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A review by btwnprintedpgs
Conditions of a Heart by Bethany Mangle
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
5 stars. 5 million stars. Every star in the universe. This is one of those books you finish and wonder if you've ever read a book this good before.
I want to just put a GIF of Captain Holt saying, "Pain," and end my review there, but this book deserves so much more so I'm going to try to put all my feelings on paper (screen?).
This book resonated with me on another and put so many feelings into words. I loved how the book sets up situations to build empathy in its readers. Even if you can't relate to the core of Brynn's feelings, the author makes it easy for people to understand why she's frustrated, why she's tired, and why things are just HARD. It was a phenomenal break down of both her emotions, her relationships, and her disabilities and needs.
If you have a disability, invisible or otherwise, I feel like you'd be able to relate so well to Brynn. From her pushing herself through pain, to her negotiating with her body to just do-one-more-thing-dang-it, to her feeling trapped beneath the weight of everyone's hovering and the idea that being chronically ill is pitiable and unimaginable. I loved that the author canonically included COVID-19 into the story to truly show that the world left us behind. Brynn feels so much throughout the story and Conditions of a Heart is truly a masterclass in turning feelings into words. I sobbed so much, yet also laughed a lot. Sometimes both at the same time which had be choking on my joy, which felt apt for this book.
I want to also shoutout the familial relationships that were addressed throughout the story, the idea that we need to be more than our disabilities to ourselves, but also to our family. The conversations they have are so important and I loved that it showed that growth is messy and full of errors and missteps, but putting in the effort shows that you're listening and learning. This made me so happy, and it was definitely a highlight of the story.
I also loved the end. While we get a nice HEA for Brynn, there are still things left open-ended. I think this worked well because it was truly showing that there's always more work to be done as people with disabilities continue to fight to be heard, seen, and respected. It was realistic and didn't try to paint the world with rose-coloured lenses.
In the end, I have so many feelings around this book, and so much love for Bethany Mangle and the characters she created. Please just read it and scream unintelligibly at me as you do!
Note: As an aside, as I feel like it's more of an editing issue than a writer issue - the final copy I read had some typos (words missing, weird turned around words), as well as inconsistencies (the whole issue with her car kept confusing me, her eating whatever off the street with her problems was weird, along with her other disabilities (POTS and MCAS) kind of not appearing after the initial couple mentions), which didn't ruin the book for me (obviously), but did make me question the editor for a sec. So this isn't the perfect book, but it's also perfect, so read it.
Rep: MC with hEDS, MCAS, and POTS, father with hEDS
TW: violence, injury detail, medical content, discussions around ableism and classism; mentions racism, panphobia, biphobia
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Pacing: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
Finished copy gifted via Colored Pages Book Tours by Simon Teen in exchange for an honest review.
I want to just put a GIF of Captain Holt saying, "Pain," and end my review there, but this book deserves so much more so I'm going to try to put all my feelings on paper (screen?).
This book resonated with me on another and put so many feelings into words. I loved how the book sets up situations to build empathy in its readers. Even if you can't relate to the core of Brynn's feelings, the author makes it easy for people to understand why she's frustrated, why she's tired, and why things are just HARD. It was a phenomenal break down of both her emotions, her relationships, and her disabilities and needs.
If you have a disability, invisible or otherwise, I feel like you'd be able to relate so well to Brynn. From her pushing herself through pain, to her negotiating with her body to just do-one-more-thing-dang-it, to her feeling trapped beneath the weight of everyone's hovering and the idea that being chronically ill is pitiable and unimaginable. I loved that the author canonically included COVID-19 into the story to truly show that the world left us behind. Brynn feels so much throughout the story and Conditions of a Heart is truly a masterclass in turning feelings into words. I sobbed so much, yet also laughed a lot. Sometimes both at the same time which had be choking on my joy, which felt apt for this book.
I want to also shoutout the familial relationships that were addressed throughout the story, the idea that we need to be more than our disabilities to ourselves, but also to our family. The conversations they have are so important and I loved that it showed that growth is messy and full of errors and missteps, but putting in the effort shows that you're listening and learning. This made me so happy, and it was definitely a highlight of the story.
I also loved the end. While we get a nice HEA for Brynn, there are still things left open-ended. I think this worked well because it was truly showing that there's always more work to be done as people with disabilities continue to fight to be heard, seen, and respected. It was realistic and didn't try to paint the world with rose-coloured lenses.
In the end, I have so many feelings around this book, and so much love for Bethany Mangle and the characters she created. Please just read it and scream unintelligibly at me as you do!
Note: As an aside, as I feel like it's more of an editing issue than a writer issue - the final copy I read had some typos (words missing, weird turned around words), as well as inconsistencies (the whole issue with her car kept confusing me, her eating whatever off the street with her problems was weird, along with her other disabilities (POTS and MCAS) kind of not appearing after the initial couple mentions), which didn't ruin the book for me (obviously), but did make me question the editor for a sec. So this isn't the perfect book, but it's also perfect, so read it.
Rep: MC with hEDS, MCAS, and POTS, father with hEDS
TW: violence, injury detail, medical content, discussions around ableism and classism; mentions racism, panphobia, biphobia
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Pacing: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
Finished copy gifted via Colored Pages Book Tours by Simon Teen in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Medical content
Moderate: Ableism, Violence, and Classism
Minor: Racism and Biphobia