CW: alcoholism, suicidal ideation, mental health struggles, loss of a parent, loss of a child, car accident

In some ways, it's difficult to write a review for Love & Panic because it was so.... heavy. There is so much pain and grief and trauma that it almost feels wrong to say I "enjoyed" reading it. But on the other hand, there was hope and love and acceptance so it still held so much promise.

Natalie is an agoraphobic and hasn't left her apartment in three years. She's suffered through different traumas and has decided the safest way for her to cope with life is to just stay home. While it seems extreme, the more you read of Natalie's story, the more you understand the reasoning behind her choices.

Dean is an alcoholic who drinks to forget and as a way to punish himself. He doesn't believe he is deserving of a future and drinks heavily in hopes of accepting his fate sooner rather than later.

When Dean and Natalie meet completely by chance, they form a unique relationship borne of necessity and eventually, shared understanding. Like the content warning above indicates, Love & Panic deals with some very, very intense and triggering issues.
BUT.
Raina Ash handles these topics in such an organic and transparent way. I would recommend Love & Panic to anyone suffering from anxiety or anyone who loves someone with anxiety. Ash paints such a vivid picture of what it feels like to live within the bubble of crippling and often incoherent thoughts and yet the way she describes Natalie's anxiety and thought processes makes her anxiety so understandable. And I love Natalie is still a person full of humor and optimism and just genuine enjoyment of people. It's a true testament of the juxtaposition of an anxious extrovert. But for Natalie, it works.

Dean's alcoholism is handled nicely in my opinion as well. I love how Raina Ash allows her characters to do the hard work of healing. Love & Panic is not a story of "conflict - hey! therapy fixes everything - and then we live happily ever after." She shows the reality of finding the right approach, the right medication, and the right therapist for each person. And even then, there are still bumps in the road to navigate. Love & Panic is a love story - but a REAL love story with struggles and traumas and couples who do the hard work to be healthy as individuals to ensure each person is responsible for their own happiness.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pink Fox Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

wow. I absolutely devoured this book. It’s so unique, so beautiful and raw and painful. If you want a book with all warm soft moments and comedy it definitely isn’t that. It’s about two people overcoming their trauma, grief and fears together. What I loved the most about this book was that dean and Natalie both experienced loss and had setbacks but went through the proper channels to improve their life. They didn’t become unhealthy or toxic. I don’t know what else to say other than the fact that I highly recommend it because it’s so beautiful. Be aware though there are several triggers such as loss of a loved one, substance abuse and suicidal thoughts.

Absolutely loved this book. I hadn't read any of Raina Ash's previous books, but the subject matter of this one interested me.

I was not expecting this.

I have been on the couch for two days, absolutely captivated by this story - the characters were so compelling and relatable. I had some legit LOLs, and actual tears and heartache (well played).

It was really lovely to read a book with characters dealing with issues I could relate to, and their love story was so poignant. Slow burn is definitely a fair assessment - but it's worth it.

I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review, and will be purchasing a copy because this is one of my favourite books and I'll be reading it again. Now I'm gonna go get another Raina Ash novel because WHAT A RIDE.

This was actually so good, I was pleasantly surprised! The concept is so different than what I’ve been reading lately. Both characters are struggling with equally difficult pasts that have manifested very different outcomes in their presents.

My favorite romances usually ones that are quite heartbreaking and difficult and this one for sure fit the bill!