This book was beautiful and challenging. As someone with DPDR it was really fascinating to see that expressed in fiction — it was at times quite difficult because of how much this stream of consciousness resembled my own but in a way also affirming. The writing was experimental and unique and I felt perfectly matched the story and really dropped readers into Norma’s mind in a way that was intentionally uncomfortable but made the internal explorations all the more impactful.

this one was so hard and so interesting to read. let me explain... if you personally struggle with your mental health, then you'll kind of understand the main character. whatever your diagnoses, our mental chatter is almost the same: chaotic, all-encompassing, overwhelming, loud, nonsensical, intrusive, unstable, morbid, confusing etc. and all of that makes up a lot of this novel.

the main character, Norma, goes to therapy in hopes of getting her to finish writing her manuscript. through these therapy sessions, we get a lot of insight of what's going on in Norma's head. from her train of thoughts, past trauma, romantic & familial relationships, introspection & self-awareness, her book, etc. it's all over the place at times. it gives an idea of what may go on in the mind of a person who's going through a severe mental psychosis. sometimes things make sense, sometimes we don't know what it is we're thinking/doing, sometimes we just seem... unhinged.

the lack of quotations may be hard for some to look past, but i think it suited the story. as if Norma's occasional incoherence and lucidity is laid out for the reader to experience as well. if she can't make sense of what she's feeling, thinking, experiencing... why should we? it made Norma the most frustrating and unreliable character, but also the most relatable. if that makes sense.

even though there were parts that were hard to get through, i loved reading this. i would definitely recommend this. there's a level of rawness and realness in this novel that i respect and appreciate. this would also probably be a great book for those studying Psychology and need an in-depth case study. for a debut, the author did well!

thank you to NetGalley & Vintage Books for allowing me the opportunity to read this book. i received this as an ARC & leave this review voluntarily.

"Please Stop Trying To Leave Me" is a unique reading experience that explores the psyche of Norma, a protagonist grappling with the disorienting effects of Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder. As she navigates the chaos of her internal world, haunted by the cryptic messages of divine intervention on social media platforms, Norma goes on a healing journey, anchored by her desire to complete her manuscript, "The Last Story." This story oscillates between Norma's mental illness and her raw stream of consciousness. While I enjoyed the book I think it's mostly suited to those with a background of understanding the nature of psychoanalysis. The book unravels with honesty, wit, and a touch of horror that explores the blurred boundaries between reality and fantasy, sanity and madness.

Through dialogue with Norma's therapist, readers gains insight into dissociation, while simultaneously hearing about the power of storytelling as a coping mechanism for authors and creatives in general. Norma's relationship with her therapist serves as a conduit for unraveling the inner workings of her psyche, and explores the role of memory and emotion in a bid to make sense of her fractured reality.

I loved reading the epilogue at the end that shares the collaborative aspect of Norma's writing process. It shows how she is eventually able to complete her manuscript with the help of her lover. The story demonstrates the way that relationships help us heal and face the darkest parts of ourselves when we are able to allow ourselves to be seen and held. Thank you to the author and publisher for the e-arc copy!

A story about a young woman dealing with her ever changing mental health. This story really resonated with me especially during these times when a lot of us are trying to work through trauma and figuring out who we really are. Throughout this book you learn that sometimes things don’t disappear once you “fix” them and that you may always have to live with certain thoughts or memories. However, these don’t have to take over our lives.

Thank you to the KDPG influencer program for the arc and to Net Galley.

*Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Reminded me of what I enjoy about Emily Austin’s books. Dives deep into one woman’s inner life through mental illness, searching for love and belonging, and the messiness of one’s twenties.

This book is one I would highly recommend to those that enjoy stories that focuses on a very raw and personal emotional journey for a character (such as Our Year of Rest And Relaxation, The Bell Jar, or Convenience Store Woman). In comparison to those, I found that the structure of this book was more engaging. At times it reads like a play and other times like a formal novel and the combination of the two gives the reader the opportunity to really feel how much Norma's thoughts race through her mind.

