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frantic_vampire's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really needed this book. Like, holy crap. Why did I wait so long to read this one? It hit home with the anxiety rep and so many other things. I feel a little wrung out emotionally from this book, but I guess that means I really needed to read it. I don’t know if it would have had the same impact if I hadn’t read it now.
I loved that this book didn’t shy away from talking about depression and anxiety. I also loved that it talked so much about the friendships that are formed online and within fandom communities. I also loved the sibling relationships! I liked that Eliza’s brothers were so protective of her but also total little brothers about everything.
I honestly loved this book and I just want to dive in for a reread right now. This deserves all the stars. And it’s getting them. I’m giving Eliza and Her Monsters a solid five out of five stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Bullying, Car accident, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts
The suicide, car accident, and death of a parent tags are for Wallace’s dad. The suicidal thoughts and suicide attempt tags are for Eliza. Though she didn’t go through with the suicide attempt in the end.bethsbookshelf's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Plot: 10/10
Characters: 7/10
Pace: 10/10
Writing: 7/10
Diversity: 4/10
World-Building: 9/10
Ending: 5/10
Enjoyment: 9/10
OVERALL: 61/80 (7.5/10)
Omg. This book, man. This book. I’ve been excited to read this since it was released YEARS ago and I was putting it off - no, saving it - for a time when I felt slumpy. Now was that time. I wasn’t enjoying other books, I kept DNF-ing and I needed something fun, cute and young adult. As soon as I started this, I was hooked & I kind of felt at home. Eliza is such a relatable character to me: creative, introverted and stuffed full of anxiety. She likes staying in her own room, watching her favourite shows and writing her 6,000,000 follower blog. Anonymously, of course.
Then she meets Wallace and she’s pulled from her comfort zone. He doesn’t speak; only writes her notes or sends texts, but they have one thing in common: They both love Monstrous Sea. The only thing is, he doesn’t know that she’s the creator.
And she doesn’t tell him for understandable reasons, but of course, like all plots where there’s a huge lie festering, it’s going to either make or break the main characters.
Here’s what I loved about this novel:
1. Wallace and Eliza have the cutest meet-cute of all. He doesn’t talk much at the start, and she totally accepts that. She stands up for him to the bullies and they both realise they love the same web-comic. They hang out, in silence, yet still have so much to say to each other. What’s even more is that he’s actually writing fan fiction and a prose version of her web-comic. That’s how much he loves her work! And he doesn’t even know she’s the creator. Which makes me love how much he loves her, that he actually devotes his free-time to her, before even knowing that Eliza is Lady Constellation!
2. The way the author wrote about the internet. As someone who has grown up in the digital age, she wrote it SO well. In a way that wasn’t cringe or farcy, but as if the internet is a real place. She wrote about the feelings and emotions attached to the safety and vastness of the internet and I loved how Eliza hid and thrived in it.
3. Wallace. For the most part. For the first half of this book, I freaking LOVED Wallace. He was a total darling: sweet, funny, shy, yet confident. He knew he was. His character took a dive, but I still loved him in the beginning.
4. The format of the novel. It’s written in first-person present, but mixed with emails, text messages, comics, images and more. Loved it.
5. Eliza’s brothers. Church and Sully are pretty annoying the whole way through the novel but they come through at the end and actually ended up saving half the novel for me.
6. The coming-of-age aspect. Eliza has a fantastic character arc that is almost flawless (take away Wallace). I actually wish the ending wasn’t as rushed, and Eliza was a little more self-sufficient, but I do love the therapy scene and how she managed herself.
7. The way the author wrote about anxiety and depression. She described it so well that I think even people who hadn’t experienced it would get it, but not in an overly preachy way. I also like that it wasn’t a big deal that Eliza went on meds.
Overall, I thought his was a cute romantic coming-of-age story with a fantastic premise. However, there were a few things that really ruined the novel for me:
1. There were parts of this novel that didn’t seem consistent. Little things, like a character saying they weren’t mad when a few pages before they were saying they were super angry. It felt like the editing of this was a little rushed. Then there were stupid things like, a really cute romantic scene punctuated by a toilet flushing. Not funny or necessary. Didn’t like things like that.
2. Wallace’s character arc is potentially one of the worst i’ve ever seen. He starts out the most freaking cutest and then ends up being THE WORST, but doesn’t get punished for it. Instead, the author rewards him!! I won’t give spoilers but beware. It hurts.
