Review: Outside the Lines by Amy Hatvany

Outside the Lines by Amy Hatvany

Publisher: Simon & Schuster 

Pages: 352

Format: book 

Buy the Book: Amazon  

Goodreads:  When Eden was ten years old she found her father, David, bleeding out on the bathroom floor. The suicide attempt led to her parents’ divorce, and David all but vanished from Eden’s life. Since childhood, she has heard from him only rarely, just enough to know he’s been living on the streets and struggling with mental illness. But lately, there has been no word at all.

Now in her thirties, Eden decides to go look for her father, so she can forgive him at last, and finally move forward. When her search uncovers other painful truths—not only the secrets her mother has kept from her, but also the agonizing question of whether David, after all these years, even wants to be found—Eden is forced to decide just how far she’ll go in the name of love.

Kritters Thoughts:  A book where mental illness takes center stage, but the reader gets a full picture with this read - from both the person fighting the illness to the family that is affected by the highs and the lows of the disease.  The format of this book was a perfect way to share the story both what is currently happening to the full story of the past.


From the beginning we meet Eden who has been severely damaged by her father's battle with a mental illness.  She has struggled with her romantic relationships and can not find fulfillment at her job.  Throughout the book you read the past from both her perspective and her fathers and learn why she has come to be the adult she is now.  I absolutely loved reading the perspective of her father and having moments in his head as he tried to conform to society's standards and be a father and a husband.    


A story that hits you deep in your heart and makes you want to rescue her from her expectations of a father that can't live up to them.  I fell hard into this book and was swallowed hole by the story.  I couldn't put down if I tried!  




Rating:  absolutely loved it and want a sequel


Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Simon & Schuster.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.