We are the Light

No one writes more compassionaly about mental health in fiction, better than Matthew Quick, the New York Times bestselling author of The Silver Linings Playbook. We are the Light follows, Lucas Goodgame as he attempts to deal with his grief by writing letters to his Jungian analyst, Karl. Lucas' hometown theater, The Majestic, was the target of a horrific crime that killed his wife and nearly twenty others. While he may have been the one to stop the monster, he still feels lacking, like he should have done more. He insists his wife, in the form of an angel, visits him nightly, and his grip on reality seems to be loosening. When Eli, a teenager shunned by the community, starts camping out in his backyard Lucas starts to open up and fins a reason to move forward. By working together and creating a monster movie they hope not to heal just themselves, but the town as well. Passionately narrated by Luke Kirby, this tale of hope, loss, and grief will move readers nearly to tears. Despite dealing with many tragedies; PTSD, trauma, suicide, mass shooting – We are the Light is a story about healing and finding guardian angels in the most unlikely of places. Moving and unfortunately, timely. 

The Reason You're Alive

Matthew Quick never lets me down. He is wonderful at getting in the mind of his characters and letting his reader understand mental illness and emotional distress. The Reason You're Alive is the story of Vietnam vet, Daniel Granger. After a car accident makes him have brain surgery he is sent to live with his son and granddaughter. Told in a crass, un-politically, unapologetic voice, this book is sure to win over readers. Daniel tells it like it is, from his marriage, experiences in the war, troubles with his son, guns, and race. It's funny, shocking, distressing, and hopeful. I wasn't sure where the story was headed for the first half of the book but it wrapped up nicely at the end and brought everything back together. Another slam dunk for Matthew Quick.

Every Exquisite Thing

The latest Matthew Quick novel does not disappoint! Quirky as ever, this young adult novel tackles depression, conforming to society, bullying, and choosing one's own destiny. It's heartbreaking, adorable, and inspiring all in one go. Nanette O'Hare should by all rights be a popular teen. She's star of the girl's soccer team, has the most stylish clothes, and is by all accounts, very pretty. However she could care less about being popular, she's happiest reading her favorite book, "The Bubblegum Reaper" and hanging out with her only real friend, the elderly author of her favorite novel. The out of print cult classic,"The Bubblegum Reaper," brings out Nanette's inner rebel and she starts to really enjoy life instead of just coasting by, especially when her reclusive author sets her up on a blind date with another fan, the strong troubled poet, Little Lex. Together they learn that sometimes teenage rebellion has a higher price to pay than they bargained for. I wasn't always thrilled with Nanette's decisions but Quick does a wonderful job illustrating her state of mind. A wonderful read.

I received this book for free from the publisher in return for my honest, unbiased opinion.

She Came From Beyond

As one who has religiously read everything by Matthew Quick, I instantly devoured this witty and ridiculous novel. It made me snort with laughter, chuckle, and read passages out loud to my co-workers because they were too funny not to share. The premise of this delightful novel is that Easy Hardwick has had an affair. With a married man who has children. She didn't know about the children until after she sealed the deal, but that eventually becomes a moot point. She feels bad about it and cuts off all ties, but once she realizes she's pregnant with his twins, she calls him. From that point on her cushy life as a b-movie actress is about to get really really complicated. Filled with hilarious dialogue, relatable characters, and enviable jobs, this book has a little something for everyone. A fantastic debut novel and I can't wait for more!

Love May Fail

Anything Matthew Quick writes is cause for celebration. This book is no different. In all honesty, it may be one of my favorites from him. I ADORE the characters in this quirky, offbeat, feelgood novel, and you can't help but rooting for all of them. As with Quick's other novels, this book deals with mental illness (hoarding, depression) and even throws in some opiate addiction. The story is told through the perspectives of four wildly diverse characters: Portia Kane, a recently liberated woman who had been married to a pornographer, Mr. Vernon, a former high school english teacher contemplating suicide, a zany nun who is on her deathbed and just wants to hear from her son, and Chuck Bass, an ex-heroin  addict who just wants to fall in love and be an elementary teacher. All four characters find themselves intertwined, can they save themselves? Find love? Rekindle that old spark? A fantastic read and I can't wait for the next Quick novel!

The Good Luck of Right Now

Oh Matthew Quick, stop being so damn adorable! This book has so much heart, charm, and wit that I don't even think my review can begin to do this book justice! If you loved any of Quick's other works (Silver Lining's Playbook, Boy21, Forgive Me Leaonard Peacock, Sorta Like a Rockstar) then you are guaranteed to love this one as well. Quick has an uncanny ability to bring to life the most flawed, unconventional, unimaginable characters and then make us care for them with such zeal that it's almost frightening. All I can say is read this damn book. You won't regret it. Quick is a mastermind and his beautiful prose and quirky characters will stick with you long after you put the book down!

