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12th out of 1,142 books
—
5,748 voters
Impulse (Impulse #1)
by
Ellen Hopkins (Goodreads Author)
Sometimes you don't wake up. But if you happen to, you know things will never be the same.
Three lives, three different paths to the same destination: Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital for those who have attempted the ultimate act -- suicide.
Vanessa is beautiful and smart, but her secrets keep her answering the call of the blade.
Tony, after suffering a painf
...moreHardcover, 688 pages
Published
January 23rd 2007
by Margaret K. McElderry Books
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Mar 30, 2012
Emily May
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
People who don't mind the disturbing
3.5 stars. The fact is, this is my third read by Ellen Hopkins and all of the books I've read so far have affected me quite deeply. I've discovered in this past year that I really like novels in verse, I couldn't imagine it being my thing before I first picked up Burned but all the ones I've read have been all the more emotional, moving and effective because of it. Before I start on about what I don't like, I'll just say now: this book is worth your time if you are okay with the depressing, dis...more
It’s hard to review this book, it really is. Suicide is not something to be taken lightly, and it is also something very hard to grasp. Something that we usually tiptoe around, nobody wants to be that close to death. Ever. What makes it so shocking is to wonder: What can drive a person to such an ending? Why is it that they couldn’t see beyond their current situations, and why did they thought they had nothing left to loose.
It was especially hard for me to read this because I’ve been in this sor...more
It was especially hard for me to read this because I’ve been in this sor...more
12 likes · like · see review
Dec 05, 2008
Jaclin
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Jaclin by:
Stephanie Johnson
Shelves:
3rd-f08-book-report
Ellen Hopkins. Amazing writer! I have been trying to figure out words that could describe this book and well I have only been abled to come up with a three. Oh My Gosh!! This book is one of those that you have no idea what it will come out as, and let me tell you when I finished it I was crying like a baby. Hopkins has a way of letting you into the charactors mind then trying put you into their shoes. I was told by a friend to read this book and so I took her word for it and like my mom said jum...more
21 likes · like · see review
I started this book very excited. Firstly, the cover looked interesting, then I saw that the story was written in verse form and my excitement level went higher. Perhaps my expectations multiplied my disappointment. Halfway through the book, I was only reading because I had already started and wanted to finish what I had started. Now what to start with...
1. There were many times when I couldn't distinguish the voices of the three different protagonists. I would start a chapter from a new person'...more
1. There were many times when I couldn't distinguish the voices of the three different protagonists. I would start a chapter from a new person'...more
27 likes · like · see review
Text to World
This was a very dark, yet very effective story of three depressed teenagers who end up at the same treatment center. I wanted to use this for text to world because I feel that it is important for people to understand what others around them go through. Each of the teens in this story attempted suicide, and all for different reasons. Whether it be overbearing and harsh parents, torment from previous relationships, or a long life of constant turmoil, these teens have been through it...more
This was a very dark, yet very effective story of three depressed teenagers who end up at the same treatment center. I wanted to use this for text to world because I feel that it is important for people to understand what others around them go through. Each of the teens in this story attempted suicide, and all for different reasons. Whether it be overbearing and harsh parents, torment from previous relationships, or a long life of constant turmoil, these teens have been through it...more
Impulse by Ellen Hopkins
I’ve never known anyone to personally who has attempted suicide or anyone who’s life is pure horror with scarred relationships till I read Impulse by Ellen Hopkins. The book tells from the three character’s point of view about their life and their everyday struggle to control their inner demons. Ellen Hopkins has shown me how lucky I am for having a good life.
Connor is one of the three main characters. He is your typical everyday popular guy. He’s a jock, has blonde hair,...more
I’ve never known anyone to personally who has attempted suicide or anyone who’s life is pure horror with scarred relationships till I read Impulse by Ellen Hopkins. The book tells from the three character’s point of view about their life and their everyday struggle to control their inner demons. Ellen Hopkins has shown me how lucky I am for having a good life.
Connor is one of the three main characters. He is your typical everyday popular guy. He’s a jock, has blonde hair,...more
Do not read this book if you're in a bad place--it's most definitely a trigger book. But I am absolutely in love with Ellen Hopkin's writing style. It's poetic, but not in a way that's trying too hard (considering it's a teen book). I love all of her books--they make me think about what I want from my life, if that makes sense. Okay, getting a tad too in depth, but I loved this book, even if it was depressing as crap.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
4 likes · like · see review
Sep 05, 2011
Jen (A Book and a Latte)
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audiobook
Originally posted on my blog, A Book and a Latte:
Brutally honest. Depressing. Hopeful.
