Review: Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

Made You Up

Author: Francesca Zappia
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Genre: YA Contemporary
Format: ebook
Release Date: May 19, 2015
Source: egalley received from publisher via Edelweiss
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Add to Goodreads
Buy the Book

***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way changed my opinion of the book. The review below is my open and honest opinion.***

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Reality, it turns out, is often not what you perceive it to be—sometimes, there really is someone out to get you. Made You Up tells the story of Alex, a high school senior unable to tell the difference between real life and delusion. This is a compelling and provoking literary debut that will appeal to fans of Wes Anderson, Silver Linings Playbook, and Liar.

Alex fights a daily battle to figure out the difference between reality and delusion. Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8-Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex wages a war against her schizophrenia, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college. She’s pretty optimistic about her chances until classes begin, and she runs into Miles. Didn't she imagine him? Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers. But Alex is used to being crazy. She’s not prepared for normal.

Funny, provoking, and ultimately moving, this debut novel featuring the quintessential unreliable narrator will have readers turning the pages and trying to figure out what is real and what is made up.

My Review:

Wow I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. I absolutely loved it. Everything about this was perfect. I loved the mix of humor and seriousness. The main character of this book is schizophrenic. Obviously mental illness is serious and there are other characters going through their own personal hells. But the author balances all that heavy stuff out with just the right amount of humor, keeping the book tasteful, yet also allowing the reader a break from the heaviness.

I loved the main character, Alex. She was an amazing narrator. Completely unreliable due to her illness but she had such an amazing personality. I loved not ever knowing what was real and what was in her head and several times I was completely shocked when the truth came out. She struggles so much with her illness and wanting to be normal. I think the author portrayed this in such a real and genuine way. I was fascinated by the things she saw and thought, both real and not. I loved how she slowly let people in. Every one of her relationships was slow going, but once she let someone in you could tell that Alex loved them fiercely.

The romance was just stinking adorable. I loved Miles. I loved how smart he was, how standoffish he was. I loved seeing him slowly thaw and warm up to Alex. I loved that he accepted her for who she was, weird quirks and all. I loved how devoted he was to his goals in life and how unafraid he was of working towards those goals. The romance was slow and sweet and perfect for both characters.

I honestly don’t have anything else to say about this one. You just really need to read it for yourself. A powerful, moving story that will have you laughing and tearing up at the same time. If you love contemporary and are looking for a book that portrays mental illness positively then this is one you don’t want to miss.

Have you read this one? What did you think? Did you love Alex as much as I did? And Miles?