Member Review
Review by
Andreea S, Reviewer
This graphic novel is now one of my favorite reads of 2023, and I was excited to learn at the end of the book that the author is a fellow Romanian (and also half Spanish, to be precise!).
I Feel Awful, Thanks tells a story of the resilience, courage and hard work involved to deal with depression and anxiety in a whimsical, magical universe. Our protagonist Joana is a witch, and a brilliant one at that. She has everything going for her - big brains, a great new job as potion maker in a new town, the best of friends, a new relationship with a dreamy guy. So there's no reason why she should be feeling anxious or spiraling into a deep depressive episode, is there? You know where this is going - of course there is.
Reason number one why I adored this book was the art. You see visual cues of Joana's composure breaking along the way. There's also an incredibly imaginative depiction of feelings as literal chests full of colorful personified blobs. Neglect or push them away for too long, and these feelings burst out of the chest and turn into uncontrollable dragons! And who better to help you manage your feeling/dragons but a dragon tamer (read: therapist).
Another thing I absolutely loved is the fact that the author didn't romanticize Joana's journey and experience in any way. There's people being toxic to each other, missteps fueled by good intentions and ultimately lots of self-destruction and the self-work and healthy communication to fix it all. You see other mental health workers not fit Joana's needs and that it sometimes takes a few tries to click with a therapist who works for you.
If that wasn't enough, you get a few bonus goodies at the end of the book - sketches of the characters, a few words about world building and the background story of Joana's universe and flavor of magic, and an interview with the author about the themes addressed in the book.
Loved every second of it! Recommended for fans of witchy stories, beautiful whimsical art, and excellent portrayal of mental health struggles and how characters overcome them. There is also a curated page of mental health resources you can reach out to if you or your loved ones experience any of these mental health challenges, which is a very welcome addition to any conversation about mental health.
✨ Disclaimer ✨ I received a free copy of this book and this is my honest review.
I Feel Awful, Thanks tells a story of the resilience, courage and hard work involved to deal with depression and anxiety in a whimsical, magical universe. Our protagonist Joana is a witch, and a brilliant one at that. She has everything going for her - big brains, a great new job as potion maker in a new town, the best of friends, a new relationship with a dreamy guy. So there's no reason why she should be feeling anxious or spiraling into a deep depressive episode, is there? You know where this is going - of course there is.
Reason number one why I adored this book was the art. You see visual cues of Joana's composure breaking along the way. There's also an incredibly imaginative depiction of feelings as literal chests full of colorful personified blobs. Neglect or push them away for too long, and these feelings burst out of the chest and turn into uncontrollable dragons! And who better to help you manage your feeling/dragons but a dragon tamer (read: therapist).
Another thing I absolutely loved is the fact that the author didn't romanticize Joana's journey and experience in any way. There's people being toxic to each other, missteps fueled by good intentions and ultimately lots of self-destruction and the self-work and healthy communication to fix it all. You see other mental health workers not fit Joana's needs and that it sometimes takes a few tries to click with a therapist who works for you.
If that wasn't enough, you get a few bonus goodies at the end of the book - sketches of the characters, a few words about world building and the background story of Joana's universe and flavor of magic, and an interview with the author about the themes addressed in the book.
Loved every second of it! Recommended for fans of witchy stories, beautiful whimsical art, and excellent portrayal of mental health struggles and how characters overcome them. There is also a curated page of mental health resources you can reach out to if you or your loved ones experience any of these mental health challenges, which is a very welcome addition to any conversation about mental health.
✨ Disclaimer ✨ I received a free copy of this book and this is my honest review.
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