Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Get Well Soon (Anna Bloom #1)

3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 · rating details · 1,871 ratings · 270 reviews

Anna Bloom is depressed—so depressed that her parents have committed her to a mental hospital with a bunch of other messed-up teens. Here she meets a roommate with a secret (and a plastic baby), a doctor who focuses way too much on her weight, and a cute, shy boy who just might like her.

But wait! Being trapped in a loony bin isn’t supposed to be about making friends, losin...more

Hardcover, 208 pages

Published October 2nd 2007 by Feiwel & Friends

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

Mental Hospital Novels

17th out of 135 books — 301 voters

How Not to Murder Your Grumpy by Carol E. Wyer

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss

Yellowest Books Ever

17th out of 644 books — 292 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Nov 11, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Christian C. for TeensReadToo.com

Anna is fat and depressed. She suffers from panic attacks, and has stopped going to school. Her parents, who are totally clueless, decide to send her to a mental hospital. Will that do any good? Anna doesn't think so! Not in this place. Nobody tells her anything, they have the weirdest rules ever, and she's forced to wear these ugly pajamas all day long with no bra!

But as days go by, things turn out to be not as bad as she originally thought. Anna me...more

6 likes · like · see review

Aug 12, 2008 Ying rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved it. There were so many hilarious parts in this book. Not to mention the fact that Anna has a kickass taste in music in this book ;]
It's one of those books where you want to know what happens to the character in the future. It's the type of book that you want to keep reading and reading but you've already turned the last page and staring at the smiley face sticking out its tongue at you. Oh well.
I loved this book. I would definitely reccommend it for anyone who wants a good laugh and a g...more

11 likes · like · see review

Jan 21, 2013 Skyla marked it as not-interested-due-to-reviews

Reading is subjective. Just because someone didn't like your book is no reason to be nasty.

4 likes · like · see review

Nov 14, 2007 Angie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: good-uns, ya

I came across Julie Halpern's first novel while browsing the offerings over at Feiwel & Friends. I was so grateful they were publishing Long May She Reign that I grabbed both Carpe Diem and Get Well Soon because if they're publishing Ellen Emerson White books they not only have superb taste, they deserve my undying loyalty. Get Well Soon tells the story of Anna Bloom, a depressed teenager whose parents commit her to a mental institution when her panic attacks get in the way of her going...more I came across Julie Halpern's first novel while browsing the offerings over at Feiwel & Friends. I was so grateful they were publishing Long May She Reign that I grabbed both Carpe Diem and Get Well Soon because if they're publishing Ellen Emerson White books they not only have superb taste, they deserve my undying loyalty. Get Well Soon tells the story of Anna Bloom, a depressed teenager whose parents commit her to a mental institution when her panic attacks get in the way of her going to school. Alone, overweight, and braless, Anna starts writing a series of letters to her best friend Tracy as a way of staying sane despite being surrounded by drug dealers, Satanists, pregnant cheerleaders, oh my! Anna's voice is at times bitter, amused, desperate, and uncertain. But it is always matter-of-fact. And it is this quality that is most appealing. I never got the feeling she was sugar-coating the way things were or trying to put something over on her reader. She writes all of these letters describing her experience in minute detail yet she doesn't send a single one. They stay in her room with her, her roommate Sandy, and Sandy's plastic baby Morgan. They seem to be a way of processing the unimaginable thing that has happened to her. By keeping them she can continue to review and add on to the narrative so that when it is time to go home there will be a record of how she survived. In an ironic twist of fate, life in the mental hospital turns out to be more interesting and "healthy" for Anna than it was outside. She makes friends who understand her and who do not send her "Get Well Soon" cards as though she had chicken pox or mono. Despite the absurd hospital workers and a few admittedly crazy fellow patients Anna is able to be herself. Paradoxically, the confining walls give her the space she needs to figure out not only what happened to her, but what she will do with this new-found self knowledge. I laughed repeatedly while reading about Anna and Sandy, Justin and Matt O. I felt about like Anna did when the time came to leave the hospital. I wasn't ready. A little more time in the loony bin, please. The real world can wait. But Anna had to go back home and the book had to end and I'm happy I got to spend this time with her.
(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 19, 2012 Eleni Angelakopoulos rated it 3 of 5 stars

