Kirkus Review
An Atlanta teen struggling with her mental health learns to regain control and garners strength through boxing. Three years ago, Rose Berman, 17, lost her mother, who had anxiety and derealization disorders, to suicide. Afterward, she experienced a blackout-inducing panic attack in front of her class, earning the nickname Psycho. When the star quarterback assaults her at a party, Rose is afraid she'll lose "whatever fragment of sanity" she has left. Her therapist suggests she join a boxing club, and she hopes the physical exertion will help. At the ring, Rose gets close to Elliot King, a cool kid with his cigarettes, tattoos, and mysterious bruises--and the person who intervened to help her at the party. Even though they've been neighbors since childhood, their lives didn't intersect much, but now he's becoming a true friend. When Rose discovers the underground fight club that's the cause of Elliot's injuries, she becomes embroiled in a violent world she'll have to fight her way out of. While navigating intense issues, including sexual assault, mental health, and domestic violence, the novel doesn't lose sight of the intriguing, accessible sports storyline and romance at its heart. The well-drawn and likable characters invite empathy, and the subject matter will intrigue readers who are drawn to edgier works. Rose is Jewish and bisexual; Elliot reads white. A gritty, graphic glimpse of the physical and mental realities of anxiety with a streak of romance. (discussion questions, author interview) (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Rose has struggled with anxiety and panic attacks since her mother died by suicide. After a public incident at school that leads her to become a social outcast, Rose spends most of her time with her best friend, Gemma, and her overprotective father. An encounter with a popular and physically imposing quarterback that could have ended badly is stopped by Elliott King--a boxer and the school "bad boy." Rose's therapist suggests physical activity as a way to cope with her anxiety, and she chooses boxing because, if she can learn to punch like Elliott, she might feel physically safer and be able able to fight her inner demons too. But as she joins Midtown Ring and grows closer to Elliott, she learns that he's part of a system of dangerous underground fights; his family's involvement threatens to pull her in too. Isley's debut novel is a thrilling romance as well as a thoughtful look at mental health and grief.
