Eliza and Her Monsters: Book Review

 

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5

This book easily goes to the list of my favorite YA Contemporary that deals with Mental Health. I can't believe I cried four (4) times!

"I don't want to be the girl who freezes when confronted with new friends, or the outside world, or the smallest shred of intimacy. I don't want to be alone in a room all the time. I don't want to be alone in a room all the time, even when there are other people."

The story revolves around Eliza Mirk who is already in her senior year of high school and described by her classmates as the creepy girl who has a secret hideout in the sewers. A quiet, shy and weird girl who experiences anxiety. However, everyone doesn't know she's LadyConstellation, the anonymous creator of the popular web comic Monstrous Sea. When Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea's biggest and popular fanfiction writer, transfers to her school everything starts to change, build and fall apart.

I love this book. It's just really incredible to find a book that gets you. A book you can relate to. Like how the way it puts into words the feelings you have always bottled up and unable to voice out. I honestly feel for Eliza, especially how she handles anxiety, the way she overthink what other people might say and whenever she gets frustrated with her parents when they forced her to do the things she don't like and just don't understand her. I can relate to those things in a certain level except when her sanity begins to fall apart.

Aside from tackling mental health, I love how this book included different relationships; parent and daughter, between siblings, friends, between an artist and fans, and romance. Moreover, the characters were absolutely real. I just love their life experiences and flaws. Also, I can't deny the fact that I find it cute when Eliza and Wallace were exchanging a piece of paper as medium of communication. Wallace somehow helped Eliza to break out from her shell, slowly. And of course, Max and Emmy (Eliza's online friends) I truly appreciate them because they were always there for our main character. Even though they haven't met in real life, readers can feel the sincerity of their friendship.

 "I do have friends. Maybe they lived hundreds of miles away from me, and maybe I can only talk to them through a screen, but they're still my friends. They don't just hold Monstrous Sea together. They hold me together."

It's seriously not a joke when I said I cried 4 times. I was deeply moved by this book and it was just so real. The first time I cried was when Wallace sent an email to Eliza on Christmas night. The email contained Wallace's past and it broke me when I finally knew the reason behind why Wallace doesn't talk when he's in a see of strangers. He just opened himself to Eliza and let her know the true him. It was beautiful and authentic. The second was, when Eliza's younger siblings Sully and Church stood up for her by letting their parents realized what they have done and throwing a bucket of truths. This confrontation was intense and heartfelt as well because they truly cared for their big sister.

"Anyway, if you need to, like, talk to someone, you know where to find me and Church."

The third one which I cried hard, when Eliza was in her car and stopped at Wellhouse Turn. She felt really tired and had a thought of ending her life. I suddenly felt the character's emotions! She had the thoughts but then she didn't. I was relief and grateful she didn't.

"Not today, I think to it and it's pretty memorial. You can't have me today."

The fourth (and last one) was towards the ending. Eliza was feeling much better. The relationship with her family, friends (online and offline) and with Wallace was improving, and I was genuinely happy for her that I cried again. I was definitely rooting for her from the beginning until the very last page. I know that it wasn't easy for Eliza but she tried and did not let the monster within succumb her.

"I think this will be okay. I think it will be strange, and probably scary, and I think there will be times where I think I am the worst person on the planet. But I think I will also love myself and what I've made, and I'll know without doubt that those two things are separate."

I think  this book did an amazing job in portraying a character who has anxiety and finds comfort in using the internet instead of interacting in the real world. Francesca Zappia's writing style was on point, simple and it makes the story easy to follow and understand. It was actually fast-paced and readers can finish it in one sitting, but I really savor each page that I don't want it to end. Plus, the illustrations were fantastic! The author conveyed the message of the book and described what it feels like to have social anxiety and panic attack, and the plot as well as the characters were really well done.

I genuinely love and appreciate this book!

Spread love and goodness as always,

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