Turtles All the Way Down

Not for me. There was no diversity in any of the characters (not to mention the characters are not likable in any way). The only redeeming part of this book was the “mystery” and the way you get to see the mental health part of this book unfold. other than that it’s a skip for me

This book made me cry, and I don’t remember ever crying at a fictional book before. Mental illness is portrayed in such a clear, honest way, and it is heartbreaking. I originally thought maybe I would share the book with my 12 year old son who struggles with some of the same behaviors as the protagonist, but because of the vivid and realistic portrayal of just how bad things can spiral out of control, I’m actually afraid reading it could potentially make his own disorder worse.

It was a beautifully written book.

Review: Turtles All the Way Down by John Green, aka The Book That Saw Me Before I Saw Myself

So. I bought Turtles All the Way Down back in 2017 thinking I was signing up for another quirky-nerdy John Green sad boy love story. You know, "we're all made of star stuff" vibes. Instead, I got personally attacked by a spiral of thought so real, I had to close the book and ghost it for six years.

As someone living with bipolar disorder, Aza's mental spirals didn’t feel like “good representation.” They felt like my own inner monologue, word for word. It was raw. Unfiltered. And honestly? Too much for 16-year-old me, who wasn’t ready to see herself that clearly. So I dipped.

But now I’m older. A little more grounded. Still chaotic, but in a "has coping skills now" way. I picked it back up—and this time, I made it to the end. And wow. WOW.

This book doesn’t just tell a story, it unravels it. You’re not just watching Aza live—you’re feeling it with her. You're the narrator, the protagonist, and the sidekick. You’re the fire and the water that keeps trying to put it out. You're the storyteller and the story told. Like... who gave John Green permission?

And it’s not all trauma dumps and spirals. There’s philosophy and science and metaphors that punch you in the face with how gentle they are. Maybe the world is turtles all the way down. Maybe it is billions of years old and the stories we tell about it. Maybe the old lady and the scientist are both right.

But what really hit me was Daisy saying you don't get to choose the picture, but you do get to pick the frame. Because that’s what mental illness is, isn’t it? You can’t always change what’s in your head—but you can learn how to hold it. And how to tell it. And who to tell it with.

And then—then—the final line comes in like a gut punch wrapped in silk: “No one ever says goodbye unless they want to see you again.” Not a warm fuzzy moment. Not a hopeful send-off. It’s haunting. It’s the kind of line that stays echoing in your skull at 3 a.m. Because it’s about the people you lost. The ones you can’t let go of. The versions of yourself you’re still grieving. It’s not closure—it’s the ache of knowing there never really is one.

So yeah. I couldn’t finish this book when I first picked it up. But now that I have, it feels less like closure and more like an opening. A quiet acceptance that the spiral doesn’t end. It just keeps spinning. And somehow, you learn to spin with it.

Frame chosen. Story still being told.

4.5 stars.

well, he didn't rest on his laurels

this is a great book, and it's great in an entirely different way than

the fault in our stars, which is probably the comparison everyone is making

all of green's books are uniquely themselves

since i watch vlogbrothers and listen to the pod, i know the issue of ocd aza deals with is something john green himself has dealt with

but i don't know how autobiographical this is beyond that, not that it's important

the story, about making friends and falling in love and solving a mystery, is secondary to aza figuring out if she is crazy, normal, brave, all or none of the above

it is secondary to the intense reading of mental illness as a text that john green provides us with, which is so lacking in fiction today or ever

aza, even though her last name is holmes, isn't "special" or "magic" because of her illness

she doesn't solve the mystery of the missing billionaire because her ocd gives her special powers

i love green for taking that stance, for naming his character for a famous detective and then making her a normal girl instead of a "high functioning sociopath"

(love you sherlock)

John Green does it again! Green beautifully brings the reader inside Aza's mind to show how one is affected by mental illness. I loved being along for Aza's journey in her personal relationships with Daisy and Davis, but most importantly her relationship with her OCD. For me, TATD is far better than TFIOS and I didn't think that possible.

I rated this book as incredible because I have never felt so seen. Since being diagnosed with OCD, I still felt alone in it. But Aza made me feel like I wasn’t alone with the way I felt. Thank you John Green, thank you!!!