Good afternoon friends and welcome. Thank you for stopping by last week for my garden blog. Today I’m presenting my review for Lacey London‘s ‘Anxiety Girl.’
This book is about a woman, Sadie Valentine, struggling with anxiety and depression. She loves to play at nightclubs and tease people. She is a painter who loves dark tones. She has trouble being by herself with her thoughts. She is constantly looking for ways to please her mother when all along she knows it is futile.
She gets overemotional over things that she has no control over and she dwells in the past a little too much, but that is her character. Her anxiety gets in the way of her doing things and she is never spontaneous. During panic attacks, she isolates herself and shoos away her friends. At the same time, she clings to people because she is afraid of being alone. At times she feels as though she were on a pedestal sitting in front of the entire world who is judging her for anything she can think of.
During the story, Sadie gains some strength and does some things that she never had the nerve to do before. This part of the story really touched my heart. With her newfound confidence, she soon sees positive changes happening. It is a beautiful process watching her grow.
A few secondary characters need to be mentioned. Aldo is Sadie’s best friend. He is a hairstylist and is very flamboyant. I really liked this character and love his energy. He offers her great support. He has a great heart and really cares about her. I loved the dynamics of their relationship. At times it was cat and mouse, but all in all, it was one that most people would be excited to have in their life.
Piper is a friend of Sadie’s. I found her to be rude and in your face. I didn’t like this at all and was wondering why Sadie would choose someone like her as a friend, given that she is so sensitive. In the book Piper says offensive things and then back peddles. This woman offers zero support for Sadie. Her lack of compassion was maddening.
The book is a serious read but full of heart. I really got to see Sadie deal with her anxiety on a daily basis. The story moves along at a moderate pace and kept my interest the entire time. As I read I felt more compassion for Sadie. I am recommending the story to everyone.
Here is an excerpt:
Sunlight floods the room as I run my legs over the soft sheets and inhale deeply. Slowly peeling open my eyes, I close them again as the familiar feeling of dread hits my stomach. I’ve tried to keep a strong front in place, but inside I am starting to crumble. With each day that passes I can feel the mask slipping more and more. It’s just a matter of time before someone points out the cracks in my positive exterior.
Blinking as I let out a yawn, I roll onto my side and stare out of the window. Fluffy clouds hang perfectly in the blue sky, tickling the tops of the trees in the distance. Hugging the pillow tightly, I have an overwhelming urge to tug the duvet over my head and pretend that today has been cancelled. When I felt down as a child, a simple bar of chocolate and an Enid Blyton book was all it took to lift my spirits. A smile plays on the corner of my lips as I remember the days where my biggest worry was getting my homework in on time. If only all of life’s problems could be solved with a simple sugar hit. Hearing voices in the living room, I grab my dressing gown from the back of the door and rub last night’s mascara from beneath my eyes.
Five stars.
I want to thank you for stopping by today. Be sure to visit next week when I’ll be featuring author CL Cattano.
Until, next time,
Lynn
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