(Disclaimer: I wrote this on my beginner blog in 2015 at the age of 18. I haven't changed much.)
The Symptoms of My Insanity. Such a promising title. Such a promising cover. Such a promising snippet…
“A laugh-out-loud, bittersweet debut full of wit, wisdom, heart, and a hilarious, unforgettable heroine.
When you’re a hypochondriac, there are a million different things that could be wrong with you, but for Izzy, focusing on what could be wrong might be keeping her from dealing with what’s really wrong.
I almost raised my hand, but what would I say? “Mr. Bayer, may I please be excused? I’m not totally positive, but I think I might have cancer.” No way. Then everyone at school would know, and they would treat me differently, and I would be known as “Izzy, that poor girl who diagnosed herself with breast cancer during biology.”
But Izzy’s sense of humor can only get her so far when suddenly her best friend appears to have undergone a personality transplant, her mother’s health takes a turn for the worse, and her beautiful maybe-boyfriend is going all hot and cold. Izzy thinks she’s preparing for the worst-case scenario, but when the worst-case scenario actually hits, it’s a different story altogether—and there’s no tidy list of symptoms to help her through the insanity.”
No sooner had I caught my breath after rushing to the 80% off section at my local Chapter’s/Starbucks store than I saw this cover. Crazy font, contrasting colors, the word ‘Insanity’ sprawled across the front of a nice, thick hardcover book had me enthralled within seconds. I grabbed the last copy and was pleasantly surprised by the words ‘wit’ and ‘unforgettable’ coming up straight away on the back. I’d arrived with the intent on buying nothing, so leaving with a mere 4 books for 26 dollars was pretty impressive on my part… Regardless, I was most excited about Mindy Raf’s debut novel. I started it as soon as I got in the door (at 12am… shh, don’t tell my mother).
It was boring. There! I said it! Just plain boring. Within minutes of meeting each character I had pegged exactly what role they would play. The sick mother in denial, the best friend with a secret, the hot jock who’s (not-so-secretly) a total jerk, the selfish former best friend, the best friend’s brother who is the actual sweetheart. Most disappointing of all was the main character… what was her name again? Oh yeah, Izzy. She was THAT forgettable. Running from one thing to the next, each little dramatic episode cut short by the emergence of another. Don’t get me wrong, this book did cover a couple pretty serious topics, from sexual harassment and bullying to serious illness, but each event is seriously played down and not given the time it needs to pack a punch to the reader. Izzy’s thoughts are hurried and left me feeling confused, even with the straightforward plot.
Who was the target audience for this novel? I’m still not sure. Definitely not for the older teen. Izzy’s inner monologue seems too childish to be relatable to me or any of my classmates… but the content is also not for a child. Maybe a more mature 14-15 year old would like it. It was a quick read and was well worth the 5 dollars I bought it for, if only because it inspired me to rag on it online.
1.5 out of 5 stars. Predictable, flat, I don’t even think I chuckled once. I swear I’m not humorless either.
If you haven’t read it, don’t! And if you have, let me know what you think!
Happy reading,
Holly
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