Clean: The London Collection

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Lexi is an excellent protagonist, Juno has done something truly magical with her writing to make you want to care and root for the spoilt rich girl you meet at the start of the novel. I did think the end was cliché, but I also loved how light it felt compared to the rest of the book, almost like a weight was lifted. The majority of people tend to prejudge drug addicts and this book definitely emphasises that we shouldn’t do this. The novel had great representation throughout including own voices rep through Kendall, a trans woman. Her voice drew me in right from the beginning and her descriptions were not only scary but also highly (excuse the pun) addictive.

Usually I stear clear of those kind of characters cause I can never bring myself to symphatize with them. Clean details Lexi’s time in rehab, as well as her past so readers can try to understand why Lexi got to this point. The therapy Lexi goes through while in Clarity is also portrayed in a really good light - she only resists the therapy at first but then she and her doctor start having really frank conversations and end up having a really lovely relationship. A YA book that deals with some heavy issues-drugs, sex, relationships, family dynamics, weight, and gender issues. I’m nearing 30, but I can see the appeal this novel has for younger readers, it addresses topics that are often viewed as taboo – sex, drugs, self-harm etc – and so this book is a great way to get young people talking about these very real issues.For me personally, the best part of the book was early on when Lexi was going through her withdrawal. Neben Drogensucht, werden in der Enzugsklinik, in die Lexi zu Beginn unfreiwillig eingeliefert wird, auch andere Süchte behandelt wie zum Beispiel Esssucht, Magersucht, Sexsucht, Zwangsstörungen, etc.

RATING: Well-written and well-plotted, with the right mix of humour and emotion, this is undoubtedly a four-star novel. Despite the dark themes, it’s a funny book which was easy and quick to read so it dragged me out of a reading slump. Algo que também me impressionou foi a originalidade na divisão deste livro já que está dividido em "passos", como por exemplo, a primeira parte chama-se "Passo 1, admito que tenho um problema", sendo que os passos têm todos a ver com este processo de combater este problema. Ich habe das Buch in weniger als zwei Tagen verschlungen, es kaum aus der Hand legen können; ich habe viel genickt und mir oft die Tränen aus den Augen geblinzelt. Außerdem liebe ich sie dafür, dass sie ihren Gegenüber kaum bis gar keine Vorurteile hegt und wenn doch, merkt sie es selbst.

Fall into the lives of the city's filthy rich with Juno Dawson's deliciously dark and intoxicating London Collection. But like Dr Goldstein said in the book, we soon find out that the Lexi we first meet is her addiction wearing her, and we start discovering the wonderful person she is and who she has been hiding away from some kind of reasons. Das Buch zeigt deutlich, dass es mehr als nur eine Sucht gibt und das jeder einmal auf die schiefe Bahn geraten kann. Weil sie a) mit ihrem eigenen Kram zu tun haben und b) das kein Aufseher in keiner Welt nicht bemerken oder c) nicht verhindern würde. Privilege is also an important part of this novel as most of the characters in the facility are from extremely wealthy families, and the novel goes to show that privilege isn’t without its problems, and this is especially true for Lexi.

The group of people were wonderfully diverse - there’s fat rep, characters of colour, trans rep, people suffering from drug addiction, alcoholism, self harm etc. I initially thought of it more of a cross between Clueless and Rachel’s Holiday, but maybe I’m showing my age there. As did some of the chosen metaphors (definitely using 'eyes glazed like a Krispy Kreme doughnut' from now on) and the Tic-Tac prank scene. It hits so many hard topics right at the core, but works through them, exploring the good and the bad.Having said that, I like a good swear, and even I was a bit shocked to see the C word twice early on. Loved this, and loved the emphasis at the end that sometimes the first time doesn’t always work out so well.

There are plenty of light moments to balance out all the dark and I loved the glamour and celebrity circles that Lexi moved in.

Ich habe noch nie ein Buch über Drogenmissbrauch gelesen; generell bin ich sehr wenig darüber informiert. When Lexi is over the worst of her withdrawal she is allowed out of her room and gets to meet the rest of the residents. Insbesondere der schonungslos ehrliche und direkte Schreibstil lässt einen förmlich durch die Seiten fliegen. Throughout the book, you begin to understand how she ended up addicted to drugs and you feel her struggles as if they are happening to you. But, the black girl was a sassy overweight, American and the boy with OCD was a posh, white guy who went to Eton.