University of Pittsburgh law student, Maggie Hovis, battles an enemy she cannot escape—her own brain. Her family calls her a drama queen. Her fiancé, Sam, moves out after she throws a shoe at his head. Maggie knows there is only one way to get him back—control her moods. So she takes the step most of her family is against: therapy.
After a diagnosis of Bipolar II Disorder, Maggie begins to investigate her family tree—which is plagued by mental illness and hidden relatives—and develops empathy for her deceased Great Aunt Ella, who lived her life in a mental institution. But Maggie’s journey leads her into fear and insecurity, afraid she’ll end up like Ella and never get Sam back. But what about Nick, her super-sexy old flame, who wants to reignite their passion? And does it even matter, anyway? Won’t mental illness stop any man from loving her?
4.0 out of 5 stars Strong Debut Novel with Unique Heroine, September 24, 2014
This review is from: Defective (Kindle Edition)
**Reviewed for EBooks Galore**
Defective is a new adult quasi romance that follows law student Maggie Hovis as she battles with an invisible enemy – Bipolar II Disorder. Spurred into therapy when her fiancé moves out, Maggie does everything she can to “get better” so Sam will come back.
As the story progresses, family secrets are revealed – turns out, Maggie’s not the only one who’s fighting. The more Maggie learns about her family history and past, the more she wonders if she’s crazy and if she’s destined to be alone forever.
This book is a sort-of romance. I say sort of in that we see the break up in the beginning, and we see Maggie in a relationship near the end – it’s far from the whole focus of the book. But that’s okay, because the story reads almost as a self-love romance. Over the course of the book, Maggie learns to love herself, her imperfect family, and everything that makes them unique. It’s not really a coming of age novel – Maggie doesn’t “grow up” through the trial (she’s pretty adult through the entire story, actually). I found the voyage to be realistic, believable, and poignant.
I very much enjoyed Defective. While it wasn’t a book I would have gravitated to on my own, it was entertaining and I couldn’t help but root for Maggie to find her own way. Everyone in the story is flawed in one way or another, and yet every character has his or her own charm. I recommend this book if you know anyone who has struggled with Bipolar Disorder or Depression. The insights Maggie shares into her illness are staggering in both their beauty and their scope.
The only reason this book didn’t get a perfect rating is because there were a few scenes I thought could have been shortened or summed up as they never ended up being important; a few things were extreme in their level of detail (for example, her psychiatrist’s outfit and jewelry are described each time Maggie visits).
Favorite Quote:
It wasn’t until a conversation with Aunt Rose that I started to understand there is a distinction between having a defect and being defective.
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