Get Well Soon was a great read that I really enjoyed. I read it in a day because I couldn't put it down. It's about the author's experience in a mental institution but written in a witty way that makes you laugh. You really get a sense of Anna as a character and how self-conscious you can be to what people think of you. Anna has no idea what the rules are at the institution or how to contact people at home. For the most part, she was shy until meeting a couple of great friends and making the bes...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 03, 2012 Nick Joseph rated it 2 of 5 stars

So, I decided to rewrite my previous review of this book. I realized that the plot was reasonable, but the whole book revolved around swearing and emo misery. It was not worth spending the three weeks that I spent reading this book just to hear the word s**t in every sentence. The narrator has an extreme bias, and is very sympathetic for herself, which in a main character, I usually find boring repulsive and just not fun to read at all whatsoever. I think the main reason I read this book was bec...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 24, 2008 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was one fun book.

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 08, 2013 Melis rated it 4 of 5 stars

The book Get Well Soon is about Anna Bloom’s adjustment into Lake Land mental hospital. Anna Bloom’s parents have taken her to a mental hospital because she excessively misses school and is constantly depressed. The first few days are just terrible for Anna until she meets a boy Justin. Anna finds him to be the most attractive bot she has ever met as she finds out that they have so much in common with each other. A few days after she meets Justin, she gets a roommate Sandy, who is pregnant, and...more

like · see review

Oct 16, 2012 Yaya rated it 5 of 5 stars

Get Well Soon is a heartwarming, hilarious, and intriguing realistic fiction book that will make you think twice about what life is about for Anna Bloom. I want to share the same feeling that I got when I read this book with everyone else. Anna was a teenager who had this image in her head of killing and destroying herself because of her flaws. She thought that being fat (not pretty is what she called herself) and embarrassed had broken her down. She would always compare herself to the perfect “...more

like · see review

Dec 23, 2011 Najiha Mazlan rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: All teenage girls!!!

Recommended to Najiha by: my gd taste:P

Oy.

Loved this book. Really. Gosh Justin sounds so dreamy lmao and plus Anna thought he was one gorgeous hottie I envied Anna for having her first kiss with him!!! DAMNNNN.

OMG i thought this book was AMAZINGG and Anna has a really witty sense of humor I even laughed and giggled at the way she visualizes things cause' I'm like a typical teenage girl like her too!! I'm so glad I found this rad book because I could relate soo much about Anna's hormonal thoughts to mine!!! :D I also loved the chract...more

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 14, 2011 Alexa rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: 13 and up

Shelves: ya

Funny, poignant, relevant. Complex ideas are presented without a heavy moral hand, and without sacrificing the YA tone. Nothing here is remotely inappropriate for teen readers, even young teens, and yet it is a genuinely good read for an older audience as well.

Anna is an amazing protagonist. Her voice is pure YA. The book jacket says that Halpern wrote the book based on her own struggles as a teen, and I don't doubt it. It's like she has a direct line to adolescence. There is nothing forced abo...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 28, 2011 Sydnie Radtke rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Oscar Gonzalez

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Sep 04, 2011 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: engl-412-fall-2011, young-adult-literature, mental-hospital-settings

"Walking around, listening, talking to people, I felt really . . . comfortable? The TV provided noise, so I didn't think about my stomach. Creepy Phil gave us someone to laugh at. Victor invited me and Sandy into the card game. Who would've thought I would be playing cards with a drug dealer? This place seemed to erase all social stereotypes. There was absolutely no pressure to be cool or skinny or entertaining. I was there, and that was enough.

Trying to fall asleep afterward, all I could think...more

like · see review

May 14, 2011 Gatorgal21 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Anna is depressed,she hates school and she feels like she's fat. But still, that's no excuse to drop her in the nearest mental hospital. But that's what her parents do, for three whole weeks. Yet, while these three weeks should have been the longest of her life, they end up being the shortest. Who could have guessed that she would meet a whole bunch of new people, all who seem suspicously nice, and even normal(aren't they supposed to be crazy?), a cute boy named Justin (who seems to like her bac...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 09, 2011 K rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: library

The book opens with Anna’s first thoughts after being checked into a psych hospital. She’d been depressed and her parents decided to get her help. She has to deal with community rules, The Man (in the form of hospital staff), and *actual* crazy teenagers.

