Get Well Soon by Julie Halpern

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pub. Date: Oct 2nd 2007
Age Range: Age 12 and up
Pages: 208
Format: ARC
Source of copy: from the author - Julie Halpern

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?


For a debut book, Get Well Soon is too cute for words. A very strange story about a bunch of teens thrown together in a "loony bin" and find themselves in the most craziest situations, this book will surely leave you with big smiles and a heart full of hope.

Julie Halpern never fails to make feel goofy and entertained when reading her stories. Her writing is neat and close to heart, a kind that you think can be written by anyone your age but still, you know it takes skills to do such a thing. The plot itself is fun enough, and the way she chooses to carry it out is just fantastic - everything is told through Anna's crazy letters to her friend at home, although she for sure won't send any of it.

What I love about Get Well Soon is that it doesn't have many dialogues but it still manages to capture my complete attention. Why? Because Anna's voice is too hilarious you cannot ignore any of her monologues. Even though she's said to be depressed, she appears whiny and upset in such a funny way. Her descriptions about the "loony bin", the things that happen there will also draw the readers in.

Not just Anna, but every characters, everyone in the mental hospital is adorable. I love hearing their stories - how they get to this point, why they stay and when they'll leave. Surprisingly they're almost like normal teenagers (except the one who worship Satan) and they get along really well. All their hardships are portrayed nicely, all sound very light-hearted. Sometimes I even forget that Anna has a problem, like she's just there observing and reporting everything. Her life in the "loony bin" is so interesting that I once or twice want to visit that hospital right away. She becomes healthy, she makes friends, she even falls in love. Isn't that fantastic?

The story ends with satisfaction a bit of nostalgia so that makes Get Well Soon not only a cute read but a touching one as well. I really really do hope that Anna will meet up with the others in real life once again because they are so cool together. All together.

I love this book. You will love it too, I'm sure.

Rating: 4/5