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The Voice in My Head

Dana L. Davis (Goodreads Author)

4.16 · Rating details · 25 ratings · 13 reviews

She can feel sorry for herself.

Or she can listen…to the voice in her head.

For Indigo Phillips, life has always been about basking in the shadow of her identical twin, Violet—the perfectly dressed, gentle, popular sister. The only problem the girls had in their lives was the occasional chaos that came with being part of the Phillips family brood. But when Violet becomes ter ...more

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Hardcover, 384 pages

Expected publication: May 28th 2019 by Inkyard Press (first published May 2019)

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· 25 ratings · 13 reviews

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Nov 20, 2018 PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps rated it really liked it · review of another edition

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of THE VOICE IN MY HEAD by Dana L Davis in exchange for my honest review.***

Indigo prepares to jump from a building when she hears a voice in her head claiming to be god. Not wanting to live without her terminally ill twin Violet, god tells Indigo her sister will live if they visit The Wave. Instead of swallowing pills to die with dignity, Violet agrees to take a road trip with her family.

Depending on the reader’s perspective, Indigo’s ...more

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Feb 01, 2019 Jypsy rated it liked it

The Voice In My Head is a sad story. Twins Indigo and Violet have lost the closeness they once shared but for a good reason. At eighteen years old, one of the twins, Violet, is terminal. Dying. The grief of the surviving sister is a palpable thing. Indigo begins to hear the voice of God telling her things to do to save her sister. The story is far fetched for me. It's proof that people will believe what they want to believe even though it's ridiculous. It's a sad story about a family in the midd ...more

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Jan 12, 2019 Kibbenza rated it liked it · review of another edition

(ARC provided by Netgalley in return for my honest opinion.)

Indigo's sister is dying. As in, she's terminal. As in she's going to die by doctor assisted suicide. As in Indigo is about to be one half of a set. Overwhelmed at the prospect of living without her twin, Indigo climbs a building, prepared to die, too. But before she can leap, she hears a voice telling her that if she takes her sister to Arizona, she'll live. Always a believer, her sister Violet agrees, and the whole family takes off on (ARC provided by Netgalley in return for my honest opinion.)

Indigo's sister is dying. As in, she's terminal. As in she's going to die by doctor assisted suicide. As in Indigo is about to be one half of a set. Overwhelmed at the prospect of living without her twin, Indigo climbs a building, prepared to die, too. But before she can leap, she hears a voice telling her that if she takes her sister to Arizona, she'll live. Always a believer, her sister Violet agrees, and the whole family takes off on road trip to prolong what seems inevitable.

This book sounded so good from the get go. I'm not super into religious fiction, but I approached this with the hope that it was super creative, and not preachy. While there is a lot of praying and such, it didn't have the usual religious fiction feel. I really enjoyed the story of Indigo and her sister, and eventually I even got into the rest of the family.

If I had one criticism, it would be that it felt like Indigo believed the voice she was hearing way, way too easily. (Although, I suppose if you're actually hearing a voice, it would be hard to be skeptical?) Likewise, I felt her family bought into it way too easily, although this could be explained later in the book. (view spoiler)

There were bits that felt a little forced, like the scene with Willy May, but I did forget about that in my rush to see what would happen at the end. When I got to the end, I was kind of disappointed. (view spoiler)

In the end, it was a pretty compelling read, that I raced through. And isn't that really all you can ask from a book? ...more

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Jan 15, 2019 Gregory Schwartz rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

What an engrossing book! I love Dana Davis' books because she does the heavy lifting for me by crafting excellent, gripping, approachable stories and she allows my critical mind to disengage. So I can just read, get lost in the narrative, and enjoy. This is what a book is supposed to be -- an escape, and also a nourishing experience for your mind and soul. I'm so glad I got ahold of an advanced copy!

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Dec 21, 2018 Lynne Lambdin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, ereader-library

Sometimes a reader can get into a rut. When you read heavily, stories become predictable, sound alike and content begins to lack originality. I went into The Voice in My Head expecting the issues described. But what I got was a story that had me hooked and compulsively reading as if Voilet's life depended on it. And what a life experience it was.

Voilet and Indigo are eighteen year old identical twins. While they have the same DNA, their personalities could not be more different. Which is quite Sometimes a reader can get into a rut. When you read heavily, stories become predictable, sound alike and content begins to lack originality. I went into The Voice in My Head expecting the issues described. But what I got was a story that had me hooked and compulsively reading as if Voilet's life depended on it. And what a life experience it was.

Voilet and Indigo are eighteen year old identical twins. While they have the same DNA, their personalities could not be more different. Which is quite normal for siblings, but their situation is anything but normal. Violet is suffering from an illness that will take her life. But Violet has a choice to end her life with dignity. But plans are put on hold when Indigo hears the word of God in her head. This voice insists that if Voilet makes it to the Wave in Arizona, she will live. Thus begins a family journey unlike anything other with the goal to save Voilet's life.