It read more like some kind of ‘troubled kids’ camp stay than a grittier experience. The adults were a little inept and the kids who got better seemed to do so without their aid. Exercises were a little foolish—practicing proper pillow etiquette...more

like · see review

May 16, 2010 Nadia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: grade-8-ir-books-betts

This book was about a girl, Anna Bloom who's parents sent her to a mental hospital for her own sake. At first when she gets there she doesn't make a good impression since she threatens to kill herself at first because she's so devastated that her parents really made her stay at a mental hospital. After a while Anna calms down a little and becomes easier to manage. She almost becomes more cheerful when she starts to befriends some of the patients around the same age as her. Anna still believe the...more

like · see review

Mar 31, 2010 Genesis rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 8th-grade-ir

In this book get well soon is about a girl named anna bloom. Her parents can't stand her behavior and panic attaks and her stop going to school so what happens is that they think their daughter Is crazy and so they send her to a mental hospital for mental people.When her parents told her that they were going to enrole her in a mental hospital because her parents thought she was crazy... This girl freaked out I mean she wanted to blow up in her parents. If I was her I would just sat down calmy an...more

like · see review

Jan 11, 2010 Amber rated it 5 of 5 stars

In the book Get well soon by Julie Halpern is a ook bout a girl named Anna and she is very anti social. Anna's parents send her to a mental hospital at first Anna thought she was going to have a hard time meeting people because just like the "real world" (that's what she calls anywhere thats not inside the mental hosptial. Anna ends up making friends and finds a guy that she likes alot and soon to find out he likes her... oo and did mention she has a roomate whos pregnant.
This book is a text t...more

like · see review

Aug 27, 2012 Stephanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: funny, ya

This was one of my "browsing the shelves at the library and picking up anything that looks good" finds -- which sometimes turn out to be pretty amazing books. Which was the case this time.

I'm a little ashamed to say that one thing that also attracted me to this book was that it was very short. I was trying to find something to read quickly because I was falling behind in my 50 books a year goal, so I probably would have let this sit on the shelf for a few months if it weren't a measly 200 pages....more This was one of my "browsing the shelves at the library and picking up anything that looks good" finds -- which sometimes turn out to be pretty amazing books. Which was the case this time.

I'm a little ashamed to say that one thing that also attracted me to this book was that it was very short. I was trying to find something to read quickly because I was falling behind in my 50 books a year goal, so I probably would have let this sit on the shelf for a few months if it weren't a measly 200 pages.

But once I started reading it, I almost couldn't stop. (Literally, I was up reading last night until almost 1am.) First of all, what a narrator! Man, Anna has such a compelling voice I don't think there even really needed to be a plot. I would have read whatever she wanted to say with no hesitation. She is hilarious, with a great flair for description, and she's flawed in such sweet, relatable ways. She has a keen outlook on life and humanity and mental hospitals -- and by extension, illness and treatment in general (more on that in a bit). In a lot of ways, Anna reminds me of myself, which is likely one point of the book. Even if you don't have her exact problems or interests, we can all relate to feeling insecure and misunderstood and confused about how to fix our own problems.

And the other characters, too. I will never forget some of these people. Some of them just break your heart, like Matt O., and others are pure comic relief (like our favorite Satanist, Lawrence). Most of them are surprisingly loveable and remind you of people you've known, or even yourself.

Anna's budding relationship with Justin was simply adorable. I really felt the chemistry between them the whole time, which is really saying something since these kids are not allowed any physical contact whatsoever. In fact, this is one of the best romance stories I've read in a long time (although I don't usually seek those types of stories). Not something I expected to say about a story set in a mental hospital, but there you have it.

The setting of the mental hospital was entirely fascinating and felt true to life, although I have no experience in that area (believe it or not). Anna had a really great way of pointing out the weaknesses inherent in that particular hospital, and I began to feel stifled just reading about it. A situation like this really doesn't seem geared toward actually helping. Actually, it reminded me of shows I've seen about prisons, which fail spectacularly at rehabilitation in our society.

The so-called Quiet Room is the prime example: supremely ironically named, it's the one place where the kids can actually be loud and express themselves however they want -- and yet, they can't exercise this privilege (as it starts to feel for Anna) unless the adults in charge consider it a punishment. The mind boggles.

It made me wonder, whose well-being are they really concerned with? What is the true goal of the treatment center? Anna wonders these things too, and while no real conclusions were drawn, this story has changed my perspective on psychiatric care. (I have no idea if it's true to life, but like I said above, I am pretty much a believer in Anna no matter what she says.)

