Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
All of us have "monsters" in our heads so I think everyone can relate to this book in one way or another. From self doubt, fear, social anxiety, toxic thoughts and others, I like how the author gave each of the monsters their own identity and personality. The artistry is well done too.

[Reviewer backstory]
In 2020 I graduated college, which is when I had to make a decision: what to do next.
Because I felt like I was in a good school flow, I decided to take a step higher in education. In the Netherlands there are different levels in college education and when you finish college at a certain level, you can go a level higher.
So I did that. I started as a Freshman again, suddenly the oldest of my class.
But like there are different levels of college education, there are also different level of high school education. All of the classmates who came straight from high school have finished this "higher level of high school education".
I actually hate to talk about these different levels, because to me it doesn't matter what level you are.

I've spend my entire Freshman year picking myself apart and comparing my university experience to that of my classmates. They seemed to be flying through the year like it's no big deal, while I was working through the night to finish an assignment.
I was afraid to show my work in class, because I "knew" it wouldn't be nearly as good as theirs.
Whenever I wasn't doing school work, I was working, because I also have a parttime job.
Whenever I failed a class it felt like my predictions were true: I was not good enough for this "higher education".
My major at my last college was film, which was also a subject at my new college. And do you think I would be shining in that class, because I have a freaking degree in it?
No, because I was worried that people would hate the video I had to make for that class. I assumed they'd thought it was ugly and wondered why my last school even gave me a degree.

[Actual review]
Reading this graphic novel was a big dose of reality. The monsters were very familiar to me, because they are a part of my life too. The parts about imposter syndrome, social anxiety and anxiety about the future were the most relatable for me.
I noticed that sometimes I had to put the book down, because it got a little too real. So be aware that because this is a graphic novel, so very visual, it might feel confronting at times.
But that is also why I kept going. I wanted to know how the story ended. I knew it wouldn't end with "yay, I don't have anxiety anymore", but I going into it, I hoped to see him find some sort of coping mechanism.
I found out I really like to read nonfiction graphic novels or ones about mental health. It's because it hits you in the feels, in a different way. I don't I ever make a mental image how something looks, so I like it when the illustrator does that work for me.
I hope that more of Casas' work will be translated into English. He is really good at telling stories and the illustrations are a perfect addition.

I thank the writer/illustrator Alfonso Casas for feeling comfortable enough to share his story with the readers. Knowing that other people deal with the same things as you, is very validating.

'MonsterMind: Dealing With Anxiety & Self-Doubt' comes out on December 21st 2021!

This book hit me emotionally. There was parts I deeply connected with and made me think of past experiences in my life. I enjoyed this so much! 5* rating from me.

I got this on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Okay, so I feel SO seen by this! How anxiety and self doubt and depression just drags you down and sucks you in, and how much it absolutely sucks! How it makes you cancel stuff you were excited for and doubt every decision so much you avoid making it. Did wish that the second half had more actual, realistic situations instead of being inside the Dream world for a bit but overall REALLY good! Portrays mental health and mental illness in a great way, and just general everyday feelings as well!

I didn’t expect this comic book to surprise me as much as it has, and what I hoped was an entertaining reading, I found it very good, recommendable, but above all, of those pieces that make you think. Alfonso Casas tells us about those monsters that accompany us during our day to day life, it may be one, two... or the whole bestiary; no one gets away. Maybe you’re dealing with anxiety, impostor syndrome, childhood fears and traumas... but we all carry our backpacks around and Alfonso Casas tries to help us understand them, not fear them.

Oh wow, this was neat.

As someone who likes to personify my last 3 braincells, this is right up my alley. The way that those mosters are so real and perfectly shaped is eerie, and relatable in what could be a productive. I have had my share of what I would like to call blob days and this helps frame mental struggles and illness in a way that gives you something to confront instead of a vast void. Since we've all been in this pandemic and have had to sit with ourselves more I think that this makes me feel seen, makes me feel heard and is a "fun" way to look at how its all been going.

MonsterMind: Dealing With Anxiety & Self Doubt by Alfonso Casas

#eightysecondbookof2021 #arc

CW: discussion of mental health and various specific anxieties

This graphic novel is so charming, in a way you wouldn’t think a book about anxieties could be. The author / illustrator manages to personalize each of his anxieties and understand them independently of each other, and it really made me appreciate each of them as a separate thought process. I think this book would be a good way to teach people about anxieties in an introductory, nonjudgmental, caring way. The illustrations are lovely too. I was excited to see a discussion guide at the end with questions and project ideas to work through your own thoughts.