Vanessa, Tony, and Conner all attempted suicide and failed, and their paths cross at Aspen Springs where they become friends. I won't lie, this is a tough book. Tough to think that there are kids that actually have these lives. Ellen Hopkins is now another author I applaud for tackling real, difficult issues that teenagers face.
Impulse has great pacing, and is written in beautiful verse. Though I liked listeni...more
Brutally honest. Depressing. Hopeful.
Vanessa, Tony, and Conner all attempted suicide and failed, and their paths cross at Aspen Springs where they become friends. I won't lie, this is a tough book. Tough to think that there are kids that actually have these lives. Ellen Hopkins is now another author I applaud for tackling real, difficult issues that teenagers face.
Impulse has great pacing, and is written in beautiful verse. Though I liked listeni...more
"Impulse" is not an easy book to read. The plot is rather dark: three teenagers find themselves at the same psychiatric clinic after failed suicide attempts. Vanessa slit her wrist a little too deep during her "routine" cutting experiment. Conner tried to shoot himself in the chest. Tony overdosed on pills. The reasons seem to be typical - Vanessa suffers from bipolar disorder and cutting is her only way to get her mood swings under control. Conner is going through a severe case of heartbreak af...more
This novel, written in free-verse poetry, is set at a mental institution and follows three teens who tried to commit suicide. Conner is a rich kid with a "perfect" life who tried to shoot himself. Vanessa, whose mother is also bipolar, is a cutter who went too far one day. And Tony, who lived on the street after being abused as a child, tried to kill himself with a drug overdose. Now they are all at a private mental hospital, trying to come to terms with what has brought them there.
I'd heard goo...more
I'd heard goo...more
11 likes · like · see review
[Review for Stragetic Reading Nov. 17th 2008]
The free verse story starts off with three troubled teens dealing with failed suicide attempts in Aspen Springs psychiatric hospital. In the midst of all the chaos at the hospital, the three form a bond with one another. An unlikely group, a cutter, a junkie, and a rich kid suffering a self- inflicted gun shot wound. They fight off the demons that haunt them, together. Tony, a youth struggling to find his own sexual identity, becomes engulfed in Vanes...more
The free verse story starts off with three troubled teens dealing with failed suicide attempts in Aspen Springs psychiatric hospital. In the midst of all the chaos at the hospital, the three form a bond with one another. An unlikely group, a cutter, a junkie, and a rich kid suffering a self- inflicted gun shot wound. They fight off the demons that haunt them, together. Tony, a youth struggling to find his own sexual identity, becomes engulfed in Vanes...more
Oct 04, 2008
Courtney
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone
Shelves:
young-adult-literature
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Impulse is the story of three teenagers who narrowly escaped death after they each attempted suicide. Their stories intertwine as they come together in a mental institution where they are trying to appreciate the fact that they have been given a second chance at life. The book is filled with the shocking revelations about why Tony, Connor, and Vanessa decided to try to take their own lives.
Impulse is written in a style similar to Hopkins’s other books (Crank, Glass, and Burned), which means that...more
Impulse is written in a style similar to Hopkins’s other books (Crank, Glass, and Burned), which means that...more
5 likes · like · see review
Three troubled teens cross paths at Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital, after attempting suicide. Connor, Tony, and Vanessa all have demons that try to pull them under and get them to succumb to the temptation to try it again; this time making sure they succeed.
