On a Scale of One to Ten

I couldn't believe Ceylan's age at the time of writing this. She is a very skilled writer and her story is intriguing, heartbreaking, and honest. I finished it in about a day and a half because I couldn't put it down. I also found myself closely bonded to the characters by the end. As someone struggling with the same mental health issues as the main character in the story, I felt this was an important story to tell. And Ceylan, having dealt with the same issues, portrayed everything perfectly. Loved it!!

Be prepped to feel a bunch of emotions if you have ever been suicidal. Great book that makes you cry.

I enjoyed this book. The writing wasn’t the best, but the content made up for it.

I loved this book and I think it’s well written however if you relate to the contents of this book it can be triggering so pls keep that in mind before you read!

Some words of warning before I tell you anything else: I expect some people whose experiences resemble its themes will find understanding and a sense that they’re not alone if they read this book. Others may be triggered by its contents so please, please do not read this book if you’re not in a good place psychologically. “I know that Iris is dead. I know that it was sudden and so shocking that the waves of horror shimmered in the distance for months afterward. I also know that it is my fault, that one second she was there and her heart pumped crimson blood through her veins, and the next she was gone, blood frozen solid, and I could have prevented it, but I did not.” Tamar has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital as a result of a recent suicide attempt and history of self harm. She feels overwhelming guilt over the death of her friend, Iris, a death she is certain she is responsible for. During her time at Lime Grove she meets other adolescents who are similarly dealing with mental health issues, ranging from eating disorders to bipolar and psychosis. Tamar’s internal turmoil feels authentic, likely because, although the story is fiction, its author shares her main character’s diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. Although this character’s behaviour does seem to tick many of the borderline personality disorder boxes, it isn’t until near the end that this is even mentioned and it’s never actually explained to Tamar on page. Hats off to the author for tackling subject matter so close to home at such a young age though. I don’t know if this story is reflective of what psychiatric hospitals in England are like in general, or anywhere for that matter, although in the ‘Author’s Note’ she does mention an admission when she was a teen but I was appalled by the lack of security measures. The patients could easily escape and bring prohibited items into the hospital. The staff appeared to be a blend of people simply waiting for their next pay check and those who sincerely wanted to make a positive difference in the lives of their patients. The psychiatrist’s seemingly narrow view of what constitutes self harm allowed Tamar’s behaviour during an overnight home visit to be glossed over rather than addressed. There’s a huge difference between empathy and applauding obvious self harm behaviour simply because someone used a different method than they normally would. This psychiatrist didn’t even recognise what she did as self harm on that occasion. Although I would have loved knowing what eventually became of invincible Elle and some of the others Tamar met at Lime Grove it felt more authentic to not have that resolution. In that kind of setting I expect it would be more unusual to have the blanks filled in. While Elle and Jasper became real to me most of the other characters felt two dimensional, even Iris. The teens at Lime Grove felt like the usual suspects in a psychiatric patient setting, with little to differentiate them from their diagnoses. Given how young the author is I expect their background characters will become more memorable and fleshed out in future books. I couldn’t help making comparisons between this story and ‘Girl Interrupted’ - the movie because I haven’t read it yet. (I know! The book will be better!) The escape and subsequent hitchhiking, the main characters with the same diagnoses and the parallels between Elle in this book and Lisa in ‘Girl’ felt eerily similar. I’d be hesitant to recommend this book to anyone, mostly because I wouldn’t know what thoughts or feelings it may trigger in the reader. There are scenes in this book that could easily be viewed as lessons in how to self destruct more efficiently and for people who are already vulnerable in those areas it could be dangerous. Content warnings are included in my Goodreads review.

I really like the book so far.

Great read. Such talented author and raw writing.

Ceylan does a good job writing this book. I loved it.

The words are too large. I was very confused as first. Honestly, I would definitely rather words a bit smaller. I couldn't remember what the book was about so I decided to read it twice. It's not easy to remember

I went to school with the author, but don't let that make you think this review is biased as I don't recall us ever even speaking to each other. I was curious and slightly skeptical, perhaps out of envy, upon hearing someone my age that I knew had published a book. Of course, I had to read it. And I was very pleasantly surprised. It's a great book, bordering on a murder mystery that keeps you guessing and rooting for the main character. This is slightly shameful but I have been guilty in the past of dismissing certain types of mental illness as making a mountain out of a molehill and attention seeking. On A Scale Of One To Ten really hammered some much needed empathy into me and made me understand how horrible it must be to be trapped in your brain like that. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who struggles to understand mental illness, as well as everyone else who isn't a judgemental nasty like I was. It was so refreshing how Toby wasn't used as a 'boyfriend saves the day' type of character, as many of these books do. The only tiny bit of constructive criticism to give is that I think it would be interesting if Mia and Elle were developed a little more. I'd like to know more about them, particularly Elle. All in all, an extremely readable and interesting tale of a girl on the edge in a psychiatric hospital and the events that lead up to it. I'm looking forward to Ceylan's next book and it gives me hope that you don't have to be 30+ to be a great author.

As a young girl I have spent 3 months as an inpatient for mania and 3 months for depression. I personally believe the way the author managed to captivate me with pure realism was unbelievable. She was so so accurate. I haven't been able to read a book from from front to back in years. Her use of the English language was utterly beautiful. It was refreshing to know that a lot of the main characters thinking process is shared with people going through similar issues. I'm looking forward to more books from her. The story line was brilliant going from then and now! I will only reccomend this book with outstanding reviews to people of all ages.

Good value for money and can’t wait to read it

Incredibly well written, intelligent, honest, raw, and deeply involving view into the life and thoughts of someone who suffers from a serious mental illness. It runs the gamut from humour to despair, and from the understandable to the unexplainable. Should be required reading for anyone working with disturbed adolescents, for their families and friends, and for anyone else who may just want to experience the simple humanity of being troubled like this. Ceylan Scott is a gifted writer, who keeps the reader riveted even to a disturbing story. I hope she will write more!