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tanaz_masaba's review against another edition
5.0
Phoebe Unfired has to be one of the most wholesome, heartwarming stories about friendship, family, love, and overcoming trauma. It is one of those books you know is going to be an instant hit the moment you start reading, and I have no doubt it is going to be one of my favorite books of 2021 already.
Set in a post-COVID world, the story follows Phoebe as she struggles to make friends while battling her germaphobia. Our poor girl developed the phobia after infecting her younger brother with Covid-19 and nearly losing him as a result. The book revolves around her, and her best friend Walter who also suffers from general anxiety disorder, and how the two of them help each other overcome their demons and have some semblance of a normal life.
The representation of mental health in this book was absolutely spot on. I loved how the writer handled such a delicate topic with nuance and sensitivity. She makes it very easy for the reader to not only sympathize with Phoebe and other characters with mental health issues, but she also makes you empathize with them and helps you see the world from their perspective.
I loved the fact that she does not show any one-size-fits-all solution, and I loved how the romance in the story does not take the spotlight away from the main story, which is Phoebe's personal struggle with her phobia. I will admit, that when I first picked up this book, I was a bit concerned that the love interest will be a typical knight in shining armor who magically cures our protagonist's mental health issues, but that was not the case at all.
Far from it, the love interest is simply one of the sweetest fictional characters I have ever had a crush on who supports Phoebe and gives her the motivation to continue to work on overcoming her fears. He shows Phoebe, and the readers by extension, that there is no shame in needing special accommodations. He shows her that her anxiety does not make her a burden because when we love someone, we always make compromises for them without a second thought.
Another thing that I really loved about this book was the family dynamics. In many young adult books, we barely see the family being actually present in our protagonist's life. But in Phoebe's life, her family plays a big, active role, which was both realistic and sweet to see because we were able to see how Phoebe's anxiety disorder affects them all as a unit.
I loved how supportive her parents were, and at the same time, I noticed their subtle but obvious willingness to put Phoebe's life on hold if it meant keeping their other child safe. It is unfair, yes, but parents are not perfect and it was nice to see the author acknowledging that.
The bond between Phoebe and her brother was also just too sweet, and it broke my heart to see how her disorder would cause rifts between them occasionally.
And of course, the relationship between Phoebe and Walter is yet another highlight of this book. It seems unlikely that a 64-year-old man and a teenager can become best friends, but Amalie Jahn shows us anything is possible when two people show compassion and understanding towards each other.
This goes for all the supportive characters too; they were well-developed and played an active role in the plot and in helping Phoebe's overall character growth too.
My only issue with this book perhaps is that it is never clear what Phoebe's ethnicity is. The reason why I am even bringing it up is because the writer clearly states that the love interest is a person of color, Walter is Jewish...but when it comes to Phoebe, we can only guess that she is Asian based on the kind of food her mother is cooking. I felt like this was a huge missed opportunity to clearly show some Asian representation. Especially because the writer specifically showed us that they normally eat Asian food for dinner, so it really did not make sense to me why she did not make Phoebe's race clearer.
All in all, this book is a MUST READ you guys, especially if you want a lovely, hopeful story about healing and recovery. The ending was very realistic, and it will leave you with warm fuzzy feelings and the hope that things can get better, if you keep on trying to overcome your demons.
Set in a post-COVID world, the story follows Phoebe as she struggles to make friends while battling her germaphobia. Our poor girl developed the phobia after infecting her younger brother with Covid-19 and nearly losing him as a result. The book revolves around her, and her best friend Walter who also suffers from general anxiety disorder, and how the two of them help each other overcome their demons and have some semblance of a normal life.
The representation of mental health in this book was absolutely spot on. I loved how the writer handled such a delicate topic with nuance and sensitivity. She makes it very easy for the reader to not only sympathize with Phoebe and other characters with mental health issues, but she also makes you empathize with them and helps you see the world from their perspective.
I loved the fact that she does not show any one-size-fits-all solution, and I loved how the romance in the story does not take the spotlight away from the main story, which is Phoebe's personal struggle with her phobia. I will admit, that when I first picked up this book, I was a bit concerned that the love interest will be a typical knight in shining armor who magically cures our protagonist's mental health issues, but that was not the case at all.
