The author gives us a look into aspects of mental illness and makes it real. Not an easy book to read, but it appears to be realistic.

I was so excited for this book when I saw the premise on Netgalley! I found it really took a long time for me to get into it, but once I got past that I enjoyed it. It switches between the POVs of Sunny, her husband, and father, but I there wasn't much differentiating their voices, and often would repeat sections from each of their POVs, feeling repetitive.

Characters: I didn't feel very connected to them, which partially due to the similar tones noted above. As well, I kinda felt like they were responding realistically but in an idealized way, if that makes sense? It was mentioned repeatedly that Sunny was lucky to have such a supportive loving family, but it tipped into feeling less believable - or, maybe, relatable, I suppose in a sad way 😅 6/10 (x2)

Atmosphere: Very stark and realistic, but I didn't find it to be very immersive. 7/10 (x2)

Writing: Nothing technically wrong with it, it just read a bit flat for my tastes. 6/10 (x3)

Plot: 8/10

Intrigue: This is taking a hit for the slow start - for a good chunk of the book it felt like a chore to read. 5/10.

Logic: Everything made sense. 10/10

Enjoyment: I'm glad I picked it up and pushed through the beginning. 7/10 (x3)

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A heartbreaking and inspiring novel about mental health.

This novel is an impactful exploration of resilience amidst a profound loss. The author is able to weave Maya's grief with her journey of self-discovery. The intricate character development is what put this book over the edge for me, with the prose offering moments for introspection. However, I did find the pacing of the book to be slow with many aspects of the plot remaining stagnate to make room for the thematic depth and introspective components.

Wow!
I’m not sure how to put into words how well written this novel was.
I felt like it was a true account of a young woman and her struggle with mental illness.
It is told in 3 POVs. Sunny herself, her husband, and her father.
Having such supportive family and friends truly made a difference in her acceptance and her ongoing recovery.
I have much more to say. I am still absorbing it all. I will add more later.
I definitely have a new appreciation for psychiatric disorders and mental health in general.
Thank you NetGalley and Heather Lonczak for the opportunity to read this in exchange of an honest review.
I will be purchasing a hard copy of this one!

As someone that is very curious about mental health and human nature, this seemed like a great book to read. At times it felt really heavy but was very descriptive.

The story was told with all the happiness, bumps and bruises that naturally come with the subjects discussed.. It gives the reader some insight to the complexities of mental illness. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to expand their knowledge on mental illness.

Thank you to Netgalley for offering this book for an honest review.

“The Fragility of Light” is an important book which provides needed information and sheds compassion on mental illness—specifically schizoaffective disorder. While it is not without its writing flaws, the novel reads well enough and grabbed me from the onset. I should say, though, that I have a dear friend with schizoaffective disorder and was therefore already radically interested in the topic. I appreciate that the author—a PhD in educational psychology and a master's degree in clinical psychology—is well credentialed for writing this book. Her compassion, empathy, and understanding are a standout in this book. While fictional, it is educational, informative, and ultimately encouraging. It shouldn’t take the place of nonfiction for anyone dealing with loved ones (or themselves) with this illness, and yet, because it is so easy to read, understand, and absorb, it might well serve some readers better than a nonfiction book.

The author effectively goes into the mind of a young woman, Sunny, who has a psychotic break after a traumatic event and ultimately is diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder (which is not the same as schizophrenia and should not as I understand it be considered schizophrenia-light). The chapters written in Sunny’s point of view during her psychotic breaks are harrowing, including a homeless period, times she runs away, and a near suicide. Yet that harrowing quality is part of the strength of this book and helped me understand my friend’s mind set in ways the textbook approaches of reading had not. My friend has many things in common with Sunny—the family history of mental illness, the traumatic event that triggered the break, the running away, the suicide attempt. Now I understand my friend and what she goes through so much better—which is why I say this is a very important book.

The novel suffers from stiff, unnatural dialogue and bouts of narrative telling (violating the oft-preached writers’ class emphasis on “show don’t tell”) and there were definitely plenty of info-dumps in the book. Yet, really, though I saw these issues plainly as I read, in the end I did not mind because the info dumps were important, the story moves along with its compelling story, and I wanted to read, admire, and praise the novel for what it does so very well—tell a compassionate, illuminating story.