I will admit that in the beginning of this I struggled with being in this character’s head, however I did find it interesting to read her experiences with disassociation and derealization as they were quite different from how I experience those trauma responses. Upon reflection, I realize now that the start of the story was tough for me as it greatly reminded me of how I felt during my intake session with my therapist. I am glad I stuck through to read Norma’s full journey as I found myself able to relate to her more and more as the story went on. As someone who has been in therapy for multiple years, I definitely understand the lows and highs of finally receiving the help you thought you never needed and how much you wish to not force other people along that journey with you. Towards the last third of the book I found myself rooting for Norma so that she could feel like herself again.

When I started the final chapter of this book I was initially confused (and admittedly sad that things played out like that for their relationship!) but found that I really enjoyed the change in narrative style. I felt that it rounded out the story really well, giving us some additional information on moments that Norma didn’t understand fully and helping the reader understand why the love interest fought so hard for them.

I would definitely read future works by this author. I really enjoyed the narrative styles used in this, especially with the use of short stories to fill in as moments of reflecting on Norma’s past. It was also so raw and honest that I felt like I was a fly on the wall for Norma’s therapy sessions. By the end of the story I wanted to be able to hug her and tell her that therapy is hard work, and that I’m proud of her for doing it.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This unique novel gives a first-person point of view about what life is like with derealization disorder, depersonalization disorder, and chronic depression, along with interacting with a therapist about those psychological issues. The main character discusses her issues with the medication and side effects, althewhile living the GLBTQ+ lifestyle, and the family issues involved with that.

The story was quite relatable, especially developing or maintaining a relationship while having these psychological challenges. However, one thing left out are the financial issues – how is her therapy being paid for, and who is paying for her upkeep? Granted, her parents seem to be moderately well-off, but this is a big plot-hole that got me wondering as I was reading.

The book contains some great one-liners which I can adopt into my own life and outlook. This is a fiction book which will probably improve my life in directly identifiable ways! Thank you to the author!

The writing style was rather strange, and it took me a bit to get into it. Had the subject not been of interest to me, I might have been tempted to put it down and not finish it. Once I got into the style – of giving an account of discussions in therapy interspersed with stories – which themselves appear fictional, but might be “real life” – a distinction without a difference for derealization disorder – it became difficult for me to put down and take notes about.

Thanks to publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a very raw look at mental health and trauma written in the style of a stream of consciousness narrated during the main character's therapy sessions interspaced with short stories.

The narrative style can take a while to get into and the book is somewhat of a slow build, but is rather engrossing once you get into it.

As mentioned before, this book is a very raw look at trauma, so it might be worth for some readers to look up the content warnings. It delves into how trauma irrevocably affects the lives of survivors and there is no clear way to be rid of it, and that even knowing the cause of trauma can't always explain people's actions. All we can really do is move forward, learn to live despite of it, and choose love.

That's where the book leaves the reader, and I think it's very apt.

Overall, Please Stop Trying to Leave Me is an unflinching look at learning to cope with severe mental health issues and learning to live despite all the horrors of the modern world. If mental health narratives and books like Emily Austin's work aree something that you are interested in, I recommend picking this up.

I am grateful to NetGalley and Vintage Publishing for the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately, I did DNF this book after many attempts. I could not get past page 60. I think the concept and the idea of having a majority of the book happen in therapy was interesting, but the way the book was structured was so frustrating to follow. I know it’s meant to feel like a stream of consciousness, but it felt too similar to my stream of consciousness and made me anxious. I hope this book meets some amazing people and gives them a journey, but this journey was not meant for me.

Ah, I've once again been lured in by a compelling title. This isn't at all what I expected, but that's mostly down to the fact that I only ever give synopses a cursory glance at most. I feel like I was expecting something weirder, and ultimately the structure and tone here are not going to be unfamiliar to readers of fiction that skirts the line between general and literary, books that are maybe trying to be one while really leaning more towards the other. Within this structure, the fragments of the narrator's life and of her fiction-within-fiction writing all carry the weight of specificity and as a result are inherently compelling, weaving dreamlike connections within her scattered, disintegrating mind. Author Alana Saab brings some beautiful prose to this story, cleverly nestling intrinsically unpolished bits of the character's fiction within the somewhat stream of consciousness framing device. As a result, the book more or less swaps between off-the-cuff word vomit and creative writing workshop story fragments, which all manages to balance out. I loved those stories within the story, of the infinite man, of childhood, of Felix -- these reminders that a world exists outside the confines of the therapist's office the narrator spends most of the book within.

