Frankly, this book is offensive. The author said she spent 3 years doing research before writing this book, but I'm not sure what her research consisted of because it certainly wasn't talking to a person who self-harms. This book reads like it was written by a person obsessed with the grittiness and shock value of self-harm and knew it would sell well to other non-mentally ill people who want to read something graphic and shocking. From the name to the cover, this whole book is insensitive. It is unnecessarily graphic. Self-harm spreads like an epidemic and if the author knew what she was talking about, she would recognize the potential danger of a book like this ending up in the hands of a middle schooler/high schooler struggling with their mental health. I've seen cutting spread like wildfire among young girls who didn't even know what cutting was until they read it in a book/saw it in a show/ saw the marks on their friends. I do recognize the importance of talking about mental health and illness with people of all ages, and how characters who struggle with depression and the like can make people, especially children, feel seen. I recognize this book was written over 20 years ago, but if you are trying to discuss these topics with children/teens, I beg you to use a different book. This trigger-fest is not written for depressed people/people who self-harm, but for people who get off on taboo topics like this because it's "fascinating", completely disregarding the real people who struggle with this. It's 2023, do better. Read a different book.