Name: Damsel Distressed
ISBN: 9781939392176

Kelsey Macke

Imogen Keegan, who has been labelled emotionally disturbed, gets through the pain of her mother's death by overeating and her interest in theater, until her impossibly perfect new stepsister, Ella, and the exposure of her diary bring on a crisis.

Damsel Distressed

Tameka Young

What an incredible and inspiring debut! Beautiful, hilarious, painful, and awe-inspiring all at once. Imogen's story is one that will stay with me for a very long time. A must-read for anyone who has ever felt like the ugly stepsister in their own story or really just anyone in general because the feels are deep with this one. Loved it.

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I loved this book SO VERY HARD. I was intrigued by the idea of it from the very first minute I saw the cover and read the synopsis. Initially I thought it would be a simple retelling of Cinderella, but it's not. Sure the basics are there, but this book is so much more. 

Everyone wants to see a little bit of themselves in the characters in the books they read. While I can't say I completely related to Imogen, I definitely felt like I understood her and, at times, she reminded me of myself. Imogen is insecure in the way that only girls who have struggled with their weight will understand. Her insecurity and issues have reached an extreme though. Most of the time it feels like the only person on her side is her best friend Grant. Grant, who she is in love with and believes will never see her as more than a friend. 

All of Imogen's insecurities are magnified when her father remarries and her evil stepsister, Ella, moves in. You wanna talk about a seriously unlikable character? Ella is that. It's been a long time since I wanted to bitch-slap a character like I wanted to Ella. She was manipulative and bullied Imogen. She tried to steal the one person who means more to Imogen than anyone else in her life. It's here I have to give HUGE props to Kelsey for not taking the story down the road I feared it would go. I think had Grant fallen for Ella's charms and this turned into THAT book, I would have thrown it aside because that story has been done to death. Grant was too smart to fall for Ella's manipulations and that just made me love him even more. Grant really is the swooniest of all swoony book boys. Anyone know where I can find a guy like this (albeit quite a bit older) for myself? 

Even with the bullying Imogen was suffering at Ella's hands, there were so many beautiful and wonderful moments in this book. They're mostly between Grant and Imogen and, if I'm completely honest, I was all kinds of emotional reading several of these scenes. There are times when my heart felt like it was being ripped from my chest, and others when it swelled so much I feared it would explode. I loved reading along as Imogen found her place and way in the world. I finished the book with a giant smile on my face and a tear in my eye. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

THIS BOOK.

Can I just leave the review like that? Just read this book. Trust me. The end. 

No? Okay… I will say more, even though I don’t think it’s truly necessary. ;)

*Sigh*

Imogen is an extremely fragile teenager. She’s battling emotional issues (including depression, panic attacks, low self-esteem, etc.) that have left her with a less-than-stellar label at school of “emotionally disturbed”. With only her one friend, Grant, she is struggling to keep her head above water and not lose it completely. This year is starting off better though, as she meets new friends, is succeeding in therapy, and is keeping herself busy with theater at school. But this happiness doesn’t last long when she finds out that her father’s new wife and daughter, Imogen’s stepsiter Ella, will be coming to live with her. 

Imogen is a character you can’t help but route for. She’s a total mess, and all I wanted to do was be her #1 cheerleader. I have a small understanding of emotional issues, but not to the extent that Imogen was facing them. Her inner demons were mind-blowing, and I just wanted her to find it within herself to stay strong and beat this thing. The secondary characters were equally impacting. Grant was one of the best friends I’ve ever seen in a story. If I had the choice of any book BFF I’ve read so far in my entire life, he would be in my top 5 for sure. I also appreciated the significance of all of the other characters, all playing such an important role in this story. From Brice and Jonathan all the way down to Ella, they each had such an important role in Imogen life; good or bad, happy or sad.

I’m having a difficult time expressing my love for this book without including spoilers. Anyone who knows me knows my hatred of spoilery reviews when it’s not stated. I love going into a book completely blind, and the fact that I did that exact thing for this book made it so important to me. So now I’m going to write a small spoilery paragraph or two just because there are things I want to express my love of, without ruining it for anyone that plans to read this book. (Which should be everyone because this book is THAT good!)

(view spoiler)[One of my very favorite aspects of this book was the strong family bond, despite the difficulties they faced. Imogen’s father was completely non-existent in Imogen’s physical life, but not by choice. He was working out of town, and thus wasn’t around when she needed him. But man, when she hit rock bottom he was right there for her. Also the fact that it was so important for Imogen’s stepmother and stepsister to come live with her was nice too. At first I really didn’t like Imogen’s stepmother, which I think was the idea. But when times got tough, I couldn’t believe the support she showed Imogen. It was exactly how it “should” be, though so often isn’t.

 My only complaint, if you can even call it that, was that I wish I got to know Ella a bit more. Honestly, I would absolutely love it if Kelsey decided to write a companion novel about Ella. We do get to find out a tiny bit about her in a general sense toward the end, but I’d love to know what her life was like before this. She was so cruel and evil to Imogen, yet it was all just a cry for attention. She was suffering herself from so many inner struggles, and the only way she knew how to handle it was to aim all of her hatred and frustration toward Imogen. I felt so bad for her. Yes, I disliked her immensely as well, but really I felt like she just needed some help. The poor thing was suffering herself, and was crying out for someone to save her. Inner emotional demons are really paralyzing.

 I’m all for HEA endings, and this one was perfect. I really liked how it all came together. I was routing for Imogen and Grant the entire book, though I would have been happy if they simply remained BFF’s as well. I wasn’t sure which way it was going to go, but I really liked the ending Kelsey chose. I didn’t like that Ella was simply relocating. I felt like they had to work out their issues and get to the bottom of it… but I’m okay with it. These few “complaints” I had don’t change my rating one bit. This book was perfect just the way it was. (hide spoiler)]
 
Damsel Distressed is simply amazing. It’s extremely difficult to read at times, but well worth it. I had to put it down a few times and compose myself because I was a complete mess, but I always went back to it with an open mind and open heart. I honestly learned quite a bit from this book, more than I ever thought possible. I can’t stress enough what a gem this book is. If it wasn’t for the cover that won my heart, I don’t know if I would have read this book. I tend to shy away from emotional disorder books like this, as they tear my heart apart. I’m so thankful that for whatever reason (totally the cover, seriously.) I chose to pick this one up. Before even finishing it I ordered myself a keeper copy. I knew I just HAD to have this beauty on my shelf.

This is definitely one of my favorite reads this year. No, this book isn’t for everyone. If you’re not a fan of contemporaries with quite a few emotional elements, pass on this one. But if you want to be touched deeply, while learning a thing or two in the process, I would say pick up this book immediately. I think it will always have a special spot in my heart.

(Thanks to Spencer Hill Contemporary for the review copy!)


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Damsel Distressed

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