One Carefree Day

By: Whitney Amazeen

Narrated by: Julie Niblett

Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Imagine being forced to face your worst fear.

For 18-year-old Willow Bates, anxiety is just a part of life. With her every decision ruled by intrusive thoughts, she's worried she sometimes seems a little odd. Despite Willow's efforts to hide her OCD from those around her, it isn't always possible. Her rituals are her coping mechanism, and Willow's past has left her with a lot to cope with.

But when Willow takes things too far, her mother breaks and gives her an ultimatum: Willow must finally start taking meds to treat her obsessive-compulsive disorder, or she'll have to move out within three months. But Willow is terrified of both options, and can't afford to support herself as a new cosmetology student.

Only when Theo Tate moves in next door does Willow begin to see hope. Theo might have a way for Willow to avoid taking meds and still resist her rituals. But falling for Theo is definitely not part of the plan. And mingling with him has risks not even Willow could possibly control, let alone be prepared for.

©2020 Whitney Amazeen (P)2020 Whitney Amazeen

A Suprise Binge Read With Real Heart

I'm gonna start off this spoiler free review by saying this: I didn't think I would like this book. I didn't think this was my style, and that the topic of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) would be weird or boring. Boy was I wrong.

The main character of Willow is oddly charming. Suffering from mental health issues could have easily made for a long, tedious reading experience, but instead came as a surprisingly different approach that immediately sets her apart from other main characters. While other books in this genre often depict the main character as quirky for seemingly no reason other than a personality trait artificially given to them, Willow earns her right to be dysfunctional. She is far from perfect, and she fails...a lot. This is one of the best aspects of the book for me. Willow seems believable, and it is deeply necessary that this is the case being that she suffers from OCD.

Speaking of OCD, the book handles it perfectly. Knowing more than my fair share about the subject, and frankly having had little real compassion or understanding for the people who suffer from it, had me ready to never give this book a chance. It just seemed like a topic I didn't wanna deal with. I am so glad I did, as it became my favorite part of the book by far. Learning how Willow reacts to different situations is riveting. Seeing how the OCD dominates her life is heart breaking. And seeing her attempts to break free made me cheer from the edge of my seat. Amazeen (the author) nailed this. Willow and the OCD is the beating pulse of the book, bar none. This is what kept me going, turning page after page, to see how Willow will react to each moment. What made this more satisfying is how the OCD is explained. From my experience in real life, people with OCD never tell you what their rituals are or why they do them. This could be just my experience, but nevertheless it made reading the book more fascinating. We get to know every detail about Willows OCD, and that just makes me satisfied, because it really feels like we are in her head.

Now for the rapid fire section. The backdrop of Cosmetology School was a very different approach that again, I thought would be annoying, but was good at not being forced into the spotlight. The character Ash was the perfect balance to Willow, as she represented what Willow could be if she gives up her OCD. If you like the young adult style of book, you'll love Theo. He's cool, charming, and snarky which is a welcome addition to the bad boy formula. The adult scenes don't feel forced, and are worded with class. No disgusting spoon fed nonsense here. And lastly, that twist got me. I don't often get got, but my mouth physically dropped. Good work Amazeen!

The only reason I gave the narrator 4 stars was I felt at the beginning she didn't differentiate the voices for some characters enough. This is often the thing I look forward to with audiobooks, but it quickly becomes good and you dont think about it any more. If you are looking for the next philosophical masterpiece, this book isn't for you. If you expect a sonnet of epic proportions, look away. The story can be formulaic, and some characters aren't fully fleshed out, but its nothing that diminished the overall story, nor does it bring you out of the book.

If you are looking for a page turner with substance, you got the right book. Looking for something modern that makes you think for once, this is it. I had fun, and you will to. Just read the damn book already.