John Green’s first book was published in 2005, however, he did not gain much popularity until his smash hit, The Fault in Our Stars, in 2012. Many fans were excited to hear, over half a decade later, that this novel is not the last in his career as an author. John Green’s next book, his fifth solo, Turtles All The Way Down, will be released on October 10, 2017, but do not be too quick to judge. Unlike Green’s previous novels, Turtles All The Way Down will not have the passion and romance that was in Fault in Our Stars. Though the story may contain elements of romance, it will be much more than that.

Turtles All The Way Down is the story of a young woman, 16 year old Aza Holmes, who is trying to solve the mystery of  a fugitive billionaire while also living with mental illness. The mental disorder that Aza struggles with is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), which is something Green has struggled with as well. When speaking about the book Green said, “This is my first attempt to write directly about the kind of mental illness that has affected my life since childhood, so while the story is fictional, it is also quite personal.” There were clearly many risks taken by John Green in the making of this novel. Hopefully the change in genre and the inclusion of  a mental disorder with six years of writing will surely pay off in some way.

Though not everyone struggles with OCD, the amount of people dealing with anxiety disorders is rising and higher than ever. According to DoSomething.org, in the United States approximately 10 percent of teenagers and 40 percent of adults struggle with some form of anxiety. Anyone who is interested in a thrilling story with relatable conflicts should definitely consider Turtles All The Way Down.