The plot follows a pair of teenage girls who are dead-set on solving a disappearance case before the cops can in hopes of cashing in on the promised reward, as one part of the tandem encourages the other to use her past to her advantage. Aza Holmes used to spend her time with Davis Pickett, son of Russell Pickett, a criminal at large that disappeared right before his alleged arrest. 

While the story is focused on how the main characters go about solving a mysterious disappearance that rocked their town, there is much more than meets the eye when diving into the narrator. Aza Holmes is not what most people would consider “normal”, as she lives in her head to the point where it impacts every single aspect of her life. Her best friend, Daisy, while attempting to solve the case, points out how Aza’s incessant need to be clean and disease-free has not only taken a dangerous turn, but has kept her from being wholly involved in the lives of those closest to her. 

This work is not like any other John Green book that I’ve read. Although the captivating detail can always be seen in his works, Turtles All the Way Down takes it to another level. The narrator, struggling with an unnamed mental illness (however, symptoms would lead me to believe she has OCD) cannot get away from the idea that her own body is out to kill her via bacterial infection. This type of internal turmoil causes her to have a multitude of problems throughout the story, but ultimately, it’s what gets her to understand what people have been trying to tell her all along. However, it’s not necessarily the behavior that had me turning the pages at borderline lightning speed, but the spectacular way in which this character is written. The fast pace at which she moves through the story is akin to that of a cheetah, and it takes a seasoned reader to grasp how quickly things can turn on their head for this character. The portrayal is astonishing, and it is easy to see that Green did his research before sitting down to write this work. 

I gave it a five out of five star review, as it is one of the works that I feel truly deserves it. This work has a little bit of everything, ranging from mystery to friendship and even finding a first love. Fans of John Green have raved about this book for quite some time, and I can finally see why.