skudiklier's review

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funny informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I'm a big fan of Allison, so I'll admit that I was excited to read this book more because she wrote it than because of its contents. But I do also have anxiety, and though I've been in a happy healthy relationship for years, I don't have much experience with dating. So I figured I'd learn things from this book even if I'm not its target audience--and I found it even more helpful than I thought! 

So much of it was just useful for me as mental health info on an individual level. I haven't had almost any therapy for my anxiety since I was a kid, so even though the more early relationship-focused angle was less relevant to my situation, it was still very helpful, both in how I think about my relationship and just generally living with anxiety. I realized some habits and patterns in my relationship might have more to do with my anxiety than I thought, and so I can work on those things too. I definitely screenshotted and took notes on lots of sections of this book. 

It was also just enjoyable to read; I started this book while in the middle of several others, and ended up abandoning all the other ones to speed through this one. Out of all the novels and everything else, this was the most interesting and engaging one I was reading. 

I also love Allison's voice as a writer. I'm sure it helped that I'm familiar with her work and style, and maybe some of the humor or tone wouldn't come across the same way to a different reader. But I for one enjoyed it and it felt like listening to a friend. 

This book has really helpful and concrete advice for living with a mental illness, for dating, and for doing both at once; I would honestly recommend this book to anyone, regardless of if they fit the specific "person with anxiety, OCD, and/or depression who is looking to date new people" profile. This book covers topics from how to date productively to going on medication to talking about sex, and I think literally anyone would find something useful inside. Even if you're entirely neurotypical, you could use the general dating advice, and odds are you have some kind of relationship (not necessarily romantic) with someone with a mental illness. I think this book could help you know better how to communicate with them, and understand what life is like for them. 

Overall I loved this book! I'm so glad Allison wrote it; thanks to Netgalley and Workman Publishing Company for the chance to read and review this ARC. 

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