Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh

73 reviews

coffinfinite's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful sad fast-paced

5.0

I loved the original Hyperbole and a Half, so when I learned Brosh had a new book out buying it was a no-brainer. I recall laughing hysterically through most of HAAH, and went into Solutions and Other Problems expecting more of the same. What I encountered instead was something far more thoughtful and emotionally complex. Brosh perfectly captures the absurdity and tragedy of being alive, her illustrations (all 1,678 of them) each being worth a thousand words. Her tales of trying to befriend a sardine, of coping with a neighbour mysteriously hammering before 8am, and of experiencing profound loneliness, are all witty and poignant. Despite being eternally self deprecating, Brosh comes off as an incredibly likeable human being. She shares the stories of her life with an intimacy that makes it feel like she is confiding exclusively in you.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Medical content, Grief, and Medical trauma

madamepincers's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

This book is incredibly funny, heart-wrenching, wonderful, unique, and bizarre. It really enjoyed it. I've seen many reviews saying offhandedly that "there's so much dark humour/passively depressing stuff that it's clear this author should get help" and like... yeah-- it's a perfect follow up to Brosh's musings on depression and anxiety and feeling out of place in Hyperbole and a Half. It explains a lot of context. It deals with extremely difficult topics (like her sister's death, her own very serious surgeries and almost bleeding to death from internal bleeding, etc).

It's hard to categorise it as funny or sad. It's both. It's overwhelmingly emotional and all over the place and brilliant.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Medical content, and Grief

sebrittainclark's review against another edition

emotional funny sad fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Mental illness

honeybeatslibrary's review against another edition

dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

This is a book of essays again from Allie Brosh. I would say this book is significantly less humorous than her first book, but she is dealing with a lot of personal trauma in this book. Yes there are funny moments in this book, don't get me wrong. My favorite essay is Cat. That is not actually a shock if you know me, and honestly it perfectly described living with a cat, and cat's funny attachments with toys. But the chapter on the intense trauma Allie experienced with her health, the death of her sister, her divorce, etc were heartbreaking, but so beautifully written and honestly brilliantly illustrated. I really enjoyed this book, it was an interesting read. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, and Mental illness

rocketsaurus's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Mental illness, Suicide, and Medical content

readandfindout's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective

4.25

Art: 4 stars
Style/writing: 5 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Knowledge/content: 3.5 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Drug use, Suicide, and Grief

acarter's review against another edition

dark hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Death and Suicide

nemaria's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Medical content, and Grief

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

 📚 I've so missed Brosh's ability to draw out the absurd in everyday, mundane situations.
📚 Her drawings are just as goofy and giggle-inducing as ever.
📚 She's also able to turn on a dime and transform a silly childhood anecdote into an exploration of mortality and love.
📚 Unfortunately, a lot of the chapters seemed to tail off with no real conclusions, I felt like a lot of them needed one more page to wrap up the thought. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicide, Medical content, and Grief

ldandridge's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

5.0

I was so excited when I happened to see this on the shelf (at a grocery store of all places). It is definitely more serious in tone and overall content than Hyperbole and a Half. I really appreciate Allie Brosh’s candid and honest approach to writing/drawing about her mental health, and thought that this book was a beautiful sophomore release from her.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Grief

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Drug use, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide