First, I want to acknowledge that I am not a mental health expert, and I am not qualified to analyze how anyone may feel, react, or deal with mental health issues. I have not personally experienced the issues depicted in this book, so my assessment may differ from others who have shared experiences.

Second, I avoid posting themes or trigger warnings as they can sometimes spoil the plot. However, due to the numerous issues addressed in this book I think it is necessary to note some potential triggers, including suicide, severe bodily harm, depression, family dysfunction, grief, and mental health concerns.

Books like this are important, especially for young adults, to recognize the significance of mental health. The narrator, Sam, is 12 years old and he talks about his “monsters” throughout the story. The “monsters” represent the many issues he deals with daily, and they are vast. There were almost too many issues happening at once, making it difficult to believe that any child or family could handle all of them. Their circumstances felt overwhelming and very hopeless at times.

However, I appreciated how Sam learned how to deal with his monsters as the story progressed. His understanding of his monsters and the skills he developed to manage them are the key takeaways for readers.

Everyone deals with their monsters differently – the important part is figuring out what works best for you.

Thank you @netgalley and Pinkus Books for an eARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This book hurt my heart in such a good way. The depiction of mental illness and trauma as 'monsters' in the view of a child was wonderful. The family deals with everything pretty realistically and nobody feels like a wooden prop character. Very much recommend.

Making Friends with Monsters is a timely tale of how to take back control of your social emotional health. I think this book can be of much help to anyone struggling with their mental health or identity, especially in a post-pandemic world.

Wow. What a powerful YA novel about mental health, family dysfunction, & navigating layers of trauma. The book’s forward is a masterclass on how to address concerns over exposure of complex, potentially traumatizing topics to young people & the sensitivity the author uses throughout the book is admirable. Definitely one to watch & keep in school libraries.

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

It took me a hot minute to truly get into this book, but once I did: OH BOY. This book feels like someone sucker-punching your heart and then stomping on it, which I guess fits right in with the heavy themes of this book. It is SO sad, realistic, and tragic, while also having hope and a light at the end of the tunnel somehow. It represents depression and other similar feelings and illnesses in a great way, and I love the symbolism and how clearly the rules Sam makes are!

Also: As a Norwegian, I did not know beforehand about the Millenium drought, but while reading this I researched it a little bit. I'm glad I now know about it!

Loved this book and think it could be a good one to teach mental illness, feelings and coping skills to older students, like maybe 16-18 year olds. Excerpts could also be worked at with 15-16 year olds.

This is heavy with trigger warnings so please beware!

I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. This was requested when I first found out about NetGalley and I had requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before they were archived. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it!

a touching, riveting story about a boy's struggle with his mental health (as told through the metaphorical depictions of monsters), and how it intersects with the relationship with his family.

This novels brings so many rich and intriguing emotions to the page, I was left crying multiple times.

It’s not an easy read, due to multiple difficult subjects that really, in my opinion, should be only for readers 16/17/18+. Though the narrator is much younger, some of what’s talked about in here is extremely traumatic, and should be discussed with others, professionals or parents.

This could easily happen to someone we know, such as a friend or a family member, or even a person you work with.

The message is moving and talks about mental health conditions as well as family dysfunction.
(thankful for that mention/representation)

𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗮𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗟𝗬 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱.

. It's a fun kind of read. I like the way Sam struggle to the way out of whispering dark thoughts which always tried to master his mind. Such a creepy but interesting story

It is important to note that this book deals with heavy and sensitive themes, and readers should be prepared for this before diving in. While the direction of the story may be unclear for some time, it is crucial to understand the author's intentions and be open to exploring the themes presented. I strongly advise potential readers to research content warnings and approach this book with a prepared mindset. Despite the challenging topics, I believe that the author's willingness to tackle difficult subject matter is commendable and makes for a powerful read.

