Juno Dawson

A razor-sharp, adrenaline rush of a novel from award-winning author Juno Dawson, Clean is Gossip Girl meets Girl, Interrupted. 'Compulsively readable and touching - I loved it' Marian Keyes When socialite Lexi Volkov almost overdoses, she thinks she's hit rock bottom. She's wrong. Rock bottom is when she's forced into an exclusive rehab facility. From there, the only way is up for Lexi and her fellow inmates, including the mysterious Brady. As she faces her demons, Lexi realises love is the most powerful drug of all ... It's a dirty business getting clean. Addiction and redemption, love and despair. Clean will have you hooked from the first page. ** With a stunning rose gold foil cover, Clean will look amazing on your bookshelf **

Clean

Charlote

just being alive is dying a minute at a time, and we have to make peace with that

No. Probably not. I think I probably got used to it. Maybe that’s when you become a grown-up – when you stop feeling safe.

You can only truly hate someone you used to love

There was once a cute little girl, but she was a shell, a shell I was latent in; a larva waiting to hatch inside her body and seize control.

You don’t face temptation, you face life. Life is full of nice things that are bad for us.

be mindful of the people in your life who can get to you, even when there’s a sea between you.’

When will you acknowledge, Miss Volkov, that your actions have consequences?

I always knew they had consequences. I just thought I was the only one they affected. And I’m fair game.

Lexi isn’t made of sugar and spice and all things nice any more. There’s a certain grim fascination in watching little girls ripen and spoil, isn’t there. Everything inside is gangrene and cigarette butts.

“Being your own project must be exhausting.”

Syahla Aurel

It's never easy, is it? It's never one thing, I think. I look around the room and none of us are easy, none of us are ... clean. All our weird shit internally overlaps like tectonic plates, and we just wait for them to grind together, brace for the earthquake.

Reading this book felt like watching those a coming of age movies.

When socialite Lexi Volkov almost overdoses, she thinks she's hit rock bottom. She's wrong. Because rock bottom is when she's forced into an exclusive rehab facility. From there, the only way is up for Lexi and her fellow inmates, including the mysterious Brady. As she faces her demons, Lexi realises love is the most powerful drug of all ... It's a dirty business getting clean. Addiction, redemption, love and despair. Clean is Gossip Girl meets Girl, Interrupted, and it will have you hooked from the very first page. 'I loved it' Marian Keyes 'One to just enjoy' Stylist 'An emotional freight train of a novel' Heat 'As bold and gritty as it is fabulously glossy and readable' Observer

The most addictive novel you'll read this year

Korinna R

** spoiler alert **
           This is the kind of book I like to use as a fluffer read between my darker romance books. There was a bit of romance, but it really just focused on the FMC and her journey to getting sober and healing from her addiction. When Lexi and Brady get together at the end, it's easy to be so happy for them finally both feeling like they're in a good enough mental state to be with each other. It shows the struggles of an addict, and is an extremely accurate depiction of what it's like in a higher class sort of mental institution type place. This really was a great read. I highly recommend.

It was fast paced with brilliant writing and complex flawed characters. It had me hooked from start to finish. I loved it

Lulu Evensen

Aishling

** spoiler alert **
           3.5/5 stars
*spoilers*
The latter half of the book appealed to me more. I think it’s because at the beginning I was expecting a certain romance, and when it didn’t happen I got a bit bored. But then after the incident with Sasha in the water I got more into it. Overall it was a good book I’m just a really bad reviewer since all I ever want to read are romance books

Laneh faith mesa

Got me out of my reading slump! A great twist.

harper fitzpatrick

this book was insanely beautiful. i seriously recommend that you read this if you are above the age of fifteen. it has given me a completely different outlook on life. 

it was almost impossible to put the book down, and when i did i was constantly thinking of when i could read it again. when i finished it i was left with this feeling of euphoria, of complete satisfaction. although i didn't want the book to end, i wanted to continue reading about these characters that i have fallen head over heels for. 

this has been one of my favourite reads of twenty-twenty so far if not my favourite. dawson's style of writing is engaging and flows with such ease that you get lost in this world that she created. not only is the writing beautiful but the characters created feel so real and tangible that i couldn't help but get behind them. finally, by the time i put the book down, i felt like i had been through therapy myself in the best possible way

during the first couple of pages, i did question if i was going to enjoy a book with a privileged lead character who didn't think she had a drug problem, however, within the first ten pages i found i liked this complex character and was rooting for her. she is aware of the fact that she lives a privileged life and the benefits that come from never having to worry about money. this is written in such a way that it feels honest in her awareness and her limited ability to fully comprehend what is going on. throughout the book, you begin to understand how she ended up addicted to drugs and you feel her struggles as if they are happening to you. the way the detox is described is both harrowing and beautiful in its honesty, there is nothing that is glamourized about detoxing from drugs. 

the additional cast of characters are also incredible, which is what i think made this book so good, there is not one character that i didn't want to read about. they all had their part to play. whether it was showing the toxicity of some relations, how co-dependency can be risky, or the importance of true friends who are aware of our weaknesses but still support and love us with no pretence. my favourite character would have to be kendall, a trans character battling with anorexia, how she approached both of these elements of herself was one of the best things that i have read in a long time. i really want to see a story revolving around the friendship of lexi and kendall as they learn to live outside of the treatment facility and face the rest of the challenges that life has to throw at them.

the way in which brady and lexi work together is beautiful. how lexi is willing to sleep in a separate room and how she asks him if he would like her to leave so that they can prevent the relationship from turning toxic. because in their situation lots of things could turn toxic, but they are loving and accepting and you can see that they genuinely want it to work. 

i was also in awe of how dawson manages to link the books. i was a little worried considering i actually read the last book in the trilogy to begin, i thought that maybe things would be spoiled and i would have ruined it for myself. but the ways in which she has linked them is so clever. how it is set in the same world, the girls both have some connection to st agnes and antonella. finding out what really happened to antonella was cool after being left with no explanation in 'wonderland', which wouldn't have been a problem if i had read them in order, but i also think it would have taken some of the mystery away. going into 'meat market' i am excited to see how dawson will link the three together. 

overall i think it is well worth the read.

Ian Brakspear

This is a gritty, Hard-Hitting novel about a Privileged girl who is forced kicking and screaming to rehab after her brother finds her in a bad way and wants her to get clean! However, this Hard-hitting message is brought to life by some great writing. This Book covers so many topics that it’s hard to list them all but works through them, looking at not only the good but bad as well

Lexi Volkov is a privileged “It” girl who has it all Money, Fame, Pretty, Popular, and most definitely a party girl. One night she goes a little too far and her brother finds her passed out and in a bad way and takes her to an exclusive remote Rehab facility; that specialists in getting its exclusive clientele clean. This book deals with Lexi’s time there as well as looking back at her past so you can truly see and understand how she got to this point.

Dawson’s writing style once again comes through in this one, the writing is engaging and lets you get lost in the world she has created with not only the descriptions but the characters as well. By the time It came to the final chapter I felt a little bit lighter myself; It’s like you go through the book with the characters struggles on your shoulders and then at the end it’s like you have been through that journey with Lexi and you have experienced Therapy yourself. It’s truly eye opening to think about the human experience and impact on the facts that can lead to drug addiction, sex addiction, anorexia, or obesity.

Clean is raw and thought provoking. It shows the real steps of recovery; the good, the bad, and the ugly. It shows inpatient relationships in a realistic light, which I adored, and it doesn’t shame therapy. I would definitely recommend this book.

Clean

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