I love a good unreliable narrator and in A Danger to Herself and Others that's exactly what you get. I found this thought provoking and skillfully written. Delving into the teen psyche is never easy, but when you don't know what to believe it becomes harder than ever. I love the way we get into the main characters thought processes and enjoyed the mystery of trying to work out which were reliable and which were not.
Alongside this themes of parental expectation,self image, eating disorders and mental health are dealt with sensitively.
Midway through, the plot wavered with a couple of minor plot problems, but this wasn't enough to interrupt the flow of the narrative.
An enjoyable read.

Read November/December 2020

Following an accident at summer school Hannah's best friend Agnes is in hospital with brain damage and Hannah herself has been institutionalised as "a danger to herself and others".

Hannah believes that there's been a mistake and she'll be out soon, after all school starts in a couple of weeks and she prides herself on being a star student, and an all round mature person. But days turn into weeks and then months and nothing seems to change, except the arrival of a roommate, Lucy, a talented dancer struggling with eating disorders. Can Lucy help Hannah figure out why they're keeping her locked up?

This was a twisty, intriguing novel that I wasn't even sure how to review for ages. It drew me in and I really enjoyed how everything knit together so seamlessly. Hannah isn't necessarily a likeable person but I still felt sympathetic towards her. Overall a very well-written novel.

This is not a light-hearted read. I’m starting the review off like this because I wish that I had known all of the trigger warnings in this book before I started reading it. I knew it was about mental health, so I had prepared myself for that trigger, but the rest of them? I had no idea. So, here you go.

Trigger warnings: bulimia, anorexia, eating disorders, purging, self-harm, parental neglect and abandonment.

Four walls. One window. No way to escape. Hannah knows there’s been a mistake. She didn’t need to be institutionalized. What happened to her roommate at her summer program was an accident. As soon as the doctors and judge figure out that she isn’t a danger to herself or others, she can go home to start her senior year. In the meantime, she is going to use her persuasive skills to get the staff on her side.

Then Lucy arrives. Lucy has her own baggage. And she may be the only person who can get Hannah to confront the dangerous games and secrets that landed her in confinement in the first place.

Continuing on with how many triggers there are in this book, I found it so so hard to read because of how deep, heartfelt and raw all of the descriptions and emotions were. I think that it took me a few days to read because I had to keep stopping to take a breather, recollect myself, and make sure that I was in an okay place mentally to carry on reading it.

I know what you’re thinking. The simple answer would have been to just stop reading it if it was that hard for me. But to be honest, it was a very good book. I can’t say too much about the plot because there are a lot of twists and turns throughout, but it’s such a powerful story about mental health that has an unreliable narrator, who’s telling of her story will keep you guessing until the last page.


“But can you really call it sanity when it isn’t real, it isn’t natural, it’s chemically induced? When it doesn’t technically belong to me because I wouldn’t have it without the pills they keep giving me? Maybe I’ll never know for certain what’s real, what’s madness, what’s the medication.”
– Alyssa Scheinmel, A Danger to Herself and Others


This novel is very much character-driven, and not plot-driven. Sure, the plot is interesting and moving, but it’s the characters that really make this book what it is. Hannah’s mental health, and how she saw herself was heartbreaking. Even though she was our unreliable narrator, and said some questionable things, I just wanted to envelop her into a hug and tell her that everything was going to be ok.

Parents are always an interesting topic when it comes to YA books. They’re either in them or not. Hannah’s parents were in this book in little bits and pieces, and I really didn’t care for them. They gave off this feeling of being really cold towards their daughter, which was another reason why I empathised with Hannah.


“If I’m not responsible for my words and actions, then I’m nothing. No free will, no self.”
– Alyssa Sheinmel, A Danger to Herself and Others


When it comes to thriller books that centre around mental health, I always tend to be a little bit weary because I don’t like the thought of mental health being used as a ‘scary’ thing. If that makes sense? People who are ignorant to all different types of mental health are the ones that are scared of it because they don’t fully understand it, and this is why it’s so important that people educate themselves on the topic. Scheimnel represented mental health beautifully in this book, and even though it was hard to read, I think that was because I saw so much of myself in there.

Overall, this book was uncomfortable for me to read, but it was also dark and mysterious that centred around a plot that opened the reader’s eyes to mental health. I think I will definitely read this book again in a couple of years if I’m in a much stronger place mentally.

