This is a story about dealing with chronic illnesses, like Lymes disease and lycanthropy.

I really liked this, but didn't love it the way I had hoped. While there was a supernatural element, it primarily read like a contemporary and the utilization of web speak felt a bit heavy handed.. but it was still a lovely story. I think readers hoping to just dip their feet into the fantasy genre while remaining primarily grounded in real life will likely enjoy this.

4/5 stars

This book was a lot of fun. A lot of it is told in a sort of modern epistolary form, through tumblr, discord, and texting. It shows the way online communities can provide relief for people who are cut off from the people closest to them for some reason or another, and I loved the central focus on friendships and familial relationships rather than romantic ones. The werewolf element was also incorporated really well into the story, where the story was at turns a detective story, a paranormal story, and contemporary fiction.

I LOVED this comedic book that had a horror element to it!! Priya's voice is strong, and I found myself completely enthralled with the mystery of Bridget. I will definitely buy this for my classroom library and book talk it to my students.

This was a unique take on a YA chronic illness focus story with a very modern focus. The group of teens meets on a discord server to support each other through their trials during their respective illnesses and one of them happens to be a werewolf. This was also a timely story as it seeks to get into the mind of teens returning from college and feeling the need to leave the nest, but not sure how to do that. Enveloping this story in relatability and humor, the author did a fantastic job of exploring a new concept. This would make a great Netlix original adaptation :)

A really weird but oddly touching book. The characters were easy to get to know, and the plot was fun to follow. There were a few things that were hard to deal with- like wouldn't this all have been picked up by large media and not just kept local?- and the formatting of the e-book was atrocious, but hopefully they'll fix that before the official release.

An absolute delight of a book. Pre-med student Priya has Lyme disease, dropping out to deal with her chronic illness at home with her family. She connects with Brigid via Tumblr, finding out she too suffers from an unknown chronic illness...which ends up being lycanthropy.

I’d thoroughly recommend it - it was enjoyable, emotional and funny.

With thanks to NetGalley and Quirk Books!

I was completely charmed by the premise of this book the moment I saw it, and luckily, the book itself is equally charming. The characters are genuine and lovable, the plot is unique, and it takes an unflinching look at how complicated our relationships with our own bodies can be. It is also, as a bonus, extremely funny.

Dealing with pertinent subjects like chronic illness, social isolation and ambition, there's a smidgen of humour and werewolves to balance the score in this young adult fiction debut novel. Priya is suffering from chronic pain after contracting Lyme disease. After having to drop out of her medicine course at Stanford, Priya adjusts to living with her family again and with the pain that has become part of her everyday life. Like many teens, she finds sanctum in an online community, namely Tumblr, and then joins an online support group for people with chronic illnesses.

The discord server set up by the teens who all suffer from chronic illness has a Robin Hood and his merry men jaunt to it, highlighting the supportive conversations and a network of friends you can gain all thanks to the internet. However the plot itself is a little clichéd, and a bit 'been-there-done-that', when it's revealed that Brigid (a friend of Priya's) who has always been a little bit vague about the exact nature of her chronic illness, is in fact a werewolf. A contemporary novel including a band of misfit teens who meet on Tumblr with a Teen Wolf style character arc would have had 14-year-old me's pulse racing, but now at 23, I felt this was a little lacklustre.

There are some nice moments of friendship and the support you can gain from people you don't know 'in person', but ultimately the overt use of gen z colloquialisms like gifs and popular culture references made me feel excluded from the narrative, and acted as a breaking of the fourth wall for me (and now I remember why I don’t read cheesy YA very often).

**Thanks to Netgalley and Quirk Books for the review copy

I loved this book. For starters, I enjoyed seeing how O'Neal showed readers what the world of someone with a chronic illness might look like in a straight forward, non-manipulative way. In some ways, this book is the opposite of all the tearjerkers made into movies a few years back. And then there's the whole, you know, werewolf thing. Simply put, I love a real-world story with one or two plainly fantastic elements, and this fit the bill better than most. If you want a plausibly implausible story of friendship, pick this up immediately.

