I really enjoyed the personification of different anxieties. There were many parts of the text that I could personally relate to. For someone who doesn't deal with the many anxieties represented here, I think it would be a good story to read to help someone develop more empathy for a person's mental health struggles. Really enjoyed this.

“This isn't the triumphant tale of a hero who defeated his monsters… it’s just the story of somebody who is learning to live with them”.

In this graphic novel, we get in the mind of Alfonso Casas and meet his ‘monsters’. These monsters are intrusive thoughts, negative feelings and worries of the author. I thought the way he portrayed his insecurities and anxieties was very interesting; by personifying them, they become another character in his novel.

At the beginning of the graphic novel, the monsters make it almost impossible for Alfonso to enjoy his life, but little by little he learns to deal with them and will not allow them to control him. I love the message that it sends of not trying to completely get rid of his monsters, but to learn how to live with them.

Anxiety, sadness, and doubt (oh my).

MonsterMind is about a cartoonist’s struggles with his mental “monsters,” which mostly consist of kinds of anxiety. These “monsters” are actually depicted as monsters, and their creepy-cute appearances and often snarky personalities made this an enjoyable read despite the heavy subject matter.

I recommend Casas’s MonsterMind to any fans of graphic novels who are also interested in mental health, especially if you or a loved one suffer from any form of anxiety, or if you want to better understand what it’s like to live with any of these conditions. It’s a charming and ultimately hopeful read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ablaze Publishing for the ARC.

A fantastic and well done graphic novel that takes the medium to an exploration of mental health. Image and text pair well and explore an important topic.

A very compelling perspective on the internal monsters we deal with every day of our lives. The illustrations are fitting to the dark humor of this book. As someone who has dealt with depression and multiple anxiety disorders, there is no straightforward way to describe what this book helps describe almost perfectly. I highly recommend this to anyone who is going through a lot of mental breakdowns and sad episodes or know of someone who is and wanting to understand their predicament.

It's a bit difficult to read graphic works in adobe digital, but I'm glad I gave this one a chance. Not just for millennials facing the pandemic and mental health crises. well done.

I loved this comic. Lately lots of people started shutting themselves in, quarantine cause many problems anxiety, overthinking, self-doubt and other problems related. The best way to help others is to show them that they are not alone in this and many people are dealing with similar stuff too.

I'm myself often thinking about my worth and I no longer understand if everything's in my head and it's just overthinking or if there is actually something wrong. But best way to end this is to share and talk about it not otherwise.

I really suggest people reading this book, it's about a guy who's dealing with his monsters (doubts, thoughts and problems), slowly starting to give up he finally hears the words he needed the most that changed they way of his thinking, cause actually many problems are just in your head or they are not as bad as you think sometimes.

The only thing I was disappointed in was that I really hoped this graphic novel would be longer it felt a bit too short, but the story was really wonderful.

#MonsterMindDealingWithAnxietySelfDoubt #NetGalley

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

This book is a unique blend of cute, funny, and heartbreaking aspects. You are likely to empathize with the character in the book because, after all, we all have our own problems.

Alfonso Casas, like many other adults, suffers from past traumas, toxic thoughts, doubts and other issues. The author transforms his fears into charming monsters with whom he is trying to learn to live with because he knows that, somehow, they will always accompany him.

Overall, the idea of the book is great, and the illustrations are simple yet expressive. I do really enjoy this story and would love to recommend it to any of my friends who are in their early adulthood.

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.