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A review by sophiareads_
The Existence Of Amy by Lana Grace Riva
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-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
2.5
A huge thank you to Lana Grace Riva, who sent me a copy of her novel in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings: depictions of mental illness (depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder), suicidal idealation
This short reflective novel follows Amy through her life as she suffers with OCD, depression, and anxiety; without wanting anyone else to know she is struggling.
I believe the author has lived experiences of the mental illnesses being portrayed here, which naturally lends a layer of authenticity to the character of Amy. I can't speak to OCD, but as someone who with lived experience of anxiety and depression, I certainly found their portrayal in this novel to be very well done. There were certainly plenty moments and thoughts of Amy's that rang very true for me.
I really didn't have an issue with the story in this novel at all, but I really think it would have benefitted from an extra round of editing. Unfortunately, I found myself getting distracted from the story by the actual writing here. I found it to be pretty clunky and awkward (almost like how you write when you're really struggling to meet the word count on an essay, you know?). I could sort of see this awkward, stilted writing being a stylistic choice to show how overanalytical Amy's brain is at times - especially since this novel is written in first person - but honestly, even if this is the case, I just found it too distracting to be effective. Along with just a few too many grammatical errors for me to comfortably ignore, I just really think this book would be vastly improved by a harsher editor.
Unfortunately, given my issues with the composition of the book, this one wasn't really for me, but I really admire the honest and quite raw depiction of life with mental illness which is given here.
Content Warnings: depictions of mental illness (depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder), suicidal idealation
This short reflective novel follows Amy through her life as she suffers with OCD, depression, and anxiety; without wanting anyone else to know she is struggling.
I believe the author has lived experiences of the mental illnesses being portrayed here, which naturally lends a layer of authenticity to the character of Amy. I can't speak to OCD, but as someone who with lived experience of anxiety and depression, I certainly found their portrayal in this novel to be very well done. There were certainly plenty moments and thoughts of Amy's that rang very true for me.
I really didn't have an issue with the story in this novel at all, but I really think it would have benefitted from an extra round of editing. Unfortunately, I found myself getting distracted from the story by the actual writing here. I found it to be pretty clunky and awkward (almost like how you write when you're really struggling to meet the word count on an essay, you know?). I could sort of see this awkward, stilted writing being a stylistic choice to show how overanalytical Amy's brain is at times - especially since this novel is written in first person - but honestly, even if this is the case, I just found it too distracting to be effective. Along with just a few too many grammatical errors for me to comfortably ignore, I just really think this book would be vastly improved by a harsher editor.
Unfortunately, given my issues with the composition of the book, this one wasn't really for me, but I really admire the honest and quite raw depiction of life with mental illness which is given here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts