Thank you to the author for sharing her personal story of struggling with mental illness. It is such a common problem that is unfortunately often seen as something that should not be talked about. I appreciate the afterward where the author said that what worked for her may not be best for everyone. Even so, I'm still concerned about a book the talks about twice dismissing the advice of mental health professionals when they said antidepressants would be helpful.

Since this is a graphic style story telling, I will first comment on the aesthetics of the book. The images are all doodle quality, which often works in these types of quick reads, however I found them a bit too juvenile. I liked the handwritten text for the most part, but some pages have very large blocks of narrative which are a bit rough on the eyes in this sloppy style.

As for the story telling- I really appreciate the bravery it takes to produce something so personal in nature. I wish that the author would make some mention that pharmaceuticals, while not something she wanted to take, can be helpful to some people and that there is no shame in taking that route to healing. She was very dismissive of medication, and while I relate to her desire not to take antidepressants (I made the same choice recently), I think it would be worth a note in support of those who do use medication of this sort. I do appreciate that she details the alternative paths she chose to follow to help herself, while being honest in admitting that nothing is a once and for all fix.

The delivery of the story did feel a little 'after school special' to me. It didn't come across as conversational or natural, but a bit too much like an inspirational speaker at a convention... but that is totally a matter of personal preference as I am one to avoid anything in the realm of self help, which I feel this toed the line of.

Overall, it is a quick read and worth taking the time for in a comfy bed, or with a nice warm drink. especially if the feelings are something you are familiar with (I had some pretty bad anxiety lately), It is comforting to find a line or two that you can relate to. I loved the way she details her sister's support, and it reminded me of how I turned to my mother in much the same way. I also found her self-publishing and self promoting of her book to be very inspirational. It definitely leaves me thinking, hey maybe I should give this a try.