Review : A Million Little Snowflakes by Logan Byrne (YA)

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Book Blurb

Oliver Hurst has always been abnormally normal.

His grades are horrible, his best friend just left for Utah, and he's depressed. His overly religious parents don’t help, especially since they control every facet of his life. One stupid sentence said in desperation gets Oliver tossed in an adolescent psych ward, where his depression and fears become even more of a reality.

When Oliver meets snide, tough girl Lacey Waters he doesn't think his life could get any better, that is, until she becomes the ray of sunshine he has desperately needed on his cloudiest of days.

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Toot's Review by Stacy Sabala

Oliver is not happy with his life. His best friend moved away, his SAT scores were low, and his extremely religious mother thinks prayers heal everything even the devil thoughts that have invaded his virgin mind. His frustration causes him to do something drastic by announcing he wants to kill himself. As a result his father checks him into a psych ward.

Oliver feels like he is in prison with the structured schedule he has to follow. He is also drawn to Lacey, a female patient. She isn’t the nicest person but Oliver thinks she is beautiful. Lacey notices him too and decides to get to know him better. Both open up and start to grow closer.

Oliver realizes that his mother is one of his major problems but his life is looking up. He has made friends and he has Lacey. He is determined to be there for her. Lacey is skeptical about Oliver’s promise but is willing to try.

This was a rough book to read. I felt sorry for Oliver from the beginning. His mother was a nightmare in my opinion. I could see the pressure and strain he had to endure. The author made his journey into the adolescent psych ward interesting. To potential readers that is an unknown place and process. The specific regulations almost seemed cruel but safety does come first.

I liked seeing Oliver get better and realize things about himself. The friends he made while there were exactly what he needed. However, I was very disappointed with how the story ended. It was frustrating to make it through his whole life altering experience and then have it end like that. It really ruined the book for me. I give it a 3 out of 5 for originality.