because this book was that good. I have never cried so much or intensely over a single book. (I cried throughout the book and in one consistent stream for the last 50 pages.) I am so in love with it that..." Read more

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