Far from it, the love interest is simply one of the sweetest fictional characters I have ever had a crush on who supports Phoebe and gives her the motivation to continue to work on overcoming her fears. He shows Phoebe, and the readers by extension, that there is no shame in needing special accommodations. He shows her that her anxiety does not make her a burden because when we love someone, we always make compromises for them without a second thought.
Another thing that I really loved about this book was the family dynamics. In many young adult books, we barely see the family being actually present in our protagonist's life. But in Phoebe's life, her family plays a big, active role, which was both realistic and sweet to see because we were able to see how Phoebe's anxiety disorder affects them all as a unit.
I loved how supportive her parents were, and at the same time, I noticed their subtle but obvious willingness to put Phoebe's life on hold if it meant keeping their other child safe. It is unfair, yes, but parents are not perfect and it was nice to see the author acknowledging that.
The bond between Phoebe and her brother was also just too sweet, and it broke my heart to see how her disorder would cause rifts between them occasionally.
And of course, the relationship between Phoebe and Walter is yet another highlight of this book. It seems unlikely that a 64-year-old man and a teenager can become best friends, but Amalie Jahn shows us anything is possible when two people show compassion and understanding towards each other.
This goes for all the supportive characters too; they were well-developed and played an active role in the plot and in helping Phoebe's overall character growth too.
My only issue with this book perhaps is that it is never clear what Phoebe's ethnicity is. The reason why I am even bringing it up is because the writer clearly states that the love interest is a person of color, Walter is Jewish...but when it comes to Phoebe, we can only guess that she is Asian based on the kind of food her mother is cooking. I felt like this was a huge missed opportunity to clearly show some Asian representation. Especially because the writer specifically showed us that they normally eat Asian food for dinner, so it really did not make sense to me why she did not make Phoebe's race clearer.
All in all, this book is a MUST READ you guys, especially if you want a lovely, hopeful story about healing and recovery. The ending was very realistic, and it will leave you with warm fuzzy feelings and the hope that things can get better, if you keep on trying to overcome your demons.
happi_mess's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is super cute!
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Rating: ★★★
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Phoebe Unfired is set post-Corona virus. Phoebe developed a phobia of germs ever since she got COVID and infected her younger brother who had weak lungs which almost resulted with him dying. Today, Phoebe tries her best to keep herself clean and free of germs in fear that she would bring another sickness in the house. However, this also meant that she's struggling to make friends. Her only companion is the bookseller who is her boss and is suffering from anxiety disorder. Together, they encourage and support each other and they come up with a plan for Phoebe to make friends.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
This book is very easy to read with lots of representations. I like how mental health is portrayed here. We really get down to the nitty-gritty of Phoebe's thoughts and emotions in different circumstances. While Phoebe's goal of keeping her brother safe and healthy, it also truly heartbreaking to realize how much a family member can go and go through to ensure that they would not bring damage.
Reading this book also made me miss pre-COVID world. It's thought-provoking in a way that you would realize how much you took things for granted before and think about if the world is really going to go back to the way it was. This book is also cute with a violinist love interest. JP is a great character and he understood Phoebe well.
One of the critiques that I would give this book is that when I first started this book, I truly hoped that it would not be about a romance possibility that would push her to help herself change. Perhaps she would make a friend in class first? Her growth is very gradual and believable.
Another critique would be, the writing is direct to the point. I only wish that there had been more color to it.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
In sum:
This is an important read to have in this crucial time of the pandemic. It creates awareness of what other people go through during this unfortunate time. We have to be conscious of what we feel and what the people around us feel as well and that we have to gain more understanding with people that have mental and health issues. I recommend this book to everyone, specifically for YA readers and people who like direct to the point storytelling.
This book is super cute!
