Reigny Days was not at all what I expected going into it… but in a good way.

Reign is off to start a new chapter in her life by going to college far from home… But not everything is as easy and as wonderful as she expected, because reality is very different.

It was good to see the representation of a black young-adult girl (Reign) struggling with mental health as she enters her freshman year at college and to see the many difficulties that Reign has to overcome and go through, from depression, anxiety, toxic relationships and family complications.

I cannot say too much about it, because it’s so short that saying much more would be a spoiler.

But I definitely recommend this book, be it in audio format or physical, to anyone who want to hear about a very accurate depiction of reality that more often than not goes unnoticed or is dismissed by people.

And I definitely need to read the following books in the series, because the ending of this book left me very intrigued and interested to continue to follow Reign’s story.

I have to point out this book shouldn’t be read by teenagers given some of the topics and language, or at least not without adult supervision in order to then discuss these same topics.


TRIGGER WARNINGS: Mental Health Topics, such as Depression and Anxiety, Toxic Relationships (both family and romantic relationships), Suicide, Homophobia, Some Profanity/Adult Content and Language


Thank you to NetGalley and Seasons Publishing for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

#ReignyDays #NetGalley

When Reign, a young woman of color, starts collage she realizes its very different from high-school. After speaking with her advisor,she starts counseling. Her mother doesn't understand what Reigns struggles are. This is where we meet Reign in this book as she faces other struggles.

Unfortunately, I was not a fan of this novella. It touched very briefly on depression, but the focus was much more on the life of a college freshman.. Filled with language, sex and alcohol, it just wasn’t the book I was expecting and even though it was short, I was unable to finish it.

Reigny Days is an 86 page Novella centering around the college years of the main character, her relationships with others, and her depression. This is book 1 of a series & there was a great cliffhanger and I’ll be looking for book 2!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ADC on audiobook, unfortunately I was unable to download the audio version, so I read the story through kindle unlimited.

A five star as this is a subject that needs to be open and free for all to get help in. If you read this a feel you want to reach out to get help or to help another then it has more than severed you well and helped to make the wheels a better place.

A hard hitting story about depression, suicide, family issues, anger and much more. I found this book a difficult listen and struggled with the narrator.

This book really wasn't for me. I had a very hard time relating to the narrator, which was surprising given that we had some similar experiences in college. I found her overly whiney and the book to me was more complaining about the "dark side" of college rather than struggles with depression. The parts that were about depression felt cliched, perhaps because I couldn't actually relate to the story. I can't say that Baker was a bad writer, but I wasn't the target audience.

This novella touches some heavy subjects and a lot of things are happening to the main character or around her.
Might have been better to explain a few things a bit more but overall I “liked” the story.

Also thought the narrator was very good.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I gave Reigny Days by Brittany Baker Novella a 3.5 stars. Addison Elise "Reign" is struggling when she gets to college to find herself and her ability to be successful in all aspects of her life. Depression was not discussed or accepted in her parents' world so she had to learn about it herself through self-discovery. Finally during her junior year, Reign tried to re-establish herself using coping mechanisms and friends. This is a short story about the realities of life and young people at college when they thought they had everything figured out yet didn't and don't know what to do about it.

I wanted a bit more to the story because it is an important and real situation many people are in. It is worth the read to remind ourselves that we can't ignore conflicts that people have to deal with and hide from even their greatest of friends and family.

Thank you NetGalley and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks for allowing to listen to this book for an honest review.

Reigny Days
The Reign Series: Book One
Author: Brittany Baker
Narrated by: Lacy Laurel

The story:
Reign is a typical teenager embarking on a new life at college. The story includes the usual challenges of moving out from the family home but is also deeper – it looks at mental health issues, sexual consent, suicide and family relationships. It is well told and kept my interest.


The narration:

The narration is very good. Clear and concise and read at a good pace.

3* from me.

Reigny Days is the first novella in the Reign Novella series. I listened to this on audio and it was right around 2 hours longs. Perfect to listen to while I did some organizing today!

Addison Elise 'Reign' goes by Reign with her friends. She is a junior in college and having a bit of a personal crisis. She feels lost and depressed and her mom won't support her in her feelings. Reign is also trying to navigate her relationships with men, with an ex who suddenly steps back into her life.

The novella tells of Reign trying to find her footing and determine who exactly she is and what she wants. This was a short but impactful #ownvoices novella with an important message about mental illness and seeking support. Reign learns how important it is to share one's feelings with friends and family to find support.

