Impulse (Impulse #1)

Can you ever really get over pain…loss…love? Three teens have their fair share of issues, but can they find redemption in one another?

I was really taken with this story. I have had experience with suicide before. A good friend of mine was the victim. I never will know his side of the story, but reading this book made me feel closer to him somehow. I saw him in Conner.

Conner supposedly had everything. He was smart, hot, and rich. People hear this and think, “Well what’s the problem.” It is hard to look past these things and see the loneliness these people experience.

This was definitely an emotional story. The ending broke my heart. It brought to life all the injustices some people face in a blind world. We think money buys happiness when it doesn’t. We think people people that were blessed with great genes are happy when they aren’t. We believe people placed in unfortunate situations deserve what happens to them when it shouldn’t. I was definitely rooting for a change in these teen’s lives.

Change originates in each individual person. It was a conscience struggle for them. Vanessa struggled with her cutting addiction. Although in the end, there seemed to be no reprieve for that. Tony struggled with his guilt and sexuality. I saw the most progress in him by the end. And Conner… poor Conner struggled to find himself in a world of expectation and pain. His ending was the most tragic.

Hopkins’ books always find a close place in my heart. I always feel a sudden urge to fix the injustices of the world. It saddens me to think that these situations happen everyday. Although I am sure rehabs have peoples best interests at heart, we can see in this book that is does not always provide the help these teens/adults need. Progress towards a better us only happens when we consciously place one determined foot in front of the other.

Three teens, sharing only the wish to end it all, meet after their failed suicide attempts in Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital. Each has their own story: Tony can only find his peace in pills after a hellish childhood, Vanessa who has to cut so her secrets don’t tear her apart, and Connor, the picture of perfect who hides an inner turmoil. Together they will fight to forge ahead and write a brighter chapter in their lives.

Ellen Hopkins has a very distinctive style. Her books deal with young people coping with very real issues in a heart-wrenching way, all in free verse poetry. Impulse is no exception as we are presented with issues such as teen suicide, sexuality, and what family means. This is all done with no holds barred, nothing off limits and no sugar coating. Due to this honest and gritty approach, I felt that Hopkins showed a huge amount of respect to both the subject matter, and the audience. Unfortunately, many people have for more negative reactions to this, which I will touch upon later...


For full review, go to: http://nobsbooks.blogspot.com/2013/03/impulse-by-ellen-hopkins.html

This is a great read for anyone who has read any of her other books.

If you have read anything by Ellen Hopkins, you likely know to expect a novel told in verse. When I first read Crank (her debut YA novel), I found this a rather odd way to format a book, but as I read tons of YA literature, I'm seeing that this is a new trend in books and have fallen in love with it.

Impulse tells the story of three teens, Conner, Vanessa, and Tony. Each has their own reason for being a resident at Aspen Springs, each recovering in a facility in Nevada or, as Conner puts it, “a lockdown where crazies pace.” Conner is sent to Aspen Springs after attempting to commit suicide. Vanessa has a cutting problem. Tony was found in the streets not long after ingesting far too many drugs and alcohol and nearly escaping death's grasp. Each needs help. Each needs each other.

Through her magnificent writing (major fan-girlsisms for this author) Hopkins spins the tales of three teens who have a rough start. Three teens the reader can't help but want to see overcome their problems and become better people.

I have read this book twice now. The first time, I finished it and sat for quite awhile in shock. It's rare for me to attempt to try and guess how a book is going to end, but I certainly did not expect the ending in this book. I desperately wanted to reach out and comfort the characters upon finding out their fate. Few authors have done this for me, and even fewer have the ability to evoke these same feelings upon a re-read. Though her subject matter is usually dark (perhaps not the kind of books you'd want to take on a beach vacation?), all of her characters will captivate you and pull on your heartstrings. If you haven't yet, go to your nearest bookstore, library, or online book seller and try at least one of her books. I can almost guarantee that you will be back for more.

Happy Reading!
-Melly
www.beautyandthearmageddon.blogspot.com

Reader reviewed by The Library Lurker

I love novels in free verse. The way that eventually it's like you're
not even reading poetry anymore but everything is so beautiful
without trying to be is just amazing. This is only the second novel by
Ellen Hopkins that I've read, and I loved it just as much as I loved Burned.
Her books are a lot of things, but they're definitely not light summer
reads. You have to be ready to get emotionally attached and hang on for a
bumpy ride.



What I loved about this book is that it's a book about suicide, but not a
typical book about suicide. It's not a book of what lead up to a
character killing themself, it's a book about what happened to three
teens after they attempted to kill themselves. Of course it goes into
why they did it, but the entire backstory unfolds slowly while new
relationships and personal revelations are happening in the facility
that they were sent to "get better."



The three main characters, Tony, Conner, and Vanessa, had such different
voices that a lot of times I didn't even have to look to know who I was
reading. They all have such heartbreaking backstories in such different
ways. I felt for them all. I loved the way that the relationship
between the three constantly evolved, and ended up completely different
than I was expecting.



There isn't so much a plot to this book as there is a story. And that
story is told beautifully. Basically, if you've never read Ellen Hopkins
you need to, and soon. This book was great, and I can't wait to read
more by her.

Reader reviewed by TORI!!!

i got this off a reccomendation from my cousin a little skeptic about it. three pages in and i was hooked, even now the story replays itsel f in my head, my dreams. it left a pretty big mark on my nearly clean middle-school mind. i was like a blank canvas that is now full of color because of ellen hopkins' beautiful work. it changed my life 

Reader reviewed by skye

Its an outstanding book. I found it hard to stop reading it and when it was over you wish there was more! Its impossible not to love this book. Ellen Hopkins has done it again i  love all of her books she is an outstanding writer (:

Reader reviewed by Nicole

Impulse was a great book. The threee main characters are Conner,Tony,Vanessa and they are are in a physic ward becuase they all have problems. Tony is takes drugs,Vanessa cuts herself,and conner tryed to kill himself. I loved this book because it had a little bit of everything in it and Elllen Hopkins is one of my favorite authors. I could not put the book down thats how good it was. I loved it and think every teen should read it.

Reader reviewed by Jessica

In another one of Ellen Hopkins famous novels written in verse, "IMPULSE" details the events through the eyes of three teenagers who had brought together in a hospital after they have all tried to commit suicide, for various reasons. Vanessa, Tony, and Connor all have reasons for wanting themselves dead, but it is through each other that they begin to see what life is about, that they can live through the horrid events and tough pressure that lead them to take this leap and try to end their lives for good.

The startling message that Ellen Hopkins books always carry is present in this one as well, claiming that not everybody can be saved, but everybody can get help. These three teenagers all tell the story through their own eyes, switching off view points, but not all of them see the same things. In the end, it depends on the person's drive to get better, not the help they get.

Reader reviewed by Ashley

There is no doubt that Ellen Hopkins is an amazing writer. And yet I was still astonished at how well I was able to connect with characters that I had nothing in common with. I felt like I really knew Conner, Tony, and Vanessa. Immediately, I fell in love with each character and wanted them to fight through the urge to end it all.

Conner is what every kid dreams of being. He has the perfect life; on the outside anyways. On the inside he battles himself, his parents, and the world around him. When he finally decides to end everything with a shot to the heart, he misses and hits bone. Conner is now a resident of Aspen Springs. 

Tony had a rough childhood. He eases the pain with pills. He overdoses, but doesn't die. Instead, he throws it all back up, landing him a spot in Aspen Springs.

Vanessa seems average, nothing like your psychiatric hospital patient. She finds beauty in the blade. Comfortable with ending her life that day, she cuts deep and watches the blood run out, ready to die. But then her eight year old brother Bryan walks in. Vanessa winds up at Aspen Springs.

At Aspen Springs they each struggle to conquer their demons, a fight to get better. Conner, Tony, and Vanessa soon cross path, and have nothing in common except a wish to die. Through this they become friends and help each other fight for a better life.