amandatacklestbr's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
zanjabeel_z's review against another edition
emotional
4.5
Such an emotional and amazing bookđ«¶đ»đ„č Finished it in less than a day which says a lot about me.đ
cafeyre's review against another edition
4.0
Amy seems like a normal woman. She has a good job, loyal friends and a nice home. As you probably think, itâs everything that wants to achieve in life. However, the real life of Amy looks completely different. She lives how her brain allows her to and itâs making everything harder. She canât fight it, even if she wants. It controls her life, relationships and moods. Itâs hard for her to leave her apartments because itâs her safe place and outside waits for her a lot of hazards.
Sheâs good in hiding it from the world. Everyone thinks sheâs kind of weird, but no one knows that there is something more than that. Her depression and OCD grow stronger. Thankfully, when it comes to the work trip to Australia, sheâs able to fight it.
The doesnât include any adventures or romances but itâs much more than that. Itâs about the fight for life and happiness. Itâs about a strong and unique friendship in the time itâs needed the most. Itâs the story youâve never heard before.
My thoughts
Reading this book was at some point very hard. The book was written in first person, so we have a complete view of her all thoughts. Itâs so hard to imagine how people get through life with the mental illness. The easiest things we do on the daily basis are a real struggle for the people like this.
Amy is very weak, and she doesnât even try to ask for help. She thinks that thatâs how her life is, and it canât be changed. She tries, because she wants it to be different, but her mental illness is so strong that itâs hard to push it away.
In the book is a lot of great characters that I would like to talk about. My favorite one is Natan, who develops a lot throughout the book. He doesnât play a big part at the beginning but heâs one that at the end that stays with her and makes her life easier. Another one is Ed whoâs her best friend. His character has two sides. Heâs very caring but sometimes a little bit selfish and annoying. He wants the best for Amy but itâs hard for him to understand some aspects of her life.
The story is very original and deep. Itâs one of the hardest books I read but surprisingly I read it in one day, because if you start you canât put the book down. Itâs worth reading just to understand the meaning of the effects obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression have.
I received the book from the author to honestly review the book. I had a few attempts to read this book but finally few days ago I sat down and read it at once. I am so glad that Lana Grace Riva contacted me and provided me one of the copies. Itâs an amazing book that everyone should know about.
Sheâs good in hiding it from the world. Everyone thinks sheâs kind of weird, but no one knows that there is something more than that. Her depression and OCD grow stronger. Thankfully, when it comes to the work trip to Australia, sheâs able to fight it.
The doesnât include any adventures or romances but itâs much more than that. Itâs about the fight for life and happiness. Itâs about a strong and unique friendship in the time itâs needed the most. Itâs the story youâve never heard before.
My thoughts
Reading this book was at some point very hard. The book was written in first person, so we have a complete view of her all thoughts. Itâs so hard to imagine how people get through life with the mental illness. The easiest things we do on the daily basis are a real struggle for the people like this.
Amy is very weak, and she doesnât even try to ask for help. She thinks that thatâs how her life is, and it canât be changed. She tries, because she wants it to be different, but her mental illness is so strong that itâs hard to push it away.
In the book is a lot of great characters that I would like to talk about. My favorite one is Natan, who develops a lot throughout the book. He doesnât play a big part at the beginning but heâs one that at the end that stays with her and makes her life easier. Another one is Ed whoâs her best friend. His character has two sides. Heâs very caring but sometimes a little bit selfish and annoying. He wants the best for Amy but itâs hard for him to understand some aspects of her life.
The story is very original and deep. Itâs one of the hardest books I read but surprisingly I read it in one day, because if you start you canât put the book down. Itâs worth reading just to understand the meaning of the effects obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression have.
I received the book from the author to honestly review the book. I had a few attempts to read this book but finally few days ago I sat down and read it at once. I am so glad that Lana Grace Riva contacted me and provided me one of the copies. Itâs an amazing book that everyone should know about.
theconfessionsofabookworm's review against another edition
4.0
This book was sent to me by the author for my honest review. I will never say âI understandâ to someone who suffers from OCD or depression because I donât. This book gives you an idea of what itâs like for someone who has both. I loved her story and while following it found myself rooting for her happiness the whole time. This is a book I definitely recommend for everyone to read. We donât always know what someone is dealing with and should remember to treat everyone with kindness because of that. Thank you to the author for sending me a copy of this book!
elliemaiblogs's review against another edition
5.0
Why I Love This Book
âThere is no break from my brainâ
I was kindly sent âThe Existence Of Amyâ by Lana Grace Riva in exchange for an honest review. First of all, I canât put into words how much I love this book. Itâs such an easy to follow plot, but it has so much meaning behind it, making you understand the challenges of what some people have to go through on a daily basis.
This book has proudly joined the one-sitter club, taking just over half a day to finish it. It was really refreshing to read a book where the reader doesnât rely on plot twists to stay engaged. Allowing the reader to genuinely get to know and connect with Amy, the protagonist.
The Story
âBeing in my current existence hurts.â
Amyâs journey throughout the book is not easy and sounds immensely exhausting to live. Although we arenât directly told if Amy is diagnosed with any mental health issues in the beginning, it is clear that she is struggling with something heavier than everyday problems. We see her attempt to battle mundane activities such as leaving the house, catching the bus and socializing with friends. Buy this way of living her brain has created is slowly destroying her life.
I have never suffered from OCD or depression myself, but I know people that do and I believe this is an accurate representation of some of the symptoms that can occur. Even though the book is blunt and straight to the point, it provides a lot of useful information that could help anyone who struggles with mental health themselves.
