This article summarizes and reflects on the review written by Keana Sackett-Moomey for Readers’ Favorite.
Their reflections emphasize the emotional realism of the book, especially Caleb’s inner collapse following his sister’s death and the surreal limbo where grief becomes a physical landscape.
“A captivating story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.”
“Lingering trauma can imprison a person in their own mind.”
“The dialogues between Caleb and Maddy are intense, raw, and immersive.”
She recognized that the world beneath the glass is not fantasy for fantasy’s sake, it is the shape of unprocessed grief, a place where emotional vulnerability becomes the only way forward.
Keana focused on the story’s psychological honesty, the realistic way trauma isolates people, how vulnerability becomes both the weapon and the wound, and how healing isn’t instant or clean.
Her review highlighted:
Caleb’s emotional paralysis
Maddy’s raw, unfiltered honesty
the Upside Down as a metaphor for unresolved pain
the threat that grows when trauma is buried, not faced
the difficulty of genuine connection when grief creates walls
This perspective mirrors the very intention behind the book:
emotional healing isn’t magical, it’s slow, painful, and deeply human.
To view Keana Sackett-Moomey’s full remarks, visit: https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/upside-down
Keana’s focus on realism is one of the reasons this review stands out. She understood that Upside Down isn’t simply a surreal or psychological novella, it’s about the emotional architecture of grief and the difficulty of breaking the patterns that hold people in place.
Her review captures the heart of what the story is:
a journey through honesty, trauma, connection, and the fragile hope that healing might still be possible beneath all the layers.
ISBN: 979-8296073051
