Pages: 304
Published: April 21st 2009 by HarperTeen
Series: N/A – Stand Alone
Source: Borrowed from the library
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“Where are they taking me?”
“It’s for your own good, Brit,” Dad said.
I was shoved into a small, stuffy room, and the door was locked behind me. I waited for my dad to realize he’d made a terrible mistake and come get me.
But he didn’t.
For sixteen-year-old Brit Hemphill, it’s hard to know who she can trust. Convinced she’s out of control, her father has sentenced her to Red Rock: a center for supposedly rebellious teens, where the therapy consists of name-calling and the girls who get privileges are the ones who rat out their peers.
But then Brit meets V, Bebe, Martha, and Cassie—four girls who keep her from going over the edge. Together, they’ll hold on to their sanity and their sisterhood despite the bleak Red Rock reality.
I was really excited to start reading Sisters in Sanity; I felt like I was the only person on the planet who hadn’t read any of Gayle Forman’s books so I couldn’t wait to dive into this one and see what I was missing out on.
I had a really hard time connecting with the main characters of Sisters in Sanity: Brit, V, Bebe, Martha and Cassie. They weren’t bad characters, I just had a hard time connecting with them on any level. I found this is something I’ve been struggling with occasionally with some YA contemporaries. Often the problems that they are facing are ones that I haven’t had to experience in so long that it’s often hard to put myself in their shoes. Obviously that’s no fault of the author, or her writing, It’s just something I wanted to put out there. That being said I did LIKE the characters very much. I found Brit’s struggle to deal with her mothers abandonment very saddening. I felt like my heart was being squeezed a bit every time she spoke about her mother, or her and her parents “old” life. Out of the friends Brit made at Red Rock, my most favorite was probably Bebe. I really enjoyed her spunky attitude and her sarcastic humor always made you smile.
The story itself angered me honestly. I hated Red Rock and I hated the counsellors and head figures. They were awful and I thought it was horrendous that any parent would think their child needed to go to such a horrific place. The physical labor parts were the worst and the brainwashing and torment of the girls was ghastly. I was so pissed at Brit’s Dad the entire novel because he thought that his daughter really needed to be in a place like that.
I loved the little romance between Brit and Jed. It was sweet and wholesome and the perfect addition to the story. It really lightened up the plot and I couldn’t wait to see what happened between them.
I enjoyed reading Sisters in Sanity and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a quick contemporary read. Gayle Forman’s writing is wonderful, easy to read and I can definitely see why everyone loves her so much. While it wasn’t as wonderful as I expected it, I did very much enjoy the story and I will absolutely be picking up her other novels in the future.
I’ve only heard of this one by the title in passing. The summary actually makes it sound really interesting. Like you, I haven’t read any Gayle Forman novels, but this one sounds really interesting, and maybe a bit easier to pick up since it doesn’t sound like it will make me bawl, haha.
One of the main reasons why I haven’t read her other books is because I know they are tear inducing 😛 This one definitely doesn’t have that element so it was a good place to start! If you read it, I hope you enjoy it Rachelia!!
[…] I unfortunately didn’t get a lot of reviews up for August but aside from the books I read and reviewed in August, I also posted my review for Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover and Sisters in Sanity by Gayle Forman. […]