The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! š
hapalyn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Bullying and Injury/Injury detail
mezzoanddolce's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Car accident, and Grief
willowshelter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Car accident, Suicide, and Panic attacks/disorders
inkyinsanity's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
ALL OF THEMĀ
AND TISSUES
Ok
Words.
So.
This was beyond amazing. I cried through the last third of it. This is not a light book, and while I found the ending happy and really enjoyed reading it and laughed and marked lines, itās also not a lighthearted book.Ā
Eliza has severe social anxiety and, although the book names only the anxiety, sheās also very depressed.Ā
I have never read such good representation of anxiety and depression. I mean, I probably have because I read so much I do forget a lot of it most of the time, but this was amazing in the way it voiced things Iāve thought almost word for word. The way it creeped into my mind and everything *clicked.*Ā
Iā¦
I think this might have genuinely helped me when I was a teenager. Maybe not, but. But. I waited so long to get treatment for myself when I knew I needed it and pretended so hard that I was making it all up that I actually started believing my own lies until things started going too far for what I could believe. And this. Is. Everything. This is IT.
Iām not making sense and Iām on too much of a book high to even care.
Iām looking at the cover of the book right now, at the little word bubble saying āher story is a phenomenon, her life is a disasterā and like.
Disaster?
That could have been me.Ā
Not Elizaās life, but her feelings. Her single focus, the one thing and maybe another thing on a good day that made it possible to do everything else, and still not be able to do enough to be like a person. To be anything other than vaguely functional. Go to school. Eat. Shut down your family when they try to talk you because you canāt let them know how bad it is inside you, and or because you already have to live through it and youāre sure as hell not going to talk about it and have to live through it *again* but you NEED them to see you and talk to you because you're dying and you're trapped and you don't know what to do.Ā
You Find something (in her case, someone) you genuinely like, convince yourself you can be like a real person, you can have fun, you can fall in love, you can talk to people. Only to have everything crashing down by something that you canāt help, but what if you did things differently? Could you have stopped it? It doesnāt matter you were barely able to live, because thatās in the past and youāre in the now.Ā
Because you donāt choose to be so stressed you canāt breathe, or so sad you feel sick. But itās so, so hard to believe that and this book. Got. It.Ā
Um, warnings of depression, anxiety, panic attacks, mentioned harassment, and suicidal thoughts.Ā
On the bright side, the fandom rep was PERFECT and the bits of Elizaās web comic that are shown are really cool!Ā
Graphic: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, Bullying, and Stalking
_persephone's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
Minor: Death of parent and Car accident
tigerproofrock's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Body shaming
Contemplating suicide leads pretty directly to resolving significant tension and restoring a romantic relationship. So romanticization of suicidal feelings leading to getting the love you want and solving your problems.emilysh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Update: turns out I had stronger feelings than I initially thought. Wallace's life does seem fairly hard, however his view that Eliza's life is privileged and perfect because she has found success and has money is harmful. This view is totally ignoring the crippling mental health issues that hold her totally captive from a normal life or even interacting with the world. I can see how Wallace would initially react in anger and have such an unfair opinion of Eliza, but the book never goes back and addresses that view. As a reader, I'm expected to believe that Eliza and Wallace just move on with their relationship without any sort of real apology or working through that issue, and that's SO harmful. Maybe it takes place of screen, but handling something that important off screen is almost worse than not addressing it in my opinion. And don't tell me him coming to her and telling her that her life is more worthwhile than anything counts, because frantic moments like that are not where people actually work things out or acknowledge their wrong opinions.
Given the weight of this issue, I can't give the book more than three stars.
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Panic attacks/disorders
calamitywindpetal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Suicide, Death, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Fatphobia
joppiereading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Toxic relationship
goldenslug's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Mental illness