3. Eliza’s freaaaaaking parents. They’re worst than Wallace tbh. They just want her to be this athletic, healthy, but not too skinny, 4.0 gpa girl. But that’s not who she is. She hates sports. She’s not got muscle on her. She’s just who she is. They haven’t checked her blog in 2 years so they don’t realise she’s mustered up 6 million followers and can pay for her own college, so instead, they hold all this stuff against her while not ever asking her: HOW ARE YOU TODAY? And they basically end up ruining her life tbh. Hated them. They were the worst.
4. Eliza and Wallace’s ending.
So yeah. That’s why I dropped 1+ stars. Bitter, because it could have been a 4.5 star read for me!!!!
Characters: 7/10
Pace: 10/10
Writing: 7/10
Diversity: 4/10
World-Building: 9/10
Ending: 5/10
Enjoyment: 9/10
OVERALL: 61/80 (7.5/10)
Omg. This book, man. This book. I’ve been excited to read this since it was released YEARS ago and I was putting it off - no, saving it - for a time when I felt slumpy. Now was that time. I wasn’t enjoying other books, I kept DNF-ing and I needed something fun, cute and young adult. As soon as I started this, I was hooked & I kind of felt at home. Eliza is such a relatable character to me: creative, introverted and stuffed full of anxiety. She likes staying in her own room, watching her favourite shows and writing her 6,000,000 follower blog. Anonymously, of course.
Then she meets Wallace and she’s pulled from her comfort zone. He doesn’t speak; only writes her notes or sends texts, but they have one thing in common: They both love Monstrous Sea. The only thing is, he doesn’t know that she’s the creator.
And she doesn’t tell him for understandable reasons, but of course, like all plots where there’s a huge lie festering, it’s going to either make or break the main characters.
Here’s what I loved about this novel:
1. Wallace and Eliza have the cutest meet-cute of all. He doesn’t talk much at the start, and she totally accepts that. She stands up for him to the bullies and they both realise they love the same web-comic. They hang out, in silence, yet still have so much to say to each other. What’s even more is that he’s actually writing fan fiction and a prose version of her web-comic. That’s how much he loves her work! And he doesn’t even know she’s the creator. Which makes me love how much he loves her, that he actually devotes his free-time to her, before even knowing that Eliza is Lady Constellation!
2. The way the author wrote about the internet. As someone who has grown up in the digital age, she wrote it SO well. In a way that wasn’t cringe or farcy, but as if the internet is a real place. She wrote about the feelings and emotions attached to the safety and vastness of the internet and I loved how Eliza hid and thrived in it.
3. Wallace. For the most part. For the first half of this book, I freaking LOVED Wallace. He was a total darling: sweet, funny, shy, yet confident. He knew he was. His character took a dive, but I still loved him in the beginning.
4. The format of the novel. It’s written in first-person present, but mixed with emails, text messages, comics, images and more. Loved it.
5. Eliza’s brothers. Church and Sully are pretty annoying the whole way through the novel but they come through at the end and actually ended up saving half the novel for me.
6. The coming-of-age aspect. Eliza has a fantastic character arc that is almost flawless (take away Wallace). I actually wish the ending wasn’t as rushed, and Eliza was a little more self-sufficient, but I do love the therapy scene and how she managed herself.
7. The way the author wrote about anxiety and depression. She described it so well that I think even people who hadn’t experienced it would get it, but not in an overly preachy way. I also like that it wasn’t a big deal that Eliza went on meds.
Overall, I thought his was a cute romantic coming-of-age story with a fantastic premise. However, there were a few things that really ruined the novel for me:
1. There were parts of this novel that didn’t seem consistent. Little things, like a character saying they weren’t mad when a few pages before they were saying they were super angry. It felt like the editing of this was a little rushed. Then there were stupid things like, a really cute romantic scene punctuated by a toilet flushing. Not funny or necessary. Didn’t like things like that.
2. Wallace’s character arc is potentially one of the worst i’ve ever seen. He starts out the most freaking cutest and then ends up being THE WORST, but doesn’t get punished for it. Instead, the author rewards him!! I won’t give spoilers but beware. It hurts.
3. Eliza’s freaaaaaking parents. They’re worst than Wallace tbh. They just want her to be this athletic, healthy, but not too skinny, 4.0 gpa girl. But that’s not who she is. She hates sports. She’s not got muscle on her. She’s just who she is. They haven’t checked her blog in 2 years so they don’t realise she’s mustered up 6 million followers and can pay for her own college, so instead, they hold all this stuff against her while not ever asking her: HOW ARE YOU TODAY? And they basically end up ruining her life tbh. Hated them. They were the worst.