Most middle grade fiction does not approach such big ideas with such such straightforward, brutal honesty. There is no delicate dancing around the desperation and depression involved here, the high stress levels and destruction of relationships and the situation devolves and the drought continues. This family gets hit with one bad thing after another and can see no way out of the increasingly deep hole. It's a brutally honest book which means it is likely to be too much for some young readers. It's a book I would want to discuss with a kid after they read it to make sure they were able to deal with the realities it discusses.

Triple threat (plot, character, and theme driven) page turner takes place in a rural, drought stricken Australia which has decimated the water supply, and subsequently disrupted both livelihoods and lives of all in the area. Sam Nolen's family is a case in point. Not only are they trying to survive the drought with extreme measures, tragedy is always around the corner, and with each trauma, the “monsters” get a little more out of control. Everyone has a monster, and they either help you get through the rough patches, or it can take over your life with negativity. The goal is to to decide if the monster controls you, or you control it. This is one of the best books I've read which features a contemporary modern family trying to suppress past secrets while suffering ongoing tragedy. Characters in the community are well drawn, and offer inspiration on the taming of one's monster
Thank you to Pinkus Books and NetGalley for the digital arc.

*I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

I am tough on reviewing books star-wise, I feel. And I gave this book 4 stars. In just 198 pages, this book sucked me in within the first 50 pages. I finished it in 1.5 days. It's a super easy read, but very intellectual in relation to mental health, and well-written. It doesn't matter if you don't come from Australia, you can still read the book and understand all the nuances, which I appreciate as I have a hard time focusing while reading, as I have ADHD. It is easy for me to lose interest in a book if its too complicated to read.

I would definitely add this book to my physical collection, and recommend you do as well. Holy plot twist batman.

#netgalley #makingfriendswithmonsters #sandralrostirolla

Making Friends With Monsters is an intense and deeply feeling YA novel. While the novel initially focuses on a seemingly anxious 12 (almost 13!) year-old Sam Nolen, it quickly begins to show that nearly everyone around him is wading through the murky waters of mental health challenges.

Rostirolla packs a lot of emotion into this novel. You feel helpless as a reader as you watch Sam and his family struggle through multiple traumas and setbacks. It took me longer than I expected to finish - I needed breaks with something a little more lighthearted.

Making Friends With Monsters is ultimately a story of resilience and forgiveness. There are several mature themes throughout, so I would carefully recommend this to YA readers. Thank you to NetGalley and Pinkus Books for and eARC in exchange for my honest review.

For a novel that tries to bring to life the difficulty people face in mantaining "mental health" when everything goes wrong for them, this one is much better written than most. Sam, Ben, Abby, and their parents could almost be drawn from life, even though the author specifically says that her family's story of mental problems was different. Early teen readers can probably relate to Sam...though it may put some of them off reading the book if they're warned that, fairly early in the book, Sam loses his right hand.

Almost everything that happens in this story needs a content warning. At the beginning, when Abby's pet lamb dies, we learn that Sam's family sheep farm has had several low-yield years; Sam's mother worries, when Sam's father leaves taking his gun, that he's thinking about suicide rather than hunting. It turns out later that she's projecting her own feelings onto her husband. In a country renowned for the high median level of alcohol tolerance, Sam's mother appears to be alcohol intolerant. Sam doesn't realize at first that that's why Ben has become so disagreeable...having noticed how much more he resembles his mother's brother-in-law than he does the man he and Sam have always called father. Sam is trying to ease little Abby around the rough edges their elders all seem to have developed when he falls into the moving machinery and wakes up in a hospital. When Ben commits suicide and his girlfriend turns up pregnant, and Sam starts to understand what was on Ben's mind, their mother doesn't *only* attempt suicide. Her part-time job for years has involved sitting with a patient who's hoarded a suicide kit of three pills, and one evening when Sam's father is out she mixes the pills into the "cordials" she serves herself, Sam, and Abby, but luckily one pill is only enough to make an adult ill, and Sam and Abby are feeling too sad to drink theirs. And Sam's girlfriend, though in no danger of being pregnant, reveals that she's a cutter.

