I’m Good and Other Lies

Kelsey Kendler is finishing high school, and her life has gone completely off the rails. She’s moved to a new neighbourhood and must contend with a new school and all of the uncertainties that brings. Her best friend has moved to California. She isn’t sure she’ll get into her chosen university with the scholarships she needs. Her mom is an unstable addict who can’t look after herself, much less her daughter. Dad is either unable or unwilling to be supportive. And then, to top it off, the COVID-19 pandemic strikes, and everything is locked down.

Kelsey is a memorable main character who somehow finds the courage and resilience to deal with her many problems. She does her best to make some friends at her new school, although Molly, Maddie and Luca end up leaving her behind when they find out the truth of Kelsey’s situation. In order to make some money – and get out of the house – Kelsey takes a job at a new ice cream shop, and the Soft Spot crew members become good colleagues and later some of them develop into friends as well.

But Kelsey’s efforts aren’t always successful. Her mother started out with pain killers for a back problem and eventually ended up with an addiction to them. Kelsey also gives pills a try, and, at one point, she states, “Getting through the day is much easier when I feel out of it. I like the buzz.” (P. 120) Readers wonder if she will follow the same path as her parent.

Bev Katz Rosenbaum fills her novel with interesting dialogue and lots of action, all told from the first person point of view. The story is broken up with texts here and there between Kelsey and her friend Makayla who has moved to California. As well, there are dream sequences which give readers a better understanding of just what is going on in Kelsey’s head.

I’m Good and Other Lies includes many details about Kelsey’s life in a home which has a rat problem, a problem with noisy neighbours, and which catches fire during the story. Yet, all of the many issues raised in the book are completely resolved in the last 40 pages which makes the ending seem rushed and unbelievable. Readers never know what happens, but Kelsey is no longer using drugs later in the book. Her mom chooses to get help, Kelsey and her dad are getting along better, and Kelsey suddenly feels at home with the Soft Spot crew and invites them to a party – the first she’s ever hosted. And university? She gets into the school she wanted, complete with scholarships. The saccharine, “happy-ever-after” ending doesn’t do justice to the earlier tensions and complications put forward by the author.

That said, Katz Rosenbaum gives her readers much to ponder in this novel. We are all too inclined to say “I’m good” when we are perhaps physically, mentally or emotionally far from being good. The author spotlights these little white lies and forces her readers to face the often very dire effects of the COVID-19 shutdown on teens and their friends and families. Mental health and depression are main themes of the book, and the author stresses the importance of counselling, showing how it helps both Kelsey and her mother with their problems. The resources listed at the end include help lines and internet sites for both Canadian and American young adults who need help with their mental health.

The COVID-19 shutdowns, lockdowns and the constant media attention given to the pandemic have become reality for everyone over the past year and a half. Kudos to Bev Katz Rosenbaum for tackling the issues head on in I’m Good and Other Lies in a way which will resonate with her young adult audience.