🧠Mental health matters! It needs to be talked about more, and we need to remove the stigma around it. With that said, Thinking of You (but not like in a weird creepy way) is amazing. It honestly could benefit ANYONE! For someone struggling with anxiety, depression, self doubt to loneliness, this book is like a warm hug.

I felt like Evans climbed into my head, took a lot of my anxieties, and made cute comics about them. Thinking of you made me feel seen and cared about.

I highly recommend this to anyone going through a tough day, month, year or lifetime. Reading it will add a little light and love to your day, and who couldn’t use that!

Thank you to Beth Evans, Andrews McMeel Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to read this book primarily because of the title - the mix of reassurance with humor seemed like it would be right up my alley. I hadn't heard of Beth Evans prior, so I'm thankful for the chance to read this!

Maybe I'm not the right audience for this, and there are people who will feel more hopeful as a result of this book, and that's great! I'm sure that's the goal, and I hope Beth Evans is able to reach the right people and help them through this book - I'm just not one of them :)

This was a sweet and wholesome book, but on the whole felt kind of shallow? The author illustrates through a series of single-panel comics to "you" the reader. Unfortunately, this just didn't work for me. There's no way to say "Yes today sucked, but tomorrow will be better for you" and mean it for the thousands of people who read this book, or I assume the followers from the original instagram page. I think the autobiographical comics work better for this purpose "Yes today sucked, but I know tomorrow will be better" and just admitting that we all struggle with these hard days would be more relatable than the author trying to tell me that they understand what I'm going through, personally, and saying the same to everyone.

For those that this just doesn't hit the spot, I would recommend Hyperbole and a Half. They're a similar ultra-simplistic art style but focus on the hard spots in a more autobiographical but humorous way that I ultimately found much more relatable.

DNF. I thought this would have little comics and stories, but it’s almost entirely made up of one-offs (one panel) and live advice. I grew bored of this style quickly.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

I really needed to read this book today. I wish these were postcards that I could send my friends to give them a 😮 boost of encouragement.

I will be purchasing this book for my sister in law. She needs to know she's amazing

did not like this book at all, so boring and the help tips did not seem genuine. thank you NetGalley for the free copy.

Thinking of You (but not like in a weird creepy way) by Beth Evans is like reading a comforting hug in a book. I requested to review this book after I discovered Beth on IG. Her cartoons are extremely relatable and reassuring. She promotes acceptance, self-love and caring. I need this book to also be a stack of cards, a daily affirmation calendar, or posters. I highly recommend this book to anyone at any stage of life. We all deserve a hug!

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an advanced digital copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an e-arc of this collection of comics. My thoughts are my own and not influenced in any way.

this was such a wonderful collection of comics. Beth Evans said that her intention was to make people feel seen and less alone and I, personally, think she did just that. This comic felt so validating and heartfelt that I feel ready to take on anything life throws at me right now. This will definitely be something I revisit at times of despair, loneliness, pain or just a general lack of motivation. The art was not top notch but these blob friends are so cute tbh. This book is basically a collection of these little blobs and some unique, motivating messages that can make your day a little better. I recommend this to everyone who is struggling and needs a little love, support and validation. I loved every second. It was also hilarious at times.

Here's some of my favourites from this:

"I know not everyday is going to be my day but it'd be nice to have like....an hour" 😭

"Stress may occupy a big place in your life but you're so much more than one icky feeling"

"Even if you're moving at a snail's pace, you're still moving. Every step, no matter how small or slow, is cheer-worthy"

This was a quick read, though I can say that it starts to get quite boring and repetitive when reading it straight through. Its upbeat and full of affirmative messaging, though it gets cheesy in my opinion. If you enjoy these types of comics collections, this one is cute, though not my favorite.

I liked this one in the beginning, a lot of the pages felt comforting and supportive. However, as it went on things felt more repetitive and artificial. I don't think the author intended it to be artificial, so I don't fault them at all. I don't know if it was the book itself or if it was just that affirmations don't really work for me but I'm leaning towards the latter.

The animations were cute and I liked the simplicity of the pages altogether. For people who can get overwhelmed by a lot of words or things going on on a page, especially when mental health is dragging you down, this is a nice mental break and might help boost you up.

Well, this is cute, and the intentions were good.

Unfortunately, I think this might work better as a monthly calendar or something, with a comic for each day. It's entirely too much for one sitting; it ends up feeling repetitive, and the sentiments become cheap very quickly. And in truth, there's nothing said in here that I, as someone who has struggled with mental health issues, haven't heard before from all over the internet (for free) time and time again. (In fact, I'm inclined to say some of the quotes in here were taken from a Tumblr post or two.)

The title and description are also a little misleading--these comics aren't funny; they're intended to be uplifting (and maybe would be to the right people in a different format).

The aesthetic of these comics very much reminds me of the daily comics series, "Toothpaste for Dinner." That being said, it sees the world through a different lens - getting through the ups and downs of life, thinking positively, and honestly, just being nicer to yourself! It's good encouragement, like a hug from a friend after a long absence or a gentle nudge in the right direction. For me personally, it did start to get a little repetitive. I'm also didn't think the categories were distinct enough to be necessary.

