In Someone’s Story, we are introduced to the person in the title; a boy who goes by the name Someone. We may not know his name, but we follow him on his journey. We first meet Someone as he is about to start a new high school after his father moved them to a bigger area for his work. Someone suffers from severe anxiety and blackouts that plague him. He is introduced to a new school counselor named Kevin, in whom he finds a kindred spirit and actually starts helping him. Kevin gets Someone into running and getting a summer job in which he meets twins Caleb and Samantha; one becomes his good friend, and the other the unattainable crush. Once school starts, Caleb introduces him to his other friends, Geoffrey, Erica, and Ashley, who are the type of people that Someone can be comfortable with. As the school year continues, he finds himself pining over Samantha, yet seeing Ashley as this strange enigma that he’s drawn to. When things start to spiral again, with the help of his friend Erica and mind-opening drugs, Someone begins to dig deep into the past that he tried to block out, finding out things about himself that he possibly can’t handle.

I thought this was a really fascinating and captivating read. It kind of reminded me of a teenage version of A Beautiful Mind as they followed John Nash’s descent into his mental illness. Someone’s Story surprised me in the same way that the movie did when you find out what’s real and what was created in the mind. Despite not knowing the main character's name, he is a very likable and relatable character. The lack of a name really doesn’t really have a negative and confusing quality that you might think. It actually was better because the anonymity of this teenager makes it easier to step inside his shoes while you are reading his struggles and triumphs. B.A. Bellec has done an amazing job and I look forward to reading more of their work.

In his endearing coming-of-age book, B.A. Bellec writes about a group of weirdos that find and save each other from the dark depths of their minds. Someone's Story is literally Someone's story, as in a first-person narrative of a teenager that calls himself Someone. It starts with the news that he has to move to a bigger city with his father; adjusting to the city and his new school is going to be a challenge, especially because of his recent blackouts and his problems with making friends. Someone strives to be healthy mentally as he struggles with trauma, bullying, and his mother's disappearance. When he meets Samantha at his new pizza delivery job, everything changes. He starts to make wonderful memories with new friends, while he also discovers some of their darkest secrets.

Someone's Story is a mental-health novel done right! Reading Someone's experiences gave me a closer feel and challenged me to reach out to others more. With themes of movies, music, business, jogging, drugs, abortion, and loss, B.A. Bellec fills his book with enough background to make it relatable and keep readers engaged. There is also some explicit language that makes it inappropriate for young readers. Someone's Story is a quite relaxing read; it's filled with love, friendship, and a search for balance. Though it's a young adult novel, I recommend it to an older audience too because, apart from being a good read, depictions of the struggles that some people silently go through are vital for developing the right mindset for the good of all humanity.

Someone’s Story by B.A. Bellec is a well-crafted tale that follows a young protagonist as he navigates the problems that life throws at him. This kid is slightly bullied in school. At home, his dad tells him they have to move to a different location because he has been offered a new job with a better salary, and their mom is still missing. He doesn’t want to leave and he wants to find their mother. “Someone” is a loner, a social misfit, and a boy struggling with emotions he doesn’t understand. But as Erica says, he has great potential, something inside him, deep, and powerful. Erica says it will transform his life if he figures it out. Can he beat anxiety, move past being a wallflower, and meaningfully connect with others and the world around him?

Someone’s Story is a beautiful novel, written in great prose, very descriptive, and filled with insights about life. The author does an incredible job with themes of family, friendship, bullying, and personal development. It felt like I was reading a portion of my emotions and myself in Someone’s Story. There are lines to remember, like: “People and memories make a house into a home.” (Kevin). And the conversations flow naturally. There are references to pop culture and readers will enjoy how well the author captures the world of youngsters growing up. B.A. Bellec’s writing pulled me in and I was drawn by the strong voice of the narrator. This is a wonderful story for young adults and an engaging tale of finding one’s place in a world filled with questions.

Author here! I just wanted to bring one of the other reviews I had done over to this platform:

https://internationalgirlsandbooks.blogspot.com/2020/04/someones-story-by-b-bellec.html

Many thanks to the awesome people over at International Girls and Books!

Our Statements
We declare Someone’s Story a must-read for anybody who wonders. Wonders what the future will be like, wonders what is happening to their friend behind closed doors, wonders how they ended up here. We cannot belittle the entertainment aspects of this wondrous novel, but we must give credit to the effective themes about friendship, perseverance, and valuing what means most to you. The variety of personages, situations, and mental illnesses represented allows all readers to relate to this book and take something away from reading! This novel is on our list of all-time favourites!


Our Favourite Quote
“I show up early, and he shows up right on time.”


Review, 5/5!

Opinions: Oh. My. Goodness. I always make an honest attempt to remain professional in my reviews, but this book is simply too good to not fangirl about! There is an overwhelming amount of plot twists, deep characters, and complex themes that we devoured in one sitting. Just as we thought things were about to improve for one character, things got worse for three others. Someone’s Story was also very inclusive and all-encompassing because there is very little descript detail in the beginning. Primarily, the protagonist’s name is Someone and his gender is not immediately disclosed, meaning any reader could place themselves into this story. Backing up Someone’s trying times of anxiety and other mental illnesses, nearly every character is struggling behind closed doors, which not only teaches readers a valuable lesson, but broadens the audience because everybody can relate to some aspect of the book. We were heartbroken by how truthful Someone’s Story was yet how perseverant each character stayed despite their inner struggles. We learned a lot from the evident themes, artistic writing style, and climactic last chapters. This is one to remember!

Our Favourite Thing: Our first instinct is to carry on about how much we love the consistent and truthful projection of mental illness, or perhaps the motifs about perseverance and motivation. Even fangirling about the plot twists without giving anything away was on our list! But our three readers decided to talk about Bellec’s imaginative writing style and his appreciation for the power of words. Multiple times while reading did we notice the use of repetition, onomatopoeia, and similes which supported the atmosphere and tone of each scene the phrase was found in. These detailed and artistic literary devices immersed us further into the story so we felt every twinge of guilt and heard every gasp of fear along with the characters. Don’t get us wrong, the story was memorable and resonating! But Someone’s Story wouldn’t be the same without Bellec’s poetic writing style.

Our Least Favourite Thing: With all intentions of being frank, we’re confident in saying there are no faults in Someone’s Story. None of our readers disliked a single page! We hope you enjoy this book as much as we did!

This artfully written novel tears down our social media-dominated definition of friendship in favor of a deeper connection by which “weirdos” can band together to overcome adversity. A flawed group of teens, struggling to play with the cards the world dealt them, learn to accept themselves and to support each other as they journey through life’s most awkward phase. The plot progresses slowly through the first third of the book, but the writing style and tone are engaging from page one. While I would have preferred a named character, the protagonist’s self-designation as “Someone” is thought provoking. His struggles with mental health serve as a poignant demonstration of strength growing from vulnerability. Overall, this insightful story is a shining example of perseverance and the power of friendship.