Review: Clean by Juno Dawson

Rating: 5 STARS!

Genre: YA
Standalone/Series: Standalone
How I got this book: ARC from Hachette Children's Group via NetGalley

I can feel it swimming through my veins like glitter ... it's liquid gold.

When socialite Lexi Volkov almost overdoses, she thinks she's hit rock bottom.

She's wrong. Rock bottom is when she's forced into an exclusive rehab facility.

From there, the only way is up for Lexi and her fellow inmates, including the mysterious Brady.

As she faces her demons, Lexi realises love is the most powerful drug of all... 

It's a dirty business getting clean...

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I found this book whilst trawling through NetGalley and quickly read through the sample chapter. I loved it immediately! The protagonist is sharp, witty and ferocious when dealing with such a difficult subject matter and I was laughing almost immediately. 

After reading just one chapter, I was completely invested in the main character and couldn't wait to read more. Thankfully, I was approved for a full ARC copy that I dug back into with relish.

This book is bursting with teenage angst, grit and drama (think Gossip Girl) but it's so much more than that! It's diverse, deep, thought-provoking and above all else, realistic AF! 

Lexi is sarcastic, fiery, self-deprecating, badass and a complete mess. She’s 100% relatable despite her privilege and she won me over from the very beginning purely because she made me laugh. 

The British humour coursing through this book is fresh, unexpected and a perfect juxtaposition to the gritty, real, and varied themes and issues explored through Lexi each character she meets on her journey to recovery. 

This book won't be for everyone. It's harsh and real. It's a story about addiction in all its forms and the author doesn't shy away when things go wrong.

What I love most about this book is how there's something for everyone inside. We all have flaws, triggers, damage, issues, and compulsions, and the author writes them in such a way that I couldn't help but draw comparisons to my own life. 

We're taken on a journey of self-destruction, self-realisation, hope and love with Lexi and the others, and upon finishing the book I felt like I learned something about myself and the rest of the world. 

“We aren’t broken. We’re just alive.”