Sorta Like a Rockstar

If I had a dollar for every time I teared up or started crying in this book I could have just bought the damn thing instead of borrowing it from the library. That being said, this was a fabulous read. As such author, Matthew Quick, is now in my all time favorite authors category.

This story opens up with Amber Appleton, an extraordinary girl who never thinks of herself first. Her four best friends are the high school rejects, the autistic kid, the only black kid in the county, the kid in the wheel chair and the kid with the stutter. Together they are Frank's Freak Force Federation (in honor of their favorite teacher). Amber's sunny optimism also gives her a unique group of friends outside of school. She volunteers as an English teacher to a bunch of Korean immigrants and helped them form Korean Diva's for Christ (Amber teaches the language through old soul music), she spends time with the old folks and debates with Joan of Old for laughs, and she writes haikus with a lonely Vietnam vet. She does all these things for the benefit of her community and she does all of this even though she's homeless and living in a school bus with her mom.

Despite all of her optimism something horrible happens, something life shattering, and it's up to the community to make Amber see that she's still important and that she's needed. Bad things happen to good people all the time and she needs to turn her sunny optimism back on herself. She has made such an impact on everyone and no one wants her to forget all the good she's accomplished.

Outstanding!

Boy21

I didn't even read the description, I saw it was written by Mathew Quick and I started reading. Two hours later I was crying in a bathtub and screaming at my cat. This book is intense. I was quite literally hooked from the very first sentence. I started reading it at dinner and I couldn't put it down, so naturally I took it in the tub with me to continue. An hour later I was crying in freezing cold water and yelling at the kitten to shut up and stop headbutting the door. It was so good I couldn't even stop for a moment to get out of the tub.

This book almost defies description. It's about basketball, growing up in the hood, mental health, family, relationships, integrity, the final frontier, and soo much else. Finley was one of the only white boys in the slummy town he grew up in, but that didn't stop him from playing basketball. His earliest memory is playing basketball in the backyard with the neighbor girl, Erin, and working hard to please his dad and his pops. His whole life has been spent trying to move forward and get out of Belmont, away from the Irish mob and the drugs. But Coach has just asked Finley for a favor. Boy21, has just moved to the neighborhood and Coach thinks that Finley is just the man to help break him out of his shell and play basketball. But will Boy21 stop Finley's momentum or maybe, just maybe, help him realize that looking back at the past doesn't have to be paralyzing. I can barely describe this book without giving anything away. So just read the damn book and message me about it so we can talk and cry together. It's well worth the read!

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock

LOVED this book, after reading the amazing "Silver Lining's Playbook" I knew I would have to read everything else Matthew Quick published and damn I'm glad I did. Quick makes his debut in the young adult genre with one hell of a bang. Literally, this book is fantastic!

Leonard Peacock's birthday should be a special, instead today is the day that he will kill himself and his former best friend. Tired of being an outsider for too long and dealing with internal turmoil, Leonard sees this as the only way out. In this witty, saddening, heartbreaking, and darkly humorous novel, the reader gets amazing insight to how complicated the human psyche is and just how much it can withstand before it snaps.

Filled with unforgettable, wildly unique characters and a witty narrator, this book will have you racing to the end. Impossible to put down. A DEFINITE must read!

Silver Lining's Playbook

Literally could not put this bad boy down!! From the first page I was hooked. Nancy Pearl couldn't have endorsed a better novel (I knew she was an awesome librarian for a reason!). I absolutely cannot wait to see the movie adaptation of this. I just know it's going to be fantastic!

Pat Peoples is convinced that if he gets in shape, reads more, and is kind to people then he can leave "the bad place" and end his "apart time" from his wife Nikki. He believes that as long as you work hard enough you will always get your happy ending/silver lining.

Pat starts to learn the hard way that is not always the case. He returns from the mental institution to live with his family and while at home keeps a strict physical routine to get him in shape for Nikki. Lifting weights for many hours and jogging upwards of 10 miles everyday make him feel confident that he is on the right path to win Nikki back. He can't fathom why no one in his family will discuss Nikki with him but that doesn't deter him. Nothing does, not even beautiful, Tiffany, who begins to take an interest in him. Tiffany has problems of her own and soon these two form an interesting friendship. Soon he'll discover that he has to rely on his friends, family, Eagles football, his therapist, and Tiffany to get him through. Silver Linings aren't always what we think they are.

Simply stunning, excellent character development. I fell in love with every character. Matthew Quick does a fantastic job getting into Pat's head and making his mental problems understandable. A tour de force in a culture that surrounds mental health with such stigma. I cannot recommend this book enough.