Starred Review ALA Booklist (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Starred Review Sadie's life is falling apart at the seams. On the same day that her girlfriend breaks up with her, she witnesses a firsthand account of police brutality. After those traumatizing events, Sadie, who is already coping with generalized anxiety disorder, finds herself immobilized and unable to leave her house. As a queer Black girl, Sadie struggles with juggling the alternating layers of her identity. She navigates the nuances of friendship, love, and family within the world of her overwhelming anxiety. Throughout the novel, Sadie works through her fears by posting her poetry and thoughts on the (fictional) social media app Ruckus. Through a series of trials, Sadie eventually finds her voice and advocates not only for herself but for her community as well. Lockington doesn't shy away from the undulating highs and lows of mental illness; her vivid characterization of Sadie is simultaneously haunting and empowering. The author uses verse narration to give us additional insight into Sadie, and the reader is left raw from the character's unfiltered vulnerability. Lockington humanizes mental illness while also tackling several other important topics, including police brutality, transracial adoptions, and biphobia. Though this sharply written novel is wrought with emotional turmoil, it emphasizes the beauty of empathy and self-love.

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In the aftermath of yet another incident of police brutality, a teen tries to find her way forward.Sadie was already managing generalized anxiety when, while being dumped by the girlfriend who made her feel safe, she witnesses police violently attacking another Black girl. The events trigger a debilitating panic that prevents her from leaving home, even to attend the protest that she wants to participate in. Instead of spending the summer interning at the local creative writing center, Sadie has to relearn how to exist in the world as a bisexual Black person with anxiety and agoraphobia and, eventually, how to use her voice, find joy, and move beyond the safety of her home. Despite the physically contained setting of the majority of the book-Sadie initially struggles to even reach the backyard-her Oakland, California, community is richly and authentically textured, with most of the characters cued as Black or brown. Verse narration is intercut with text from Sadie's social media posts, effectively capturing the nature of contemporary organizing and community-building. Nuanced depictions of intercommunity tensions-between Sadie's empathetic dad and her brusque mom, between her bold, activist, nonbinary best friend and her tentative, Black transracial adoptee new crush-help propel the narrative. Lockington's real achievement here, though, is the tenderness with which she captures the utter vulnerability, strength, and beauty of a "sad, anxious Black girl."Intimately and immensely powerful. (Verse fiction. 12-18)

Horn Book (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In this novel in verse, Lockington's (In the Key of Us, rev. 5/22) first book for young adults, sixteen-year-old Sadie has anxiety that means "when I panic, I stop being a girl / I become a thread unraveling / from some dark and blanketed expanse of time." When she witnesses a Black girl near her age being forcefully arrested by the police, the experience leaves her feeling unsafe and afraid to leave her house. With the help of her therapist, Sadie begins to find ways to cope with her anxiety and agoraphobia and shares her thoughts and poetry live on social media to create a sense of connection, and ultimately overcomes her fear. Lockington effectively mixes verse narration with social media posts to create an authentic teenage narrator. She thoughtfully explores mental health, sexuality (Sadie is bisexual), family, anti-Blackness, Black girl joy, and activism. Back matter includes an author's note, mental health resources focusing on Black and LGBTQIA+ communities, and a list of Sadie's favorite reads. Recommended for readers who appreciate books about Black teens' mental health, such as Parker's Who Put This Song On? (rev. 1/20) and Stone's Chaos Theory (rev. 1/23).

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

In the aftermath of yet another incident of police brutality, a teen tries to find her way forward.Sadie was already managing generalized anxiety when, while being dumped by the girlfriend who made her feel safe, she witnesses police violently attacking another Black girl. The events trigger a debilitating panic that prevents her from leaving home, even to attend the protest that she wants to participate in. Instead of spending the summer interning at the local creative writing center, Sadie has to relearn how to exist in the world as a bisexual Black person with anxiety and agoraphobia and, eventually, how to use her voice, find joy, and move beyond the safety of her home. Despite the physically contained setting of the majority of the book-Sadie initially struggles to even reach the backyard-her Oakland, California, community is richly and authentically textured, with most of the characters cued as Black or brown. Verse narration is intercut with text from Sadie's social media posts, effectively capturing the nature of contemporary organizing and community-building. Nuanced depictions of intercommunity tensions-between Sadie's empathetic dad and her brusque mom, between her bold, activist, nonbinary best friend and her tentative, Black transracial adoptee new crush-help propel the narrative. Lockington's real achievement here, though, is the tenderness with which she captures the utter vulnerability, strength, and beauty of a "sad, anxious Black girl."Intimately and immensely powerful. (Verse fiction. 12-18)

Publishers Weekly (Thu Oct 03 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Black queer teen Sadie Dixon confronts police brutality while contending with her own mental health challenges in this lyrically written verse novel by Lockington (For Black Girls Like Me). When Sadie’s girlfriend dumps her, Sadie just barely manages to wrangle her emerging panic attack until, moments later, both teens witness an act of violent racial discrimination on the streets of their Oakland, Calif., hometown. The event triggers Sadie’s anxiety disorder, causing her panic attacks to worsen and leading to her developing agoraphobia, which keeps her inside all summer. Attempting to overcome her fear, Sadie goes live on an activism app called Ruckus, starting a series about mental health and racial justice. When new neighbor Jackson, a Black transracial adoptee, moves in next door and starts watching Sadie’s broadcasts, their burgeoning romance additionally empowers her to reconnect with the outside world while allowing her to cultivate new safe spaces. Lockington steadily builds momentum via Sadie’s sharply rendered and visceral voice, making for a devastating portrayal of—and compassionate look into—one teenager’s struggles to better her mental health situation and her community. Ages 12–up. (May)