Connor's overbearing family, only concerned about his GPA, or his making the varsity football team, or getting into an Ivy League college, offer no solace during his time of need. Feeling suicide is the only answer after a deeply emot...more
Connor's overbearing family, only concerned about his GPA, or his making the varsity football team, or getting into an Ivy League college, offer no solace during his time of need. Feeling suicide is the only answer after a deeply emot...more
This book was interesting, because I learned from this book that even people who seem like they have it all, sometimes don't want to have it all. There are three main characters in this book; Conner, Vanessa, and Tony. Conner takes pills and its a difficult life for him, parents always wanting him to be best in everything. Vanessa usually cuts her wrists, her mother is loony, says she has a gaurdian angel. Vanessa also has BPD (Bi-Polar Disorder). Tony lost his best friend and foster father, Phi...more
2 likes · like · see review
This book really hit home for me. The emotion and somewhat depression that is in the book is just like a real life story. Even if people don't want to always admitt that we all have our time or day's when we get that sad, alone and depressed feeling.You really see that in this book that you can be in the middle of time squar and still feel with all them people around you that you are the lonelist person ever. And the great thing about this book is that you realise you aren't and that people are...more
My first Ellen Hopkins novel! All I can say is that this book really hit home...hard. WOW, JUST WOW! I am definitely going to be picking up 'Perfect' as soon as I can.
1 like · like · see review
Aug 15, 2010
Michaela Schoonover
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites
Impulse by Ellen Hopkins is one of the few books that simply takes my breath away.
Impulse tells the story of three teens who meet at a psychiatric hospital after attempting suicide. It follows their story as individuals and as a whole. And it shows how they helped themselves and each other down the long road to a better life.
Hopkins's style of writing is unique and helps bring the story to life. Her characters are developed in such a way that you can't help but truly care for them and their wel...more
Impulse tells the story of three teens who meet at a psychiatric hospital after attempting suicide. It follows their story as individuals and as a whole. And it shows how they helped themselves and each other down the long road to a better life.
Hopkins's style of writing is unique and helps bring the story to life. Her characters are developed in such a way that you can't help but truly care for them and their wel...more
Feb 11, 2011
Tara
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
any teen or someone who's having a ruff patch.
Another 5 star book from Ellen Hopkins with an end, that if you haven't guessed close to it, will shock you completly. I love an author who's not afraid to right with such deepth and truth. Brilliant.
Without Warning
Sometimes
You're traveling
A highway, the only road
You've ever known
And WHAM! A semi
Comes from nowhere
And rolls right over you
Sometimes
You don't wake up
But if you happen
To, you know things
Will never be
The same
Sometimes
That's not
So bad.
Sometimes
Lives intersect
No rhyme, no reason
Except, perhaps
For a passing semi
Sometimes
You're traveling
A highway, the only road
You've ever known
And WHAM! A semi
Comes from nowhere
And rolls right over you
Sometimes
You don't wake up
But if you happen
To, you know things
Will never be
The same
Sometimes
That's not
So bad.
Sometimes
Lives intersect
No rhyme, no reason
Except, perhaps
For a passing semi
Jun 19, 2011
Dylan
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Everyone (age limit: 14+)
Recommended to Dylan by:
Gina
This book is the story of 3 kids who all commit suicide and fail. Because of the concern of their family and friends they are put in a pshyciatric hospital for teens. Even thought they seem like they are on the road to recovery, they still desperately want to kill themselves.
The characters were what drove this story. They were very real and you really care for them. This book is definately a favorite, and if you don't mind reading a novel that's written in verse, than you should definately read...more
The characters were what drove this story. They were very real and you really care for them. This book is definately a favorite, and if you don't mind reading a novel that's written in verse, than you should definately read...more
2 likes · like · see review
In this book you’ll read about 3 people that all have something in common, they all don’t like the way that they’re living. Even though life is precious some of us don’t really see it that way because in this book it is a composition of poems and it’s very fascinating how well the author wrote the book. In this book there are 3 main characters Connor, Tony, and Vanessa. Connor faces the problem of not really showing how he feels to others. Connor is a popular kid that every girl would die for al...more
Recently, I read the novel Impulse, by Ellen Hopkins. I really enjoyed the style of this book because it is all written in small poems but tells a story throughout. To me, this book was a turn pager and it was hard to put down.
This book follows the lives of three teenagers that for different reasons, attempted to commit suicide. These three are all in a rehabilitation center called Aspen Springs. The trick to the book is that each character is his/her own narrator. I like that you can see thr...more
This book follows the lives of three teenagers that for different reasons, attempted to commit suicide. These three are all in a rehabilitation center called Aspen Springs. The trick to the book is that each character is his/her own narrator. I like that you can see thr...more
Feb 10, 2009
Thomas
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Everyone 13+
Recommended to Thomas by:
A friend
Shelves:
glbt
Okay - so, this was the first book I've read from Ellen Hopkins. Before I read it I had been avoiding her writing for a long time because the books looked lengthy and the style of poetry didn't seem to be right up my alley - but I was proved wrong.
