Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

An Emotion of Great Delight by Tahereh Mafi

19 reviews

s3lin's review

emotional reflective

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Islamophobia, Self harm, Toxic friendship, and Grief

Moderate: Medical content and Mental illness

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Hate crime

rey_therese07's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Car accident, Drug abuse, Medical content, Physical abuse, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Police brutality, Racism, Religious bigotry, and War

creatingavery's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Tahereh Mafi has truly some of the most beautiful and heartbreaking prose I have ever read. I was holding onto every word in this story. This book was HEAVY but I couldn’t put it down. I was so invested in the characters. It wrecked me in the best possible way, and I don’t think I will soon forget this book and the world it showed me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Islamophobia, Mental illness, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Car accident, Death, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicide, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Medical content and Physical abuse

ceecee9093's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Grief, Islamophobia, Child death, and Death

Moderate: Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, and Self harm

Minor: Car accident, Cursing, and Suicide attempt

janial58's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

This was beautifully written, yet incredibly sad! Wish we got to explored more situations because many things were left open at the end. However, I don’t think it takes away from how emotionally painful this novel was to read at times. Gorgeous writing! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Islamophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, and Self harm

thebakerbookworm's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Though short, this book packs an emotional punch that you won't soon recover from. It felt like reading Shadi's diary; there are other characters and though they're complex, no one gets as much development as Shadi. We see things only from her perspective, and grow and grieve with her.

There's not a ton of stuff happening plot-wise, and don't go into this expecting a neat resolution with everything tied in a bow. This one definitely has more of an open-ended ending—but I thought it was a nice reflection on real life, where nothing is ever resolved easily, especially grief and complex family relationships. It's also well-written, so if you like things more on the literary side, but with a touch of that young adult feel, you'll probably like this.

Thank you to Libro.fm, Harper Audio, and the author for my ALC.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Death, Grief, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm

Moderate: Medical content

stevielynne's review

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Car accident, Child death, Death, Grief, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Blood

betweentheshelves's review

emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

 Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of this to review! I loved Tahereh Mafi's last foray into contemporary, and I was super excited for this one. As expected, it was a very emotional journey with a lot to unpack.

Every time I read a book by Mafi, I'm always in awe of her prose. It feels so poetic, and that shines in this book. Her prose lends itself to the emotions in this book, bringing them to life. Shadi is hurting, and you can feel it through the pages of this book. She misses her brother, she misses her friends, and she's angry with her father. An Emotion of Great Delight is such a fitting title for this book, and definitely the strength of the story.

This book is also a great study in character. We learn a lot about Shadi throughout the book, as it flips between before and after her brother's death. The landscape for Muslim people right after 9/11 is so realistic in this book. Mafi's books definitely stand out in this regard, as I don't think I can think of any other books that deal specifically with that time period. You feel Shadi's desire to hide, to blend in. This is definitely an emotional, character driven book.

The only complaint I really have is the ending. Overall, the book is on the shorter side for YA, and the ending comes kind of abruptly. At least, it felt abrupt for me. There's a little resolution in Shadi's situation, but I never really felt like Shadi herself had a resolution. While I normally don't mind open endings, I just wanted a little more from the ending in this book that was so incredibly emotional.

All in all, if you're looking for an emotion driven book with poetic prose, this is the book for you! Plus, that cover is just gorgeous. 

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Wow, this ends so abruptly. Mafi's prose is so poetic and emotional, I'm just confused by the ending of this book. More to come in a review next week!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Islamophobia, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Medical content

leahjanespeare's review

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is a truly special story. Shadi has endured, and continues to endure, such traumas I could not even begin to imagine experiencing. Yet while I read her story the intensity of each page had me feeling the anger in my chest, the rain pouring on my freezing skin; the pure exhaustion of existing. Mafi has a way of describing feelings and emotions akin to poetry that is as heart wrenching as it is beautiful. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, and Xenophobia