I don’t and won’t talk about it a lot, because it is just the kind of person I am and, if you don’t ask, I won’t tell, but for the sake of this blog post, I’m going to say it again: I have anxiety.
I’m always seeking books with great mental health representation, as it is a topic that matters a great deal to me and, when I find this or these books that I can really, deeply relate to, well I’m thrilled and happy and, even if sometimes it’s intense and hard to read, it’s also so, so rewarding to find parts of yourself in the pages of a book.
I’m having flashbacks of Camp Rock and Jonas Brothers at the moment for a number of reasons you might be aware of okay excuse me while I quietly sob in a corner okay
Today, I thought I’d share some recommendations of young adult books I’ve read with anxiety representation. Obviously, these are personal thoughts and, if I related to these books and the way they portrayed mental health, this might not be the case for everyone. I hope you’ll enjoy this little list and please, please feel free to recommend more books to me in comments, if you have some. Always, always looking to make my TBR grow (even if it makes me have a bookish existential crisis afterwards, oooops).
Related blog posts : You can check out all of the blog posts in the Shattering Stigmas Event I hosted last October, if you’re interested in mental health, mental health books and more.
You can click on the covers to go to goodreads, if you want to make your TBR grow!
This blog post contains affiliate links. If you buy something on my recommendation, I will receive a small commission. Purchasing via these links will not cost you any extra and will help me cover the costs of book blogging. You will find more info on my privacy policy and disclaimer pages. Thank you!
Eliza and Her Monsters, Francesca Zappia
Status : Read | Rating : 5
My thoughts ? I have a special relationship with Eliza and Her Monsters, because it’s the first book I could really, really see myself into, a book that really, got me, somehow. This book has such an amazing main character, I adored the story, the characters, how realistic it all was and JUST READ THIS OKAY.
Read my full review of Eliza and Her Monsters ☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
How To Disappear, Sharon Huss Roat
Status : Read | Rating : 4
My thoughts ? This book isn’t really hyped, but if you ask me, it should be? I really found the social anxiety portrayal relatable and interesting, liked the story SO much and its characters, too and it almost made me cry. Definitely recommend.
Read my full review of How To Disappear – ☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
Starfish, Akemi Dawn Bowman
Status : Read | Rating : 4,5
My thoughts ? Starfish has been recommended to me many, many times and naturally, I was very nervous to read it. I’m SO happy that I did, because damn, what a book. The main character Kiko deals with social anxiety and I could relate to her so, so much. Moreover, this was a beautiful book to read with great writing, childhood friends and ugh I loved this.
Read my full review of Starfish. ☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
You Asked For Perfect, Laura Silverman
Status : Read | Rating : 5
My thoughts ? this is a new 2019 favorite book and, if you ever struggled/struggle with overachievement and anxiety and academic-related anxiety, I 300% recommend that book. Even if you’re not. This is a stunningly good book with such great representation and I will be screaming about it for the end of times okay.
Read my full review of You Asked For Perfect ☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
I Was Born For This, Alice Oseman
Status : Read | Rating : 5
My thoughts ?Okay, I’m far from being an international star from a boys band, buuuuuuut… one of the main characters in this incredible book, Jimmy, deals with anxiety and panic attacks and I could relate so badly it hurted sometimes. SUCH a brilliant book, friends. Also, boys band and fangirling books are so my thing.
Read my full review of I Was Born For This☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
Under Rose-Tainted Skies, Louise Gornall
Status : Read | Rating : 4,5
My thoughts ? I already mentioned this book recently, but I found the way it tackles mental illness absolutely brilliant. It deals with anxiety, agoraphobia and OCD in such a realistic, engrossing, heartbreaking way, I loved it SO much. It can be an intense and triggering read, but it’s really, really good.
Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
Queens of Geek, Jen Wilde
Status : Read | Rating : 4,5
My thoughts ? I love Jen Wilde’s books SO much. Queens of Geek was my very first book by her and I fell in love with these characters. Taylor, one of the main characters, has anxiety and I could relate to her a whole lot and also I adored her. This was such a sweet, heartwarming book.
Read my full review of Queens of Geek ☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
Final Draft, Riley Redgate
Status : Read | Rating : 4
My thoughts ? Another slightly underrated, but really amazing book here, friends. I really liked everything this author wrote and Final Draft was no exception. This book has a main character dealing with anxiety, especially when it comes to her writing and hello me and this also had the cutest f/f romance and diverse characters and such a good book!!
Read my full review of Final Draft. ☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
Emergency Contact, Mary H.K.Choi
Status : Read | Rating : 5
My thoughts ?This book has a texting romance and college-aged characters and the softest romance and ughhhhhhhhhh AND it has anxiety rep, too and it is one of my favorite books of all times and I don’t know how to talk about this without screaming so read this.
Read my full review of Emergency Contact. ☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
Am I Normal Yet?, Holly Bourne
Status : Read | Rating : 4,5
My thoughts ?THIS!BOOK!SO!GOOD!!! The main character deals with OCD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder and, well… this was not an easy book to read, at times, but it was such a good, important read and a great portrayal of mental health, too. Definitely recommending it to everyone.
Read my full review of Am I Normal Yet? ☂️ Buy on: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop – Blackwell’s
Some YA books with anxiety rep that I haven’t had a chance to read just yet
Did you read any of these books? Did you enjoy them, or do you want to read some of them?
What are some books with mental health rep – especially anxiety – you’ve read and loved? I would love some recommendations, so let me know in comments!
I love Fangirl! Cath’s college experience is very similar to mine. I still need to read Eliza and Her Monsters. I’m glad it’s realistic.
That’s good to know, I really need to read this book! I hope you’ll give Eliza a try, I love it so much <3
Thank you! 🙂
Truly Devious’s protagonist suffers from anxiety. It’s one of the first time I ever read about a panic attack as it happens to somebody. I also think Turtles all the Way Down has a protagonist with anxiety, but I’ve not read that one yet.
This is a really good list to have! I don’t personally suffer from panic attack-inducing anxiety, but I find it fascinating and something important to discuss because you never know who has it and who you can help by being a sympathetic shoulder to lean on <3
Oh I didn’t know that, thank you! I’ll have to check out that book. I have read Turtles yes and I loved it so much, such a good book <3 I hope you'll give it a try 🙂
Exactly, I mean it's not something that you can see firsthand and it's important to talk about it, too. <3
Thank you so much, Laurel! 🙂
Eliza and Her Monsters was also the book that made me feel represented in a way I had never been before. Sure, I don’t have comics that are world-famous but seriously, that representation mattered so much because I could see myself in Eliza.
I’m 200% with you here, I could see myself in Elia in a way I had never seen myself before in books and I loved that. I’m glad you did , too <3
Lovely post, Marie! I love your picks. I really need to read You Asked for Perfect ?
Oh thank you so, so much! I hope you’ll be able to read it soon, I love it SO much <3
There are so many books on this list I still have to read! I think one of my favorite books dealing with anxiety is probably 10 Things I Can See From Here by Carrie Mac. I really related to the main character in that book. I just bought You Asked for Perfect today so I can’t wait to start it! Great list – I’m adding the ones that I haven’t heard of to my TBR list now!
Ohhh I haven’t read that one at all, thank you SO much for the recommendation! 🙂
I can’t wait for you to read You Asked For Perfect, I hope you will love it 🙂
Thank you, Kelly! 🙂
I really appreciate this post. I’ve read a few of these – I was just talking about Eliza and her Monsters with someone today! – and am always looking for more books to recommend books to my students. You Asked for Perfect is now top on my TBR!
Oh this makes me SO happy, thank you Danielle <3
I can't wait for you to read You Asked For Perfect, I hope you'll love it 🙂
Eliza and Her Monsters has been on my TBR for ages now, I don’t know why I haven’t read it yet ?
AHHHH YOU SHOULD! It’s fantastic and I loved it so so so so so much. 😀
I really like any books by Gretchin Rubin, whom is a non-fiction writer who writes about habits, happiness and tendencies. She has some really good ideas about overing coming any mental disorder and helped me accept that I am always going to have depression and anixety but they don’t have to rule my life. Keep on reading and remember to always be true to who you are.
Thank you so much for the recommendation and for your sweet words, this means so much <3
Ugh wow, some of these books are ones that really spoke to me and helped me come to terms with my own anxiety too. Eliza and Her Monsters was also one of the first books that I REALLY saw myself in, to an extent that it was almost hard to read (but of course I loved it). And IWBFT just felt so real and relatable. I can’t wait to read You Asked For Perfect because I feel like it’ll be exactly the type of book I need!
Ahh I’m so happy you could relate to so many of these books, too <3 I can't wait to hear what you think of You Asked For Perfect, since you seem to like the same books as I do, I hope you'll love it, too 😀
Thank you so much! <3 <3
I haven’t read any of the ones you have read. A lot of them are books I want to read, though. I did read Upside and loved it.
Ohh well I hope you’ll enjoy them when you get to them! 🙂
thank you!! 🙂
Emergency Contact is high on my tbr list! I love the fact that it has collage aged characters, but I’m even happier to know that it’s a great representation of anxiety.
YAY I’m so happy to hear that – I can’t wait to know what you think of it 🙂
Thank you so much <3 <3
I love when the book has a character that has anxiety. I relate to it so much, and I honestly love it. There are few of these that I haven’t heard of and have added them to my list! Great post xx
Melina | http://www.melinaelisa.com
I hope you’ll love these books, Melina! Thank you so much for your sweet comment! <3 <3
I’ve only read two of the books on your list, but I’m definitely checking out some of the others! I also have anxiety, and I think it’s so important to bring awareness to it.
Agree, it’s so important to bring awareness <3 Thank you so much, Victoria! I hope you'll love these books 🙂
Eliza and Her Monsters is such an amazing story!
Right? I loved it SO much! 😀
Ah, thanks for this post! I’m always looking for books with mental health rep and I will definitely check some of these out!
Oh you’re so welcome, I’m so happy this could be useful to you! I hope you’ll love these books 🙂
Thank you!! <3
I agree, Final Draft is so underrated and the portrayal of anxiety in it was really good – at times it was so close to some things I experienced that it was difficult to read. My favorite portrayal ever is in The Dark Beneath the Ice by Amelinda Bérubé, but I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone because it’s horror inspired by the consequences of unhealthy coping mechanisms (specifically avoidance), so it’s really heavy
And I didn’t know Emergency Contact had a main character with anxiety, I should really get to it. Great list!
Oh I’m so glad to find someone that read Final Draft, it’s so underrated, I loved it 🙂
I hope you’ll read Emergency Contact, I love this book so much. And thank you for the recommendation – I think I’ll stay away though because horror isn’t my thing at all :/
Thank you!! 🙂
YEAH! How to Disappear was one of my favorites and I am delighted to see it on your list.
Such a good, underrated book! 🙂
I relate to the Camp Rock and Jonas Brothers feels lately … A great tragedy is that not all their albums are on Spotify 🙁 I’m so happy you were able to find books where you felt you were represented and you could relate to, everyone should be able to ♥ I have not read any of these books, but I’ll keep them in mind!
AHHH does this mean I’m allowed to scream/fangirl/freak out with you?! Haha. I can’t believe they’re not all on Spotify, that’s so weird :/
Thank you so much for your sweet comment, Noémie, this means a lot <3 <3 <3
Yes you can absolutely scream/fangirl/freak out with me all you like, please do! 😀
Ahhhhh I’ll remember that then, I’m just still freaking out and feeling like I’m dreaming hahaha.
Aaah, I LOVE this post! I really love books with mental health representation, and especially ones with anxiety, since those are the ones I relate to the most.
Malka has been telling me for *ages* to read Eliza and Her Monsters, so I guess I really have to get to that now. I also really want to read I Was Born for This, for some reason I just loovvve books with boybands? Idk why since I was never a boyband fan, but boyband books all the way ?
Oh thank you SO much Chana, this makes me so happy <3 and you HAVE to read I Was Born For This and Eliza, I adored both of these books SO much! <3 <3
Some really great books on this list! Definitely added some more to my TBR 🙂
YAY this makes me so happy! Thank you, Jessica! <3
I really need to read You Asked For Perfect–it sounds like basically my life with that overachieving school stress rip
Ughh I so get that, I’m so sorry! I hope you’ll read the book and will love it, but take care of yourself! It can be a bit triggering, too <3
Thank you so much for your sweet comment <3
Ooooo this is a fantastic list, Marie! Since I have some anxiety myself, I’m always on the lookout for books that have the representation, despite not reading them… oops. I absolutely love the sound of Riley Redgate’s books (I’m a sucker for cute books, don’t mind me at all), so I’m happy to hear Final Draft is amazing as well!
Oh thank you so much Sophia, I’m so happy you liked it 🙂 I hope you’ll find books you love there, Final Draft was really good 😀
This is such a great list, Marie! I did like quite a few of the books here, and your love for You Asked For Perfect makes me want to read it, especially since I haven’t had a single 5-star read in 2019 (excluding rereads!) *cries* Happy reading, Marie!!
Oh nooooo! Well I hope you’ll adore You Asked For Perfect, it’s such a fantastic book <3 <3
Thank you so much, happy reading to you too <3
Ahh I loved the rep in Emergency Contact so much (I honestly don’t understand when people don’t like that one haha) and Starfish was absolutely amazing and special. ? I have anxiety too so *sends hugs* it’s hard and really misunderstood and stigmatised a lot, but I’m glad we have books out there with epic rep!! I also really love the anxiety rep in The Raven Cycle.
I… I don’t really understand why people don’t like it, either, but well. I LOVE it so much ahha. 🙂
I’m so happy we have books with great rep, too, we need more of these for sure <3 <3 Thank you so much, Cait! <3
It is so great to see so many books with mental health representation and I love that people are able to see themselves in characters because it is horrible when you feel like you are alone in how you are feeling and it makes you think you’re wrong. So when you get to see characters like yourself I think it is amazing and I hope everyone finds that!!
This is a great list of recommendations and definitely has some books I would love to get to. I am hoping to go to the bookshop soon (and buy loads of books) and I am hoping emergency contact will be there because I really want to pick it up. It sounds really good. And I have heard a lot of good things about Alice Osman’s books. I am glad you enjoyed the Holly Bourne book– I really enjoyed her writing in the book of hers that I read!!
Great post <3
I’m with you on that, I hope that everyone can find books they see themselves in, it’s so, so important.
Ahhhh yay, I hope you’ll pick up a lot of books that you’ll love – I’d love to hear what you think of Emergency Contact and Alice Oseman’s books 😀
Which Holly Bourne book did you read? 🙂
Thank you so much! 😀
Yes it is super important!!
Yes I am excited. I look forward to reading them! Yes I would definitely share my thoughts on the books. I read the manifesto on how to be interesting and I have heard good things about Holly’s other books too.
You’re welcome!! <3
Ohhh okay that one sounds great! I’ll have to read it 😀
Thank you for this list, love! You know how much it means to me to see the conversation about mental health being continued and you’ve done a great job! I have Under Rose-Tainted Skies to read! xxx
Oh my sweechie thank you so much! <3 I hope you'll love Under Rose Tainted Skies 🙂
Eliza and Her Monsters was such a beautiful book. So is Under Rose-Tainted Skies. I loved them both so much! I’m really dying to read You Asked For Perfect. Sounds like such a fantastic read 🙂
http://tiffanysbookblog.com
oh I’m so happy you loved these as well! Thank you so much for your sweet comment, Tiffany! 🙂
(Having the same Camp Rock flashbacks and trying not to cry either).
Marie, I’m surprised you haven’t read Fangirl yet! I assumed you had, not only because it’s a super popular book, but also because I find it to be something you would adore: it’s fluffy and adorable and there’s a focus on fandom-life that I think it’s relatable for a lot of us, internet people.
Recently, I read Truly Devious, in which the main character has anxiety as well. I didn’t even know it going into the book and I was happily surprised by the representation.
During May, as mental-health awareness month, I’m planning to read only books with some sort of mental-health rep and I definitely got a lot of recommendations from this list! Eliza and Her Monsters is DEFINITELY happening, and hopefully Emergency Contact as well.
Amazing post as always! ?
WE CAN CRY TOGETHER AHHHHH.
I know, right, I’m forever disappointed in myself for that, I am really hoping to get to it this year, I feel like I would love it 🙂
Ohhh that’s so great, this is scuh a great idea. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on these books! Thank you so much 😀
Love this post so much! I definitely want to see more books with great mental health representation! Starfish and Emergency Contact were both such good reads. And I’ve been meaning to read Queen of Geeks for a bit now because UM DO YOU SEE THE COVER??? Hair goals. What I’d really love to see is more mental health reps in fantasy and genres that aren’t contemporary.
Oh thank you so much Madeline! <3
I love this cover SO much, definitely hair goals! I hope you'll give this one a try this year and will love it. And I so agree with you, we need more mental health rep in other genres, that's so important!
ahhh there are so many books on here that have been on my TBR list for waaaaay too long!!! I’ve been meaning to read HOW TO DISAPPEAR for forever; it sounds so cool. And I’ve also been super curious about Queens of Geek since I read The Brightsiders last year because I absolutely loved that book. I Was Born for This also sounds really good and I still need to read something by Alice Oseman.
I also must say I really liked Under Rose-Tainted Skies. I remember the writing being really good and also liking that even though there was somewhat of a romance, the main character wasn’t “saved” by it or other annoying romance mental illness tropes that I often find. I can’t speak to how good the actual agoraphobia rep was since I don’t have that, but just from an anxiety standpoint I remember thinking it was so accurate to a lot of things I’ve experienced. It was just a really great book and I’m so happy to see it on your list!
Oh thank you so much, Mel! I’m so happy you liked this and I hope you’ll give Queens of Geek, How To Disappear and most especially I Was Born For this a try, this last one is a favorite of mine <3
I'm with you on that, and that's why I appreciated this book so much, I loved that there was no cure or anything like that, it was so realistic overall. 🙂
Thank you!! <3
Wonderful list! I’ve only read Queens of Geek and Eliza and her Monsters, but loved both, so might give the others a try 😛 I’ve had my eyes on I was born for this by Alice Oseman for a while, too. I really enjoyed Fangirl when I read it, I hope you love it!!
Oh yay, I really hope you will give the other books a try and that you will love them as much as I did 🙂
Thank you so much for your sweet comment, Marta <3
I am always on the look out for more books with great mental health representation, and actually a lot of these that I’ve read are books which I’ve really related to in how they’ve represented mental health.
You Asked for Perfect is one of my favourite reads of 2019 as well, I just really related to Ariel’s character and his situation. Sometimes reading it made me feel stressed on his behalf. Also granted I’ve only read one of her books but I feel safe in saying Jen Wilde is an incredible author, and I know I’m going to love her other books.
Great post Marie, you’ve definitely added some more books onto my TBR list. 🙂 <3
I’m so happy to hear that you found bits of yourself in these books, too! You Asked For Perfect was so, so, so good. <3
Thank you so much, Beth!! <3
THIS IS SO IMPORTANT!!! my tbr just grew by a ton. I cannot wait to read these
Oh thank you so much! I hope you’ll love these books 🙂
Okay so half of these were already on my TBR & the other half were just added, lol. Thank you for your always awesome recommendations!! <3
Aww you’re so welcome, this makes me so happy, thank YOU! <3
I loved Starfish! I get terrible social anxiety too, so I could totally relate to Kiko when it came to the health side of things. I actually tend to avoid books that deal with anxiety because sometimes a panic attack being described in a huge amount of detail can trigger me. Hopefully I can work to not feeling that way because there are so many books out there that talk about anxiety.
Oh I get that, these kind of books can be triggering to read at times, it’s so important to take care of yourself first!! <3 I hope that you'll manage to find more of yourself in these books and be able to read them in a time that is good for you, too, your health always comes first! <3
Thank you so much for your sweet comment, Louise <3
I just read Fangirl, it was really good. I absolutely LOVE this list and I’m going to bookmark it. I have really bad anxiety and I love that there are books like this out there.
Ash @ JennRenee Read
Oh I need to read it!
It’s so great to find books we can find bits of ourselves in books, isn’t it 🙂
Thank you! <3 <3
Great list! Eliza and Her Monsters, Francesca Zappia is one of my top favorite reads! That book was amazing! 🙂
Ahhh thank you, so happy you enjoyed it 😀 <3
I’ve only read a few of these (Eliza, Rose-Tainted, Fangirl, and Upside), but I’m always looking for more great books that feature mental health, so I’ll definitely be checking the others out. Thanks for the recs!!
Oh you’re so welcome, I’m so happy this could be useful! Thank you, Nicole! <3
I’ve actually heard of how to disappear and had it on my TBR for a for a while, but sadly took it out because I had heard nobody talking about it. It’s back on it now, and I really hope you find more books you can see yourself in! It’s such a validating experience ?
Oh I’m glad it’s back on your TBR, it hasn’t had a lot of hype, but I personally really liked it 🙂
Thank you so, so much for your sweet comment Caitlin <3
Well, there goes another ten books into my TBR ? I think it’s so beautiful that the number of books with characters who have anxiety have grown so much that we can create book lists like these. Of course, there’s always room for improvement, but it makes me so happy how there are so many YA novels like this. ❤️ Thank you for this list, Marie!
Yay, mission accomplished! I so agree with you, I feel like there’s always room for improvement and more, but I’m glad I could find some books like that already. It’s so important <3
Thank YOU so much for your sweet comment, Zoie! <3
Oh I love this post so much Marie!! ?? I always love to find more books with great mental health representation, especially anxiety! That’s why I have been dying to read Eliza and her monsters, as I feel like I really could relate to it as well ? And I LOVE Queens of Geek so much, I could relate to it so so so much ?
Oh thank you so much, Caro, this makes me so happy <3
I hope you'll get to read Eliza soon, I adore it with all of my heart <3
Such a wonderful recommendation post, Marie! I really enjoyed Eliza and her Monsters, and hope to read Starfish soon! ❤️
A novel with great social anxiety rep I read and loved a few months ago, is Paper Girl by Cindy Wilson. It’s such a sweet book, and I think the anxiety rep is executed well! ?
Oh thank you so much, Kelly, and thanks for the recommendation! I haven’t heard of that one before, I need to check it out! 😀
I have anxiety too !! (though I blabble too much about it.. oops?)
Let’s see what’s on your list ! ;
Ouuh yesyes- Eliza was a good one for me too; Emergency contact & Starfish is already on my list of wanting to read; Under rose tainted skies is waiting for me on my shelf ..?
Added “how to dissapear” onto my virtual wanna read. aswell as “am I normal yet”
One that I appreciated a LOT was Reasons to stay Alive, though I guess that’s more depression ? though Matt Haig do deal with both of them; like me. it made me realize some things I felt wasn’t made up at all ! but was indeed part of the illness – where my psy was like “mmmh, idk man..” xD
Ahah well babbling is good, we need to talk about mental health more, it’s so important <3
I hope you'll love Emergency Contact and Starfish as much as I did, I loved these SO much! 🙂
I haven't heard about Reasons to Stay Alive, thank you for recommending it, I'll have to check it out 😀
Thank you, Kristina! 😀
I’ve heard LOTS of good, ad plus it deals with both anxiety and depression. also non-fiction.
That’s good to know, thank you! 🙂
Ohmigosh was an amazing list!! Emergency Contact is one of my fave books I’ve read this year!! I recommend Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella and also The Boy Who Steals Houses by Cait. (She’s amazing)
AHHH, I can’t wait for The Boy Who Steals Houses to be released, I loved Cait’s debut and I’m so excited for that one 😀 and I’ve heard a little bit about Finding Audrey, will have to add it to the TBR!
Thank you so much for the recommendations! 😀
Any time ??
I didn’t know that Emergency Contact and Final Draft both have anxiety rep! They’ve been sitting on my back burner for a while, but knowing this just moves them up in my (admittedly very long) head queue of books to read.
I’m so glad you made this post – and I’m so glad you’ve found so many books with anxiety rep that help you feel understood. Being able to relate to characters and their struggles is so damn important, and I’m glad that you’re boosting these books for other readers who might benefit from knowing they’re not alone.
Amazing post, as always <3
Ahhh I’m glad to hear that,I can’t wait for you to read both of these books – especially Emergency Contact, I love it SO much <3
Thank you so much, Christine, this means a lot <3 These kind of books are so, so important and I hope to find more and more out there <3
Thank you <3
Lovely list Marie! I was going to recommend Fangirl to you, but I see it is already on your TBR. I think you will really enjoy it. If you want a MG book rec, there is a book called The Goldfish Boy that has wonderful OCD & anxiety representation!
Thank you so much, Amanda! I know I really need to read Fangirl, hoping to do so this year, fingers crossed 😀
And thank you for this recommendation, I’ll check it out 😀
Thank you so much for this list, Marie! I have come to really appreciate anxiety and depression rep in books and lately have been actively seeking rep out for myself. I haven’t read any of these, so I have some reading to do!
I’d recommend the Truly Devious series (anxiety rep is AMAZING)
Oh you’re so welcome, I’m so happy this list could be helpful to you, I hope you’ll love these books! <3
I haven't read the Truly Devious series, need to add it to the TBR now 😀
This is such a wonderful list of books! I adore Emergency Contact and Eliza and Her Monsters too ❤️ Eliza’s one of the most relatable protagonists I’ve read about. I’m super excited to read Final Draft and I Was Born For This! I find it so interesting when books explore mental health and creativity, and how they impact each other, cause relatable content!!!