Thank you to #@netgalley and @ablazepub for the advance copy. (Pub date 12/21/21) #monstermind #graphicnovel #anxiety #alfonsocasas

Heavy emotional exploration of feelings like imposter syndrome, social anxieties, depression that take the form of shadows and monsters that follow our protagonist through his daily life. I believe this is a personal slice of life story, too, as I fully believe this to be an honest depiction of the author/artist's daily struggle within their self. The story was amazingly observed and processed through words and beautifully dark drawings. It was therapeutic for me to read, too, as someone who struggles with anxiety and depression. I feel like it's so easy to become consumed by our worries, anxieties, and fears, and getting to see how someone else processes theirs feels very healing. Not a full bandaid, but the book feels like a hug and a "we'll figure this out eventually." While the topics of depression and anxiety can often get heavy, there are moments of humor and levity. The monsters are definitely menaces up to their own hi jinx tripping up the protagonist's daily routine and thoughts, but somehow Casas still make them charming. It makes me hope throughout that they'll figure out a way to live together somehow. Really enjoyed this book and Casas' illustrations, too.

An exceptionally interesting look at how our minds can be our own worst enemy. Casas personifies his inner monsters in a curiously unique way and learns how to live with them rather than endure them. It's a great look at mental health and the culture around how we deal with those kinds of things nowadays.

I was a fan of the storyline of each "monster" showing up out of nowhere as a new tenant. It's accurate and very relatable. The story is hopeful but realistic in showing that you may never defeat all the monsters, but you can learn to keep them at bay and/or make peace with them.

I was super excited to see discussion points and exercises in the back of the book! This is definitely something that can be useful for teaching teens and adults as well as a book group scenario!

I really enjoyed this short comic! It depicts the everyday life with fears, anger, anxieties, etc. And while I could see a bit of myself in large parts of the book, I most certainly would've enjoyed a more thorough insight into the anxious mind.

Este comic es bastante bueno pero, por qué le di 3 estrellas?
Porque, para hablar sobre los problemas de une, creo que se podría haber explayado más, en el cómo son en el día a día.
Más allá de eso, me encantó el diseño de los personajes y la charla final, de cómo cada une trata sus propios "problemas".

It's well-illustrated - I like Casas' art style - but the content is so mediocre. He suffers from anxiety and regret and so on - like all of us do, in other words! And he has nothing really to say about it except by personifying them as monsters and then saying all the obvious things about them. Regret is bad, etc. Really superficial comic on mental health.

Alfonso Casas’s MonsterMind is a very personal account of the inner monsters that live inside his head. We all have them, right? That voice inside your head picking at everything they do? You’re not good enough . . . You're not smart enough...you were just lucky...they'll find out one day you're a fraud...
In this graphic novel, Alfonso introduces his own monsters: Mr. Past Traumas, Mr. Fear, Mr. Social Anxiety, Mr. Impostor Syndrome, Mr. Sadness, Mr. Doubt... The pessimistic, the insecure, the self-demanding, the monster that keeps you from sleeping while you think of what you could have said back in that conversation two years ago, or that keeps you looking at every text message to figure out the tone lurking the sender used.
It's a dark novel, no doubt about that. But it also sends a message of hope.
We are all like Mr. Casas. We all have demons, doubts, and fears. We may never actually manage to rid ourselves of them, but we can learn to control them, live with them but never let them rule your house.
The artwork here is wonderful. Casas's drawing of each monster is on point! Some even seem a little cute, like doubt. They remind me of the Adipose aliens from Doctor Who.
Each page is so brutally honest. He does not spare himself any pity for the times he was consumed by these monsters, and he is realistic in where they are after he finds a way to break free of them.
Highly recommended!
Thanks to @Netgalley, Diamond Book Distributors, Ablaze, and Alfonso Casas, for allowing me a chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

For someone that has been trying to figure herself out, especially this summer, I felt like I could relate to this book a lot. The imagery was spot on on how I feel from a day to day basis, and I was really able to relate to the character. Anxiety, fear, doubt, etc. are all major contributors on why I live the life I live, and I’m hoping to change that.

The book manages to invite us into the mind of the author in just a few pages. We can feel the struggles and sometimes even relate to some extent. It helps people understand the yearning behind closed doors.

