Review: Clean by Amy Reed

Book: Clean by Amy Reed
Imprint: Simon Pulse
ISBN: 1-4424-1344-1
Pages: 288
Spoiler Free: Yes
Rating: 5 Stars

Summary: You’re probably wondering how I ended up here. I’m still wondering the same thing. Olivia, Kelly, Christopher, Jason, and Eva have one thing in common: They’re addicts. Addicts who have hit rock bottom and been stuck together in rehab to face their problems, face sobriety, and face themselves. None of them wants to be there. None of them wants to confront the truths about their pasts. And they certainly don’t want to share their darkest secrets and most desperate fears with a room of strangers. But they’ll all have to deal with themselves and one another if they want to learn how to live. Because when you get that high, there’s nowhere to go but down, down, down.

A raw and powerful novel with fascinating yet deep characters, Amy Reed does not disappoint. Clean is a thoroughly enjoyable book, which I devoured within a day.

When I was reading this book, the way it was set up was one of my favorite aspects of it. The chapters divided up into "Drug & Alcohol History Questionnaire", "Group", "Personal Essay", and chapters written either in Christopher's or Kelly's perspective. It was really interesting to read each of the characters' back story, as each of the story they had to tell was genuine and real. I loved all the characters in this book, and how each of them developed throughout the novel. Each character was their own individual and unique.

The way Amy writes is really gorgeous. Her prose is very simple to understand, yet there's something I can't explain that draws me into it. The ending wrapped up quite nicely, much to my liking. After reading this book, I became an addict myself... an addict to Amy Reed! I'll be looking into reading her other novel, Beautiful, which sounds just as good as well.

I recommend this book to everyone who likes contemporary, realistic novels. It's very mature, so I'd suggest it for teens 16 and up because of the frequent cussing and such throughout the book. However, if you can handle reading these kinds of books and you're younger, then by all means, go ahead and read this book. You won't be disappointed. I know I wasn't.