Suicide Watch
By Kelley York
Independently Published
Date of Publication: December 20th 2012
Source: Review copy
Rating: 3.8/5
AMAZON / GOODREADS
Synopis: 18-year-old Vincent Hazelwood has spent his entire life being shuffled from one foster home to the next. His grades sucked. Making friends? Out of the question thanks to his nervous breakdowns and unpredictable moods. Still, Vince thought when Maggie Atkins took him in, he might’ve finally found a place to get his life—and his issues—in order.
But then Maggie keels over from a heart attack. Vince is homeless, alone, and the inheritance money isn't going to last long. A year ago, Vince watched a girl leap to her death off a bridge, and now he's starting to think she had the right idea.
Vince stumbles across a website forum geared toward people considering suicide. There, he meets others with the same debate regarding the pros and cons of death: Casper, battling cancer, would rather off herself than slowly waste away. And there’s quiet, withdrawn Adam, who suspects if he died, his mom wouldn't even notice.
As they gravitate toward each other, Vince searches for a reason to live while coping without Maggie's guidance, coming to terms with Casper's imminent death, and falling in love with a boy who doesn't plan on sticking around
My thoughts
Expectations Her contemporary debut is one of my favorite books. Hushed was emotional, gritty and dark at times. From what I have read coming from her first book is that I can point out that there is a non-stereotypical lgbt main character present. And I’m expecting the same thing from Suicide Watch. A site tailored for possible suicide attempts is freaky.
Cover: The cover is very depressing but heck it’s a very depressing one at moments. The model is supposed to be Vincent. I like his curly hair (the goofiest grin). Hushed has a better cover than SW but for an indie published book it is still good
Book: Welcome to Suicide Watch. This site is not for the faint of heart. Only the serious need apply. Please think carefully prior to filling out the registration form and submitting.
The novel starts when a teen girl dressed in a plaid jacket and jeans jumps from Woodshire Bridge and he could do nothing to save her. That was last Christmas and its June at the moment. Vincent Hazelwood has just graduated from High school and tragedy strikes. He loses a ‘family relative’’ or the closest to family he has. His foster mother and Vincent needs to live on his own. All of this resulted in finding the site. On SW he meets Casper and Adam, all longing to end their live on earth for different reasons. They form a bond, a friendship centering on death. Grief, loyalty and love are encountered throughout SW.
The writing in Suicide Watch is bit different than in Hushed. The complete story takes place in 5 months time. It is from June to December. Only specific moments or days in Vinny’s life during those months are mentioned. Instant messages on SW and emails between the characters are added in the chapters. It is always nice to see current forms of communication in books. I wished that some parts and the relationships were fleshed out more. I could connect with Vincent but not that much with Casper and the romantic interest, Adam.
Now to write what my thoughts are about the characters and the romance. The main character is Vincent Hazelwood. He is mad at the world and thinks it is unfair what fate has done to him. Not that he will ever say it. He is very pessimistic or you could say a realist. You get to see how he feels and you get to know him little by little on this journey with him. The journey to being an adult even if the time span is on the short side. The reason why I was so connected with is that I’m also often mad at the world. Tragedies are everyday occurrences and are reported on the news, manmade or caused by nature. It hurts seeing or knowing that innocent people die. A part of that anger also stems from not being accepted by accepted because of your sexuality and being out ( I’m currently out but only to a few and sadly only a few of that bunch are accepting ) But the silver lining is that I have not been suicidal at all and other people have it far worse.
Casper is the best friend he meets on the deprave site. She has a sunny personality despite her dying slowly. She wants to commit the act in order of sparing her parents grief seeing her dying in front of their eyes. He and Casper form a strong bound that is believable.
Adam Rockswell is the romantic interest and the one I have connected the least with. It sometimes occurs that I have no strong connection to the love interest. They are just there to fall in love with the protagonist. I feel that is not the case with Adam. He is a kind, shy and not that outspoken young man. Character traits I also have but to a lesser extent. Except being kind, I am a very kind person. He was not just for falling in love with but needed for the novel. It is sad that I feel that I got to know him from afar.
There are adults presented but not in the forefront. Maybe because it could be categorized as New Adult (I’m still not a fan of the name).
The romance is where I had the most problems with. You get to feel that they like each other and are attracted to each other but they fell to fast. Maybe how it is written but it did not feel that believable whereas in Hushed although it was also a bit quick I loved the love between Calder and his dude. The romance needed some fleshing out it does not mean I didn’t like the lovey dovy scenes.
Vincent learns that life is hard but living with people you love and admire makes it so much better. And that relationships in life need to be cherished. If you want to read a story about the reason of suicide and what teenagers struggle with give Suicide watch a try. It does not glorify suicide and maybe it could save some one from committing the act It is not perfection but still a solid read.
