ARIEL CRASHES A TRAIN by Olivia A. Cole is a tough, tough read, only because I saw way too much of myself in Ariel. Ariel’s struggle with intrusive thoughts, as well as the compulsions she uses to combat them, is one of the first realistic portrayals of OCD I’ve experienced in print. Ariel’s pain brought back all those times when I knew there was something that made me different, that was wrong with me, and was the reason why I felt like I didn’t fit in anywhere. That Ariel obtains the help she needs so much earlier in life than most people struggling with OCD is a comfort because it shows that people are finally beginning to realize that it is not cleanliness and everything at right angles. That Ms. Cole chose to write Ariel’s story in verse helped ease the pain of watching this poor girl fall through the cracks and needlessly suffer. While not an easy read, ARIEL CRASHES A TRAIN is a powerful one, made more impactful because of knowing that we both struggle with the same mental health disease. ( )

A moving, fascinating look at the world from the perspective of a young woman with OCD and suffering from intrusive thoughts, as she learns who she really is and connects with others who feel equally different from the people around them. Really engaging and interesting, plus it's a carnival-based coming-of-age story—I think we can all agree that running away to the circus or working summers at a carnival make for some of the most intriguing ways to come of age.

As a caveat, I try to give novels "in verse" an extra benefit of the doubt, because I consider my inability to click with them a failing of mine and not of them—but I really, really find it difficult to click with them. But here we have the absolute exception that proves the rule. Maybe it didn't do some of the things that usually so pull me out of a poetry-based novel (constant actual rhyming, line breaks in the middle of every sentence to keep the meter, etc.), or maybe I was just too engrossed and involved to care! Even if you usually read the words "novel-in-verse" or "lyrically written" and run in the other direction, give this one a chance. ( )

4.25 stars.

I requested this ARC because I loved Olivia A. Cole's Dear Medusa. I didn't remember the description, so it's a testament to how well Cole portrayed OCD that I was able to identify it before Ariel realized it. After reading the acknowledgments, I understand why and appreciate Cole's exploration of the topic.

I loved the portrayal of the crocodile brain. I loved the support Ariel gets from her new friends and her sister and even her boss. I wish Ariel could have gotten more support from her parents, but that's just realistically not the case in many situations. Still sucks, though. I enjoyed the concept of challenging gender and racism and all the mental health topics that connected Ruth and Rex and Ariel. I think the book was a little longer than it needed to be, though I definitely enjoyed the novel-in-verse style. I'd recommend this for people who love stories about mental health that feature queer characters.

Rep: OCD (MC), lesbian (MC), trans (side character)

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review! ( )