A Danger to Herself and Others ARC Review

Publication Date: 5th February 2019

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Author: Alyssa Sheinmel

Goodreads Summary:

Only when she’s locked away does the truth begin to escape… 

Four walls. One window. No way to escape. Hannah knows there’s been a mistake. She didn’t need to be institutionalized. What happened to her roommate at her summer program was an accident. As soon as the doctors and judge figure out that she isn’t a danger to herself or others, she can go home to start her senior year. In the meantime, she is going to use her persuasive skills to get the staff on her side.

Then Lucy arrives. Lucy has her own baggage. And she may be the only person who can get Hannah to confront the dangerous games and secrets that landed her in confinement in the first place.

4.5 STARS

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It’s so hard to write this review when I know that even the smallest of details can ruin the plot, but I’ll try to keep this extremely vague. I’ll start with the obvious things about this novel; it’s a YA contemporary thriller/mystery set in a mental institution (and I loved it a lot).

The title of this book is what intrigued me the most because it’s a brilliant at catching your interest before you’ve even started it. I was gripped from the very first page, and couldn’t wait to learn more about the main character, Hannah, and why she was in the mental institution in the first place. It’s definitely a book that keeps you guessing the whole way through and it’s an incredibly fast read!

I loved Hannah as the main character and seeing how she reacted to everything around her. She’s quite an arrogant character, which some readers may struggle with, but I loved it. Hannah is put into the mental institution against her will, and she will do anything to get out – even if it means playing along with the rules.

Reading from Hannah’s perspective was incredibly interesting and unique. She’s labelled as a ‘danger to herself and others’ and for the first half of the book, I was constantly questioning why. It isn’t until you really begin to read through the lines, and reach the midway point, that you realise Hannah is an unreliable narrator. I think that’s partly why I enjoyed this book so much, because Hannah was such a well written character.

This book makes you question literally everything and I can’t wait to see what everyone else thinks when it’s released!

*I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review – all opinions are my own!*