Book Review: My Anxiety Handbook

I was kindly given an ebook copy of this book, published on 18 January 2018, in exchange for my honest review.

3/5 Stars

I enjoyed some aspects of this book, for example, the authors shared their personal experiences and there were simplistic illustrations throughout. However, some of the formatting wasn't perfect and some scenarios were too simplistic or overcomplicated for the target audience of 13-21 year olds.

I would recommend this book to those who would like to dip in and out, learning strategies and exercises that may help ease their anxiety. For example, mindfulness techniques and simple exposure therapy. Although I'd recommend readers to visit their GP/doctor if they believe anxiety is affecting their lives on a daily basis.

I found myself nodding along to some scenarios such as exposing yourself in a step by step way with a ladder. Each time you expose yourself to your fear, you spend more time on it until you become more comfortable. I felt that there were too many topics that couldn't all be covered in detail, it would have been better to minimise this number and really research them in depth.

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Kazia

Book Review: The Retribution of Mara Dyer (+ audiobook experience!)

4/5 stars

In the final book, Mara, Noah, Stella and Jamie escape the retreat and set out to find answers. Mara and Stella's friendship seems strong, although not explored in as much depth as those Mara has with male characters.

I didn't like the graphic scenes and descriptions of needles Dr Kells used on Mara because I also have a phobia of needles. It made me nervous but I did not want to skip any parts. I found it disappointing that there are still a lot of unanswered questions, particularly in relation to Mara and India.

I felt that Mara and Noah got to know each other more in this book, rather than the initial teen romance. I liked that Mara was developed as a character while Noah had a significant absence. Many fans are all about the romance between the pair but I felt it took me out of the story because Mara was constantly worrying about Noah rather than finding out what was happening with her 'powers' and mental state.

I felt the ending didn't round off everything I wanted it to, however, it was satisfying for the most part and it is down to the reader to speculate.

Book Review: The Evolution of Mara Dyer (+ audiobook experience!)

4/5 stars

In the second book of the trilogy, we continue to follow Mara and Noah as they learn more about their 'powers'. Mara struggles to live with the possibility of Jude still being alive.

Mara's parents continue to worry about her mental state and pursue the best help possible. She is enrolled in an outpatients programme called Horizons where, surprisingly, she sees Jamie. At least she has a friend to lean on during this tragic time!

Mara flicks between the present day "after" and India "before". She learns very early on that her grandmother committed suicide when Mara was three days old. She suffered with hallucinations like Mara does.

The teenagers in the Horizons programme go on a residential retreat where more tragedy ensues and we are left with more questions than answers. The main, important, question: Is Noah alive?

Book Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (+audiobook experience!)

4/5 stars

In this book, we follow Mara as she struggles with survivor's guilt because of an accident that killed her best friend, (ex) boyfriend and his sister.

I enjoyed the family dynamics because her parents are present and try to find out what's going on with her. Mara's older brother, Daniel, gets her out of trouble on many occasions and she is very protective over Joseph, her younger brother. Mara feels like a genuine person, you feel her emotions and can imagine her reactions to the things that are happening in her life.

This book was published in 2011 and I am glad that I missed the 'hype' and the spoilers. There are lots of twists because of the paranormal genre that this book falls into. I haven't read any paranormal books for a long time so it was a pleasant surprise when I bought the entire trilogy on Audible. (Reviews for Books 2 and 3 will be in upcoming blog posts!) I enjoyed Christy Romano's voice, she made each character individual and unique so that you could follow them easily.

I liked Mara's friendship with Jamie more than her relationship with Noah. I felt like she was more genuine and open around Jamie. Mara isn't friends with many female characters which is disappointing but somewhat predictable in Young Adult fiction. Mara is an unreliable narrator because of her struggles with mental health. This made me question whether some things were actually happening or whether she'd imagined them.

Overall, the experience of this book was satisfying, however, I wouldn't have predicted some of the events. I thought it was going in a completely different direction.

Book Review: Every Heart a Doorway by (+ Audiobook experience!)

5/5 stars

In this book, we follow Nancy and her new classmates after several tragedies. These children are extra ordinary, they have travelled to fantasy lands and now they have returned under the care of Eleanor West.

It is quite difficult to write a review without revealing what the tragedies are. I enjoyed the diversity of the characters and the heartbreak that caught me off-guard because I didn't realise that I had a connection with these characters in such a short time. The book is under 200 pages; the audiobook is around four hours long.

This book surprised me as it wasn't the story I was expecting. I didn't expect to like a fantasy story as much as I like this one. I feel like it was an introduction to the characters and the next book in the series will show us more of the characters' experiences in their fantasy lands.

I've been enjoying audiobooks during January even though I was hesitant that it would impact my love of reading physical books. However, being able to listen to a book while I also complete a puzzle or colour a book page has felt good.

Book Review: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (+ my audiobook experience!)

4/5 stars

I have posted a spoiler-free review on the Waterstones website which you can read here.

In this book, we follow Eleanor Oliphant, a woman in her early thirties with a very structured lifestyle. One day, Eleanor and her co-worker Raymond save an elderly man when he falls in the street. The unlikely friendship that the three share changes Eleanor's lonely, structured life and helps her confront the secrets of her childhood.

Eleanor becomes quite obsessive over "The Musician" and misreads the signals because of her lack of social understanding. I found myself rolling my eyes at these scenes because Eleanor was trying to change herself so dramatically to be seen by someone that didn't even know her name. She finds her weekly phone calls with Mummy somewhat overwhelming because of the suffering she endured during her childhood.

I liked how Eleanor's childhood was revealed during counselling sessions and how she has to come to terms with it at the same time as the reader does. The realisation of what happened to Eleanor is heartbreaking and tragic. It changed the way I felt about her character and why certain habits were so prominent. I love that when Raymond gives Eleanor a kitten, Glen, they already have a shared connection. (Spoilers!) These scenes made me laugh out loud, especially Glen's behaviour because it was so genuine and reminded me of my own cats behaving in the same way.

I listened to this book over several evenings and enjoyed the narrator's voice, specifically how snake-like Mummy's voice was.