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willowshelter's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Car accident, and Death of parent
inkyinsanity's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
ALL THE STARS
ALL OF THEM
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, it’s also not a lighthearted book.
Eliza has severe social anxiety and, although the book names only the anxiety, she’s also very depressed.
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 I’ve thought almost word for word. The way it creeped into my mind and everything *clicked.*
I…
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.
I’m not making sense and I’m on too much of a book high to even care.
I’m looking at the cover of the book right now, at the little word bubble saying “her story is a phenomenon, her life is a disaster” and like.
Disaster?
That could have been me.
Not Eliza’s 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 can’t let them know how bad it is inside you, and or because you already have to live through it and you’re 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.
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 can’t help, but what if you did things differently? Could you have stopped it? It doesn’t matter you were barely able to live, because that’s in the past and you’re in the now.
Because you don’t choose to be so stressed you can’t breathe, or so sad you feel sick. But it’s so, so hard to believe that and this book. Got. It.
Um, warnings of depression, anxiety, panic attacks, mentioned harassment, and suicidal thoughts.
On the bright side, the fandom rep was PERFECT and the bits of Eliza’s web comic that are shown are really cool!
ALL OF THEM
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, it’s also not a lighthearted book.
Eliza has severe social anxiety and, although the book names only the anxiety, she’s also very depressed.
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 I’ve thought almost word for word. The way it creeped into my mind and everything *clicked.*
I…
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.
I’m not making sense and I’m on too much of a book high to even care.
I’m looking at the cover of the book right now, at the little word bubble saying “her story is a phenomenon, her life is a disaster” and like.
Disaster?
That could have been me.
Not Eliza’s 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 can’t let them know how bad it is inside you, and or because you already have to live through it and you’re 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.
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 can’t help, but what if you did things differently? Could you have stopped it? It doesn’t matter you were barely able to live, because that’s in the past and you’re in the now.
Because you don’t choose to be so stressed you can’t breathe, or so sad you feel sick. But it’s so, so hard to believe that and this book. Got. It.
Um, warnings of depression, anxiety, panic attacks, mentioned harassment, and suicidal thoughts.
On the bright side, the fandom rep was PERFECT and the bits of Eliza’s web comic that are shown are really cool!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief
Minor: Bullying, Stalking, Car accident, and Death of parent
_persephone's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Car accident and Death of parent
tigerproofrock's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- 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
A tender view inside the life of a painfully shy, autistic-coded, high school senior.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Body shaming and Suicidal thoughts
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.calamitywindpetal's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
medium-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Death of parent
Minor: Fatphobia
alexiconic's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- 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
It is a fun book that took me back to my teenage years and manages to capture the feelings of teenage fandoms without becoming cringy - which is quite impressive! There’s some nice elements of mystery that are tied in well with the other elements of the plot. I didn’t connect with the characters (particularly Eliza and Wallace) as much, though, which made the inner monologue unnecessarily moody. I was a moody, online teenager myself and Eliza’s portrayal was too over the top for me. I would have loved less of the moody, inevitable buildup and more of the final period of the book - what happens in the next Summer?
P.S. Were readers supposed to root for Wallace and Eliza after his anger and inability to understand her block? Because that turned their relationship rather unhealthy to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Car accident, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Toxic relationship
goldenslug's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
nanodaryuchi's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
cc_shelflove's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book was cute! Meet Eliza Mirk, the anonymous creator of the famous webcomic <i>Monstrous Sea</i>. When she finds out the new kid at school is a super-fan, they quickly become friends… although she keeps her identity a secret. The age range of this novel (14-17) seems appropriate and I could see the “loners” of high school loving this one. Remember you’re never truly alone—you just have to find your crew. 🖤
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
Minor: Eating disorder and Blood
shewhoshallnotbenamed's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Amazing book but disappointing conclusion. Wallace shouldn’t be forgiven that easily, and I hope it was emphasized how Eliza and her parents’ relationship is also largely affected because Eliza doesn’t reach out and is not willing to understand where her parents are coming from and become more open towards her parents. Also, I hoped she was shown to try and spend time and get to know her brothers more. She apologized to her friends but not to her brothers.
Edited to 2.75 because I just can’t stand that Wallace was so self centered and that he never really acknowledged Eliza’s very real problems that he dismissed because he apparently has it worse.
Edited to 2.75 because I just can’t stand that Wallace was so self centered and that he never really acknowledged Eliza’s very real problems that he dismissed because he apparently has it worse.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide