Reviews

Chiara in the Dark by Maya Chhabra

zbrarian's review

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4.0

This was a Hi-Lo Novel in verse about a girl trying to understand why she has dark thoughts: about harming herself, her friends, people around her. With the help of a therapist and support from her family and best friend, Chiara is able to “control” these thoughts through ERP. She is diagnosed with OCD, which I learned doesn’t have to mean washing your hands, or doing repetitive actions over and over. I appreciate the way the author explains what is happening mentally with Chiara by using layman’s terms. A short novel in verse about mental health. Thank you for the ARC NetGalley.

TW: harmful thoughts against others/self

bookworm1914's review

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fast-paced

4.0

littleemc's review

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3.0

Such a great option for people who need hi-lo books. I love how this portrayed mental illness and I think Chiara's story is relatable for most readers. Dealing with mental illness setbacks do feel as though they come out of no where and I love finding stories that understand that.

I also LOVE novels in verse. I recommend them to everyone and I'm glad to add this one to the list. This definitely one educators and librarians should have in stock.

As a side note I think this would be great to have if your classroom/community has a large ESL community!

libscote's review

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dark emotional fast-paced

3.0

Chiara has a secret she doesn't want anyone to find out--she thinks about harming others from time to time and stresses about it. Eventually she asks for help and discovers she has a form of OCD.  She gets the help she needs and there's a light at the end of the tunnel. 

twiinklex's review

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3.0

3.5⭐️

Maybe if I stay away from everything,
everything that hurts,
it will stop hurting.


This commendable novel-in-verse provides a clearer and greater understanding about obsessive-compulsive disorder (specifically harm OCD). Despite being a novella, it's pretty comprehensive and covers not only what the sufferer goes through but also the stigma surrounding it, coping techniques and recovery journey. Definitely an important book that deserves more exposure!

z_brarian's review

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4.0

This was a Hi-Lo Novel in verse about a girl trying to understand why she has dark thoughts: about harming herself, her friends, people around her. With the help of a therapist and support from her family and best friend, Chiara is able to “control” these thoughts through ERP. She is diagnosed with OCD, which I learned doesn’t have to mean washing your hands, or doing repetitive actions over and over. I appreciate the way the author explains what is happening mentally with Chiara by using layman’s terms. A short novel in verse about mental health. Thank you for the ARC NetGalley.

TW: harmful thoughts against others/self

shealwaysreads's review

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2.0

This book didn’t work for me. It’s formatted in Hi-Lo and I just couldn’t dive as deep into the words as I craved too. I think had this been on audio then it would have blew me away. But hi-lo in book formatting just felt scattered.

Chiara in the dark does cover mental illness and dealing with it as a life time effect.

So please keep in mind the rating is based on my opinion. With that said the books didn’t work for me. I didn’t particularly enjoy it. But if your a fan of hi-lo poetry then this will probably be right up your alley.

Book 10 of 2022
Rating: ⭐️⭐️

claires_loveofbooks2020's review

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4.0

Great story in poem form about the stuggles of Harm OCD and a girls survival of having to deal with the thoughts that consume her.

bookishbug's review

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challenging dark reflective fast-paced

3.0

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