Heroine by Mindy McGinnis // Book Review

Title: Heroine

Author: Mindy McGinnis

Genre(s): Contemporary, Mental Health, Realistic Fiction

Page Count: 432

Purchase: Amazon ~ Kindle ~ Book Depository

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Synopsis:

When a car crash sidelines Mickey just before softball season, she has to find a way to hold on to her spot as the catcher for a team expected to make a historic tournament run. Behind the plate is the only place she’s ever felt comfortable, and the painkillers she’s been prescribed can help her get there.

The pills do more than take away pain; they make her feel good.

With a new circle of friends—fellow injured athletes, others with just time to kill—Mickey finds peaceful acceptance, and people with whom words come easily, even if it is just the pills loosening her tongue.

But as the pressure to be Mickey Catalan heightens, her need increases, and it becomes less about pain and more about want, something that could send her spiraling out of control.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Trigger Warnings:

descriptive drug use, overdose, self harm

~Things I Liked~

• This book sucks you in with just the first sentence. I love it when a book gives a little insight to something that will happen later in the book. It really just makes me want to keep reading until I find out what happens. I was very eager to see what happened in this story. I’m not going to giveaway the first line because it’s a spoiler, just believe me when I say it will suck you in.
• The addiction was written so freaking well. Mickey’s character struggles with accepting the fact that she has an addiction, thinking since she was prescribed Oxy, it’s okay to take it more than necessary. I have never struggled with drug addiction, I don’t know if it’s represented well in this book but I feel like it was done well. 
• The family aspect in this book was just amazing. I love that they’re all supportive of Mickey when they finally realize that she has a problem. I love that not one of them put her down or made her feel less about herself because of her addiction. They helped her. Even when she was intolerable because of withdrawals. That’s the kind of support I’m here for.
• I liked Josie. Not in a way that I should because she is the enabler in this book. She was written so freaking well. She reminds me of a friend that I had in high school that was heading down the same path. The blame that Edith tries to place on Mickey when all along Josie was the one with the ideas. It’s just so UGH! DONE SO FREAKING WELL.
• This book felt so realistic to me. I felt like I was Mickey. I felt as if I was the one going through this journey of overcoming addiction.

~Things I Didn’t Like~

• Obviously, the drug use. I don’t condone that shit at all. Other than that, I loved everything about this book.

~Overall Thoughts~

This book is heavy. It’s also a very important book. People need to realize the disease that is addiction is not an easy one. It’s not a choice. Mickey didn’t choose to get addicted to the pain meds she was prescribed. This book is a great representation that addiction is not a choice. It’s not something that can easily be overcome. I feel like a lot of people would benefit from reading this book. 

5/5 Stars