I don't think the book fully stuck the landing, not in theory but in execution. The character's revelations come quite abruptly, and in the final pages the momentum is thrown fairly off-kilter. There's a sort of self-awareness (or self-consciousness) throughout the book that doesn't really do it any favors, and this comes to a head towards the end. Still, there's plenty of beauty and ingenuity in the journey leading up to those final moments.

This book was unique from anything else I've read this year, if not ever. It's a stream-of-consciousness style work that studies the horrors of modern life through the eyes of Norma, our main character. It examines her struggles with the modern world and mental illness through her own writings and conversations with her therapist.

While this is a very clever piece, it was difficult for me to get into. I think much like Norma I try to escape from the world's horrors, and as such typically read mostly fantasy and other works farther removed from reality. I may not have been the intended audience for this piece, but don't fault it for that. It's a brutally honest story, and one that may very well be worthwhile to those looking for less escape in their reading.

This book was really difficult for me to get into. The writing is highly stylized (I always struggle with reading books that don’t use quotation marks at all) and I was a bit confused at times about what was going on with the in-text short stories. Ultimately I think the stylistic choices worked here, because they help paint the portrait of mental illness, but at times I did find it difficult to really connect with the characters because I felt so removed from the story. I especially don’t feel like I got to learn enough about Norma’s girlfriend. Idk, I’m struggling to review this one because it’s so unlike anything else I’ve ever read! I think I would recommend it overall, especially for people who enjoy more of a slow burn and highly unreliable narrators.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Arc exchanged for honest review.

2/5 star rating

I am dnf-ing this book for a couple of reasons. Reason number one being that I don’t have time to finish reading the book. Reason number two being I strongly disliked the amount that I was able to read of this book. I don’t like the main character whatsoever and I felt that this book was simply very dull. I had to force myself to read the amount that I did read.
No hate towards the author or the book, this is just my opinion. I’m sure that a lot of people are going to love this book, but personally I don’t..

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This is one of my favorite ARCs I’ve read in 2024 so far. Can’t get over the stream of
consciousness writing which I love. It reminded me of Emily Austin's writing but with more focus on therapy and disassociation. It was hilariously awkward.
Recommend if you want that weird/sad girl lit fic. Also grab if you feel awkward in therapy even though you know you need it

This felt like a fever dream at times, in the best possible way - how else can you write about the horrors and complexities of the modern world? I adore stream of consciousness writing, and thought this was a stunning execution of this. Excellent musings on mental health, social crises, queerness, trauma, and philosophy. This made me feel so seen in so many different aspects. I would definitely recommend this to fans of emily austin, even though it's a bit different from her writing style. Such a great debut novel!!!

this was a wonderfully done novel, it had a great feel for today's world and glad I got to read this. The characters felt like real people and enjoyed how everything felt like a real concept. Alana Saab has a great writing style and worked with this story, I can't wait to read more from Alana Saab as this was a really well done novel.

Absoulety loved this book. It really puts into prospective the struggles that come with mental illness. As someone who struggles with a few mental illnesses, I truly felt seen through the main character and absolutely loved how the book is told through her inner thoughts. Something I usually don't see in books is that internal dialogue of the characters, so this book telling the story mostly through the main characters inner thoughts was really compelling.
The only critique I truly have about this book is that I got a little lost on the plot at times. However, the confusion was usually cleared up eventually.

I did not finish this book, I stopped at 51%. I am not the intended audience for this book, it was hard for me to follow the stories and thoughts of the narrator. She suffers from significant mental illness and it was hard for me to put the pieces of her life together for a narrative. I found the subject matter to be disturbing in several instances, the narrator is brutally honest and upfront with her life experiences.

This book is focuses on a woman and the sessions with her therapist. It is difficult to discern when the main character is dissociating in her mind or speaking with her therapist. Quotations would help in discerning spoken words. The scattered train of thoughts was hard for me to follow, there may be people who can relate to the young narrator and her mental illness.

Thank you Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and Netgalley for an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

so amazing and smart i ADORED this. Like wow i can’t describe this it just must be read. And once it finds its audience it will become their favorite book ever.

thank you to Netgalley and Vintage for the ARC!