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Rating: ★★★
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Phoebe Unfired is set post-Corona virus. Phoebe developed a phobia of germs ever since she got COVID and infected her younger brother who had weak lungs which almost resulted with him dying. Today, Phoebe tries her best to keep herself clean and free of germs in fear that she would bring another sickness in the house. However, this also meant that she's struggling to make friends. Her only companion is the bookseller who is her boss and is suffering from anxiety disorder. Together, they encourage and support each other and they come up with a plan for Phoebe to make friends.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
This book is very easy to read with lots of representations. I like how mental health is portrayed here. We really get down to the nitty-gritty of Phoebe's thoughts and emotions in different circumstances. While Phoebe's goal of keeping her brother safe and healthy, it also truly heartbreaking to realize how much a family member can go and go through to ensure that they would not bring damage.
Reading this book also made me miss pre-COVID world. It's thought-provoking in a way that you would realize how much you took things for granted before and think about if the world is really going to go back to the way it was. This book is also cute with a violinist love interest. JP is a great character and he understood Phoebe well.
One of the critiques that I would give this book is that when I first started this book, I truly hoped that it would not be about a romance possibility that would push her to help herself change. Perhaps she would make a friend in class first? Her growth is very gradual and believable.
Another critique would be, the writing is direct to the point. I only wish that there had been more color to it.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
In sum:
This is an important read to have in this crucial time of the pandemic. It creates awareness of what other people go through during this unfortunate time. We have to be conscious of what we feel and what the people around us feel as well and that we have to gain more understanding with people that have mental and health issues. I recommend this book to everyone, specifically for YA readers and people who like direct to the point storytelling.
bibliomikee's review against another edition
5.0
Phoebe Unfired follows our female heroine Phoebe who has suffered trauma after she got Covid and infected her fragile brother Toby to near death, and because of that incident, she became germophobic.
TW: mental health issues
I honestly don’t know what to say anything about this book. This book talks about the virus which has destroyed so many lives today which is the COVID virus and is still spreading throughout the whole world or universe. This is my first encounter to have read such an important matter or subject which is relevant today because this book not just talks about the virus but mental health as well.
The entirety of this book? IT. WAS, REALLY. GOOD. GREAT! *CHEF’S KISS*
Even though I am not in the position to say this or I have no right to say this but the mental health portrayed here was really great and heartbreaking and the process of battling it was heartwarming. Reading this was a bunch mixture of heartbreaking, sad, happy, heartwarming, delightful, and sincere. I felt the heroine’s emotions and her character. I absolutely love Phoebe and her friends as well. They are very helpful and considerate to Phoebe’s defects/issues especially Walter and JP. They’re for keeps! The bond from family and friends was admirable, sweet, and adorable to bits.
Everyone should read this book. This book is very important and shouldn’t be missed! It’s an eye-opener, a hopeful heartwarming, light but full of substance story! I cannot recommend this enough!
Rating: 4.5/5 stars!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!
TW: mental health issues
I honestly don’t know what to say anything about this book. This book talks about the virus which has destroyed so many lives today which is the COVID virus and is still spreading throughout the whole world or universe. This is my first encounter to have read such an important matter or subject which is relevant today because this book not just talks about the virus but mental health as well.
The entirety of this book? IT. WAS, REALLY. GOOD. GREAT! *CHEF’S KISS*
Even though I am not in the position to say this or I have no right to say this but the mental health portrayed here was really great and heartbreaking and the process of battling it was heartwarming. Reading this was a bunch mixture of heartbreaking, sad, happy, heartwarming, delightful, and sincere. I felt the heroine’s emotions and her character. I absolutely love Phoebe and her friends as well. They are very helpful and considerate to Phoebe’s defects/issues especially Walter and JP. They’re for keeps! The bond from family and friends was admirable, sweet, and adorable to bits.
Everyone should read this book. This book is very important and shouldn’t be missed! It’s an eye-opener, a hopeful heartwarming, light but full of substance story! I cannot recommend this enough!
Rating: 4.5/5 stars!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!
inanutshell_'s review against another edition
3.0
Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review
This entire book - *chef's kiss*
Phoebe wasn't always a germaphobe. Not until she contracted covid which put her prematurely born brother toby in danger. Thus, began her journey of pathogen avoidance. She meets a sixty-year-old Walter who is suffering from anxiety. They hit it off immediately and help each other serving as therapists.
