Under Rose-Tainted Skies

by Louise Gornall

Available in three different shades of pink (supplied at random).
Agoraphobia confines Norah to the house she shares with her mother.
For her, the outside is sky glimpsed through glass, or a gauntlet
to run between home and car. But a chance encounter on the doorstep
changes everything: Luke, her new neighbour. Norah is determined
to be the girl she thinks Luke deserves: a 'normal' girl,
her skies unfiltered by the lens of mental illness. Instead, her
love and bravery opens a window to unexpected truths ...

• ISBN13: 9781910655863
• Publish Date: 7 July 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 8 March 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Chicken House Ltd
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Four years ago, Norah's life came to a standstill. She was once a "normal girl". She went to school, and had friends, but that was then. Now, her life was ruled by her fears and her OCD, and her only friend was her mother. Enter Luke, handsome, kind, and wonderful, Luke. The boy next door, and a person, who has the patience to see the funny and witty young woman, who is more than her illness.

I know what you're thinking! You think this is the boy-cures-her kind of book, but it isn't. UNDER ROSE-TAINTED SKIES is a wonderful examination of what it's like to live with mental illness, and a good reminder that people are more than their diagnoses.

I absolutely loved this book! It was so good, that I simply swallowed it whole. From the very first page, I was #TeamNorah. There was just something so magnetic about her, which took hold of me and didn't let go. First of all, I loved her sense of humor. Her observations and musings often had me laughing, and there were these moments, where the grip of her OCD loosened up, and she was just funny. Since the story was told exclusively from her point of view, I got to bear witness to all of Norah's thoughts, good and bad. Seeing these intimate pieces of her, made me want her to win those battles, big and small. I was rooting for her, and celebrating her successes, no matter what they were.

I also adored her relationship with her mom. It had pretty much been just the two of them against the world, and they had a rather beautiful relationship. You could tell, that Norah's illness was tough on her mom, but the woman loved her unconditionally, and made any and all sacrifices without complaint.

Luke was such a wonderful part of this story, too. I didn't only love him, because I adore a good romance, but I loved the way he saw past the illness. He accepted Norah whole, including all her limitations and boundaries, and he didn't try to change her. He was patient and kind, and just the sweetest unicorn of a boy.

I have read some rumblings about the ending, but I don't quite understand why. There is no "I'm cured!" moment, or anything like that. I had no problem thinking it was plausible given my experience with agoraphobics and those with OCD, and also the fact that this is an OwnVoices novel. I actually thought the exploration of mental illness was really well done.

Regardless, I found this to be quite an lovely and uplifting read. It was about facing those challenges, that life throws at you, digging deep to find the strength that you always possessed, and it left me in a state of utter happiness.

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[writehollydavis]

4.5/5. Wonderfully powerful ownvoices story about dealing with anxiety and agoraphobia. Nora's voice swept me in from page 1 until the end and I truly cared about her well-being.

[Joséphine]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Initial thoughts: For the most part, I found myself liking Under Rose-Tainted Skies. It was unapologetic about Norah's agoraphobia, OCD and depression without a trace of romanticising mental illness. Her thoughts were raw, and pretty much uncensored, and so amplified what she went through. This approach definitely helped to hook me as a reader because the setting was confined to her home, since she couldn't bring herself to leave the house.

On the romance front, I thought Luke was sweet. It seems more than a handful of reviewers here on Goodreads thought he was unrealistically "perfect" in a way that teenage boys aren't. I beg to differ. I've had guy friends in tenth grade who similarly were incredibly sweet, thoughtful and patient towards their girlfriends.

What bothered me was that ending. Even though I figured at the beginning that something like that might happen, the implications and impact of those final chapters came off as very jarring compared to the rest of the book. It was a bit of a let-down. If not for the last few chapters, I would've rated Under Rose-Tainted Skies 4 stars.

[layawaydragon]

OMFG!!! YESS!!! I'll write something up when I'm more coherent.
////
I read this as soon as I was approved on Netgalley months ago, fell in love, squealed over it, and got buried in other stuffs. *sigh* The lack of spoons is killin’ me.

I first heard about this book through Twitter. I quickly followed the [author] and love how she brightens up my TL. If you can’t read this book, for whatever reason, following her is still a great idea, IMHO.

Trigger Warning: Self-harm, Panic Attacks, Violence,

I don't have agoraphobia, just an aversion to people as an introvert and a lack of ability to go out due to depression that up until a year ago was untreated. My lowest point was a stretch of 4 years where I could hardly get out of bed, let alone work and function.

