Reviews

One Carefree Day by Whitney Amazeen

steel_city_peach's review

emotional hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Just Okay 

This book was up and down for me. The focus on how OCD completely overruns Willow’s life was an interesting plot. There was a lot of focus on OCD being a serious disorder that can be almost debilitating. Willow had a strained relationship with her mother due to her disorder, but it ran deeper than that. She felt like her white mother didn’t love her because Willow resembles her Black father. It was a strange dynamic. The romance that developed between Willow and Theo was cute but not believable. There was so much angst throughout the book. Willow whined a lot. It was exhausting. The story was interesting enough to hold my attention, but I was happy to be done with it. 

miss617's review against another edition

4.0

I'm not super familiar with OCD as an actual diagnosis. I've had friends and family members say they are OCD, but it's usually in a flippant manner. So while I don't know exactly how accurate the depictions of Willow's compulsions and ERP are, I am happy to see a book that tackles mental health, particularly as it relates to a young biracial* woman.

(*Willow says she is not white or Black, she is both, so I don't want to disregard that. However, books about Black mental health - particularly YA books - l I feel are still very rare.)

mafereads_'s review against another edition

4.0

Got the pleasure of reading this ARC so first of all, thank you so much for the opportunity.

This is one of the most adorable books I've ever read, the fact that the character found herself by growing into her skin and knowing how lucky and beautiful life is once she finds herself is what made it a really enjoyable time. Loved the writing as well, and the pace.

A really good book.

Kudos to the author.

alijoy94's review

3.0

As much as I wanted to love this #ownvoices novel about a young half black girl with OCD, the end it unfortunately lost me. While overall this was an enjoyable 3.5 star read (or listen, as the case may be), at times the drama just felt over-done, to the point of being unrealistic and a bit unbelievable. I did appreciate the insight into the MCs experiences, both as a black person (with people not believing she and her white cousin were related), and how she viewed the world through her OCD and it's rituals.

christina_billhartz's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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

4.0

booksenvogue's review against another edition

4.0

✨One Carefree Day has taught me that life is full of drama and you do not get a break because you have a condition. I also learned not to judge a book by its title, because this paperback was a rottweiler named Pookie.There were plot twists upon plot twists like you would not believe. Insert all the trigger warnings like abuse, suicide, and race. This entertaining well composed novel with Black and mental health representation held my attention until the end. The writing endeared me to the protagonist’s struggles as she navigated cosmetology school, love, friendship, obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, family, and life. It challenged my perception of a mother’s love and kept me hoping for the best.

emona_lisa's review against another edition

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

3.25

trysa2022's review

2.0

I liked the story in regards to an Own Voices look into OCD, otherwise the story was a little all over the place and seemed unrealistic in some areas. There were moments when I felt like, “Where is this going?” and “What does this have to do with the story?”

midnightbooklover's review against another edition

5.0

“I’m trying this new thing where I live life one day at a time. In the moment. As carefree as I possibly can.”


One Carefree Day is a YA contemporary novel about a Black teen Willow who is dealing with OCD. I love reading books that have a mental health rep. It’s so important! Specially in the YA community.
I really appreciated learning more about OCD, it’s embarrassing to say I basically knew nothing about it.

When Willows mom gives her an ultimatum to either move out or start taking medication, she decides it’s time to start taking control of her compulsions.
I really loved Willow. The author did such a great job at making you feel Willows anxiety. I sped through this book, while it had hard topics the writing made it so easy to read.

Overall I really enjoyed this book! I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys topics like this.

Thank you @whitneyamazeen and @mtmctours for the #gifted copy.

livforreading's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative tense 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

3.75

This is an important perspective to read from, and I in many ways related to the main character. Definitely one to be aware of TWs though. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Vomit, Suicide, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical content, and Grief

Moderate: Violence and Medical content

Minor: Abortion