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

I liked the writing style of the book but the plot wasn't anything special and quite boring. Maybe its because I expected more mystery in the novel and so I found the book predictable.

I REALLY enjoyed reading this book. Twisting storyline, playing with your head, great to read something so different for a change.

A Danger to Herself and Others was captivating right from the start. A fascinating story about mental health. I was immediately drawn in and the MC was a very unreliable but believable narrator. I believed her even though in hindsight it was obvious that something wasn't right. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

What I was hoping for from the blurb was a manipulative game playing girl toying with the people around her (because I love those types of stories), but this book was so much more than that. I didn't get to indulge my passion for reading about mean girls doing bad things, but I did get to read a story about a girl with very real mental health difficulties and how they can hurt people around her.



This isn't a story about a killer who is absolved of blame by mental health difficulties. This isn't Psycho where they weave in a disorder to make what happens even more frightening. This is a story about a girl. An average girl, who does something bad and is taken to a hospital in order to keep her and the people around her safe.



This is a girl who can't even admit to what she's done. And this story is her coming to terms with what happened and her new diagnosis. The whole thing was very well done, it made me feel so much sympathy for Hannah while also not excusing what she did to Agnes. I really liked the way that it was told and how it was written.



This book has twists, it has drama, but it's not out to shock the reader in the way that a lot of sensationalist writers tell stories of this kind. It was great to see something that was written in a much more sensitive and realistic way.

A Danger to Herself and Others was an amazingly compelling read, following one girl’s struggle to come to terms with her own mental illness. Sheinmel draws you in with gripping prose, forcing you to ask what’s going on again and again. Hannah is an interesting and surprisingly relatable character, an unreliable narrator par excellence – although perhaps an inadequate narrator would be a fairer term since some of her deceptions are legitimately not her fault. The book is very confronting in terms of how mental illness is still judged and characterised today and it felt very authentic, although I have no personal basis for comparison. It reminded me a little of Girl Interrupted in terms of setting and the exploration of female friendship. Enjoyable and compulsive.

Hannah finds herself committed to a mental health unit after an incident with her best friend who gets badly injured. Hannah is convinced it is all just a misunderstanding and that it will soon be sorted. This is not an easy read, as we go through her life locked in her room as she undergoes therapy. Her life inproves when Lucy joins her and becomes her room mate.,and together they share their lives and loves . The story is very believable and I was eager to find out what would happen. I developed real sympathy for Hannah, as her life with her wealthy jet setting parents had been luxurious, but devoid of much affection and understanding of children. A real insight into mental health issues and schizophrenia.

Unreliable narrator device is extremely effective here with a compelling, but not immediately likeable, protagonist whose journey to 'wellness' is convincing though rather emotionally draining! A totally immersive & gripping read.

A Danger To Herself & Others is an emotionally charged, deeply moving and altogether powerful novel, and one that I got through rather rapidly as there just the right balance between an intriguing plot and evocative prose; I was engrossed, to say the least. Whilst not my usual genre the story is basically derived from our main protagonist Hannah's struggles with her deteriorating mental health, and as a MH campaigner, I always champion novels that focus significantly on highlighting the ubiquity of such health issues but also to try to eradicate the stigma attached to those with mental health needs.

Hannah is the gold standard in terms of how reliable her narration turns out to be, and lord knows I love me an unreliable narrator. The discrepancy between her perception and the reality are completely skewed, which added a welcome ominous atmosphere and feeling of not knowing what may be coming right around the corner. Needless to say, I was blindsided on more than a few occasions.

Very different to the first book of hers that I read, Faceless, this thoughtful piece on mental illness and unreliable narrators is poignantly drawn.
Hannah Gold is clever, independent, and has been grown up since she was four or five years old. Locked up in a secure facility, she's convinced that all she has to do is convince the doctors that she's perfectly fine and this is all a misunderstanding, and she'll be allowed out in time to start the first semester of senior year in high school.
But the arrival of new roommate Lucy might just be the catalyst which leads to Hannah discovering far more about herself than she ever thought would be true.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Hannah is arrogant, self-satisfied, and frankly, quite unlikeable. Superior and manipulative, she's convinced she knows better than everyone, and that she knows exactly how to get them to do what she wants. Starting the book, I was aware that we were dealing with an unreliable narrator, so I took everything that Hannah said with a pinch of salt, especially about what happened to land her inside. But as the book went on, what I thought would be a reveal on a par with, say, Dangerous Girls or Black Cairn Point was much more subtle than that, and thus much more rewarding.