This however is nothing like what Nora is going through. Equating experiences

Agoraphobia is wildly different and is vividly described. The abundance of metaphors and detailed style might be a turnoff for some.


The Mental Health Rep: Brilliant. Accurate.

As a former cutter, those scenes were on point and shows a side not many see or show. Love the positive therapy portrayal and the therapist being so understanding, helpful, and accommodating, It’s an ongoing process. No miracle or savior. Just her working her ass off, taking care of herself, and slowly progressing.

Love how the internet and social media were incorporated.


The Romance:

She isn't saved by a guy or "fixed". She makes strides and progress on her own. She has a supportive mother and a therapist. She is medication resistant for common, understandable reasons.

To be honest, the romance could be removed and she'd still improve. The ending would be the same. It wouldn't be as sweet and swoony and adorable, but including that doesn't lessen her accomplishments. It doesn't make her less impressive for having a support system. It'd horrendous having to do it on your own and the odds of success drastically reduced.

I am glad it was included because it shows how important talking, and consent is. It shows how it should be done: depending on someone’s boundaries. Nora is touch averse, but a romantic and has dreams. However, if you’re looking for touch-averse representation beware because Norah constantly puts herself down as a “freak” and wanting to be “normal”.

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

DNF @ 47%

Contemporary fiction is not a genre I read regularly, so you may be wondering why I'm even reviewing Under Rose-Tainted Skies. This book caught my eye because of its own voices representation of mental health disorders. As someone who has had an anxiety disorder for as long as I can remember, I was very interested in seeing how Louise Gornall would write an MC with issues I could relate to. Now I'm not sure whether she did it too well... Either way, it didn't really work for me.

Norah is a teenage girl who is confined to her home because of severe agoraphobia. She doesn't know why it happened or what brought it on, but she has been confined to home for years, is homeschooled, and has regular visits with a psychologist. She spends her days reading, watching TV, and building things out of food, but doesn't have friends... until the new guy moves in next door. This begins an incredibly awkward relationship consisting of passing notes through the mail slot, writing messages in steam on the windows, and lots of spying.

Although I definitely appreciate what the author is doing with Under Rose-Tainted Skies, I found too many things about it to be unrealistic. Most of all that a teenager suffering with these disorders to such an extreme would not be hospitalized or medicated. I understand that had she been hospitalized this story could not have happened, but I find it hard to believe that someone who has anxiety to the degree that Norah does would not be on any medication and would be left alone by her mother. Which brings me to unrealistic point number two - that her mother would not make sure there was food in the house for her child before leaving her home alone for several days. I understand that this is an important event in the story, but it seems much too coincidental.

The main reason I had to put this book down actually wasn't the unrealistic plot points - it was Norah's narration. As I said, I have an anxiety disorder of my own and Norah, frankly, was causing more anxiety. Every single page, almost every single sentence is Norah panicking over something. Luckily, I do not have this level of anxiety, but she was just way too intense for me. I definitely believe Under Rose-Tainted Skies could have benefited from dual POV, perhaps with Luke narrating part of the story. I think a break from her brain would have made this a more enjoyable reading experience. I get that it's own voices and that it shouldn't necessarily be an easy read, but I also am not going to force myself to read something that's causing extra anxiety.

I think Under Rose-Tainted Skies has good intentions and that a lot of people will enjoy Norah's story. It certainly does give some insight into these particular mental health issues, even if it requires some suspension of disbelief.

[kimbacaffeinate]

This story will touch you. Young, old, middle schooler, age doesn't matter. If you have ever been afraid of something, hate crowds, have OCD tendencies, or get awkward around a cute boy/girl, you will understand Norah. I think she lives in each of us.

Norah is seventeen and has severe agoraphobia and OCD. I suffer from mild cases of both and truth be told without my family and friends I would be perfectly content to never leave my property. While the story that unfolds focuses on Norah's mental issues and offers tremendous insight into these sometimes disabling illnesses, it also gives readers a light, first-time romance for a young girl with all the butterflies, awkwardness, and excitement that comes with it. Realistic and relatable, it is very apparent that Gornall has first-hand knowledge of Agoraphobia and Obsessive Compulsive. Disorder. I would like to see this title added to the school curriculum.

Five reasons to buy, own, give Under Rose-Tainted Skies

1. You want a story that will grab you from page one and hold you spellbound until the very last page. Gornall pulls you quickly into the story.

2.Give me all the emotional feels and skip the drama. The tale is realistic, and Norah despite her illness is a fighter with spunk. The drama is minimal and not drawn out.