Oh thank you so much love, I’m so happy you liked this list! <3
I can't wait for you to read Final Draft and I was Born for this, both books were SO GOOD AHH I loved them SO much <3
Thank you!! <3
Wonderful list! I also struggle with anxiety (and panic attacks), so I really like seeing it represented in books. I’ve only read Am I Normal Yet? from this list and agreed, IT’S AMAZING. Underwater by Marisa Reichardt also has great anxiety representation!
Thank you so much, Kyra, I’m glad you liked Am I Normal Yet and I hope you’ll give these other books a try 😀
Ohhh that’s good to know, I haven’t heard about this one, will check it out 😀 Thank you! <3
This is such a lovely and important post! I really enjoyed Emergency Contact as well and I think that it does do a fantastic job of discussing anxiety. There are so many here that I have yet to read, so thank you for adding to my growing list! 😉
Oh thank you so much, this makes me so, so happy <3 I hope you'll find reads you'll love here! 🙂
Oh wow, you have anxiety and were able to read these? Girl, I wish I was as brave! In my case, they act as triggers, unfortunately… I’m still hoping to read one that will be relatable and comforting rather than upsetting! I might give some of these a go sometime, I mean, based on your post they sound really good 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing, Marie <3
I was, though I’m not going to like, with taking a lot of care, some of these books were a little triggering, at times. I’m glad I could read them, but I definitely recommend caution if you tend to be triggered by these themes <3
I hope that you'll give these one a try someday when you're feeling like it, they really were all amazing and I adored them so much, they were so relatable, too <3
Thank you so much, Sophie <3 <3
Ah that’s sensible! I don’t think I’d able to do it though ^^’ I might try one day, we’ll see <3
One day maybe, but take care of yourself, if you don’t feel like you can, it’s okay too, you always come first <3
This is such an amazing list and I agree that good representation is sooo important. I have anxiety too and reading about these characters and being able to relate is so important. I LOVED Eliza and her Monsters, I Was Born For This, Queens of Geek, and I really, really really want ot get to Emergency Contact soon!
Oh thank you so much, I’m so happy you liked this list! I can’t wait for you to read Emergency Contact, hope you’ll love it 😀
I AM SO HERE FOR THIS POST. Thank you for all the amazing rec’s! I also have anxiety and finding books that represent that feels so important and also helpful. Also, anxiety can affect people in so many different ways so I feel like I ALWAYS learn something new with these kind of books!
Definitely adding a few of these to my wishlist. 🙂
Oh Becky this comment makes me so, so, happy thank you so much <3 I hope you will read some of these and love them, please keep me updated when you do! 😀
I’m glad it made you happy. ? I will! I have just bought Under Rose Tainted Skies based on when you previously mentioned it!
Ahhhh this makes me SO happy <3 I hope you'll love it as much as I did <3
Why hello Marie 😉
I haven’t checked out these books yet, the other one I know which is more Middle Grade I suppose is Finding Audrey. I always want to read more YA books with Anxiety rep but it kind of triggers me as well so I have to be careful. I definitely am adding a bunch of these to my TBR though!
Fab post xx
HANNAH LOVE <3 It's been too long, I miss you, it's so good to see you here, I hope you've been well <3
I get that – some of these books can be quite triggering, not going to lie, definitely take care of yourself and read them when you feel ready! <3
Thank you so, so much love! <3 Sending you tons of love xx
Love this! Quite a few on your list that I still need to read.
Oh thank you, Ashley! Here’s to hoping we can read them soon 😀
This is a fantastic list that I especially like because it shows the huge difference in anxiety experiences as well as the variety of ways it can impact lives. I highly recommend The Upside of Unrequited Love – Albertini is amazing and anxiety isn’t really as big a part of the story as it is normalized through conversations between characters.
Oh thank you, so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂 You’re so right, every experience is different and it’s so important to showcast mental health in books, too. <3
I haven't read that book, thank you SO, so much for recommending it, I'll have to check it out! 😀
Great post! I’m always on the look out for more books with anxiety. My personal favourite is 10 things I can see from here by Carrie Mac , i definitely related to that one!
Ahh thank you so much! Oh, I need to check out that one, thank you so much for the recommendation 😀
Really great list! Eliza and her monsters is perfect for this and I really want to read rose tainted skies.
Oh I really hope you will manage to read Under Rose Tainted Skies soon. It’s a great, great, great book <3 <3