10/3/2026
Although National Suicide Prevention Month has passed, conversations about mental health and suicide prevention must continue. In order to gain insight into serious topics, books help us understand the experiences people go through but may struggle to talk about. You never know the silent battles people are facing, but these books give us a window to the world. Today, I wanted to share two reviews of two young adult books that explore mental health through the experiences of two complex teenagers: Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford and Get Well Soon by Julie Halpern. I read these books my freshman year, but these themes stayed with me ever since.
Get Well Soon by Julie Halpern
The other day, I came across an audiobook of Get Well Soon by Julie Halpern. As I enjoy reading books that cover the topic of mental health, I picked this up for summer reading. It covers many serious and complex topics with a touch of humor that would get any reader laughing amid all seriousness.
The protagonist, Anna Bloom, a typical teenager is struggling with mental health issues and has stopped going to school. Besides having a stubborn personality and being perceived as “fat” by others, she is secretly struggling with her mental health. Her parents admit her to a mental hospital where she meets a bunch of “crazy” teens. Anna feels invisible in the hospital as no one seems to ever understand her. As Anna spends her weeks in the hospital, she slowly gets to understand life. She navigates through the adventures and gathers experiences such as blooming new friendships, running around the hospital hallways, learning more about the world through others and finding love interests. Anna finds something in common with the teens in the hospital. What will happen next? Will Anna get well enough to enter the world outside the mental hospital?
If you are into books that talk about navigating feelings and growing up, this book is just for you.
Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford
Today, I will be reviewing the book Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford.
Fifteen-year-old Jeff wakes up in the Psychiatric ward and has been kept for 45 days in the hospital ward for recovery after his failed suicide attempt. He is placed in a program with a couple other teens who are also in the recovery program in the Psychiatric hospital. At first, Jeff feels like the people there are crazy, and that he is an outsider because he is the only “normal” person. However, the forty five days of recovery don’t only require the doctor, and the nurses, but they also require people to support him. That’s where he is introduced to many other teens and their background stories. From getting to know these kids, Jeff finds out his identity and his self worth. He gets to experience the importance of love, friendship, forgiveness, family and restarting his life. If you want to know more about Jeff’s recovery, and his days in the hospital, I highly recommend you to buy this book.
I would like to give a maturity rating to this book as it has some dark humor and talks about topics such as suicide, the challenges mental health, and abuse. If you want to read this book, I would highly suggest reading it ages 14+.
Even though National Suicide Prevention Month has passed, the conversations and discussions regarding Mental Health and Suicide should still be discussed.
If you or someone you know needs support in the U.S., call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Just remember: Your life is precious 🙂
