9 Sept 2014

book review: paper swans by jessica thompson

I recently joined Bookbridgr after seeing Katie talk about them over on her blog and being a big reader (thank you, Kindle!), I thought I'd join up to see what the fuss was about. Let's just say I'm so far impressed with the whole concept - reading books and then reviewing them is fair trade to me! 

Let me introduce you to the first book I received through Bookbridgr: Paper Swans by Jessica Thompson. I received this book towards the end of August and I finished it in a week. Pretty good going considering for half of that time, it was term-time (hello, nine to five days where I leave the house at half seven in the morning and don't return til half six in the evening...).


Anyway, Paper Swans is a love story intertwined with mental illness. Without giving too much of the plot away, the book follows Ben's journey through the skeletons in his closet that arose from one unfortunate incident earlier in his life. It's all a bit cliche to begin with - a guy who seems arrogant and irresponsible and a girl who has no bad bone in her body. However, the fact that I read the book in seven days says it all - the plot, though nothing really that special, kept me interested enough to want to know what would happen next.

What I loved about this book was the sensitive way Jessica Thompson tackles the subject of mental illness. Though some parts were a bit unrealistic (in my opinion), the majority of it was relatable to the average Joe. We all go through periods of anxiety but for some of us, it can be more severe and chronic that for others and I think this book highlights this point very well.


Although the book is a bit of a slow starter, I would still recommend it. So far this year, I've read a lot of Lucy Diamond books and other chicklit books and if you have similar taste in books to me, I think you'll enjoy this book.

Overall, I give Paper Swans 7/10 (which is pretty decent as books rarely make it passed 7/10 when I rate them!).

2 comments

  1. Book Bridgr is amazing. I love it.
    I never looked much into this book though- obviously a mistake!
    Do you have Goodreads?
    Imogen's Typewriter. <3

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  2. Yeah, bookbridgr is great! Definitely the best thing I've discovered online this year :3
    I have Paper Swans on my list - glad you liked it!

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