A billionaire is missing and the promise of a cash reward fascinates Aza Holmes, a young adult suffering from OCD and anxiety. Although her daily existence is cumbersome due to the negative thoughts that are dragging her down in her life, she can definitely look for a true friendship waiting for her. This is the central theme of the book as well as showing the true form of her mental illness.

It is not just a book, but a journey. Apparently, John Green has developed a penchant for it. The opening pages are light-hearted and grab your interest, but as soon as the author plunges you deeper into Aza’s life, her inner conflicts and demons, it becomes hard to read. This is not because you don’t want to read, but because it hurts.

Turtles All the Way Down shows the true nature of OCD and anxiety from the point of view of a 16-year-old girl. As soon as you read the line ‘If it hurts it’s irrelevant’ you start to ponder the veracity of it. However, that is only the beginning.

There is a section in the book where the protagonist wonders what people want to hear when they ask about the welfare of others. Are they just looking for simple answers? Will they be interested in actually listening? How will you react if someone tells you that you are not doing it right?

The book is also about loss. Now, that subplot has a good reason behind it, in my opinion. Perhaps the author wanted to show how even a person suffering from mental illness is not exempt from other worries in his life. It adds even more to the pain of the protagonist and makes you think.

I loved how John Green developed the characters. Furthermore, each character has an important role both in the story and in Aza’s life.

Another significant thing to note is in one of the quotes within the book. “I guess at some point you realize that whoever takes care of you is just a person and they don’t have any superpowers and they can’t really protect you from getting hurt.” Even though everyone around Aza loves her, that doesn’t change the fact that she’s hurt inside of her. It is true in real life too. People who care about us can help us get over our sorrows, but they can’t protect us from getting hurt in the first place.

Overall, the book is wonderfully written, thought-provoking, and a great addition to the young adult genre.