Member Reviews
This book is amazing everyone that struggles with mental health issues and feels like books do not have good representation please read this book it is one of the best if not the best rep I have ever read and the illustrations were so amazing. If you liked heartstoppers because of the mental health issues then you will love this as well.
Everything is OK is a must read for all ages. If you have ever suffered from depression and/or anxiety, you will constantly find yourself saying "that's exactly how I feel" as you read this graphic memoir. This is a 5-star read for me. The art is beyond beautiful. THANK YOU to Debbie Tung for reminding us that everything will be ok.
I requested this without even reading the synopsis because DEBBIE TUNG ❤️
In her most intimate comics collection so far, the author opens up about her struggles with anxiety and depression. She also shares what finally pushed her to seek help and her experiences with therapy. I found so much of this book to be deeply relatable, especially the parts about:
- Feeling compelled to be productive all the time
- Feeling undeserving of rest until you earn it
- The immense pressure to pretend that everything is ok
- The fear of allowing yourself to be vulnerable
Debbie shares coping techniques and useful advice from her therapist too, which I appreciate even though the book felt a little preachy towards the end. Also, her husband is so sweet!
This is a raw, honest and relatable graphic memoir that will provide much solace to those who have struggled with mental illness, the pressure to be productive and feelings of inadequacy. Maybe everything isn't ok...but they will be ❤️
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this. And thanks to Debbie Tung for sharing her journey. Depression and anxiety can be overwhelming and difficult to tackle; it's important to know that we're not alone in this and with the right help we can manage to forgive ourselves and find the right path to overcome our fears. I found her story very relatable, sweet and reassuring; I love how she uses colours to convey hope messages. I'll surely check out her other comics.
Mental health and depression are issues that have, until recently, been experienced privately, with very little understanding and compassion given to those who suffer. Through this vivid graphic novel, the author delves deeply into her own personal struggles, sharing bravely and vulnerably with the world the ways in which she has felt. The intense sadness, negative self-talk, and invisible pain are conditions everyone can relate to, whether at a clinical level or not. She also goes into detail about how she was able to come out of that dark place - specific strategies and ideas that can be implemented. I am profoundly grateful for this book; I know it will make a big difference to a lot of people.
4.25/5 stars!
“Recognize your uniqueness. Be proud of who you are, what you have, what your life is about, and what you want to pursue. Pay attention to your own path. You don’t need validation from others.”
This book contains: cute illustrations, depression, mental illness, feelings, being overwhelmed, big workloads and great partners.
I didn’t know what to expect when I picked this up, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised with this book!
This graphic novel is, in essence, a memoir. In it you’ll read about the author’s struggles with mental illness and depression and how she overcame those challenges in her life. She talks about how it started and how people’s expectations built up to her feeling overwhelmed and depressed. She then shares with the reader how she felt and how professional help was crucial in getting her better.
There’s a lot of great things about this book, but what I think makes this book so amazing is how relatable it is and how it almost works as a guide for other people going through the same situation. You get everything here: you read about how it started, how she felt and what she did to overcome it. Not only that but you also get great advice and motivation from her. She touches in a lot of important points like being aware of your internal dialog and taking care of yourself. I’m very glad there are a lot of inspirational and motivational moments in this book!
I was also surprised with the art and how it paired beautifully with the content of the book! It was simple, but beautiful. I really liked how the author used color to highlight the happier times and black/white for the times she was depressed. I also really liked the color scheme the author used for the novel! There’s a lot of purple, pink and blue.
While I was reading this, I kept taking note of the quotes that I loved and there were so many of them. So here are a few of my favorites:
“I used to see my sensitivity as a weakness. I’ve come to understand that it is also my strength.”
“It’s OK to not know what you’re doing. It’s OK to feel overwhelmed. It’s OK to feel scared and confused. It’s all OK.”
“I can be really hard on myself. But I’m still learning. I’m trying my best. And that’s what matters.”
“You are allowed to have a little cry. It doesn’t mean you’re not coping. It doesn’t mean you’re failing.”
I’m impressed. Now I have a great book to recommend to other people who are going through the same challenges. I think the author did an amazing job with this book!
***A big thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review***
This book is written with such gentle love. I found parts of the book describing aspects of depression that are so spot on but rarely talked about. She found a way to describe mental illness that makes those who can relate feel seen and those who can't understand better and then offers a whole lot of hope. I would very highly recommend this book to anyone.
It's like Debbie Tung was in my brain when she wrote this book! Mental health is so important to discuss, and Debbie does a beautiful job of illustrating anxiety and depression. I cannot wait to get a physical copy of my own so I can read it over and over.
This graphic memoir is eye-opening. The author takes us deep into her thought and feeling patterns regarding depression and anxiety. As the memoir progresses, the author unpeels layers of emotions, provides variations of thoughts and situations, reveals insights, and explores being okay with herself and her life. The comics themselves are wonderful, but certain panels had extra artistic oomph for emphasis. I’ll look into reading more books from Tung. I read this via NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher.