You really need to read this book. And then you can be excited with me that there will be another book about Anna in just a couple of months.(less)

like · see review

Sep 27, 2011 Sophie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Get Well Soon
A Humor Filled Look At Reality

Anna Bloom is a pretty average teenage girl. Except for the fact that she is so depressed she was put into a mental institution. On the way to her recovery she meets many new people, some she is able to call friends, some maybe more than that. Justin, a patient, who Anna starts to crush on. However, like a lot of girls she is never sure if she is good enough and she always gets happy when he is with her. Being in a mental hospital how is Anna and Ju...more

like · see review

May 19, 2011 Karen Keyte rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-girls-realistic, favorites

"They all said the same thing on the front: Get Well Soon. People sent me get well soon cards while I was in a mental hospital. There were fluffy little bunnies, floaty rainbows, and even a religious card. I could understand that Hallmark probably doesn't make 'Get Sane Soon' cards, but still." - Anna Bloom in Get Well Soon

Anna Bloom is depressed - clinically depressed. It has gotten so bad that she rarely goes to school, hardly ever even leaves her room. When she does go to school, she suffers...more
"They all said the same thing on the front: Get Well Soon. People sent me get well soon cards while I was in a mental hospital. There were fluffy little bunnies, floaty rainbows, and even a religious card. I could understand that Hallmark probably doesn't make 'Get Sane Soon' cards, but still." - Anna Bloom in Get Well Soon

Anna Bloom is depressed - clinically depressed. It has gotten so bad that she rarely goes to school, hardly ever even leaves her room. When she does go to school, she suffers from acute anxiety. Anna's parents have run out of ideas, or maybe they just don't want to deal with her anymore. Whatever the reason, they've taken the advice of her therapist and sent Anna to Lakeland Hospital (or, as she sees it, the loony bin). Anna's supposed to keep a journal, but that isn't her style: "Screw journals. I don't need a journal to tell myself what I already know: Life sucks. I'm fat. Nothing interesting ever happens to me. I don't want to deal with that shit anymore." The last thing Anna wants is a record of how pathetic her life is right now. Instead, she decides to write letters to her best friend, Tracy. Letters detailing everything that happens to her during her stay on the adolescent ward at Lakeland Hospital. And for the next twenty-one days, that's exactly what she does.

Anna's three week chronicle of her involuntary stay at Lakeland is wry, full of humor and, more often than not, completely unexpected. Whatever she imagined when her parents left her, sobbing and afraid, in the hospital hallway, it surely wasn't this. She didn't expect to make friends, to find a place amongst kids who hear voices, tell lies, light fires and start fights. Who could have guessed she'd like her roommate, a girl with a plastic baby doll and a deep, dark secret. And in Anna's wildest dreams, she couldn't have come up with Justin, a fellow mental patient and her secret crush.

You might think that a book about a girl hospitalized for depression would be dark and dreary, but this is a book full of surprises. Anna's voice is funny, sarcastic and genuine. Despite what she's been going through, she's able to look at the world around her and see the absurdity. It's impossible not to love Anna. You just have to root for her. Ms. Halpern based this book on her own similar experience in high school and it shows in the clear truth of the story and the honesty of the emotions.(less)

like · see review

Mar 31, 2011 ReD rated it 4 of 5 stars

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars

Comments:
I finished this book in one sitting, which surprised me.The back cover blurb describing the character as 'so depressed' made me apprehensive.
I like teen angst, but I wasn't sure if I could handle listening to
melodramatic whining. It wasn't bad at all.

PROS:
- Amusing, almost witty voice.

- Cast of character is easy to remember and distinguish.

- Melodramatic parts are short and rather amusing.

- Creepy, dehumanizing setting that made the characters all the more
real...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 22, 2013 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-reads, audiobooks, top-of-2013

Anna Bloom has just been checked into a mental hospital. A high school girl dealing with body pressure and raging hormones (uh, and irritable bowel syndrome?), her parents have decided that her recent brush with depression is the last straw and have her committed. Surrounded by kids who hear voices, set houses on fire, and talk to Satan, is it weird that this is the first place she’s ever felt accepted?

The irony is not lost on her. Not only does she make some great friends with her fellow loonie...more

like · see review

Feb 25, 2010 Camille rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: grade-8-ir-books-senorita-michan

In the Get Get Well Soon by Julie Halpern is about a teen girl named Anna Bloom. Her parents sent her to a mental hospital because her therapist suggested it since Anna is very depress all the time. The first day she was there, she thought that no one would like her because in the "real world" (that's what she calls it when she's in the hospital) no one really liked her, she was anti-social. She ends up making friends with lots of friends. Her roommate, Sandy, finds out she's pregnant so the sta...more

like · see review

Mar 05, 2009 Christina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: realistic

I didn't think I would like this as much as I ended up liking it. Anna is admitted to a mental hospital, because she is depressed and suicidal, and she expects to hate it. She can't understand why she's there, when everyone else is clearly really crazy, and how could her parents do this to her? But gradually, as she adjusts to the routine and the bizarre rules (No touching anyone else, ever. Hold out 2 fingers from your torso when you want to say something. Don't drop your pillow during Relaxati...more

like · see review

May 27, 2011 Lisa Gricius rated it 4 of 5 stars

I happen to be a very tough critic when it comes to literature that delves into the realm of mental health and its institutions. Working over 15 years in the field will do that to you. With that being said, I can tell you that this is a must read for anyone in the field or anyone with a loved one in the system. I highly recommend this book to any mature YA reader wether they have or have not spent time inpatient. Readers will connect with Anna's character and those of her "inmates." Anna's voice...more

like · see review

Mar 30, 2012 Bryana rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Jan 17, 2012 Robin Shepard rated it 5 of 5 stars

In "Get well soon", Julie Halpern writes about this 16 year old girl named Anna, who has gotten herself in a bit of a rut. She's been admitted to a mental hospital! That's not something you see everyday.

Anna is like a typical teenage girl. She is self-conscious about her appearance,she's she complains about her parents, and she she's always on the lookout for cute boys. Her only problem is that she is depressed.

Breaking the rules is something that is a common thing in this book, well, the hospit...more

like · see review

Sep 24, 2011 Li Xian Chen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: advisory-2011-2012

Get Well Soon by Julie Halpern revolves around a teenage girl named Anna who ends up in a mental hospital because of suicide and insecurities on her weight. In the hospital she meets many different people that are there for many unique reasons. Anna meets many friends that she can relate to as she learns about the problems of others. Her roommate is there because she 'faked a pregnancy', one guy in there is there because his father has the money to keep him there. She also meets a boy named Just...more

like · see review

Nov 02, 2011 Ben Jensen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 11-20

This book is about a teenage girl named Anna that is sent to a mental hospital because she is struggling with suicidal thoughts. She feels betrayed by her parents and is very emotionally unstable. While she is there she falls for another kid that is there named Justin. Throughout this whole experience that she is having at the hospital she talks of all the different types of people that she meets there and how she dislikes some and becomes close friends with others.

I was not a really big fan of...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (8)

More editions...

Genres

Young Adult

69 users

Realistic Fiction

20 users

Mental Health > Mental Illness

17 users

Romance

16 users

Young Adult > Teen

14 users

Humor

11 users

Health > Mental Health

9 users

Contemporary

8 users

Humor > Funny

6 users

Young Adult > Young Adult Contemporary

5 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

When Destiny Knocks
by Heather M. White
Children Of The Flower Power
by Carroll Bryant
Friendship on Fire
by Danielle Weiler
Safe
by Susan Shaw
Returnable Girl
by Pamela Lowell

About Julie Halpern

Julie Halpern is the author of Get Well Soon, Into the Wild Nerd Yonder and Don't Stop Now, as well as the picture book Toby and the Snowflakes. In addition to writing, Julie is a middle-school librarian. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, lived in Australia for six months, and created a couple of zines before she started writing books, and realized she was and always has b...more

More about Julie Halpern...

Books by Julie Halpern

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Get Well Soon

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from Get Well Soon

“When I die, I want them to bury me facedown and ass up so that the whole world can kiss my ass!” — 56 people liked it

“What if I have bad breath?" I asked.
"Chew on some gum," she said.
"What if I can't find his tongue?"
"Back off on your tongue until you can feel his."
"What if he throws up in my mouth?"
"Um, that would just be gross.” — 14 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Get Well Soon
avg rating	preview: Get Well Soon Goodreads rating: 3.84 (1871 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/457060.Get_Well_Soon?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1317063917l/457060.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/457060.Get_Well_Soon?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Get Well Soon by Julie Halpern[/url]

Get Well Soon (Anna Bloom #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website