#4 star reads

Review: Fix by J Albert Mann
Rating: 4/5

Fix is an engaging story about two disabled teenage girls trying to cope with internalised ableism, weird boys and overbearing mothers.

This was a visceral book for me to read. I tried reading it 12 months ago and had to put it down about 10 pages in because the way Mann writes about Eve, our leading lady, waking up from spinal surgery just triggered the bleep out of me. But I wanted to see how her story ended and I’ve found so few disabled authors writing about disability that I wanted to try the book again - this time skipping the triggery start.

And I got a really good reading experience. Mann writes about Eve’s fear and pair so starkly that it’s impossible to look away as she falls apart again and again. There was a nice element of mystery with her best friend, Lidia, who is present in the flashbacks written in verse but not in the present-day prose. And I liked the friendship Eve developed with Thomas.

An excellent read for fans of Far From You by Tess Sharpe and any disabled people wanting to feel seen - but do read with caution if medical trauma is a trigger for you.

Warnings: drug use and abuse, medical content and medical trauma.