What's not to like, if you're prepared to like a story that presents so much distress, is that the story ends where a better story about these characters might begin. They're still only talking about their emotions. I'd like to see them move through their emotions and take some action to change those facts of their real live that are subject to change. There are many good, true stories about people who've moved past the "monsters" of emotional misery and had inspirational lives, but although no biography of Abraham Lincoln, Marie Curie, or dozens of other famous people could leave out the horrors of their early lives, nobody else seems even to have tried to integrate tortured childhood, early struggles, and success story like Maya Angelou.

First, thank you NetGalley and Pinkus Books for the eARC.

For me, this book is fascinating. The way Monsters talk about some mental health themes here is excellent. Originally, I thought as a non-English native speaker, I would have a hard time reading this. But, it's not! I enjoyed this book a lot even tho I need a longer time.

This book is gripping from the beginning. I really recommend this book!

In a Nutshell: Almost brilliant! A couple of things didn’t work well for me, but on the whole, this is a hidden indie treasure, albeit a somewhat emotional and depressing one. Better suited to the older YA segment and adults. Triggers galore: Reader discretion advised.

Story Synopsis:
2006. Tamworth, Australia. Twelve-year-old Sam Nolen’s life isn’t a happy one. His family farm has been affected by the ongoing drought, and the resultant stress has created a lot of monsters in the family. His dad has one, his seventeen-year-old brother Ben has one, and sometimes, even his six-year-old sister Abby has her own little monster. Sam tried his best to keep track of all the monsters and even writes on about what he has learnt about monsters, all so that he can help his family. However, there is soon a devastating accident, and Sam discovers that he too has a monster of his own.
The story comes to us in Sam’s limited first person perspective.

I don’t even know where to begin showering praise on this YA work. I loved almost everything about it, right from its purpose to its writing to its character development to its scenic descriptions.

The purpose: The author’s introductory statement (which brought tears to my eyes) sets the right tone for the book. She mentions how her father had killed himself when she was thirteen, and how this led to her growing up amid dysfunction. The idea behind this book is to offer young readers a way of understanding mental health issues, euphemistically called ‘monsters’ in this book. Most of the content makes me feel that she nailed the agenda.

The writing: Not once did I feel that I was reading an indie work. Sam’s first person narration is endearing. You can sense his vulnerabilities and his determination at the start, and can sense the slow change in his perspective to anger and resentment.

The characters: Every single Nolen was written in a way that brought them alive. From the frustration of the father, the desperation of the mother, the rebelliousness of Ben, the unflinching optimism of little Abby, and of course the anxious sensitivity of the narrator Sam, the sketching was wonderful. There’s no way you will complete this book without loving Abby with all your heart. There are a few memorable secondary characters as well.

The setting: This gem showed me a side of Australia I have not often read in fiction and brought it vividly alive. The impact of the drought in the rural area of Tamworth is portrayed in a gut-wrenching yet relatable way.

The themes: Mental health is the key focal area of the story, and the author makes good use of this in multiple ways. Sam’s “notes” about the monsters are brilliant and simplistic, and I am sure they will offer all of us (and not just YAs) a unique way of looking at our inner demons. I’ve read many MG/YA books covering mental health, and this is among the very best.

The cover art and the title: Both brilliant. Both perfectly suitable for the story.