Immediately after finishing this book, I pre-ordered 3 copies. One for myself, one from my partner, and one for my chronically ill friend who is still in the midst of her fight for a diagnosis...and now I've just thought of a fourth person who I could get a copy for...on that note; here's my review:

I need to start off this review selfishly, this book made me feel seen. I’ll be 35 next month, but this book about 20 somethings spoke to my in a way a book hasn’t done in a long time. Anyone who knows me and my partner knows how much online communities have always and still mean to us, that’s how we met. The relationship between Priya and Brigid reminds me of her and I to the point that as I was reading this book I got to chapter 15 and the first paragraph was so on point that I immediately had to screenshot the page and send it to her.

"Sometimes you just know when you click with someone, when you realize the two of you were meant to find your way to each other. When they say something a little stupid when they introduce themselves, or make a joke about an obscure interest you have, too, or ask you a question so thoughtful it tilts the axis of your world, just a little. Sometimes you just look at someone in the moment and think, yes, they’re going to be important to me. They’re going to change the shape my life takes. We’re going to mean something to each other."
Kristen O’Neal, 2021

The world needs more representation of queerplatonic relationships. I want to thank the author (which I did, I DM’d her on Twitter) for shouting out her platonic life partner in the acknowledgements because the more people see these terms being used and these healthy and loving relationships described the more normal they become. Just because you meet a friend online doesn’t make them less of a real friend. Online friendship are just as important as those you make offline, and they can be life changing and life saving, as seen in this book. Like one of the characters, I went through a dark period in my late teens and early 20s and it was my online friendships, especially my relationship with my partner, that got me through it. So if you’ve ever had a friendship like that you’ll love this book. And if you’ve never had the experience of a relationship like that, then you need to read this book so that you can understand how powerful that experience is.

This book also made me realise that my PCOS is a chronic illness…I had never thought of it in those terms before and none of the other women I know who have it have either, but of course it is. Now I’m annoyed that it’s taken me this long to come to terms with that because society hates talking about anything that has to do with women’s reproductive systems, which also gets brought up in this book! For that reason, because of how GOOD this book is at talking about chronic illnesses, everyone should read this book. You can tell that O’Neal spent a lot of time talking to people and learning and reading to present accurate, sympathetic and compassionately humane portrayals of people with chronic illnesses. If you or someone you love is dealing with a chronic illness, this book can help you. If you’re not, or you don’t know someone who is then you need to read this book in order to humanize those who are. You’d think the inclusion of lycanthropy in there would kick it out of reality and make it a joke, but it does the exact opposite, it’s a little shot of magical realism that makes everything about all of the chronic illnesses that much more real and visceral.

This book was exactly the vibe I needed to end 2020 with, overall hopeful and uplifting. There are no magical fixes or happy endings here, there is reality that life is hard, but that you can get through anything with the right people in your life. That’s a lesson we all need to learn in 2021.

I thought this was really clever and different! I don't have a chronic illness so I can't speak to the authenticity but it helped me understand what I, as an ally, do that's insensitive. I'm not certain the werewolf part is as strong, because O'Neal is basically creating her own system of it, but the idea alone was really really interesting.

This book is a real freakin' delight. DELIGHT. As someone who has been a teacher of teenagers for twenty years, I can sniff out bad teen dialogue from a mile away, and this just reads so authentic. The voice of this novel is so funny and real. The lack of capitalization in the messaging is real. The dialogue sparkles with silly and real humor. And the premise? Super bizarre, but I love how the author just goes for it. I love Brigid and Priya together, and the idea that a friend takes a road trip just to check on her friend. I also admire the way this book talks about chronic and long-term illness. It's not all doom and gloom, but it does affect the main characters. It's a great book to recommend to those who need some empathy for others who suffer. You just can't help loving it. Highly recommend.

What a fun and funny, creative and charming, totally unique read. Talk about a wonderful spin on the "sick girl" genre! Humor and warmth permeate this YA/emerging adult novel about two friends who find one another online, and who both belong to a online support group of young adults with chronic illnesses. Anyone who has felt betrayed by their body can relate to at least some of their struggles, and the experience of chronic illnesses is handled gently yet accurately. Somehow, exactly the right amount of time is spent on discovering the shock of lycanthropy - enough to be believable ("how can this be real?!"), yet not so much to drag you down or add drama. Despite its subject matter, this book remains angst-free AND gimmick-free. Instead, it is an uplifting story that emphasizes friendship and support, while never turning sappy or trite. Perfect balance of heart, humor and quirkiness in this excellent debut novel!

