Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat

8 reviews

noahsingh's review

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Interesting but couldn't hack the sheer amount of annoying men the main character was attached/attracted to.
The main interesting aspects to me (Palestinian heritage + relationship with their mother + the instances of Islamophobia/ acism & Zionism she faces) had very little space in the book.

Also I do think her outing that woman was unforgivable and I Hate Hate Hated that that (trigger warning) literal rapist white guy at The Lodge is, if anything, forgiven/absolved by the narrative. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, War, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Islamophobia, Colonisation, Confinement, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Racism, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Rape, Emotional abuse, Outing, Pedophilia, Addiction, Self harm, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Drug abuse, and Sexual assault

Minor: Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Biphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, and Rape

jillaay_h's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Grief, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Colonisation

kathleenivy's review

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Infidelity, Biphobia, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Colonisation, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Mental illness, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Drug abuse, Genocide, Racism, Alcoholism, and Outing

lil_owl_reads's review

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

You Exist Too Much is a beautiful narrative on anxiety, queerness, multicultural life, addiction, and love. It has some of the most accurate depictions of panic and anxiety I’ve ever read. While never learning the characters name, you learn to empathize with her anger, you feel her stress, you understand her troubled family dynamics and her longing and her pain. A relatively short read, I read about half of it in one day. I would have given it 5 stars if the middle hadn’t dragged just the slightest. I felt it lost steam for me. But such an unbelievably good ending and so worth the read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: War

yayokay's review

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Biphobia, Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, and Drug use

alenezela99's review

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.0

I did not like the main, and didn't want to be in her head for so long

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Alcoholism and Biphobia

tothx053's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Biphobia

charliebnl's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Biphobia, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Drug abuse and Eating disorder

This book is written in a way that you are not sure if it's autobiographical or inspired by real events. It's written from the POV of the protagonist, a bisexual Palestinian-American woman who is trying to find herself in a world where she is shunned for showing off to much of her female body and then shamed for not being feminine enough. Not really fitting in with her Palestinian family, and not being really American either. Constantly afraid of her sexuality and disappointing her loved ones. I enjoyed the writing style. I initially hated the protagonist but as we got to see her grow during her stint in rehab, we began to see her layers unfold and began to see her, which is all she ever wanted. And I found myself rooting for her.