A book about mental health and coping with life after it. This book talks about assurances that everything will be okay, just take it slow and embrace it all. Love the illustrations as always by the author and artist but can't say it's my favourite by the author. All in all, recommend to read this book once its out!
This is a fantastic book for teenagers in particular, but anyone 13 plus who need support with their mental health. It shows a variety of sides to potential feelings, and shares the understanding that it is different for everyone.
For any negative thoughts there are supportive resolutions given and ways that people can help themselves or seek help from others. I will be sharing this with my own children to allow them to understand better and hopefully support their peers in these circumstances.
The words used are simple but very powerful and the illustrations compliment them perfectly.
This graphic novel memoir was illustrated and written by Debbie Tung and explores her journey through being diagnosed and treated for depression and anxiety.
As someone who struggles with anxiety too, Everything is OK makes me feel like I'm not alone. It made me feel understood and validated. It explores how some days are wins and some aren't, and how therapy can help assess mental health concerns and cope.
I love that the graphics were mostly gray-scale, but had pops of colors in the moments when Debbie was focusing on the good of life or how to treat yourself better despite the negative thoughts inside your head.
I never knew a graphic novel could be so impactful, but I think the author had the perfect mix of motivational statements while still seeing Debbie's journey progress. There were so many spreads that gave me goosebumps and made me tear up.
This is really fantastic. It's so wonderful to see someone being real and honest about their mental health struggles and what it's like to have depression and embrace your situation and get to a place where you can get help.
Society still hides topics like these, people are embarrassed to talk about their own struggles or aren't sure how to listen and help someone who is trying to talk about their situation, and this book portrays that so perfectly.
I'm so glad this exists in the world.
I loved this book so much. It is such an important book talking about anxiety and depression. Cannot recommend this book enough!
Book received for free through NetGalley
A required read. Love the art, story, and especially the message. Something that everyone feels at some time and perfect to feel less alone. So glad I came across this
This book! ❤️️ It was like I was looking at the mirror. It was like Debbie and I were the same person. I felt seen. I felt exposed.
Everything in this book is more than OK. I'm an introvert, and everything was so relatable. I kept saying YES while nodding as I flipped/swiped through the pages. It was like my life flashing before my eyes. It was amazing. It was comforting to realize that I'm not actually weird. And I'm not alone in having these self-defeating thoughts sometimes. Yeah, I did cry a bit. 😢
If you're an introvert, struggling with your mental health, or maybe on your way to getting better, this book is for you. I swear this book would help you change how you view yourself, your struggles, your life, and the people around you. A feel-good book that I would highly recommend to all introverts out there. 👍
Big thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing, for giving me access to the eARC of Everything Is OK by Debbie Tung in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review!
Everything is OK is the author’s personal story on her experience with depression and anxiety and how she learned to live with it.
Things I loved:
They main thing I loved about this book was the way color was used throughout it. I thought I was very creative, and it really helped me understand the emotions behind the words better and gave me a way to kind of be in the narrator’s shoes.
I also loved how anxiety and depression were talked about. I’m glad that therapy and its effects were showcased in this because I think that will really help readers who struggle with these things.
As someone who personally struggles with anxiety (and the occasional depressive episode), this book made me feel seen and like I wasn’t alone, so thank you for that.
I find it impossible to critique a person’s own life story because it is real life, so there won’t be a critical section of this review.
I loved this read, and I will be checking out the author’s other works!!
thank you to net galley for providing me with a copy of ‘everything is ok’ in exchange for an honest review.
debbie tung explores their personal struggles with mental health, specifically anxiety and depression. the illustrations were beautifully executed, i particularly liked the panels contrasting light and dark. despite the repetition, it conveys a crucial and uplifting message to those dealing with mental illnesses. although this was my first book by debbie tung, i am eager to look into more of their work.
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Graphic Memoir
While I don’t generally like giving stars to memoirs, this book is 10/10! Not only was the message great, but the illustrations were stunning. The watercolor was something of dreams. I loved how it captured the emotion of the book. As someone who deals with mental illness, the message couldn’t be better. Talking about the hesitation about a new therapist is on point. I loved that medication wasn’t the first resolution for her depression and anxiety. There is no cure. Medication doesn’t help if you don’t work on the problem yourself, and this book highlights that.
<i>Thank you to Debbie Tung, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.<i>
#EverythingIsOk #DebbieTung #AndrewsMcMeelPublishing #NetGalley #ARC
The art is absolutely stunning. The amount of emotion that is portrayed through this graphic novel is impeccable. The story I felt was a little drawn out and pacing wise a little slow, but I felt it matched what the author was portraying, how when a person is experiencing depression and anxiety they feel like days are zipping by and endless at the same time. The mind wants to run while the mind is crawling. I truly appreciate bringing this mental health awareness out!
**Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!