Book chat - The view on the way down by Rebecca Wait (Book Review)

So I have finished my first book of June and it's only day two! So proud of myself. I was browsing in my local library last week and I picked up a couple of books on the shelf that looked new and barely read. I hadn't heard of them so I thought I'd give them a go!

The View on the Way Down was in the adult fiction section of the library, but I think it's somewhere between a YA book and adult fiction. It follows the story of Emma, who is a 14 year old being bullied at school, engaging in a pattern of emotion eating, and is living in a dysfunctional family. Early on in the book we learn that Emma's eldest brother Kit has died, and her other brother, Jamie, left home when Kit died and hasn't been back since. Not wanting to give too much away but this book needs to have a serious trigger warning - the book deals with suicide, mental illness and the impact of suicide on the grieving family. I thought it was extremely well written and an excellent insight into what living with a mental illness might be like, and on how families, and individuals within those families, grieve in different ways.

I am not ashamed to say I cried a number of times in this book - particularly in the last chapter! I still have tears on my cheeks as I write this! I thought the characters were well written, well defined and that the story was wonderfully told. It's a short book (308 pages), and I whipped through this in just two nights (would have finished it sooner if I didn't have to work!).

This was Rebecca Wait's first novel, and I believe she has released her second novel this year. I think I will be checking this out very soon!!! Do yourself a favour and go and check her out - you can find her here.

I would highly recommend this book, if you can handle the trigger warning.

4.5/5 stars!

~ Katie

1 book from my June TBR read... that's a good start right!!! :)