Lacking the emotional heft of Faceless, if I wasn't comparing this book to Sheinmel's last offering, I think I would be much more enthusiastic about this book. As it is, my opinion is that it's very good - but it's not as good as Faceless. If I wasn't aware that they were the same author, I probably wouldn't feel the need to put the same caveats on it.
Ah, the perils of becoming a victim of one's own success.

Let me try again.
This nuanced and delicate look at mental health and self-perception is really very good, and highly recommended.

An intriguing read about mental health which will have you second guessing every page. Hannah finds herself confined to a facility after an accident involving her best friend which she insists was not her fault. She is all alone in there until a new roommate arrives called Lucy who she becomes instant friends with and they plot to get out of the facility. Hannah is a very unreliable character and throughout the book you never really know whether to believe her or not. I am an absolute sucker for this in a book so I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Wow, this was a fantastic read. I don't give five stars to any book except the outstanding ones, and this one definitely is. It's hard to review the book without giving away too many spoilers, so I'll just say that the voice, setting, and the unveiling of the plot was delicious. There are certain hints about what is coming, but the twists still keep hitting you at every turn.

There are many good contemporary YA novels on mental health-related themes, but this is one of the best I've read. I'm definitely going to seek out Alyssa Sheinmel's other books.

(Review copy received from NetGalley.)

Hannah is a brilliant, egocentric, soon to be high school senior staying in California for an intensive summer study program who finds herself in a mental hospital after her roommate, Agnes, falls out of their doom window and is severely injured.

Hannah is annoyed by the whole situation--she and Agnes were friends, best friends even, and locking her up for no reason other than to satisfy Agnes's parents is totally unfair. But her parents' attorney, who has no experience in anything except maybe wills, seems to think it's okay and her parents are off to Europe so she decides to get through it and get home to school.

I love the unreliable narrator aspect of this book and the last chapter is amazing.

A very enjoyable read! I was very interested in getting my hands on this one after I read the blurb and I am pleased to say that I was not let down.

The story is written very well and the characters are interesting and jump off the page. I would recommend this read!

I read this in one sitting, emotionally engaged with it from the very first words, pretty much down to the vibrant, lyrical main protagonist voice – Hannah is quite simply brilliant, alive on the page and about to face a battle against everything she thought she knew.

A Danger To Herself And Others is a beautifully written tale with a focus on mental illness and sense of self that is hugely thought provoking and genuinely authentic in that sense and feel. It has the benefit of being quirky and unpredictable, you discover things as Hannah does, you take every step of the journey with her, the highs, the lows and everything inbetween.

It is melancholy and often unsettling, the supporting characters are cleverly interwoven and you come out the other side of it feeling really quite tearful.

Whilst the author allows, in her afterword, that some likelihoods and timings are not necessarily accurate, the heart of the story is right there and full of the truths that matter- Hannah is one of the most memorable characters I’ve read in fiction for a while and this is a novel that will stay with me for a long time.

Lots of love for this one. Paced with dignity, pitch perfect character driven drama that digs deep.

Highly Recommended.

"I don't think this is the sort of abnormal he had in mind"

* * *
3 / 5

I don't read a lot of psychological thrillers, young adult or otherwise. I did read Genuine Fraud two years ago (how time flies!) which I thought was pretty good and the cover of A Danger to Herself and Others kind of reminded me of it. As good a reason to give a book a go as any other.

A Danger to Herself and Others is about mental illness. It's about a girl, Hannah, who is institutionalised. She's not worried though, not panicking like the other girls in there, because this is a mistake and if she's calm they'll see that she's rational and let her out. Won't they? This book is all about the misleading narrator, telling her tale of how her latest best friend ended up in a coma. It's about peeling away the layers and finding out that Hannah's life wasn't as amazing as she thought and that she isn't as sane as she believes she is.

I read A Danger to Herself and Others in a matter of hours. It's well written, nicely paced, and whilst the protagonist Hannah isn't likeable, exactly, it's easy to feel sympathetic towards her. The 'problem' with this book is that it isn't exactly original - I'm not great at figuring out plot twists and I figured this one out pretty easily. It doesn't detract from how enjoyable the book is, it just means that it fails to be memorable. This is a perfectly fine book, enjoyable on a nice lazy Saturday; I'd probably recommend the other book I've read by Sheinmel, Faceless, over this one though.

My thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this A Danger To Herself and Others.