This is a heart felt, deep, own voices novella that everyone should read. The author portrayed REAL life and real struggles that POC face when dealing with mental health.

I liked this book I feel like it really gives light to mental health and how not having the support needed to deal with it can affect a persons circumstances no matter what advantages they may have. I feel like it gave a true portrayal of what a person in mental health crisis looks like there is definitely a lot left unsaid in regards to the ended of the book and its clear it may lend itself to a series but its still lacking something there. I feel like it lacks the closure it needs and falls apart there. I would have also liked a little more exploration of a couple of the main characters as there was a really big incident that happened and it was kind of left there with no reconciliation of it, I just feel like some aspects were very rushed.

Reigns Days
I received this audio book from #netgalley to review. I found it to be relatable as someone who deals with anxiety and depression. It was taken back by the way it ended as at first I didn’t realize it was the first in a series.
I will read book two when it comes out.
Narrator did an excellent job with the story

*received for audiobook for free from netgalley for honest review* Really important book to read! being from Michigan too is another reason i really liked this book, want to check out the rest of the series!!

Wow, I was not expecting much from this book, and I really, really enjoyed it. I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could.

As the description states and other reviews mention, this book is about a college student dealing with depression, a challenging family dynamic, and the usual ups and downs of college life… Though maybe a bit more downs than ups.

In just a short novella, the author is able to tell a very compelling story. I was invested in Reign’s journey and in her friends’ experiences as well. I felt that sense of connection you have when a friend is looking out for you or when they’re dealing with something and you’re not sure how to help. I don’t want to say too much because it’s easy to spoil a novella, but let’s just say that I audibly groaned (in an appropriate-to-the-book way) during some pivotal scenes.

There is a lot packed into this, and I would really enjoy a longer, fuller version where there is time and space to explore. It’s almost too much for one book, which is the only reason I wouldn’t give it a full 5 stars. Still, I would definitely keep reading to stay in this world and spend more time with Reign.

My main critique has nothing to do with the writing and instead with the cover. To me, the cover does not at all match the tone and substance of this book. It gave me slow, contemplative historical fiction vibes, where the book is more hard-hitting contemporary vibes. I saw the cover for the follow-up, which seems like a much better fit.

Brittany Baker brought to life a very relatable story. It was about the pressures, expectations, and consequences of trying to live up to those expectations a young black girl experienced over the course of her college years. The author's goal for Reigny Days was to define the real dilemma of how mental illness was and still is often ignored and pushed under the rug by members of minority communities. I was immediately drawn into Reign's story. This was the first novella in this series. It was narrated by Lacy Laurel.

Reign's diagnosis of anxiety and major depressive disorder was revealed early on during her freshman year of college. She was attending the University of Illinois and although she was a bright student, her college courses were proving to be more than challenging. Reign was at risk of being put on academic probation when she was finally advised to seek help for her condition. Although Reign learned how to accept and live with her mental illness through prescribed medication and weekly visits to a school psychologist her parents chose not to acknowledge Reign's diagnosis. Her parent's high expectations for her and denial of her diagnosis led Reign to keep her medication and sessions a secret from her parents. Her relationships with various male students during her college years were also often misread by Reign. This caused her emotional distress and anxiety and made her question her choices, decisions and the reality of how she perceived .those relationships.

I was surprised by the abrupt ending of this book until I realized that this was the first in a series of three novellas about Reign, her family and her mental illness. This book was about mental illness and how it takes a back seat in minority communities. It was about family dynamics, friendship, toxic relationships, the reality of college life, suicide, and sexual awareness and coming to terms with it. I anxiously await the sequels to this novella.. I highly recommend it.

I received a complimentary audiobook of Reigny Days by Brittany Baker from Seasons Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Loved this story. Hoping there is a sequel..i need to know what’s going to happen when her dad gets home..he’s in trouble for sure!

Holy depressing. I had to take a break before completing this just because it was so raw and emotional that it made my whole being feel so sad. It was great at getting those emotions and feelings across but it felt unfinished and not complete.

Reigny Days is a book about depression. Reign becomes depressed in college and her parents do not believe in depression or mental health issues. Reign has a lot she deals with in this short novella.

I really enjoyed Reigny Days and think Brittany Baker did a great job discussing difficult issues. Depression, anxiety, and suicide are discussed in Reigny Days.

Lacy Laurel did a great job narrating. Her voice and tone fit the story. I enjoyed this novella better as an audiobook.

Thank you NetGalley and Seasons Publishing for Reigny Days.