I love how mental health is portrayed here. The lengths Phoebe had to go through is truly heartbreaking. But there is something positive about this, the whole way the topic is dealt with is wonderful. The author approaches it with such care and sensitivity and spins a positive outlook on mental health.
Special shoutout to JP - top-notch character.
This entire book - *chef's kiss*
Phoebe wasn't always a germaphobe. Not until she contracted covid which put her prematurely born brother toby in danger. Thus, began her journey of pathogen avoidance. She meets a sixty-year-old Walter who is suffering from anxiety. They hit it off immediately and help each other serving as therapists.
I love how mental health is portrayed here. The lengths Phoebe had to go through is truly heartbreaking. But there is something positive about this, the whole way the topic is dealt with is wonderful. The author approaches it with such care and sensitivity and spins a positive outlook on mental health.
Special shoutout to JP - top-notch character.
emmyxreads's review against another edition
5.0
thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review! all thoughts and opinions are my own.
i wasn't too sure heading into this book, but i actually really loved it!
it's very relevant in today's time because it talks about viruses and pandemics and really gave me insight into what our lives could be like after covid-19.
the author did really well in how they described phoebe's mental illness, and it was a fantastic portrayal. i liked how they showed how anxiety was not something that could be cured easily, and how much it can really affect someone's life. it was represented well, and i liked how phoebe slowly progressed through the book with her anxiety. she had growth, as well as setbacks, and i was definitely rooting for her throughout the entire book.
jp was a fantastic character as well, and i liked how he did his best to support phoebe and understand her, unlike many others. he really showed how love and compassion could help somebody and turn around their life. walter was amazing as well, i loved how he showed that there are definitely different forms of anxiety and how different people will deal with theirs differently.
the ending was perfect, and ended on a positive and hopeful note. i would definitely recommend this book!!
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rkreads's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
Thank you to Netgally and the publisher for providing me with a arc in exchange for an honest review.
Overall I think the writing and pacing of this story were good but for some reason I was finding it a bit difficult to pick up the book again once I put it down. I just wasn't sucked in. On the other hand, that kind of makes sense-This is not an action packed book and it is not pretending to be.
Even though most of us did not have the same reaction to the pandemic as Phoebe, I think this book can really resonate with a lot of people. Many of us are finding it hard to adjust to "life going back to normal" or even being in a crowded room.
I really enjoyed how the author portrayed the importance of allowing people around you help you when you are in need. Climbing a mountain is always easier with a buddy. Letting people in and getting help from them does not make you weak, it makes you loved.
The depictions of anxiety, germaphobia, agoraphobia were handled really well and so was Pheobe's progress in trying to overcome her anxiety and germaphobia. There were a few times where it felt like everything was a bit too smooth sailing but overall her character development felt genuine and relatable. That being said, I am hesitant to recommend this book to people who are currently battling these issues or similar ones. The depictions of Phoebe's struggles would probably be triggering or at very least very challenging to read, to someone who is facing similar issues.
Thank you to Netgally and the publisher for providing me with a arc in exchange for an honest review.
Overall I think the writing and pacing of this story were good but for some reason I was finding it a bit difficult to pick up the book again once I put it down. I just wasn't sucked in. On the other hand, that kind of makes sense-This is not an action packed book and it is not pretending to be.
Even though most of us did not have the same reaction to the pandemic as Phoebe, I think this book can really resonate with a lot of people. Many of us are finding it hard to adjust to "life going back to normal" or even being in a crowded room.
I really enjoyed how the author portrayed the importance of allowing people around you help you when you are in need. Climbing a mountain is always easier with a buddy. Letting people in and getting help from them does not make you weak, it makes you loved.
The depictions of anxiety, germaphobia, agoraphobia were handled really well and so was Pheobe's progress in trying to overcome her anxiety and germaphobia. There were a few times where it felt like everything was a bit too smooth sailing but overall her character development felt genuine and relatable. That being said, I am hesitant to recommend this book to people who are currently battling these issues or similar ones. The depictions of Phoebe's struggles would probably be triggering or at very least very challenging to read, to someone who is facing similar issues.
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