My first ever ARC from NetGalley. Thank you so much to NetGalley, Ablaze, and Diamond Book Distributors for giving me a chance to review this amazing graphic novel. And yes that is my honest opinion. This is one of the best books I've read about a person that is dealing with all the horrors that come with anxiety and how those horrors affect that person's life.

When searching books on the NetGalley website I stumbled upon this beautiful cover with monsters illustrated hunched over a gentleman who looks fed up with life. And the subtitle is "Dealing With Anxiety & Self-Doubt". This was so familiar to me. Because I am also dealing with anxiety and depression since my teenage years. It's a sensitive and triggering subject for me as expected. That's why I was quite hesitant to examine this graphic novel.

To my great relief illustrator/author Alfonso Casas not only did manage to explain what it feels and looks like living with all these monsters also as known past trauma, fear, sadness, self-doubt, etc. with great humor but also give people hope with his honest story. I also appreciated the discussion guide and project ideas feature at the end of the book by Matthew Noe, MSLS. It's a well-thought-out detail I think.

In conclusion, I enjoyed the book very much and I was highly inspired by it. I am looking forward to the new works of Alfonso Casas.

A book that deals with Anxiety & Self-Doubt that I can actually relate to? Yes please!

I have to say, I firstly absolutely love the art style of this Graphic Novel. The monsters look perfect. Just like they need to look.

It's difficult to find a book about Anxiety that doesn't make you feel like there are only a few people struggling with it. I barely read books about this subject because thinking about it often makes it worse.
I gave this one a shot because the cover looked absolutely ridiculous and sweet at the same time and I must say, displaying fears as monsters is one of the best things that can be done, in my opinion. Just because they are.
They are everywhere, come to you at the wrong time. But it also made Anxiety a lot less scary, a lot more normal and definitely bearable.

I really enjoyed this book and I will recommend it to everyone in the hope that it will give them as much of a different view on their anxiety as it gave me.

I am sure you’ve heard it all before. That inner monster in your head telling you…You’re not good enough…You just got lucky…I don’t think you should do it…What if that happens again?…You are an embarrassment…

This graphic novel does not provide solutions on how to deal with your inner monsters. Instead, this is a very personal story of Casas’s inner monsters and how they tormented him. He starts off by showing who his monsters are and introducing them one by one. Are there times where just before you sleep, you thought of an incident that happened which causes you to spiral into a black hole and lose your sleep? Or are there times where you contemplate a long time before sending a message for fear of being judged? He explore how they interact with him daily, planting unwanted thoughts in his that keeps him awake and anxious. Because of his inner monsters, Casas was unable to enjoy his life and do things the way he wanted. Eventually, he accepted that the monsters were not going to leave but he can make a change for himself.

It was a little difficult for me to follow Casas’s thoughts and illustrations at first but it came together well in the end. I love how each monster has its own personality and their illustrations are very cute. Casas said that your monsters will live with you forever so we might as well get to know them and find a balance to live with them in a healthy way. This was definitely a creative way of identifying these inner monsters and Casas’s story is very relatable. We’ve all been there at some point in our life and it’s important to know that we are not alone. I absolutely enjoyed reading this and I recommend this to anyone who wants to see mental health in a different perspective.

Thank you @netgalley and Diamond book distributors for the arc.

Cute quick read. Identified certain behaviors, feelings, experiences accurately. Not sure what I was looking for when choosing this book, but was still left with an empty feeling as if it didn't deliver what it was supposed to.

As someone who suffers from major depression and anxiety [amongst a host of other things] this graphic novel really rang true for me. While I am not a creator like Mr. Casas is, I often have to do things where doubt crowds in at every corner [and I know what it is like to struggle with that, but cannot even imagine what it is like when one has to create something and then present it. I get anxiety just thinking about that], and I am sure I am not doing it correctly, my opinions are not only not right, but stupid etc etc., and that makes accomplishing things [getting dressed, making decisions, showering, etc]extremely difficult most days. Add in that these days it just seems that you cannot please anyone, and you have a recipe for a complete breakdown. This graphic novel was a good reminder that we do not have to live in that space and that there is help out there for those of us who need and seek it and that it is possible to move forward.

Very well done. I can see me revisiting this GN over and over to remind myself that there is help out there and that there are people who support me and I CAN move forward. I really appreciated this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alfonso Casas, and Diamond Book Distributors/Ablaze for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.