Title

The title for this book did slightly hint at what the book could be about. The first thing that came to my mind when I saw the title 'Borderline' was borderline personalities, and mental health. It's a basic title, however I think it does fit the book.

Cover

The cover is very simple; there's not much colour on it at all. It doesn't stand out much or have anything related to the book, however, the font used for the title does work really well and makes the title stand out.

Blurb

The blurb is informative. There is a brief introduction to the main character and what she is going through. I feel like as a reader, I would want to discover for myself throughout the book what Isla has gone through with her parents and everything that's happened to her, so the blurb does kind of spoil that for me.

First Chapter

I enjoyed the first chapter as, once again, it was very informative. For someone like me who knows nothing about BPD, this did help me understand it a little and gain knowledge because of the way it has been explained it in the book. The author has tried to be descriptive and use some kind of imagery when comparing the feelings to a hurricane and other weather. I like how we're given a little tour almost around the mental facility before Isla begins her story.

Plot / Theme

In the second chapter, the plot goes from 0 to 100 very quickly. Isla's life story has just been dumped on the reader and we're told everything she's gone through. Personally, that did annoy me because I was hoping she'd share pieces of her story and talk about the impact it had on her. This allows you to connect with the reader through your writing so they have a better understanding of what is going on and what emotions could be felt at this time.

Writing

The writing in general is not too bad, but as always, there is room for improvement in all areas. I'd say to go over spelling and grammar because that's one thing all writers need to constantly check in their work. Try to avoid dumping big chunks of information and maybe set the scene a bit first. This can help with plot development.

Characters

I can't really say much about Isla because all I know about her is that she has Borderline Personality Disorder and what her mother has put her through. As a reader, I would want to see more of her personality, and her emotions. This could be shown through her actions in the book.

Overall Impression

The book raises awareness of Borderline Personality Disorder, which is good of course, and helps to educate people like me who know nothing about it. The key factor that you need to work on is plot development because it needs to be built upon more and broken up so you're not going too fast into the main story with little introduction.

I'd say try planning the plot in detail before writing, and try to really get into the character's shoes almost like you are them so you're showing all the emotions, thoughts, and actions through your writing. Overall, I don't think it's a bad book,  but it does need a little bit of improvement to make it into a greater read.

Reviewed by: Pixie