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I Wish You All the Best
I Wish You All the Best
Mason Deaver | 2019 | Young Adult (YA)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I Wish You All the Best is such a groundbreaking book that will let multiple people feel seen.

Trigger Warnings: misgendering, homophobia, anxiety, depression

When Ben finally decides to come out to their parents that they're nonbinary, everything goes south and Ben's out on the streets in just their socks. They call a sister they haven't had any contact with in 10 years to come pick them up and they begin living with them. Ben just wants to get through the last half of senior year unnoticed but they meet Nathan, a charming and humorous student who gets asked to show Ben around on their first day at their new high school, and feelings start to grow. Trying to deal with the rejection of their parents, depression and anxiety, as well as if and when they want to come out, Ben has a lot of their plate.

So much happens within just the first three chapters alone that my heart breaks for Ben and all I want is for them to have a happy ending. I believe this is a book that needs to be added to everyone's reading list.
- It really dives into how being closeted, even slightly, can affect mental health.
- How living a life that isn't 100% true to you is agonizing (in Ben's case, misgendering).
- The book, in my opinion, shows what it's truly like to have a panic attack and trying to figure out the triggers and then going through the steps to try and calm your nerves.
- It shines light on those who haven't really had much light shined on them in mainstream anything. There is a pansexual character in the book and so far, I've only read one other book with that representation and it made me smile.
- The book also brings up the struggle of figuring out "how and why do I want to label myself?" Rather that's to live your life to the fullest, to connect to others, or to give yourself a sense of being, everyone's reasons are different and Ben's story mentions that quite a bit.

Though I understand the book was focusing on Ben's journey as they begin coming out as nonbinary and trying to work through their anxiety and depression, I do wish some of the relationships were more flushed out. I feel like scenes were just glazed over and I just wish I would see more of Ben's friendships grow.
  
3 STAR RATING

I have been very interested in reading as many anxiety/depression self help books as I possibly can as I believe it's something that I need to overcome. Depression is a really awful thing to suffer from and so I am willing to do whatever it takes to cure it, improve it or even to just learn to live with it.

After reading the back of the book when I came across it at the library I thought it sounded like a fantastic idea and perhaps something that could really improve my outlook on life. I was, however, a bit disappointed with this one as in my opinion it is a very good idea which has been very poorly executed. The sections within the book became very very repetitive, I couldn't stay interested and once I had finished it it left me with a 'meh' feeling...I was definitely hoping for more.

The language in some places was a bit technical and therefore cold and uncaring, however, I did enjoy the illustrations even though they were very child-like. There are definitely better self help books out there, on the other hand, I still recommend reading this one as the idea is very interesting and the way the 'conditions' are approached is somewhat unique yet not very broad. Read this if you are willing to try anything in order to understand depression and anxiety more but I must say this one isn't at the top of my list.
  
Oh, Hamish...My Hamish...Where have you been all my life? Hamish is my kindred spirit. My best friend. The fictional character that I so desperately want to meet.

For Rachel McMillan to take something that she has personally dealt with her whole life, and give it to her HERO...It is one of the most beautiful things you will ever witness. I feel like I not only know Hamish...But I know Ms. McMillan better. She opened her heart and let the words pour onto the page. The description is REAL, the emotion is REAL, the pain and the heartache is REAL. Anxiety...is REAL!

In addition to the anxiety factor...We have all the makings for an intense and intriguing mystery. A suave Italian nightclub owner, a bad guy on the hunt, and a high class born young lady determined to solve a crime. One of the themes that stood out to me in this story, is the sense of finding home.

"What if home wasn't something you were born into but rather something you found and ultimately chose?"

Murder at the Flamingo is a story full of life and adventure! From the North End of Boston to the nightclub scene of the 1930s...You will want to dance the night away with Reggie and Hamish in this new mystery from Rachel McMillan!

I received a complimentary copy of Murder at the Flamingo. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
  
Down at the End of the River: Stories
Down at the End of the River: Stories
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
[Down at the End of the River] by [Angus Woodward] is a compilation of short stories, which usually are not the type of thing I like to read. I did enjoy these and if I did not know they were the same author I would have thought they were penned by many different people.

[Woodward] does an excellent job in creating characters and using those characters to drive the story. More than a few even caused me to feel the nervousness or anxiety of the characters.

I was disappointed that the setting of Louisiana was not highlighted more that it was just a passing reference. I believe the south has a character all it's own and could have added even more to the stories.
  
You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)
You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)
Felicia Day | 2016 | Biography
10
9.0 (12 Ratings)
Book Rating
I loved absolutely everything about this memoir. Felicia Day perfectly bares her soul to anyone smart enough to pick up this treasure. At times raw and wildly hilarious, I've never related more to someone I've never met. Representation matters and I was more than happy to read this book based on Felicia alone but realizing early on that it catalogs a lot of her struggles with anxiety made it an even easier read. In many ways, this book shows just how down to earth and relatable Day is to the many people who love her and her work. I highly recommend giving You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) the chance it deserves and a place on your book shelf.
  
Turtles All The Way Down
Turtles All The Way Down
John Green | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
6
8.4 (60 Ratings)
Book Rating
I really enjoy John Green's novels, however, this one was only just okay. I think because I struggle with an Anxiety disorder myself, I couldn't fully engage with this novel. I did like the accurate representation of the struggle with a mental illness, though I also felt like there were way too many moments where I wanted to shake the protagonist and say, "TAKE THE HELP OFFERED TO YOU!!!! YOU HAVE SO MUCH HELP!!!!!" Again, this is a personal issue for me, and has no bearing objectively on how the book is. I did appreciate the quotes and how Mr. Green views modern adolescents as being smart and well read. I just didn't connect as much as I would have liked to.
  
Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert's Story
Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert's Story
Debbie Tung | 2017 | Comics & Graphic Novels
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I think this book should be required reading for everyone. I would have given this book a 4.5 star rating so I rounded up to 5.

Debbie Tung was able to explain introversion better than any other book I have read. The stories were accurate and relatable. They showed the anxiety and the thought processes that I have gone through. I really appreciated the honesty in this book.

The drawings were well done, and they enhanced this graphic novel a lot. All in all, this is a good graphic novel that can show introverts that they're not alone and show extroverts that there is nothing wrong with being quite. Seriously, just read this.

*I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
  
Amazing songs (1 more)
Great to have in the car with the kids
Singalongadingdong
I took my daughter to the cinema to watch this film not expecting much at all... I was blown away. From the costumes and the colours, the love story.... The fun! I found myself tapping my feet along to the songs and getting invested in the characters. The songs fit the film beautifully and the actors were picked perfectly. My daughter who is very shy and suffers from anxiety came away feeling great and said to me "you know what it is ok to be different" this is me resonated with a lot of people. A great film and amazing soundtrack. We went onto Spotify and got it as soon as we could!
  
Cards Against Humanity
Cards Against Humanity
2009 | Adult, Card Game, Humor, Party Game, Print & Play
It's eye opening (2 more)
It's ice breaking
It's challenging
It's adult only (1 more)
Can cause arguments
Family Breaking Hilarity
This is honestly one of the best ideas for a game I have ever seen, it is a game that is easy for casuals to play, its competitive or just fun. You can play this with anyone and not change your opinion of them. I have played this with so many different people and groups and every game is different, every game is fun and it honestly does alot to breaking the ice when a serious conversation is needed. Those with social anxiety would do well to look into this game, it puts everyone on a level playing field with the disgusting things your going to say