The Existence of Amy by Lana Grace Riva Review (Review)

Hello Readers,
Thank you, Lana for sending me a copy of your book The Existence of Amy for free in exchange for an honest review.

Today I have another wonderful book by the lovely Lana Grace Riva, this book is about five times longer than her first book (Happier Thinking). I was so excited when Lana emailed me asking if I would take a look at her second book.
Honestly with in the first couple of pages, I could identify with Amy and I was ready to fight her corner and if I’m honest her story struck a chord (Hello to all my fellow anxiety warriors). Amy is so easy to relate too and the situation she has found herself in. Amy can remember a happier time in her life and is wishing for the happier times to come back (We’ve all been there Hun). It was so easy to get emotionally attached to Amy or at least feel empathy and it honestly felt like she was a friend. I found myself glued to this story as I wanted to discover more about her and how she balances her OCD and depression with her normal life. 

All Amy wants is to feel is “normal”. Her brain has complete control over her, it’s almost like she can’t think independently of her daily struggles with her Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and depression which leads to anxiety. There were times where Amy was having a conversation with her brain and it is a little heart-breaking and realistic.

Lana does an excellent job getting Amy’s voice across. You honestly feel everything that Amy goes through on a daily basis. I also liked the raw way Amy talked about her experience of living with OCD and depression. I found that to be very realistic and the concepts of the two different illnesses were honestly presented.

Without spoilers, Amy sinks to her lowest point. However, despite her feeling alone and blocking out the world (Again some of us have been there). Amy doesn’t realise she has good friends, colleagues and a whole army of people there to support and help her.

The entire story is from Amy’s point of view and thanks to Lana's writing I really felt like I was transported into Amy’s head. This is the kind of book that you can enjoy in one sitting it was such a wonderful and easy read. I think the representation is really good and I can easily recommend  this book it if you are looking for a mental health book. On a slightly selfish note I kind of wish that it was a bit longer as I wanted to spend a little more time with Amy.

L x 

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