While I hate to make one more thing about the pandemic, I also think that the fact that these characters make such valuable connections with one another online may ring especially true in these pandemic times. I expect that many of us can now relate to the joy of seeing someone's face in a video chat, while being kept home by illness (or fear of it).

Many thanks to #NetGalley and Quirk Books for an advance copy of this title. I will absolutely be talking this book up like crazy!

I got this book unexpectedly in exchange for an honest review! I wasn't really sure what my expectations were when I received it, but I typically like YA Fantasy. This is Contemporary YA Fantasy and though the genre isn't my cup of tea, this is a pretty great book! It's a great read and I recommend it.

Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses is a funny, heartwarming, real, not-at-all cheesy take on werewolves and life with chronic illness. (It's compared to the Fault in our Stars, but I honestly thought that book was a little eye-rolly.)It has a diverse group of characters who meet on tumblr and use discord to chat. The main characters are generation z (this IS a young adult book) who talk using many gifs, links, and pop culture references in a chat room. So, if you dont get this kind of stuff, or dont like books that include emails, texts, and such, then the jokes might be lost on you and this book might not be for you. If you're significantly older (read: out of touch with current internet lingo), it still might be worth the read for Brigid and Priya's self discovery and friendship. It's especially perfect if you have a chronic illness, know someone with a chronic illness, or even want to understand someone with a chronic illness's point of view.
.
The plot itself went in directions I wasn't expecting. There were a few times where I was thinking that if the stort went a certain way, I might not like the book. But no. It didn't disappoint.
.
Bottom line: I absolutely loved this book. All the stars. Also note: I'm biased because I have a chronic illness and also happen to love werewolves.

WHAT AN ORIGINAL IDEA! I really liked this, and not just because it takes place close by and a visit to the Mutter Museum happens ;)

This story centers around the ideas of being an outsider, not having control over your own body, how to survive in the face of debilitating chronic illness, and what a difference true love and support can make in quality of life. There are so many deep, raw issues at play while also deploying elements of magical realism in a very effective way. A few plot points could have been developed more, like the relationship between a character and her grandmother, but overall this is a well-executed, fast-paced and reflective young adult novel.

This was a precious book. I think that Kristen O'Neal's first book was a hit. It was so much fun. Priya was a wonderful character, and the overall premise is so unique.

I received an ARC through NetGalley from Quirk Books for this YA contemporary fantasy. Priya is diagnosed with chronic Lyme’s disease. She has to leave medical school and move back home. Through social media she finds a virtual support group for people with chronic illnesses. In the group she meets her new best friend who lives nearby, but what Brigid isn’t telling her support group is that she has lycanthropy. As Brigid is faced with challenge after challenge, their relationship blooms and their friends support continues to not waiver.

This was a very satisfying and heartwarming read, made very interesting by the fantasy elements infused with very real emotions over chronic illness. The chat dialogues, test messages and narrative story intertwined well and were realistically written. The story moved forward naturally and kept me invested in each character no matter how minor. A very well executed YA book that is readable and has a message. Highly recommended!

I couldn't make it through the galley edition bc the typeface was too weird on my kindle and so the onine conversations were too difficult to follow. BUT the book is a delight so far, and I can think of five students off the top of my head that will really enjoy it, so I'll definitely be picking up some classroom copies AND reading the ending!

O'Neal crafts a heartwarming and funny story about two girls - Priya coping with chronic Lyme Disease, and Brigid who initially keeps her diagnosis vague - who become friends and join an online forum for people suffering from chronic illness.

The twist is that (not a spoiler, due to the title!) Brigid is a werewolf who is in desperate need of help as her transformations become increasingly frequent and unpredictable.

O'Neal's debut offers an original and uplifting way to approach themes such as illness, isolation, friendship and what constitutes normal. Fast paced fun.