Welcome to Litsy!

The idea of this book was to examine/expose the troubled teen industry by looking at 3 girls named Elissa, Alyssa, and Alissa, all of whom met at a TT boarding school and all dead by 26. Unfortunately, it falls down, with a lack of story before they all met, not enough examination of these schools and programs and an attempt to make all their deaths link to their life choices, which they don‘t.

The concept of this book is intriguing. Three girls, all friends, all named Elissa (the spelling of each name is different -Elissa, Alyssa, Alissa- but the pronunciation is the same). Each dead by age 26, from the same underlying cause. It sounds very interesting in theory. Right? Unfortunately, it failed in delivery. Didn‘t flow. Took too long getting to discussing how the girls died, which was the most intriguing part of the story.

Leach grew up with Elissa, her bff. She recounts their coming of age as American teens in the early 00s: idolizing Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. They break the rules as many do, but Elissas stays on a path that led to a life of drug use and eventual entry into the “troubled teen industry”. The book covers the unsavory background of these institutions and uses 2 other women, also named a version of “Elissa” to illustrate the issues. Cont‘d ⬇️

I don‘t read much fiction anymore. This kind of trashy non-fiction is as close as I get to a “summer read.” The author shares the short life stories of her childhood BFF and 2 other girls who all met in the Troubled Teen Industry. This is a for-profit underworld that preys on wealthy families with wild kids who get ground up in wilderness camps and therapeutic boarding schools. It reads a lot like Lisa Taddeo‘s “3 Women.” It‘s exploitative & fast.

This is the true story of three girls: Elissa, Alissa, and Alyssa. These three girls were labeled as troubled teens and they never stood a chance against addiction. This true story was absolutely heartbreaking as we follow their path into addiction and ultimately how they succumb to their addiction. I‘m not usually a nonfiction fan but this one really drew me in and didn‘t let go until I finished.

3.5/5

Elissa, Alyssa, and Alissa all found their way into the Troubled Teen industry, and all three died less than ten years after graduating from their program. Leach uses first person accounts from friends and family to create a memoir of these young woman's lives, their time in the troubled teen industry, and how that industry left them with trauma and no ability to cope with the freedom adulthood provided.

So many TWs on this one.