Reviews with content warning for Panic attacks/disorders - Eliza and Her Monsters

Overall I enjoyed this cute story of friendship, growth, love, and mental illness. I really liked the story and the major conflict of the book. I wasn't fully satisfied with the ending however. I think it comes down to me not connecting with the love interest. The author didn't take as long as I would have prefered actually building the romance and letting us get to know Wallace, so it was hard for me to be satisfied with the ending in light of the choices he made during the conflict.

Update: turns out I had stronger feelings than I initially thought. Wallace's life does seem fairly hard, however his view that Eliza's life is privileged and perfect because she has found success and has money is harmful. This view is totally ignoring the crippling mental health issues that hold her totally captive from a normal life or even interacting with the world. I can see how Wallace would initially react in anger and have such an unfair opinion of Eliza, but the book never goes back and addresses that view. As a reader, I'm expected to believe that Eliza and Wallace just move on with their relationship without any sort of real apology or working through that issue, and that's SO harmful. Maybe it takes place of screen, but handling something that important off screen is almost worse than not addressing it in my opinion. And don't tell me him coming to her and telling her that her life is more worthwhile than anything counts, because frantic moments like that are not where people actually work things out or acknowledge their wrong opinions.

Given the weight of this issue, I can't give the book more than three stars.

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calamitywindpetal's review against another edition

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funny hopeful medium-paced

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

4.25

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alexiconic's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

3.25

It is a fun book that took me back to my teenage years and manages to capture the feelings of teenage fandoms without becoming cringy - which is quite impressive! There’s some nice elements of mystery that are tied in well with the other elements of the plot. I didn’t connect with the characters (particularly Eliza and Wallace) as much, though, which made the inner monologue unnecessarily moody. I was a moody, online teenager myself and Eliza’s portrayal was too over the top for me. I would have loved less of the moody, inevitable buildup and more of the final period of the book - what happens in the next Summer?

P.S. Were readers supposed to root for Wallace and Eliza after his anger and inability to understand her block? Because that turned their relationship rather unhealthy to me.

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goldenslug's review

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emotional medium-paced

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

3.5

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nanodaryuchi's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

5.0

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cc_shelflove's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book was cute! Meet Eliza Mirk, the anonymous creator of the famous webcomic <i>Monstrous Sea</i>. When she finds out the new kid at school is a super-fan, they quickly become friends… although she keeps her identity a secret. The age range of this novel (14-17) seems appropriate and I could see the “loners” of high school loving this one. Remember you’re never truly alone—you just have to find your crew. 🖤

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shewhoshallnotbenamed's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

2.75

Amazing book but disappointing conclusion. Wallace shouldn’t be forgiven that easily, and I hope it was emphasized how Eliza and her parents’ relationship is also largely affected because Eliza doesn’t reach out and is not willing to understand where her parents are coming from and become more open towards her parents. Also, I hoped she was shown to try and spend time and get to know her brothers more. She apologized to her friends but not to her brothers.

Edited to 2.75 because I just can’t stand that Wallace was so self centered and that he never really acknowledged Eliza’s very real problems that he dismissed because he apparently has it worse.

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_mariah_'s review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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

5.0

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