The Characters
âSometimes I feel like running. Running fast and never stoppingâ
I really enjoyed the connection between Amy and all her work colleagues. Each one of them brought a different personality and level of friendship to the surface. Revealing more information about what Amy has to deal with on a day to day basis. She is truly an inspiring character to root for. We see her flourish as the story goes on, pushing herself to do things that she never thought she would be able to do again. Sending an extremely positive message to anyone reading.
As well as Amy struggling with mental health, we start to see how it affects the relationships around her. Her friends/work colleagues play a huge role in her life. Sometimes even being the last thing in her life to keep her going. I love all of the characters in this book because you can see them all individual growing and changing to the people they want to become, not just Amy.
Overall Thoughts
âLook at the joy on their faces. Will I ever experience that again?â
Overall, âThe Existence Of Amyâ is definitely near the top of my favourite books of 2020 so far. The author writes about mental health in an abrupt way to help readers understand the conflict they have with themselves all the time. I canât recommend this book enough. If youâre looking for a nice easy read, with a powerful message behind the story, this is the book for you.
Rating: 4.5/5
âThere is no break from my brainâ
I was kindly sent âThe Existence Of Amyâ by Lana Grace Riva in exchange for an honest review. First of all, I canât put into words how much I love this book. Itâs such an easy to follow plot, but it has so much meaning behind it, making you understand the challenges of what some people have to go through on a daily basis.
This book has proudly joined the one-sitter club, taking just over half a day to finish it. It was really refreshing to read a book where the reader doesnât rely on plot twists to stay engaged. Allowing the reader to genuinely get to know and connect with Amy, the protagonist.
The Story
âBeing in my current existence hurts.â
Amyâs journey throughout the book is not easy and sounds immensely exhausting to live. Although we arenât directly told if Amy is diagnosed with any mental health issues in the beginning, it is clear that she is struggling with something heavier than everyday problems. We see her attempt to battle mundane activities such as leaving the house, catching the bus and socializing with friends. Buy this way of living her brain has created is slowly destroying her life.
I have never suffered from OCD or depression myself, but I know people that do and I believe this is an accurate representation of some of the symptoms that can occur. Even though the book is blunt and straight to the point, it provides a lot of useful information that could help anyone who struggles with mental health themselves.
The Characters
âSometimes I feel like running. Running fast and never stoppingâ
I really enjoyed the connection between Amy and all her work colleagues. Each one of them brought a different personality and level of friendship to the surface. Revealing more information about what Amy has to deal with on a day to day basis. She is truly an inspiring character to root for. We see her flourish as the story goes on, pushing herself to do things that she never thought she would be able to do again. Sending an extremely positive message to anyone reading.
As well as Amy struggling with mental health, we start to see how it affects the relationships around her. Her friends/work colleagues play a huge role in her life. Sometimes even being the last thing in her life to keep her going. I love all of the characters in this book because you can see them all individual growing and changing to the people they want to become, not just Amy.
Overall Thoughts
âLook at the joy on their faces. Will I ever experience that again?â
Overall, âThe Existence Of Amyâ is definitely near the top of my favourite books of 2020 so far. The author writes about mental health in an abrupt way to help readers understand the conflict they have with themselves all the time. I canât recommend this book enough. If youâre looking for a nice easy read, with a powerful message behind the story, this is the book for you.
Rating: 4.5/5
bookgramer_'s review against another edition
4.0
I'll admit it took me some time to get used to the writing, but once I did, I couldn't put the book down. Amy, our FMC, is not normal. All of her colleagues can tell something's off about her, but no one really takes the effort to get to the bottom of things, except Ed.
We get an in-depth and visceral look into what it's like living with OCD, anxiety, and depression. I felt so sad for Amy. My heart went out to her!
The true star for me in the book was Nathan, her work friend who did good by her without any ulterior motives. Everyone should have a friend like Nathan in their lives.
We get an in-depth and visceral look into what it's like living with OCD, anxiety, and depression. I felt so sad for Amy. My heart went out to her!
The true star for me in the book was Nathan, her work friend who did good by her without any ulterior motives. Everyone should have a friend like Nathan in their lives.
stephh's review against another edition
4.0
The Existence of Amy is about a woman struggling with OCD. It'd gotten to a point where it's affecting her work life, friendships and romantic life. Amy's finding more and more tasks that she used to be able to do seem harder and harder. When her work proposes a trip to Australia, she's terrified, but there's no easy way to say no. On the trip, Amy's boundaries are pushed more than she can cope with, and she starts to find things even more difficult when she returns home.
The book was a really great representation of someone struggling with OCD. It broke down stereotypes around this illness and there wasn't an easy 'ending' to it: Amy didn't suddenly fall in love and her issues vanished away. I think that the book could have benefited from some tighter editing as there were a few bits that dragged a little, but I feel like it was an important read in highlighting particularly how a mental illness like OCD can impact your relationships with other people. There's a lot of work that needs to be done generally about stigma around OCD and this book does a really great job of showing how it could feel to struggle with it, in an understandable way for readers.
If you enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, then I would recommend this.
The book was a really great representation of someone struggling with OCD. It broke down stereotypes around this illness and there wasn't an easy 'ending' to it: Amy didn't suddenly fall in love and her issues vanished away. I think that the book could have benefited from some tighter editing as there were a few bits that dragged a little, but I feel like it was an important read in highlighting particularly how a mental illness like OCD can impact your relationships with other people. There's a lot of work that needs to be done generally about stigma around OCD and this book does a really great job of showing how it could feel to struggle with it, in an understandable way for readers.
If you enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, then I would recommend this.
helloits_jen's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
brunaalcaiderodrigues's review against another edition
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25