Impulse is about three 17 year old teens who have each tried to commit suicide - and failed. They wind up in a treatment camp called Aspen Springs, and eventually find each other. Together, they face their old demons and find new friendship. The story...more
Impulse is about three 17 year old teens who have each tried to commit suicide - and failed. They wind up in a treatment camp called Aspen Springs, and eventually find each other. Together, they face their old demons and find new friendship. The story...more
7 likes · like · see review
The genre of Impulse is fiction. I chose the book because it was recommended by a friend. I have also herd a lot of good things about Ellen Hopkins other books. The book is from the point of view of three 17 year olds, Vanessa, Tony, and Connor. They are all protagonists. They are supported by hospital staff like Ms. Boston, Sean, and Raven. Each chapter is what one character experiences at a time. Vanessa and Tony's antagonists are their mom's. Both characters fathers are memories. Connor's ant...more
Impulse is an intense book about 3 teenagers(17 years old) who each attempted to coommit suicide a different way. They all survive the accident and get put into an institute for teens. The 3 of them meet in there and become great friends who shares all their secrets together. There’s many surprises and a very twisted ending. My favorite character in the book is Vannessa, she is a strong person on the inside and outside and really wants to get better. She also tries to help Conner whom is so far...more
What can I say about "Impulse" without leaking tears over the final pages of this book...?
Let's start with the story. In classic Hopkins Verse storytelling we meet three teens that are locked up in Aspen Springs mental hospital for one reason: Attempted Suicide .
Vanessa is beautiful and smart but her deep secrets keeps beckoning her hands to the blade. She cuts herself often.
Tony is described as "devastating" with "eyes that look/ like he glimpsed/ behind the gates of Hell"(54);and he is not qui...more
Let's start with the story. In classic Hopkins Verse storytelling we meet three teens that are locked up in Aspen Springs mental hospital for one reason: Attempted Suicide .
Vanessa is beautiful and smart but her deep secrets keeps beckoning her hands to the blade. She cuts herself often.
Tony is described as "devastating" with "eyes that look/ like he glimpsed/ behind the gates of Hell"(54);and he is not qui...more
Mar 19, 2013
Gsantaniello
added it
Impulse, by Ellen Hopkins, is unlike any book I've read before. The writing style is as unique as the story itself. Hopkins takes the reader through the lives of three suicidal teenagers in a mental institute, written in each of their perspectives in the form of a poem. As I was reading this book it gave me a sense of sympathy for these teens that expressed their thoughts and feelings in the lines of poetry.
As I read, each character became real to me, as if the book was actually written by thr...more
As I read, each character became real to me, as if the book was actually written by thr...more
Mar 13, 2013
Cain Freeman
added it
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...more
Ellen Hopkins has a very distinctive style. Her books deal with young...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the ending.... | 8 | 25 | May 21, 2013 05:09pm | |
| Did anyone else fall in love with conner? | 4 | 9 | May 20, 2013 10:52am | |
| Why didn't Conner talk about Kendra much? | 2 | 7 | May 13, 2013 01:12pm | |
| Did you want connor to die? | 7 | 16 | May 12, 2013 06:36pm | |
| What did you think of Conor's regression? | 2 | 9 | Feb 26, 2013 09:35am | |
| Should had stop conner from jumping off | 6 | 15 | Feb 14, 2013 07:26am |
Ellen Hopkins is the New York Times bestselling author of Crank, Burned, Impulse, Glass, Identical, Tricks, Fallout, Perfect, Triangles, Tilt, and Collateral. She lives in Carson City, Nevada, with her husband and son. Hopkin's Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest pages get thousands of hits from teens who claim Hopkins is the "only one who understands me", and she can be visited at ellenhopkin...more
More about Ellen Hopkins...
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“Love means holding on to someone just as hard as you can because if you don't, one blink and they might disappear...forever.”
—
696 people liked it
“Act
on your impulse,
swallow the bottle,
cut a little deeper,
put the gun to your chest.”
—
450 people liked it
More quotes…
on your impulse,
swallow the bottle,
cut a little deeper,
put the gun to your chest.”
May 08, 2012 06:39am
May 08, 2012 08:52am