I have never read a Susin Nielson book before so I was excited to finally get to read one of her books, I have heard wonderful things from other people who have gotten the opportunity to read this book. There are many relatable things in this book, Petula and Jacob's relationship and how as it develops it persuades her to take more risk. This book is so unique, I can't wait until more people get the chance to read this book.

Petula has severe anxiety and OCD behaviors since the death of her little sister, for which she blames herself. She attends an art therapy group with several classmates, including a very cute new guy, who has secrets of his own.

Petula was a complex character who didn't always make the best choices. Her quirkiness and sharp tongue made her feel real. The minor characters had unique traits as well.

I enjoyed the voice Susin Nielsen gave Petula. The pleasant writing and steady pace kept the plot moving. I finished OPTIMISTS DIE FIRST in just a few hours.

My biggest criticism is that romance doesn't cure psychiatric disorders and I thought the ease at which Petula ceased most of her OCD behaviors with little work directly on those issues.

While I enjoyed reading OPTIMISTS DIE FIRST and would recommend it, the story is mostly forgettable.

While this book had a ton of cute, quirky, and relatable things going for it (hello crafting and cat videos and yelling at people who see the movie but don't read the book)...it kind of lost all its charm for me at the portrayal of anxiety. I thought this book would be about an anxious person, but Petula is WAY WAY WAY paranoid and it's written in a really glib "funny" way to make anxiety seem quirky and not, you know, something serious. I'm personally tired of this trope. It undermines what mental health matters really are and puts forth the stigma that they can be just "quirks to get over". Plus, with the help of getting a boyfriend, Petula's anxiety basically disappears from the latter end of the book. Hmm.

There is still quite a lot to like! I thought the mum's crazy cat lady thing going on was great, and how Petula and Jacob ended up filming cat videos, and how they named the cats after book characters. And Petula had a fun voice that was easy to read and I gobbled through the book in just a few hours. Plus it underlined the helpfulness of a good support group of friends who are there to listen, share experiences, and be there for you. So precious!

OVERALL: While I thought this book was cute and sad at the same time as it was uplifting, I couldn't really fall in love with it due to the shallow anxiety representation. It also felt a bit juvenile in tone for me, but that's just a persona preference so nothing I hold against it! I like mental illness books WITH HUMOUR, not mental illness books that make the illness the humour. But hey! Cat videos and crafting and it's set in Canada! And no one is a moose! Amazing!

I was instantly intrigued by the title and cover, but once I read the synopsis, I was sold.

Petula is quirky. I was 100% on board with her scrapbook and obsessions, even though they weren't healthy. There are a lot of odd characters, but they're all genuinely good people that I was easy to root for them.

The plot was engaging and I was definitely waiting for the other to drop. And sure, the constant mention of cat poop and crocheted items were something I could have done without, yet somehow it all worked.

Overall, it was a little heartbreaking, a little funny, and a whole lot of weird and a whole lot of heart.

**Huge thanks to Wendy Lamb books and NetGalley for providing the arc free of charge**

I'm a sucker for books like this, so I don't know how seriously you should take my rating. I am unabashedly biased towards books of this subgenre of YA contemporary. I wasn't crying buckets, but I did *actually* laugh out loud because of some of the zinger lines from awesome supporting characters in this great ensemble novel that is going to be compared to The Breakfast Club in some ways. I loved the two main characters.