3. You love the first begins of romance..the butterflies, blushes, and awkwardness.

4. Perfect gift for your teen, the local youth center or for someone who can relate to Norah.

5. You're curious about the illnesses of Agoraphobia and OCD. You want a non-text book understanding of what a person goes through when dealing with this issue.

Under Rose-Tainted Skies was a touching tale and Norah was a brave, quirky, lovable protagonist. This is the type of story whose character stays with you. You might find yourself asking, "What would Norah do?"

Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[whisperingchapters]

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.


Nora suffers from Agoraphobia and OCD. These disorders have slowly been building up over the years. Now, she has to be home-schooled and ONLY goes out to see her doctor. Even then, she gets anxiety attacks when she has to walk the short distance from her house to the car. Norah's only friend is her mom, who's been a great supporter from day one. Suddenly, a family is moving next door and Norah is intrigued by the boy with muscles, carrying boxes to the house. Luke is just as intrigued and leaves her notes at her house. They begin to form a friendship but Norah feels she'll be a burden to Luke. Will she fight these disorders and learn how to live with them, or will she ruin her chances of having a friend, maybe something more?

I really liked how the friendship/relationship developed. You could tell they were attracted to each other, but it was always so innocent, seeing as Norah's disorders prevent her from wanting human touch. I do think it was developed quite quickly, but since the focus of the story was Norah and her afflictions, it never bothered me. It was so nice to see Luke's patience with Norah. He never pushed or asked more of Norah. He was content just being by her side, watching movies or talking. It made me adore him even more.

I love the mother/daughter relationship. Norah and her mom are so tight! Her mom is so understanding and loving towards her daughter and not once did she complain of the lifestyle she has to live. She really wants best for Norah and supports her a lot. I loved that the mom was so constant throughout the story, which made it easy to believe the bond between them.

Norah's story was a little heart-breaking. I mean, she's in her teens and dealing with two disorders that are so life-changing. Sometimes, I could relate to Norah's anxieties and it made me feel so much empathy for her. Agoraphobia is something so real and difficult to live with. I had never read a YA book that talked about this disorder, so it was quite eye-opening. Even though I majored in Psychology and discussed this disorder as well as OCD, it's different to read how it could be in real life, especially from an author who's experienced it.

Overall, Under Rose-Tainted Skies is a raw, enlightening story on disorders that are so life-changing and aren't talked about often. Norah's anxieties felt real and I could feel the author telling me her story through Norah.

I received an ARC from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

[Leah]

Here’s a confession to start this review off: agoraphobia confuses me, because like a lot of people say, it’s a silent illness. You can’t see that someone is sick, there’s no symptoms that you can see just to look at a person, and I love that there are now more books about mental health, because for someone like me, who hasn’t ever suffered with her mental health, and struggles to understand how people can just not leave the house (because I have to, I have to work, because where else does money come from?) books like Under Rose-Tainted Skies really help me to understand better, be more understanding, and to see into Norah’s world was frightening because I would absolutely hate to suffer the way she suffers.

Norah’s world isn’t a case of just sitting at home all day, watching Jeremy Kyle and reading all the books. Her head is a scary place to be, because she sees danger everywhere. Eating can cause choking, you can fall down the stairs, drown in the shower, etc, the possibilities are endless and that’s the part of mental illness you don’t get to see, what goes in on someone’s head. It’s scary. And, without belittling other, more out there disabilities, that’s probably the worst kind of illness because it’s like your brain or your head is attacking you, questioning everything and that’s what makes this book such an important read, the kind of book every single library should have, every school should have on its curriculum.

Under Rose-Tainted Skies isn’t a book you enjoy, you can’t say you enjoy hearing about someone’s illness, but I liked getting to know Norah, to see how her mind ticks, to see what it is that troubles her constantly, and I liked to see Luke see that. Because he was very understanding, he was so cute with his notes, and he seemed to just sense that Norah needed space, needed to go at her own pace.

Louise Gornall has written probably one of the most important books ever. Yes, that’s what I think. I’m always keen to learn more about mental illness, because I’m lucky to never have suffered (and feel even luckier, because it sounds absolutely terrifying) and this has just opened my eyes that little bit more, to understand that not everyone is so lucky, and that agoraphobia can be absolutely crippling. But the book also has hope. Which is even more important, because (it seems) agoraphobia doesn’t have to define you, and to see Norah change and grow, and even do the littlest of things is like the most massive achievement that you want to give her a round of applause. I would be absolutely chuffed to pieces if Louise went back to Norah, because it intrigues me massively to see how you overcome agoraphobia, if you can? To see how Norah progresses, not because I want her to get better (if that’s the right term?), but because it seemed like Norah wanted to progress, wanted to be able to do more, even if it is just watching the rain, ya know? There’s a part of me that will always wonder about Norah.

