Get Well Soon

by Julie Halpern

Book Overview

Anna Bloom is depressed -- so depressed that her parents have committed her to a mental hospital with a bunch of other messed-up teens. Here she meets a roommate with a secret (and a plastic baby), a doctor who focuses way too much on her weight, and a cute, shy boy who just might like her. But wait Being trapped in a loony bin isn't supposed to be about making friends, losing weight, and having a crush, is it? Get Well Soon, Julie Halpern's fiction...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312581483
• ISBN13: 9780312581480
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.6" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 12 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

Crazy Fun!

As she sees it, Anna Bloom has been carted off to the loony bin. Why? Anna has extremely low self-esteem. She is constantly afraid people will make fun of her for how she looks or what she does. This fear makes her have panic attacks. And apparently, Anna's parents just didn't know how to deal with her, so they sent her off to a slightly crazy shrink (who thought everything was sexual in some way). When that didn't work, she was then sent to Lakeland Hospital, a mental institution. And a strange one, as Anna sees it. The rules and hierarchy at Lakeland are confusing to Anna at first because no one explains them to her. But during her three week stay, things actually start to get better. She starts to lose weight. Her new roommate, who happens to be pregnant, becomes a great friend. And then there's the cutie Justin who just might like Anna back. Get Well Soon was told in diary entries and letters to Anna's friend Tracy over the course of three weeks. It was a very cute book, but one that could be improved. Anna's love of music could've been more developed. Julie Halpern mentions how Anna's music always makes her feel better, but doesn't really go into depth. That's fine thought because music wasn't the focus of the novel. I really enjoyed the cast of characters; even the creepy ones were in some way lovable or at least funny to read about. Anna did grow as a person, although not that much, but then again, I don't think she had that many problems to begin with. I also highly enjoyed the romance between Anna and Justin. All in all, Get Well Soon was one of the sweetest books I've read in a while. It left off on a bittersweet note, but one that was hopeful. If you like a lighthearted and short read, check out Get Well Soon. [...]

A must read!

This is not the typical depressed teen in a mental hospital book. Halpern gives her main character, Anna, a unique sense of humor. The really funny moments of the book make you laugh out loud. There are also many interesting observations made by Anna about her fellow 'patients', and a romance that is sweet and daring under the circumstances. Get Well Soon is written in letter format, and you feel like you are sharing an inside joke with Anna the whole time you are reading. By the end of the book it feels like Anna was writing to you all along. If you're looking for a book that has a fresh new spin on what it's like to be a depressed teen, pick up Get Well Soon. It is easy to read and it would appeal to any age or gender.

Teens will love this

I really loved this book. The story is not at all what you'd expect from a book about a teenager hospitalized for depression. Halpern doesn't shy away from the darkness that got Ana there in the first place, but this is all tempered by the character's hilarious and witty voice. I enjoyed the crazy cast of characters Ana encounters, and although I haven't been in a situation like hers, the story rang very true for me.

This book will definitely help anyone get well soon!

Julie Halpern's first novel, Get Well Soon, is a very, very funny book. Anna's parents have had her hospitalized for depression because neither they nor her therapist knew how to help her. A teenager, Anna finds herself alone. She is told to write down her feelings and that writing her feelings will help. She rebels, "I'm not going to keep my thoughts around. I'm going to send them away. I'm going to write my thoughts in letters." Her letters are so funny that by page 11 it is impossible to contain the laughter. Halpern has a wonderful ear for dialogue. The voice of Anna rings saucy, true and sweet.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Anna is fat and depressed. She suffers from panic attacks, and has stopped going to school. Her parents, who are totally clueless, decide to send her to a mental hospital. Will that do any good? Anna doesn't think so! Not in this place. Nobody tells her anything, they have the weirdest rules ever, and she's forced to wear these ugly pajamas all day long with no bra! But as days go by, things turn out to be not as bad as she originally thought. Anna meets other teens. Matt O. has been living there for six months. Six whole months? Will Anna ever get out of this place? She also spends time with Sandy, her roommate who's eating for two and has to carry a baby doll all day long. Victor becomes the first black friend she's ever had. And finally, there's Justin -- Oh, Justin! -- the cutest guy around who may have even looked at her. Written in the form of a letter to her best friend, Tracy, Anna describes all of the details of her life at the nut house in a very funny way, with a writing style that is just like... well... that of a teenage girl! This story is engaging, the characters sound real, the writing is refreshing and natural, and the descriptions of the situations are hilarious! Great job for a first time novelist, who's also a librarian and spent time in a psychiatric hospital herself when she was a teen. (She claims to be fine now!) Reviewed by: Christian C.