Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - Eliza i jej potwory

This is a well-written book that explores the life of a teenage girl who is responsible for a web comic that has quite a huge following. Eliza isn't a fan of interacting too much with the outside world and spends a lot of her time online - this of course has been something that upsets her parents a lot. It's understandable that Eliza is frustrated that her parents don't understand but at the same time.... I think that if Eliza had taken the time to explain or at least show her parents what she was working on - sharing anything she was comfortable with - then maybe her parents wouldn't have been as concerned as they appeared to be in the book. That's a problem I think a lot of teenagers face is the lack of communication or not knowing how to communicate. The communication issue is one out of two reasons why I gave this four stars instead of five. My other reason is Wallace. I was ok with him as a character until the end ish of the novel.

When he confronts Eliza in her room and tells her that she has this perfect life so what's the big deal about not being able to finish a few pages...? It's his publication deal that's on the line - she needs to finish. I was raging mad - how dare he. He lost his dad to suicide - how would he feel if someone told him - you can't play football because your dad is gone? I just couldn't forgive him and I was still irked when Wallace still remained in Eliza's life in the epilogue. She should have let him go shortly after. I think my favorite scenes in this novel were the ones with the therapist. I know Eliza is only seventeen/eighteen but the therapist really helped put what I what I hope the readers felt as well into words - your creations do not define you. We are not responsible for other people's actions / life stories.

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omnombailey's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was what I wanted the book Fangirl to be like - a good balance between fandom and real life. It was a refreshing read, surprising me when I thought some points would turn out to be predictable. And while I'm not a fan of miscommunication as drama, Eliza's need for anonymity along with her struggles to connect with her family were genuine. I loved watching Eliza evolve as an individual struggling with some serious mental health problems and come into her own healthy habits. Some things did make me raise an eyebrow, like how absolutely clueless her parents were about the success of her webcomic. I know they opened a bank account for her, but like... really? The new computer, tablet, software, and all of that wasn't a hint? Geez, if had all of that at her age, my mom would have been hounding me as to how much all of it cost and where I got the money to pay for it. Her parents' obliviousness might have made sense set in the early 2000s, but for a modern story? Not so much. Thankfully, those details weren't the central focus of the story, but it was annoying nonetheless.

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itsmeyseniab's review against another edition

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emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I did it! I finally read this after years of it being on my mental TBR!

Here's the thing though... I do think that it is slightly overhyped.

The plot itself was mediocre to me. I got this "vibe" when I was just a few chapters into it. I appreciated how Francesca Zappia told both Eliza's story as well as her webcomic Monstrous Sea but I won't lie, the flipping between the two got a bit confusing at times. I still haven't fully grasped what happened in her webcomic. Obviously this is Eliza's story, but for as big of a role as Monstrous Sea played in her life I just wish the actual comic itself was fleshed out a bit more. Although it is a quick read, I felt as though the story was slow at times. The ending is what made it memorable to me (but only because it explicitly started discussing mental health).

I struggled to connect with Eliza as a character for the majority of the book. Wallace was another character that I couldn't really connect with either - I just didn't find him that memorable. Their relationship was cute, but I was left wanting a little bit more. I thought their dynamic of being the creator of Monstrous Sea and the biggest Monstrous Sea fanfiction writer respectively was interesting though.

Although I believe that this novel covered a lot of important topics, I think that the overall story was lacking at points. I can't speak on the representation of anxiety/panic attacks (as I am someone who has never personally experienced it), I do think that Zappia handled the topics of depression and suicidal thoughts in a very respectful way. I'm so glad that so many readers have connected with these characters and their stories - I just wish I loved it as much as everyone else seems to.

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