I enjoyed this uplifting and encouraging little book! The messages make you feel less alone in how so many of us feel!

This book is definitely cute in certain ways. I guess I was hoping for more comic relief and more artwork vs the 2 blobs with quotes about how great/loved/wonderful I am/will be/could be. It felt repetitive in ways.

Perhaps I am not the demographic for this book. I'm not a person that reads self help or posts those memes to remind myself to just breathe when times in life sucks.

Short and sweet, but wholesome. A nice reminder that kindness can go a long way, even with yourself. The perfect little pick me up to read after a long or hard day, or a thoughtful gift for anyone in your life.

This book was absolutely adorable! I’m ready for it to be released so I can buy a physical copy for myself and some friends.

Beth Evans draws little “blob” characters with motivational phrases, but better than typical books like this, the phrases are relatable - not that everything can -land will be perfect, but that even if things aren’t perfect, we should recognize and be proud of what we’re still able to do and how we’re getting through.

The blobbies were cute - maybe some of the pics were repetitive and it would’ve been nice to see more difference between the pages, but I don’t think it took anything away from the read.

I also think this would make a great coloring book!

This was a DNF for me.

Maybe this won’t be an issue once it’s printed but on screen I thought the pastel backgrounds were too light for the white character. They just needed to be a little bit darker for a little bit contrast between the cute little character and the background.

I’d describe reading this as tedious. Yea, “tedious” feels like a good word for it. Best I can say of the book is that it was really good grabbing my attention but struggled with holding onto it.

Considering that I picked this book expecting for a fun comic and it wasn't - it's more on the category of a self help kinda comic - it was still real good.

Just be aware that "Thinking of You(...)" is more phrases with some drawings bout struggle, anxiety, self love...

So, these are....sweet.

These comics are really fun, motivational, wholesome little bites. I looked the artist up on Instagram, and have followed her, because everyone needs a bit of wholesomeness while doom scrolling.

However, taken as a collection, this goes from fun little bites to a really big double fudge cake that is entirely too much in one sitting. It gets repetitive. Your eyes grow heavy. Your attention drifts.

I think this could be fun as a gift for someone. Or as a coffee table/bathroom book to be picked up, opened to a random page, and then set back down again.

Tiny bites.

“No matter what your brain says, I promise it’s lying. You do deserve the good things.”

We all need some kind words every once in a while, and this book can give you just that. This collection is full of small, meaningful, and sometimes cheesy one-page comics that are aimed to be relatable and caring. The author, Beth Evans, makes it clear from the start that her goal is to help people feel seen, loved, and validated through their day-to-day struggles. All the comics consist of a simply drawn blob person who expresses a variety of worries which are then transformed into reassuring words for us. There is some humor, as life shouldn’t be taken seriously all the time, but Evans generally sticks to motivating, encouraging, and offering comfort to her readers.

There were many pages I particularly loved due to how much I related to them as they discussed self-love, thinking habits, big feelings, and acknowledging it’s okay not to be okay. If I’m being honest, this entire book is a glimpse into moments of the human experience. It’s perfect for all ages to enjoy and would make a great gift for someone in need of a little extra love.

My personal rating for this book is 3.5 stars as it was a sweet, quick read but I decided to round it up to 4 stars due to the general enjoyment it provided. I don’t know if I would buy this for myself as it is more of a “when needed” read and not a plot-driven story, but it allowed me to feel engulfed in a hug I didn’t know I needed.

Thank you, NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for allowing me to read this arc.
It was a pleasure providing my honest review.

Some really lovely parts, but there is more "fluff" than I would have liked.

One of the early pages actually addresses toxic positivity and how just pushing "self-love" can dismiss and invalidate years of trauma. This is also repeated about halfway through, where the author talks about it being okay to feel the "bad stuff" and not forcing yourself to only see the positives. However, the book also focuses largely on platitudes like "believe in yourself", "you matter", "you're phenomenal" and "you've got this".

It's a nice little book if you want to dip in and find a positive quote or affirmation. The illustrations follow the author's cute, simple style (which I do like), but they are repetitive in this collection. This becomes more noticeable when you read several pages at a time, rather than dipping in and out.

I know the author's aim was to offer support and acknowledgement to those who are struggling. I think that is a great idea, and one worth doing. I really love the "Certificate of Getting Through Stuff" signed by the author.

I love this author's style and have followed her work via Twitter for a long time, so I was very excited to review an ARC of this book. Unfortunately, this particular collection has fallen flat for me on this occasion. It's a short book (less than 150 pages) but by halfway through, it was a struggle to keep reading. I think these comics work better as one-off comics on the merch the author has designed.

In summary, love the author, love her work, I just didn't love how this collection was put together. I've rated it three stars, but maybe you'll disagree with me when you read it?

Thinking of You (but not like in a weird creepy way) comes out on 2nd May 2023.

Thank you to Beth Evans and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.