This books is obviously an emotional journey. You get to intertwine in the family dynamics. And with some heavy hearts, times can be a bit tough. And this story really does portray different views and feelings on some heavy subject matter such as mental health and assisted suicide. Also, when the family is already suffering quite deeply, its hard to have your own life happenings. Its not a time when you want to share ways in which your life is progressing or stalling in some cases. It is just an interesting insight into the life of a family with a terminal teenager. Even though the family's world is crashing, the world doesn't stop. And it's a cruel and tragic truth.

My favorite part of the book was the Voice. The banter was entertaining, but the most impressive aspect of the Voice was that as a reader, I wanted the Voice to be God so incredibly bad. I wanted to believe and at times truly believe the Voice was God speaking to Indigo. There are certain situations where you can't question the Voice being authentic. Other times, you have the biggest skeptics believing so in that scene you give in and believe too. I love the way Davis incorporated the Voice and how she left the Voice up to the reader.

I had one very minor issue with this story. When the family was communicating, they talked so incredibly proper that it wasn't really believable. Which if that was how every character in the story talked, it wouldn't be an issue. But when the Voice is talking more casual with a bit of youthful slang, it makes the younger members of the family's strict and proper English stick out a bit.

Overall, I would give this story a 4.5 stars (rounding to 5). I can't wait to see how big of hit this story is for 2019. Thank you NetGalley and HARLEQUIN Teen Inkyard Press for this advance copy.

...more

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Dec 29, 2018 Michelle rated it liked it · review of another edition

My full review can be found on the Epilie Aspie Chick blog!

Thank you to Inkyard Press for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

At it's core, this book is about two sisters who lost their close connection along the way. Indigo and Violet together are such a sweet combination and once they finally talk about their life, it's nice to see their bond grow closer again and open up to each other. Unfortunately, this doesnt happen until late in the book and truthfully I would've liked mor ...more

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Dec 06, 2018 ExpatLibrary rated it it was amazing

This is a 'coming of age' story about African-American twins who diverge in mind and heart when one decides to end her life with dignity after a severe, incurable lung illness and the other starts to hear the voice of "God" in her head.

I am not a big fan of grief reading. I enjoy the occasional Jodi Picoult novel but it isn't my first choice. So I when I picked up The Voice, I did it to resolve the 'problem' I had in needing to find out what actually WAS the voice in Indigo's head (spiritual, r ...more

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Nov 22, 2018 Sally Maxwell rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Thank you to Harlequin TEEN for the arc of this book.
Such a heartbreakingly good read, I loved this book, it made me full on ugly cry, and touched my heart. Anyone with siblings will understand how Indigo feels, and her struggles with her parents.
It was lovely how they all came together, even though it was such a sad story, but very well written.

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Feb 17, 2019 Savanna Waddle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a complimentary arc of The Voice in My Head by Dana L. Davis in exchange for my honest review.*

tw for suicidal ideation and attempt, terminal illness, death, brief racists couple, being held at gunpoint, and physician-assisted suicide

OKAY FIRST OFF THE COVER IS SO BEAUTIFUL. I really love it, and it captures the two sisters.

There were a lot of things I loved about this book, and a few things that I thought could have been handled better. ...more

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Feb 12, 2019 Leah rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2019, ya

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC.

A kooky family road trip story with major illness and a Joan of Arc element. The development of the relationships between main character Indigo and her mother and sister are probably the highlight of the book. However, the emotional core (and especially the ending) is compromised by the lack of a well-drawn relationship between Indigo and her terminally ill twin sister Violet, a character whose comparative perfection is meant to contrast to Indigo but in ...more

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Jan 01, 2019 Michele Amedee rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: did-not-finish

I received this book from Net Galley to give an honest review and I couldn’t even get past the first chapter. Once she started thinking she was hearing voices and God was speaking directly to her, I was done.

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Katya Becerra rated it it was amazing
Jul 03, 2018

Jul 02, 2018 Dana L. Davis rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

MoniQue M. Miller rated it it was amazing
Jan 03, 2019

Sandy Kay rated it it was amazing
Oct 26, 2018

Ryan Loveless rated it it was amazing
Jan 17, 2019

Antigone rated it it was amazing
Jan 06, 2019

Deborah Hightower rated it liked it
Jan 07, 2019

Malena Peña rated it it was ok
Feb 16, 2019

Nov 20, 2018 Keirstin Smith (CloudOfThoughts) rated it liked it

The Voice in my Head by author Dana L. Davis is a great book. It has heart, suspense and takes you through a journey of family. Was a pretty quick read and overall a good book.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of The Voice in My Head in exchange for an honest review.

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Rachel rated it it was amazing
Nov 22, 2018

Adi Alsaid rated it it was amazing
Oct 27, 2018

Carol rated it it was amazing
Feb 13, 2019

Luke ( LUCI ) Peterson rated it it was amazing
May 01, 2018

Jan 04, 2019 Kevin A rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I was instantly drawn into this book from the first page. Dana truly has a gift of crafting a story that jumps off the pages. Each character is fully realized and interesting which made for a roller coaster of emotions. The sibling relationships really hit home for me and truly showed the nuanced dynamics. After reading Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now I was excited to read Dana's next effort and she did not disappoint. The Voice in My Head is an engrossing read that I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys ...more

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