Series · young_adult
Impulse
The Impulse series by Ellen Hopkins has 2 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Impulse (2007).
- Books
- 2 books
- First published
- 2007
- Status
- completed
- Last checked
Start here: Impulse (2007) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
About the Impulse series
Three teenagers meet at Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital, each after a suicide attempt: Vanessa, a cutter; Tony, sexually abused as a child; and Conner, a seemingly perfect golden boy hiding a darker home life. Impulse tells their intertwined story in verse from all three perspectives. Perfect, the companion novel, steps outside the hospital to follow Conner's twin sister Cara and three of her friends, each chasing an impossible idea of perfection that's quietly destroying them.
The two books share the same family (Cara is Conner's twin) and thematic focus -- the gap between how a teenager appears and what they're actually carrying -- while following largely different casts, making Perfect readable as a companion rather than a strict continuation of Impulse's plot.
Frequently asked questions
Is Perfect a direct sequel to Impulse?
Not exactly -- it's a companion novel following a different, mostly new cast, connected through Cara, the twin sister of Impulse's Conner.
How many books are in the Impulse series?
Two: Impulse (2007) and Perfect (2011).
Reading order last verified .