[Jo]

Originally published on Once Upon a Bookcase.

As you know, I am hugely passionate about diverse YA, and YA featuring characters who have mental illnesses are books I am a huge champion of. However, things were a little different with reading Under Rose Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall. For me personally, this book is the most important YA novel on mental health I've ever read.

Anxiety rules Norah's life. In the form of agoraphobia and OCD, anxiety keeps her from the outside world and has her completing rituals and routines to feel grounded. It's all too easy for her thoughts to get fixated on something, to then spiral out of control that leads to her falling into an anxiety attack. Living her life - with her mind - is hard. It's exhausting for her to be so constantly scared, and she can't see there ever being a time when she'll be able to live like everyone else. When new boy Luke moves in next door and wants to get to know her, new fears arise. What if he finds out and thinks she's crazy? She desperately wants to be a "normal" girl who can talk and flirt with guys no problem, a girl who goes to school and only worries about her grades. For how long can she keep up the charade and hide her mental illnesses? What Norah doesn't consider is that Luke might not have a problem with her being ill.

This book is wonderful and heartbreaking - but it's also wonderfully uplifting and full of hope, and so much bravery. Luke is an absolutely darling. I would have loved to have seen more of his conversations with Norah, but with what we do see it's so obviously clear that he has a heart of gold and genuinely cares about Norah. He's not perfect, and he makes mistakes, but so does Norah. This whole situation is new to them both; Luke is learning about Norah's mental illnesses, what she can and can't cope with, and Norah is learning to interact with someone outside her mother and therapist, someone she's attracted to. There's is a really sweet romance; slow-burning out of necessity, but still so beautifully sweet as the two learn to navigated uncharted ground. But what is the most incredible thing about Under Rose Tainted Skies is how Norah slowly, slowly starts to make progress.

It's hard to describe the level of terror Norah experiences on almost a daily basis. Trying to get through and past the things that scare you when your mind is rebelling against you is so hard, but this is Norah's life. Norah doesn't want to be ill; she has so many dreams, so many things she would love to do, but she can't see a way out of the web her mind has created out of irrational thoughts. She can't imagine a future where she would be ok stepping out her door or touching someone's hand, let alone travel to France or kiss a boy. But when she meets Luke, she wants to be better, and strangely, when her thoughts are occupied by him, her other thoughts are quieted - not extinguished, but not so loud and all-consuming. This isn't the kind of book where the girl is cured of her mental illnesses because of a guy, it's nothing of the sort. But she makes progress. Tiny, little things. Things she forgets to do, things that aren't taking up as much head space. But there is still so much she struggles with, thoughts that wouldn't have entered her head if Luke wasn't in her life.

Reading Norah's thoughts spiral out of control and lead to an anxiety attack is so terribly heartbreaking, but on a personal level, it was also really, really difficult. Because of events over the last few months, for the past week I have been trying to get a doctor's appointment, because I believe I might have anxiety in some way, shape or form. My life is nothing like Norah's, which, while I was reading, filled me with relief quickly followed by guilt for being relieved. However, there were moments of her story where I could absolutely relate, and reading her going through an anxiety attack would cause a physical reaction in myself - the tightness in my chest, the difficulty breathing. I would have to put the book down and go and do something else for a few minutes in order to calm down. At those times I was thinking it probably wasn't the best idea to read a book about a character dealing with types of anxiety. But I would pick it back up with gritted teeth, because this isn't going to stop me from reading a bloody book! I was determined to read the whole thing now, and not put it off until weeks later. And I found, the more I read, the more... it helped. It helped reading about a character who experiences what I go through, even if in a more extreme way. I felt better about my decision to see my doctor; despite already knowing it's the right thing to do, I have been so scared about the outcome. Now, I feel a little more ok with it. The ending brought tears to my eyes, and a quote from a book that Norah found helpful (that I'm not sure is real or not as I can't find it online - and as this is a proof, I can't quote it)* made me feel stronger.

Under Rose Tainted Skies was a hugely emotional read for me, a book I picked up at exactly the right time. I needed this book, and I'm sure there are so many others out there who need it, too. And as someone has had agoraphobia and OCD, Gornall knows what she's talking about. Under Rose Tainted Skies is a perfect example of why #OwnVoices novels are books you can trust. It has made such a huge impact on me, and I'll never be able to thank Gornall enough.

*ETA: Louise Gornall tweeted me, explaining it's not a real quote from a book, but a thought process she used.

Thank you to Chicken House for the proof.