booksjessreads's review against another edition

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dark informative reflective fast-paced

3.0

I was never really bothered about reading this book, but then it came in as a new book for my library and didn't have a queue of holds, so I took my chance and read it. Because of my previous apathy for the book, I didn't really go into this with any expectations, and I did come out of this book having an appreciation for the authors experience, as well as prompting my own self-reflection. I also do enjoy translated fiction, especially when written by women. This did give a good insight into the impact of Korean society on women's mental health.

I think this was a really easy-to-read memoir and it was very fast paced, which concerned me in areas that it was so quick to get through, despite the heavy subject matter. I appreciated that each chapter was not just dialogue between the psychiatrist and the author and was broken up with an introduction and an analysis of the conversation afterwards. 

Despite this though, I did also feel the memoir to be quite average. Not that this book is supposed to be astounding, groundbreaking, or full of fancy prose. However, if it hadn't been so easy to read, I would have just DNF'ed. It also just felt very samey to a lot of the mental health memoirs and fiction that is already out there. There is supposed to be a second book coming out next year, but I feel like this is better as a stand-alone, and it certainly didn't grip me enough to want to read the second one. 

Overall, an average memoir, but I would suggest it as a good read for those new to translated fiction with regards to Korean society and mental health.

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nikenacs's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

3.0

Started off strong but didn't really go anywhere for me. Not a lot of new revelations for someone who has done quite some work on mental health already. Idk, maybe I was just not the target audience.

One thing though - sometimes I found the conversations so weird?? Very often either Sehee or the Psychiatrist will say something that seems completely out of context or out of pocket, and it doesn't get adressdd, and the conversation moves on. And they often change topics super randomly, at least in my perception. Idk if it's the editing, or if they were actually like that?? But it made it feel less real, which broke the whole ~flow~ for me.

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meaghanbethany's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

2.5

I am not in the habit of 'diagnosing' others, however, all throughout this book I couldn't get out of my mind that she may have been misdiagnosed; which seems to be a common thread in other reviews too. I am diagnosed autistic, and if you'd have removed references to the name of her condition, I would have sworn this was a book about Autism. I hope this can be considered for her. 

Some favourite lines: "I want to march and hold hands with those who feel similarly to me", "I have trouble both accepting my own darkness and throwing myself into the light"

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withlivjones's review against another edition

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informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

This was a really interesting read that stresses the importance of being kind to yourself and getting help if you think you need it. I can definitely see how a lot of people have related to the author, and I love the message that even if you’re not extremely mentally ill, your negative feelings are still just as valid and deserving of treatment. I see a lot of books written by or for people with debilitating mental illnesses, but this is something i can connect to much more easily. The chapters are short and easy to read, and I like that a lot of the time the author gets straight to the point without a load of unnecessary waffle. I’m super grateful to the author for sharing her story in an effort to make others like her feel more seen. 

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gracereallyreads's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

3.0


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nikexistiertnik's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective fast-paced

4.25

this was way too relatable for my taste and reminded me again and again that i REALLY need therapy.

i appreciated the psychiatrist's note, because there were moments, when their counselling irritated me - although i probably have to remember that i'm in a completely different country and therapy might just be different in germany.

my emotions are all over the place, i'm really happy i finally read it, and i'm thankful to my teacher for lending me the book.

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thebookguru's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

Interesting and relatable and hopeful book! 

Defo recommend to anyone struggling with mental health issues or you have a mental illness or if you just want to find out more about mental health and what it is like living with certain illnesses. 

Haven’t read a memoir in a long time but glad I managed to finish this!

Also, the title of this book is perfect 😹👏🏽

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sandramarinis's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

3.0


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196books's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

2.5


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chireadsandchill's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.0


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