Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - The Existence of Amy

When the author approached me to read her book I wasn’t sure what to expect - from the blurb I thought Amy maybe lived in a fantasy world and saw things differently… this is partially true, though rather than a fantasy world, she’s living in a nightmare!

I had the pleasure of reading this as part of a buddy read. Whilst this was a relatively quick book to read, it definitely wasn’t an easy read and it initially made me feel anxious being submerged into Amy’s world.

For a character driven book, I don’t feel there was enough character development and there was some discussion in our buddy read group about there not being enough to picture what the characters may look like, though I do wonder if that was on purpose to demonstrate how Amy’s brain is too busy to pick up on detail?

⚠️There are some very triggering subjects covered in this book (in fact the whole book is a trigger) so I would recommend checking them out prior to reading.

Content Warnings

bananas_books's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative 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

4.25

I loved this book! Amy was so relatable and the writing style was very conversational which made it very easy to read. I was truly invested in Amy's character development and stagnation as she lives with her mental health. I loved how much grace she gave herself during her depressive episodes and I loved the scarily accurate (sometimes almost too accurate) portrayal of

OCD and Anxiety.

I really thought the idea of presenting a main character with a discernible "before" mental illness and "after/during" mental illness was really interesting and unique. The mental health issues included were well researched and truly the best written mental illness I've ever read. This book spoke so much to my own experience as a young/new adult and I was deeply comforted and yet uncomfortable with facing my reality in another "person."

The narrative arc was really well paced, nothing felt rushed and it didn't feel like Amy was just automatically better as soon as she started to get help. I really loved that she challenged herself at times, and other characters also challenged her, but she knew when to back off of herself too.

I highly recommend this book if you like contemporary or millennial/new adult literature. I am so incredibly thankful to the author for sending me a copy to read and enjoy and I can't wait to revisit in the future and see if I can track my own growth that time through.

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beccasbookcase's review against another edition

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emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

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angelicathebookworm's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

3.0

This fast-paced narrative is insightful but written in prose that’s easy to read and makes Amy, the main character and our narrator, seem quite relatable and realistic. The characters were definitely the strongest element of the novel as they’re all relatable in their own way yet distinct from one another. It’s something I always enjoy coming across when reading a new book but it’s quite a difficult thing to achieve. I especially liked reading about the characters of Ed, Ben, and Nathan who are all just really lovely throughout. There are also quite a few realistic scenarios peppered through the narrative and the characters’ speech seemed quite authentic which is, again, something I don’t see as often as I’d like in books. Riva also does a wonderful job of evoking various emotions throughout the text and there is also some strong mental health representation that I thought was well executed. This contemporary novel which includes some important messages has quite an interesting plot and also includes some budding romances that appear and develop naturally and not in a forced and predictable manner.

The only issue that I really had with the novel was that I didn’t get on very well with Riva’s writing style. I found it quite clunky and jarring in places. I also found Riva’s writing style to be quite formal which made for quite a weird juxtaposition with the very informal and chatty tone presented by the main character and the everyday elements of the plot. There’s also a lack of descriptions throughout the text in places where I thought they were necessary or would have at least enhanced the narrative. For example, when the characters go to Australia it would have been nice to have some passages of text dedicated to the scenery that makes it really obvious to the readers the differences between Australia and their place of work back home.

(I received a free review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)

For more reviews like this one, check out https://angelicacastilloking.wordpress.com/

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frostyreads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-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

3.0

tw: mental health issues, suicidal thoughts.

i was kindly sent a copy of this book from lana in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

finished in a gorgeous teal colour, the sophistication of the cover drew me to the book instantly. much like the cover, the plot is very simple (a bit too much for my personal liking). i know that this was done intentionally to capture the all-consuming nature of mental illness, and although this effective, it would have been nice to have another element to the story in my opinion.

despite this, the depictions of amy’s mental illnesses were raw, unedited and interesting. she was (sadly!) relatable, and i learnt a lot from her inner monologues and experiences. i loved that new information was slowly trickled into the book, keeping me on my toes until the end. as well, it was heart-warming to watch amy’s support network expand to provide her with a happy ending. overall, this is a good little debut novel, and a must-read if you want to expand your knowledge of mental health issues.

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milliep's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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frumpkin_'s review against another edition

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emotional inspiring sad fast-paced

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

3.5

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cecestonier's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

I went into this book with high hopes after learning it focused on anxiety and mental illness. As an individual with mixed anxiety and depressive disorder AND a BSc (Hons) Psychology graduate, I feel very strongly about representations of mental health and disability in media and want to see it done well and not romanticised. So yes, I was damn well worried this book would be a huge disappointment but it completely shot that worry from my mind.

A little slow paced in places, but always artfully crafting a narrative of what life with anxiety is, this book is definitely the mental health representation that young adults with seemingly ordinary lives need. The perspective is accurate, heartfelt, and I love that the book recognises some of the stigma of mental health (such as the impact on relationships), but also the importance of supporting your peers even if they are behaving 'strangely'. This book provided am insightful look into how a person with anxiety might be affected, it knocks the stigma of seeking help on its backside, and it does it in a respectful and honest way.

I would recommend this to any anxious teens of young adults that need something that will make them feel less alone. And I also want to take this opportunity to remind people to check in on their friends and remember to support them if they appear to be struggling — especially right now, during this pandemic, when mental health issues are on the rise.

Thank you Lana for telling us Amy's story!

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