Miranda @ Bibliodaze

There is no way I’m going to manage to be rational about this book. There isn’t. Like Izzy, I have (undiagnosed) bipolar disorder or, at the very least, cyclothymia. I’ve probably always had it, but it hasn’t been until the last few years where it’s become truly noticeable and an actual problem. Like Izzy, I go through spells where I’m so manic that I have trouble sleeping and can go for hours focusing on one specific thing. Then I crash into a depressive episode where I have trouble even getting out of bed. These episodes can last from one week to several, and it’s always a cycle. It’s hard. It’s harder on my friends and family to deal with it. And normally, I’d be wary of a book that has an MC with the disorder. It’s too personal to me, and if it had been portrayed badly, I would have been highly upset. As much as I enjoyed Amy Reed’s other two books, I went into this one with a bit of trepidation. (I realize I’m perhaps being a little unfair about this, but I can’t help how I feel.) I needn’t have worried. Despite a rocky start, Crazy soon hit me squarely in the feelings and the depiction of the mental illness and the people it affects is stunningly realistic and respectful. Several times I had to put this book down because I was tearing up too much to read it properly. What Izzy goes through was just so familiar to me, and the questions it makes her ask herself are things I’ve asked myself a lot. The thing about bipolar is, it affects your entire being. It’s not just occasional periods of mania or depression. It’s with you all the time in less obvious ways; it makes you moody and oversensitive. You could be having a great day, but one little thing can ruin your entire mood for the rest of it. It’s something that makes you wonder if you really are just this awful a person, if it’s not the disorder making you act like this but just you, yourself. It can change your entire personality and who you are. It’s awful, to put it very lightly. But other than the great portrayal of bipolar disorder, the other aspects of the book are good too. Both main characters, Connor and Izzy, are wonderfully realistic. Sometimes they can be a little irritating and do some things that aren’t entirely likeable, but that’s what makes them human. Of the two, I was of course a little more attached to Izzy and her struggles, but Connor was a good character too. They’re both just trying to figure themselves and their lives out. I wasn’t entirely on board with the love story. Connor and Izzy do love each other, it’s obvious, but they tend to toe the line on being too co-dependent on each other. I did appreciate their love for each other, but I hope they can move past being quite so unhealthy. I will say, though, one sour note for me was Izzy’s instances of slut shaming other women in her e-mails. She calls herself a feminist, then turns around and derides women for acting in ways she considers slutty or demeaning. Hate the war, not the victims. You can’t call yourself a feminist and then turn around and actively insult women for acting a certain way, even if it’s not one you yourself agree with. Also, the last thirty pages weren’t as good as the rest of the book, but it doesn’t detract from the story overall. Amy Reed once again proves herself to be a great writer, and one of my favourites. I’ll gladly read anything she puts out. Crazy is going to become one of those books that means a lot to me and one I’ll revisit again.