Rapids

It’s Mental Health Awareness Week this week so now seems like the perfect time to read the newly-released Rapids by Anna Bowles. Written by an own voices author, this YA contemporary explores the hypomania of Bipolar II. This aspect of the illness is not featured very often so it’s both refreshing and educational to read.Seventeen-year-old protagonist Yan is half-Chinese and finally spending a week in London with her best friend Chelsea touring potential universities. Flashbacks taking place two months prior detail Yan’s depression and suicidal ideation. Now everything is perfect and Yan is desperate to experience all that London offers. However, her behaviour begins to worry Chelsea as she spirals out of control.This was an exhausting book to read as it portrayed Yan’s hypomania so vividly. Yan isn’t always likeable but it’s clear she needs medical intervention and it’s heartbreaking to witness her go without it for so long. As the book notes though, would we recognise these symptoms for what they are with only the usual limited knowledge of Bipolar II?Alongside Yan’s deteriorating mental health, the narrative also explores family as Yan searches for her dad who she suspects also has a mental illness. Her yearning for some sort of connection and understanding is visceral at times. The author highlights how NHS cuts have affected mental health services especially in the countryside and the catastrophic damage this can have on vulnerable people. Rapids is an emotional and raw exploration of hypomania that deserves a place in every school library.

This one has incredible mental health rep 😩 It’s about a seventeen year old girl and her best friend as they explore London. The story follows Yan and her coming to terms with her bipolar disorder. Her best friend was such a relatable character in the sense she was understanding, loyal (loved books too😉) but also flawed. All of the characters in this story were flawed and it was amazing and so wonderful to read. In this sense it made the story realistic and so easy to get lost in but also easy to understand too because it could also happen in real life. The author has all my love and admiration for how strong and brave she must be as in the acknowledgments she mentioned that this was mainly taken from experience. ⠀⠀My wonderful, amazing mother has bipolar disorder and i’ve always wanted to read more books on it as i don’t think there is enough awareness around it! Would highly recommend this if you want to learn more too. 🧚🏼