This novel intrigued me with its subject matter of mental illness. I teach high school science and have many students who face various challenges in their lives. I also have friends who struggle with related disorders. I have read other books related to mental illness that were either poorly constructed or seem to fall short of grasping the nuances of the abnormal thinking patterns.

"A Divided Mind" vividly portrayed the struggles that the main character faces with his hallucinations and also accurately depicted the conflicted feelings the parents felt.

I really enjoyed this novel and hope to read future books by this author. ( )

Wow, this book is definitely worth the read. Branson tells his mom, Tara, that he is hearing voices. The story evolves through raw feelings for his mom as she tries to deal with this. for a fiction story, the author did a lot of research into schizophrenia and depression. I have a child with this awful disease and I recognize these meds. The plot will get you just as you think every thing is fine (remember, this is book 1) . Not all is as it seems. What you perceive may not be. I highly recommend this one. Run over and read book 2 when you finish this one. ( )

I really enjoyed reading about schizophrenia and how it may present itself in many forms. Many thanks to the author and publisher for sending me this novel as part of a giveaway. ( )

"When my teenage son confessed, he was “hearing voices,” my maternal instinct was to make them go away. My son’s reaction was to find out what was going on. The two of us navigated the world of mental health together without any clue what was ahead. My responsibility as a career journalist is to ask questions. What started as a quest to help my child, grew into a fictionalized story of what could happen if a divided mind is left untreated. " ~ M. Billiter

Just like M. Billiter, the author of A Divided Mind, Tara finds herself trying to cope as a mother of a son who has recently been diagnosed with mental illness. Tara herself is divided between trying to help her son, Branson, adjust to medications, therapy, and life changes while she must adjust to what the diagnosis means in terms of her plans and hopes for Branson's future.

Tara works in the college admissions office of a local university, is the author of a best-seller that helps hopeful college applicants know what admission officers are looking for in prospective students, and is a single mother. She prides herself on being in control and planning. She has raised her children to be well rounded and perfect college applicants. The few times Tara has given up control in the past have left her shaken and still haunt her. Tara finds herself in a situation beyond her control as she tries to understand her son's symptoms and triggers.

Branson faces the same struggles as most other teens. His mom will not stop nagging him and he balances school, a part time job, and sports. He dreams of joining the Navy, jokes around with his twin, and is devoted to his girlfriend who lives in a rough neighborhood. As if life was not complicated enough, he no longer is able to trust his eyes and ears as he hears and sees things that are not always there.

This book must be cathartic for Billiter, even though the plot and actions are clearly fictional, you can get a sense of the passion and love that both Billiter and Tara have for their children. You can tell that both mothers would sacrifice anything for their children. Tara clearly does.

As perfect as Tara tries to be, she is not. She is human and even takes the law into her own hands so to speak to protect Branson. It is this humanism that makes the reader relate to Tara, but also sometimes makes it hard to like her. She confides in her children about each other instead of speaking honestly to the child it involves. She also relies heavily on their opinions and advice which seems inappropriate at best and make the dialogue feel contrived at times. I know not every mother has a "best friend" or "fellow mother" character to bounce things off of, but it seems lacking in this instance. It could have also been a mother of a teenager with mental illness in a support group or even the therapist. Instead, Tara seems to have animosity and anger for the therapist without any provocation.

Billiter seems to channel the loving mother advocate for their child character and immerses the reader into this mindset with ease worthy of Jodi Picoult. It is advertised as a psychological thriller, however, I felt the thriller portion seemed a little rushed at the end. The thriller portion was so well written and intriguing, I wanted more. I felt like I just got a taste. Maybe there will be a sequel? I think the publisher is missing an opportunity by not marketing this as a young adult book and focusing mainly on Tara's storyline. This book is divided among Tara and Branson, I think it would appeal to readers on the Tara to Branson spectrum as well.

I hope this is the first of many such books from Billiter, who has already made a name for herself as contemporary romance author Mary Billiter. ( )

I really enjoyed how this book touches on something that I haven’t really seen touched on before. It talks about mental illness and the realities of someone having to live with this disease. It’s certainly a book that will stay on my mind for a very long time! ( )