I have to confess from the get go that I went looking, after reading Jennifer Niven’s All The Bright Places, for books that would depict the struggles of teenagers living with issues such as anxiety or depression.

Tim Bowler’s Game Changer is a well written and engaging page turner that follows Mikey during a particularly harrowing day. Mikey doesn’t have it easy; he is frightened of open spaces and the sun’s rays bother him to the point of losing consciousness.

Mikey would much rather stay safe in his room and avoid the outside world, but thankfully his younger sister Meggie is his loving support and, in many ways, protector. With her at his side, he is quite confident that not only he will remain safe, but that one day, he might conquer his fear.

But one evening, Mikey witnesses something he shouldn’t have seen. The gang that he might incriminate knows where he lives, knows his cell phone number, and knows about his sister.

If you’re looking for a well-crafted thriller about an unexpected hero, this psychological thriller is a book you should pick up. Bowler is very concise in his writing, but places the right words at the right places that each convey a wealth of meaning. And while it’s not meant as a mean to raise awareness about anxiety disorders, it does—at least at the beginning of the book—give some idea of how an individual with such a disorder might view the very things we deem innocuous.

 Game Changer is a quick and engrossing read, perfect for those short, cross continental flights.