All in all, this is a good book, and as I said, a very important one. I would especially recommend it to anyone who is or knows someone dealing with mental illness. But even if you are somehow blessed not to know a single soul with mental illness, this is still a gripping, compelling read about the triumph of love (and modern psychotropic drugs) over a devasting mental illness. If only everyone with a mental illness had the family support, the insurance and funds, and the access to mental health medical providers that Sunny had, we would have far, far fewer homeless people.

I received a free copy from Netgalley but these are my honest opinions.

I thought about making this a DNF several times. The writing came across as amateurish and made it difficult for me to want to continue. I pushed on, though, because I was interested in the subject.
A young woman, Sunny, experiences several psychotic episodes, and is diagnosed with a mental illness that completely upends her almost picture perfect life.
While her short bio shows extensive experience with the subject matter, this appears to be the author’s first adult novel, and the chunky writing shows it.
Thanks to #netgalley and #ivylanepress for this #arc of #thefragilityoflight in exchange for an honest review.

I was captivated by this book. Watching Sunny go through all of her trials was both empowering and frustrating. I love the representation that this book gave mental illness. It really showed that something like this disorder can happen to anyone at any time, regardless of “status”. While this book was heavy, I thoroughly enjoyed it. From a technical standpoint, there are a lot of typos/missed words that made some of the sentences hard to read at times but nothing that made me give up on the book in its entirety. I would recommend this book to a friend in a good headspace.

This is a deeply personal story of a young woman, Sunny, who slides into mental illness. It is so well-written that it seems as if the author is telling her own story, but this is fictional. Sunny is Jewish, newly married, and when her grandparents, who were holocaust survivors and lived in a tiny house on the family's property died, she is devastated, Sunny is very close to her father, but has always felt that her stepmother disapproved of her. Sunny becomes paranoid and thinks that Nazis are coming to get her, She is hospitalized several times, but does not get well. During one of her stays at home, she runs away and cannot be found. How this family copes with their loss and with Sunny's mental illness is heart wrenching, yet gives hope for any family facing this situation.

Took me so long to get through this book mainly because of a lot of stuff this book covers especially mental illness. As someone who lives with mental illness I often yelled at sunny telling her not to do certain things Iike her stopping her meds. As i know what these things will do. It really touched home for me as I too have had struggles with mental illness.

TRIGGER WARNING : subjects include mental illness, suicide, self harm, the holocaust, Jewish people and racism of Jewish people

Sunny a women who after her Jewish grandparents deaths ends up with severe depression. Then she starts having delusions and hearing voices. She then starts thinking thr nazis and the ss is after her and hearing voices calling her names. She eventually ends up in hospital and on a psych ward where she is diagnosed first with schizophrenia. Shortly after she goes missing after she stops taking her meds. Then she is diagnosed with schizoeffective disorder. She finally ends up overcoming her mental illness with the support of her doctors and family but has to overcome challenges on the way.

As someone who has grappled with mental health challenges, I found this book to be beautifully written and deeply resonant. The author’s expertise in the mental health field shines through, creating a narrative that feels authentic and insightful.

While initially saddened by the realization that this wasn’t a biography memoir, I quickly became engrossed in the lives of the three main characters. Each character’s perspective offered a unique and engrossing point of view, allowing me to connect with their struggles and triumphs on a profound level.

The writing, though rich with emotional depth, never felt overly technical, allowing the themes to unfold with clarity and poignancy. Despite the heavy subject matter, I was captivated by the story and the characters, and I found myself deeply moved by the experience.

This book will stay with me long after I turned that final page.

I extend my heartfelt thanks to author Heather Lonczak, NetGalley, and Ivy Lane Press for the opportunity to delve into this impactful read.

This is a heartwarming inspirational story about Sunny and her family as they begin their discovery and journey into Sunny’s mental illness.

Sunny is young woman that suffers from schizoaffective disorder. We don’t immediately know about Sunny’s disorder at the beginning of the book. We are introduced to her in a healthy environment, then the author takes us slowly into the illness onset.

Sunny’s immediate family consists of her dad, Peter and her grandparents, both grandparents are Holocaust survivors. Sunny then meets the man of her dreams, Joshua. As the two prepare for their wedding, Sunny begins to exhibit erratic behavior, then under excessive stress, Sunny becomes delusional. Convinced the Nazi’s are after her she begins to unravel. Her family struggles with how to help.

