I received a free audio copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. There are spoilers in the review.

When I read this description, I knew I wanted to read this novella.

Unfortunately what this book promised it didn't deliver. The story was promising, but it needs developed more. And the characters need developed. We didn't get a sense of the struggle that Reign went through. The reader saw difficulties that Reign encountered. But there was no depth given to the depression that she was living with. And it completely skipped the struggle she would have had when her friend committed suicide.

I was also shocked when the novella abruptly ended mid revelation of her dad's affair coming to light? Is it meant to set up a sequel?

There isn't a real closure for the story. This story might have done better as a novel with more de details.

I did enjoy the narrator, and I would love to listen to more books by her.

A brave, smart, truly honest glimpse into mental illness. Mental illness is one of the few diseases that tends to incite so much negativity, shaming and blaming the person who is suffering. That it is about body chemistry, ones own body betraying the person and not a “choice” not to “just get over it”. Suicide is a permanent reaction to a somewhat temporary situation. Trite, but true. Difficult, judgmental unaccepting parents who don’t listen and are unwilling to accept their children as anything other than their strict rigid plan for them, friends, being unsure of who you are, trying to discover what you want from life, dealing with fakery, lies, school, living on your own and yet having no control. So many subjects, some at the forefront, some alluded to for a college student. This may sound dramatic, but I think that parents and all college bound students should read, or as I did, listen to this novella. It could be a great conversation starter. I’m very much looking forward to what is next for Reigns parents. A quick listen well worth your time.

I am shocked that someone let this book be marketed as a book about depression, I was very interested in reading a book that would help people understand that depression isn’t necessarily caused by insurmountable problems, but can be caused by problems that SEEM insurmountable TO YOU, I was interested in reading about how a college age person navigated that. .... but that’s not what this was.

Aside from a two minute exchange right in the beginning. (Amounting to basically ‘Mom, I’m depressed’ ‘No you’re not”), there was very little discussion of depression at all and zero substantial discussion. Literally the first 85% of this book is about “the dark side of college that no one talks about” is a cliche ridden look at drinking and having sex which is the part of college literally everyone talks about.

(Spoilers Below)

At the 85% mark, the main characters best friend commits suicide. For a brief minute, I thought I was going to get a bit of a story of depression that got the serious conversation it deserves. It does not. It’s all cliche (“We should have seen the signs“, “Her parents didn’t approve of the fact that she was gay”, “We could have helped her”). Additionally, this part it is only a brief plot point on the way to the unbelievably absurd ending where a woman shows up at the main characters home with a two year old baby she claims was fathered by the main characters dad in some long extra marital affair. The main character’s mom takes out a gun and fires a warning shot scaring the woman off and then walks upstairs like nothing happens. The absurdity of the last five minutes of this book was so out of control that R Kelly’s joke of a song “Trapped in the Closet” came to mind. Sorry, not a fan.

4/5 ⭐️
Definitely hard hitting about depression, suicide, family issues, anger and a lot more. I really enjoyed this