4. Eliza and Wallace’s ending.
So yeah. That’s why I dropped 1+ stars. Bitter, because it could have been a 4.5 star read for me!!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Death of parent, Body shaming, and Car accident
Moderate: Bullying, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
lilifane's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-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
5.0
Will I ever read the synopsis before reading the book so that I'm not totally surprised by the plot? Who knows. But it's such a fun experience to start a book and be totally taken aback by the story because it was not what I expected (since I didn't expect anything).
I love reading about protagonists who draw/write. I love reading about fandoms. And I didn't expect to find both here. Both topics are also so well done. So many of the themes in this story are important to me, and I wish I had something like this book when I was a teenager. It still hit way too close sometimes and made me feel too many things.
Especially the last 20% were... a lot and hard to read. Uff. The love for something and the urge to create vs. the pressure not only from the outside, from other people having expectations of you, but also from yourself and your own expectations.
It's hopeful, though. It gave me hope that I will some day overcome my art block and pick up a pencil again.
I love reading about protagonists who draw/write. I love reading about fandoms. And I didn't expect to find both here. Both topics are also so well done. So many of the themes in this story are important to me, and I wish I had something like this book when I was a teenager. It still hit way too close sometimes and made me feel too many things.
Especially the last 20% were... a lot and hard to read. Uff. The love for something and the urge to create vs. the pressure not only from the outside, from other people having expectations of you, but also from yourself and your own expectations.
It's hopeful, though. It gave me hope that I will some day overcome my art block and pick up a pencil again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
princesa's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Eliza and Her Monsters will always be near and dear to my heart. Niche yet approachable and enjoyable. When I first picked up this book I related to it immensely, from the specific separation of online and in-person entities to the depression that unfortunately bled through both. After re-reading almost four years later, I'm able to genuinely pinpoint my issues with the book besides just blindly giving it a 5/5 for relevance.
Now, even though I resonate with the emotions Eliza feels, I'm less sympathetic to the decisions of Eliza and Wallace towards the end of the book. However, they're both children after all and don't have the emotional intelligence to fully communicate with one another yet. Also, while there are diverse characters they are mostly side characters and don't have much to do with the actual plot of the story. Arguably, it's still appreciated and especially since from the plot standpoint this really does focus on Eliza and her alone.
My final gripe with the story pertains to her younger brother being a savior in her war with her parents. Though I appreciate the emotional maturity we had yet to learn from this character until this point I don't think it should've been his place to say what Eliza herself needed to say. I'm glad she had someone in her corner to speak up for her though I found this rather unrealistic in most situations.
Despite my few complaints, this is still such a good read with compelling storytelling. Each time Zappia writes to the more intimate moments between Eliza and Wallace, I feel as though I'm reliving the feelings myself. The same giddiness and innocence of being that close to someone for the first time. Not only that, but the passion Eliza has for her work and community online. This is one of those books that's great if you relate to her situation, but even if you don't it's still well-written enough for you to enjoy for what it is.
Now, even though I resonate with the emotions Eliza feels, I'm less sympathetic to the decisions of Eliza and Wallace towards the end of the book. However, they're both children after all and don't have the emotional intelligence to fully communicate with one another yet. Also, while there are diverse characters they are mostly side characters and don't have much to do with the actual plot of the story. Arguably, it's still appreciated and especially since from the plot standpoint this really does focus on Eliza and her alone.
My final gripe with the story
Despite my few complaints, this is still such a good read with compelling storytelling. Each time Zappia writes to the more intimate moments between Eliza and Wallace, I feel as though I'm reliving the feelings myself. The same giddiness and innocence of being that close to someone for the first time. Not only that, but the passion Eliza has for her work and community online. This is one of those books that's great if you relate to her situation, but even if you don't it's still well-written enough for you to enjoy for what it is.
Content Warnings
Minor: Car accident, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
caitbreen's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
Minor: Bullying
typethewriter's review against another edition
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident and Suicidal thoughts
anielabooks's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
willowmae's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Car accident and Death of parent
Minor: Bullying
lyssstar's review
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
This story is really good. I feel for the characters and relate to them in amazing ways. The book is mainly about finding yourself when you thought you already knew yourself. But a lot of the situations in the book is also dealing with depression and working creatively for someone instead of yourself. And hiding yourself from someone for your own reasons. Then that secret coming to life. I hope this isn’t too spoiler-y as it’s just a different way of saying the summary but ya. I really enjoyed the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Bullying
bookcaptivated's review against another edition
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? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Bullying
Minor: Suicide, Car accident, and Death of parent