Following a short stay at the psychiatric ward in the hospital, Sunny is stabilized and released. She’s convinced she doesn’t need medication and is in denial about her recent diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder. She decides to stop her medications unbeknownst to her family and physicians and quickly descends into a journey from hell.

This story is educational as well as inspirational. Having a family member diagnosed with a mental health disorder is difficult as someone with a healthy brain can’t often understand or relate to the irrational behavior.

Sunny is lucky and has a loving support system that never gives up. She has a committed and caring team of doctors that recognized, diagnosed and managed her symptoms, medication and stresses. She also had a loving, committed family that wouldn’t let her give up or accept defeat. It is inspirational to see that someone can get well with treatment and perseverance.

I gave the book 4 stars because it was repetitive in many places but otherwise it would be 5 for educational content.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an ARC of this inspiration story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ivy Lane Press for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are honest and my own.

Every book has an audience but this one wasn’t for me.

To me, this book felt like a generational trauma dump between the holocaust and 9/11. I didn’t connect with the characters quick enough to care about their life stories, the POVs felt very random and not very useful, and the story was so so slow.

Again, every book has an audience, so there will be those who enjoy it. I have heard great things from other reviewers, so I know there are people that enjoy it. I just struggled very much trying to get into this characters mind, she fell very flat to me.

In "The Fragility of Light" by Heather S. Lonczak, generational trauma and mental health challenges overshadow Sylvia "Sunny" Zielinski's life as she grapples with psychotic episodes. Lonczak skillfully navigates themes of love, family, and mental illness, immersing readers in Sunny's idyllic world before tragedy strikes. Through poetic prose, Lonczak captures the fragility of Sunny's mind and the helplessness felt by her loved ones, Joshua and Peter. The novel delves into the complexities of grief, depression, and genetic predisposition, leaving readers pondering whether Sunny can overcome her demons and if Joshua's love can endure. A compelling and emotionally resonant read, "The Fragility of Light" sheds light on the lasting impact of trauma and the power of love. 4 stars, with a note of repetition at times. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy to me!

As someone who has struggled with their mental health, this book is beautifully written.
You can tell that the author is well experienced in the mental health field.
The writing felt like a biography and despite the author being extremely knowledgeable in the mental health field, it wasn’t full of technical terms.
It was a heavy read due to the themes being portrayed but I absolutely loved it.

The Fragility of Light is a story of a young woman and her struggles with Schizophrenia.

My take - this is a great story for the very optimistic, gullible person. I say this because I see this as an inaccurate depiction of most person diagnosed and living with Schizophrenia. Though a lighthearted and possibly a story illustrating hope for anyone diagnosed with a serious mental illness, I find it delusional in a way. Wishful thinking of how things are for someone suffering from mental illness, but whereas I don't see this as a truly accurate depiction, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book to anyone with Schizophrenia or their families, but perhaps I would recommend the book looking for a take on at least a possible depiction of someone's life and that there is hope.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I could not get into this at all. The characters werent likeable or relatable. I thought the description made the book sound like it would be great but it was lacking for me. The story is too long.
I think the slowness in the first half of the book really makes this difficult for someone to get into, hence other reviews from people ending up DNF'ing or close to DNF'ing.

I think the subject matter is important though. The author does have a lot of knowledge and that shows in the writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ivy Lane Press - Heather S. Lonczak - IngramSpark for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Oh my gosh, I LOVED this book! As someone who has a mental illness, I was intrigued by the book description. I wasn’t sure what to expect though, as so many authors completely miss the target for a number of reasons. This author, however, nailed it! Some people may find the main character’s depiction of what’s happening as extreme and unbelievable. But anyone who is familiar with her diagnosis will find that these are very accurate depictions (I’m not going to reveal what her diagnosis was because it might cause you to go into it with a biased opinion.) I ended up taking pics of some of the pages because I loved what she wrote. I highly recommend this book. It’s going into my list of books that I would enjoy rereading here and there (I’m picky so it’s a short list right now lol.)

The Fragility of Light" is a novel by Heather Lonczak. It is a coming-of-age story that follows the journey of a young woman named Ava as she navigates the complexities of adolescence and the challenges of growing up in a dysfunctional family. As Ava grapples with issues of identity, self-worth, and belonging, she discovers the power of resilience and the importance of finding hope in the darkest of times. With its poignant exploration of themes such as trauma, forgiveness, and healing, "The Fragility of Light" is a deeply moving and thought-provoking read.