My friend Sarah told me she thought this was one of the best teen books she's ever read and after reading it in almost one sitting, I wholeheartedly agree. this is a 5! 5! 5! I've read all of Jenny Downham's books and though I've really rated each one, this is now at the top.
It's about Lexi, who has serious anger-management problems and a real lack of impulse control. I don't want to give much away except to say that this is a brilliant story about emotional abuse, gas-lighting and how this behaviour is enabled. I love Downham's insights and am so often surprised by what she does with her character's emotions. I expected Lexi to do things she didn't, and, as a writer, was gobsmacked with how she revealed the characters' growth. Furious Thing strikes a perfect balance between funny and serious and I was utterly gripped. I LOVED Lexi and her little sister.

Lex and her mother used to be close. The banded together and made the most of what they had, which wasn’t much. Until John came along. John was rich and said he loved Lex’s mom, “even though” she had a child. John himself had an older son with his wife, whom he eventually left for Lex’s mom, but not before playing a bunch of headgames. The games don’t stop once John proposes to Lex’s mom, years after they started their affair. The two even have a 6 year old daughter together, whom John dotes on. But John can hardly stand Lex, and he doesn’t hide his feelings. He treats her more like he treats her mother, the woman he is supposed to love. His abuse isn’t physical, but he lies, twists his words, withholds his affection, and is hot and cold. He starts gaslighting Lex to the extent her teachers agree she is unstable and needs medication. But Lex just wants them to see who John truly is, instead of seeing the successful architect, the brave man who took on a poor woman and her angry daughter.
This book made me angry in many ways - not because of the writing or the plot, but how realistic it was and how unfair it all is. I thought John was very realistic and his type of abuse needs to be brought to light as much as possible so people, especially teen girls who will be reading this book, are aware of the possibilities. I do hope books like this continue to be written for YA audiences so they are informed.
That being said, I wish some of the storyline was a little clearer so the important aspects could stand out more.

Spoiler

Lex most often acted out in anger when John was arguing with her mom, so I thought it was because she was trying to get his attention away from her mother. But she acted out a time or two in school, so maybe it wasn’t that. And if it wasn’t, that’s fine, but I was unsure about why she acted out. (Please note that statement is extremely generalized - I realize mental illness was part of this story, and Downham did a wonderful job explaining how ADHD can present differently in females.) I know it could just be something mentally making Lex act that way, but the pattern almost made it seem like she was sticking up for her mom, so it was a little misleading. Then she started on medication and seemed ok? Or was she just tired of fighting? That was unclear to me as well. And the relatively happy ending didn’t sit too well for me, because the anger from earlier in the book seemed abruptly gone, even though John was still in the picture (though apparently “harmless” now?), and Lex was off medication, so I’m unsure about how that ending came about.

“A healthy girl should be furious, because it’s an unfair world.”

This was an aggravating, but wonderful read.

Lex gets angry. She gets furious. She's a monster. She screams. Rages. Throws things. She doesn't know why she does it, she just reacts.

She loves her sister. Her mom. She wants her soon to be stepdad to.br proud of her. But why does she get angry, why does she scream and throw things?

Does she need a firm hand? Or does she need someone to ask her what's going on, and believe her, when she tells them?

Definitely recommend!

I'm going to give this book to my 14 year old daughter to read to show her it's ok to be angry and to never let anyone tell her how to feel.
This book addresses the effect of emotional abuse and it is so well done. It shows the manipulation and control one person can have over a family and what can happen when someone gets angry about it. Reading about Lexi and her stepfather is heartbreaking but also is reading about her mother and hearing her stick up for him and Lexi reminiscing what her mother used to be like.
I've seen some people being uncomfortable with her relationship with her stepbrother but I understand it. He was nice to her when she was pushed aside by the people who were supposed to look after her.

3.5 rounded down.

"I don’t want to be a monster."
Some of this was hard to listen to and threatened to turn me into a Furious Thing, but in the end it’s one of the best illustrations of the insidiousness of gaslighting I’ve read.

3 1/2 stars

“You’re allowed to be angry. Because what’s the alternative? If you’re not angry, you become afraid – afraid to to stand up against things that are wrong, afraid to speak out, afraid to act.

A healthy girl should be furious, because it’s an unfair world.”

Blog | Bloglovin’ | Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter

This was a really great portrayal of family dysfunction and how sometimes a child ends up the scapegoat. Lexi is a canary in the coal mine, refusing to be quiet about the manipulation and emotional abuse happening behind closed doors. I loved everything about this book except a few parts of the Kass storyline.

I love teenage girls so much. They're exhausting and irrational and intense and so so powerful, and Downham captured all of those things perfectly. Lexi isn't necessarily the most likable person, but I don't know that that matters here -- what makes this book work is that her rage and desperation come across so clearly, and you wind up rooting for her even in her less-than-likable moments.

Bad things happen when you're around, Lex...

That's what her stepfather tells her. That's what she believes about herself.

But how can she convince herself and everyone around her that her anger doesn't make her a monster? If only she could stop losing her temper and behave herself, her stepfather would accept her, her mom would love her like she used to, and her stepbrother would declare his crushing desire to spend the rest of his life with her. She wants these things so badly, she's determined to swallow her anger and make her family proud.

But pushing fury down doesn't make it disappear. Instead, it simmers below the surface, waiting to erupt. There'll be fireworks when it does...

A fabulous YA book which I read in one sitting. An excellent depiction of domestic abuse and gas-lighting but very readable. A book I won't forget any time soon.