This was the perfect YA book for me at this point. I didn’t know I was craving it so bad! Just a little crush-type romance, but most of the story focused on learning about yourself and being kind.

This book is so freaking important. It’s going to take me a second to formulate slightly coherent thoughts about it, and I need a moment to wipe away my tears.

In my core, I resonate so deeply with Vicky. While my anxiety and depression manifests itself differently than hers, I still managed to see myself in her. My e-copy is half yellow from me highlighting all of the sections that spoke to me. The writing was beautiful and raw and wonderful and I’m running out of new words to use as compliments, so I’ll stop there.

This book captures exactly what it is like to live with anxiety and depression. And while it is a heavy story to tell, it’s also so very positive and bright.The story told is so very beautiful, and has a positive message on the subject of mental health.

From the second Vicurious came onto the page, I felt something for it. It was just a simple thing for Vicky, but how she used the platform she was suddenly given was absolutely wonderful.

There is a thriving dark side in social media, but this book reminds me of some of the reasons—some of the people–that make social media a place I want to be.

This book shows the power of one person, spreading hope. It’s gorgeous and amazing and I just can’t even with it. I promise I’m not just going to talk about Vicurious, even though she is a huge part of the story.

I absolutely adored the awkward, adorable, wonderful Lipton. He is lovable and I just…, *aggressively hugs book to chest like a maniac* I just loved this book so much! I can’t even come up with words or coherent thoughts to explain my love for it. It’s a story of hope, love, reconnection. It’s one of the best mental illness stories I’ve read. Ever.

Hands down it’s a favorite. It made me cry happy tears, sad tears, all of the tears. It’s such a wonderful story, and now I’m going to shut up, because y’all need to get your butts over to Amazon and FREAKING PREORDER IT.

This is a well written, insightful book into the lives (especially social media lives) of teenagers. I intended to skim through this for students in the library but ended up caring about all the characters too much (and getting all gooey at the sweet romance in it) that I had to read every word.
The story involves themes of anxiety, friendship, social media, loneliness and social pressures. It's a great book for teens to read: the author seems to really understand this age group, the parents aren't total jerks and the school is a supportive environment.
Don't judge the book by its cover:/

Thank you, thank you, thank you to HarperCollins and Edelweiss for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. It is out 8/15, but I think it is super important for librarians and teachers to head about this book early and order multiple copies. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.

Vicky suffers from severe social anxiety, but it has always been okay because her best friend Jenna has been by her side. When Jenna's family moves away, Vicky's loneliness is crippling. As she hears less and less from her best (and only) friend, she finds herself wanting to show Jenna that she's fine without her. Her solution is to create an alter ego, Vicurious, and photo shop herself in disguise into crazy photos on Instagram. Using the hashtag #alone, she discovers that so many of her followers are struggling with depression and loneliness as well. Eventually her account blows up and she sees that she really is helping others out there; however, she thinks she can't reveal herself until it's too late.

This is SO timely and important to teens, especially during middle and high school and particularly given how much time they spend online. I highly recommend this to readers in grades 7 and up and plan to buy multiple copies for my library.

Vicky's best (and only) friend, Jenna, moved away and starts to hang out with new people. This, in addition to an accidental "butt dial" from Jenna makes Vicky feel very lonely. To make herself feel better she starts to Photoshop herself in to different scenarios around the world and with celebrities. On a whim, she creates an anonymous Instagram account for these pictures, "Vicurious." Her account becomes an internet phenomenon, known for helping people who feel lonely, and her followers slowly begin to rise. At school her life is quiet, she doesn't have anyone to hang out with and she's dealing with anxiety issues, until she joins the yearbook staff and a boy in her class starts to befriend her.

This is an interesting concept for a story. Vicky's inner struggles and the balance of her Instagram fame is well written and believable. It was added fun to recognize the places in Wisconsin that are written about. (Jenna moved to Wisconsin.)

huh?

2.5
I like the plot points of this book, but not so much the writing itself. The writing style seemed cheesy to me and some of the development felt a little too idealistic. But I stuck with it because I was curious to know what happened to vicurious. Some of the plot was a bit telegraphed. Overall, good enough book to keep me going and entertained, but not my favorite.

I adore this book! I related so much with the main character Vicky and her social anxiety. I enjoyed the plot, the characters, everything! Definitely worth the read and I can't wait to get my hands on the finished copy! Thanks to Sharon for giving me an ARC so I could read this awesome book early!