'Turtles All the Way Down' Spoiler Free Review

Wow! Just wow! I'd thought I'd gotten out of my John Green phase, but no, here I am again, giving five stars to another John Green book. I found the summary of this book to be quite misleading as reading about Aza and her mysteries makes it seem like another Paper Towns. Turtles All The Way Down is nothing like that previous Green book, however, and the detective plot is secondary to other aspects of the story. It is only really important at the beginning and end of this book. Instead, a better description of the story would be that it is a Perks of Being a Wallflower-esque coming of age story which deals with mental health-related issues. The plot is very heavy in how it dealt with mental health and had me worrying about Aza's, and other character's, safety while reading it. This book is probably the most adult-targeted book of Green's which I have read, although he has dealt with heavy themes in the past, this book, in particular, explores some dark stuff. It is not all sad though, and there were parts of this novel that had me laughing out loud because it was so funny. I really felt for and even related with, Aza throughout this book. The descriptions of her 'spiraling thoughts' and panic attacks were so vivid and true to what that experience is actually like. It's like her thoughts are dragging you down with her. All of the other characters were fully developed as well, and just as relatable. The book also delves into themes of nature and environmental issues, although these are not the primary focus, I found Green's description of the polluted setting really impactful. I would recommend this book for pretty much anybody unless you are someone who has a danger of being triggered by mental health-related media.