Book Review: Buried Beneath

Buried Beneath 

Author: Kelly Ann Hopkins 

Publish Date: August 3, 2021

Publisher: GenZ Publishing

Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Buried Beneath follows Shelly, a seemingly typical New Jersey teen that harbors a difficult secret: her mom has a hoarding disorder. Shelly's home is filled to the brim with all of the things that her mother cannot part with, and the filth is making Shelly physically sick. When her father sends her a ticket to stay with him in Florida, Shelly jumps at the chance, but is also terrified of the possible outcomes of leaving her mother.

Buried Beneath is an incredibly powerful book and one that I could not put down. I liked that the story is not only a depiction of hoarding, a condition that is not often talked about outside of the context of the television show, but also focuses on the impacts the disorder has on the family members. Shelly is great main character with a lot of depth; the reader will quite literally feel all of her struggles. She loves/hates/blames both of her parents so much, and experiences many internal conflicts with her situation. I feel like I cannot give enough praise to the author for how well-written this book is, and for shining a light on this topic. The description of the book does a good job laying out potential trigger warnings, but the reader should be prepared for some scenes that are quite difficult to stomach. I highly recommend Buried Beneath to both YA readers and general fiction fans. 

Thanks to Netgalley and GenZ Publishing for this ARC; this is my honest and voluntary review.