Does this mean that the book was perfect in every way? Well, you know me. I always have at least one complaint. 😉 This time, I have two complaints, a major one and a minor one.
Major issue: I knew the book had triggers, and the author does warn about it right at the start, but I think it went too far in collecting traumatising topics. It was almost like the author had a checklist and with every subsequent chapter, the items on the list were getting ticked. [Spoilers till the end of this para: With mental health being the main theme, I expected and found drug abuse, alcohol abuse, medical trauma, self-harming, suicide and other triggers related to the core idea. But even beyond these, the book ventures into illegitimacy, pre-marital pregnancy, (discussed) abortion, (possible) rape, amputation, bullying, assault, and a few more unrelated but difficult topics. By the end, my head was reeling with the extent of devastation faced by one family within the span of a few months.]
Minor issue: There are a few scenes in the book where Sam is made to narrate thoughts I didn’t find appropriate. Lines like “Her two perfect breasts swing like happy melons in a hammock” don’t look good coming from a sensitive twelve-year-old. Yes, boys that age might start thinking about women and breasts, and it might be accurate and all that, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it, right?

That’s it. No other issues. If you are okay with the overabundance of traumatic events in the book, then this would be a brilliant work offering a novel perspective of the mental health monsters within us. The nature of the content makes me push the recommended age to 16+, though our narrator is only 12.

4.5 stars, which I am rounding down because of my reservations about the excessive negative triggers and the needless sexist content. The characters and the ‘monster’ idea makes the book worthwhile.

My thanks to Pinkus Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “Making Friends With Monsters”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

The book is available for free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

Making Friends with Monsters by Sandra L. Rostirolla

Living through year upon year of drought in rural Australia is taking its toll on the Nolen family. Sam worries that his dad won’t be able to handle the pressure of seeing his sheep farm fail. He’s also got his older brother to worry about because he’s not acting like himself and keeps storming out of the house.

“Fact #1 about Monsters: most people don’t know they exist.”

As Sam starts to discover the truth about the monsters each of us holds within us, he succumbs to the destructive power of his own monster. He can’t stop his brother from leaving and, after an accident that leaves him wounded and angry, there’s not much he can do to help his dad either. What he doesn’t realise at first is that some monsters are very good at staying hidden right up until the moment they tear everything apart.

With several traumatic twists, this is a story that is guaranteed to keep you hooked, while also tackling some pretty difficult topics. Rostirolla opens the book with a message to readers and parents explaining that the story deals with themes of grief, suicide, and physical and emotional trauma. Though darkness abounds, the light is powerful enough to shine through.

“Meaning, it’s okay to be sad, or nervous, or shy, or scared, or angry, or any of the hundreds of ways of being most of us would rather not be.”

Sam is a relatable character; a boy at the start of his teen years with so many ‘normal’ problems to deal with alongside the really big stuff. Young readers of Sam’s age will feel a strong connection to him. An amazing book for developing empathy and understanding of topics that can affect us all.

Librarian lowdown:
Suicide is discussed implicitly throughout but in a sensitive and empowering way
Also discussed are drugs, overdoses, alcohol, violence, death, mental health issues, trauma, abortion
KS3+ but make young readers aware of specific triggers

Thank you to NetGalley UK, Pinkus Books and Sandra L. Rostirolla for the digital ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for access to this title in exchange for a honest review!

For a majority of this book, these characters experience things such as loss and just heavy themes in general that felt me unsure where this story was going to end up. After about 70% through though, I started understanding the direction the author had in mind and I had a better mindset going forward. I would say to definitely look into content warnings to be sure you’re prepared for what this book has in store and I can say I appreciated the author writing this and sharing it for others to experience.

Aimed at Middle Grade/YA readers, this book has been on my mind since I finished reading it last night. We all have a monster - be it guised as anger, jealousy, depression, anxiety or any other negative emotion - it lives inside of us and can take control at times when we feel we are failing. 12-year-old Sam opens his world to us - a farming family in Australia that has suffered badly due to the long ongoing drought. Each member of his family is suffering quietly, their dysfunction is obvious. Sam wants nothing more than to have his older brother, Ben, back. Ben's monster has all but consumed him, bringing more strain to the already heavily burdened family. As tragedy after tragedy strikes, Sam learns more about the monster that is trying to control him and how to take steps to beat it back inside. This will stir a lot of emotions; it’s so well written and so very important in today’s world – for parents and children.