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yayarose's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Mental illness
juliapatt2007's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Mental illness
libraryfrog's review
3.0
Moderate: Ableism, Mental illness, and Medical content
Minor: Animal death and Suicide
readerette's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness
Minor: Suicide
joisaddler's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness
ashylibrarian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Though this book is on the shorter side, I feel that Mona's character offers a glimpse toward the struggles that come with negative self-talk, anxiety, and feelings of loneliness. The black and white illustrations help to emphasize the feelings of Mona having a black hole in her heart and also to show when progress shines through. (And yes, progress looks different for everyone, especially on mental health journeys.)
I know there is a lot of discussion around the medical emergency scene. I still am not 100% sure how I feel about this, and I am by no means a doctor, so please take what I say with a grain of salt. I know that stomach problems can manifest as a result of prolonged, intense anxiety and depression. It did not seem unreasonable that the medical emergency Mona faced was related to her depression. However, I do with it was elaborated more on throughout the story and not just chalked up to something that Mona just assumed was related to her mental health.
Overall, I think this is a book I would recommend in the future for readers looking to see mental health representation or who are looking to learn more about what depression and anxiety can look like.
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
library_kb's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Mental illness
kstericker'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
4.25
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Animal death and Suicide
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The negatives: some of Mona's struggle is equated with something physical that happens to her, which can be problematic. Her depression also seems to be solved fairly quickly, which isn't always the case with mental illness. Figuring out the right treatment plan takes time. Mona is also written off a lot by adults, which is the case for a lot of teen girls, and this isn't really addressed in the text all that much.
That being said, I do think the discussions in this book are an important addition to the discussion of mental illness in books for young people. I just think they could have been done a bit better at times.
Graphic: Mental illness
strawbself's review
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Mental illness