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The Symptoms of My Insanity

by Mindy Raf (Goodreads Author)

3.53 of 5 stars 3.53 · rating details · 87 ratings · 36 reviews

A laugh-out-loud, bittersweet debut full of wit, wisdom, heart, and a hilarious, unforgettable heroine.

When you’re a hypochondriac, there are a million different things that could be wrong with you, but for Izzy, focusing on what could be wrong might be keeping her from dealing with what’s really wrong.

I almost raised my hand, but what would I say? “Mr. Bayer, may I please...more

Hardcover, 384 pages

Published April 18th 2013 by Dial Books for Young Readers

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2013 Debut Authors (Young Adult & Middle Grade)

66th out of 210 books — 629 voters

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2013 Contemporary YA

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Apr 18, 2013 Steph Sinclair rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Contemporary fans looking for humor

Shelves: penguin, young-adult, 2013-release, contemporary, 2013-reads, girls-rule-and-boys-drool, i-really-enjoyed-it, original-and-creative, funny, gave-away

Actual rating: 2.5 stars

There are few books that I feel ever get the "teenage speak" right. There are even fewer that feature all those little awkward moments we've all dealt with in high school. Because let's face it, sometimes being a teen is awesome, but other times, it completely sucks. Really, really hard. The Symptoms of My Insanity takes a few of those moments and presents them in such a relatable way where I could sit back and go, "Oh, it's my teenage self all over again when I was socia...more

13 likes · like · see review

Apr 14, 2013 Jen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: high-school, relationships, romance, ya

Thanks to Netgalley for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was quite excited to read The Symptoms of My Insanity because of the many reviews that talked about how hilarious and clever it is. Maybe it's because I've read so many excellent books lately that are all about girls finding their inner power or maybe it was a tough week and my sense of humor was seriously damaged, but this book just didn't do it for me. It's not a bad book by any stretch of the imagination; it just w...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Shoshana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, young-adult

I came away from "The Symptoms of My Insanity" with very mixed feelings.

When I began it, I loved it, and some of that love stayed throughout. I loved Izzy's voice: it was fun, funny, and somehow fresh. I loved a lot of the early-presented problems: juggling too many requests on her time with none for herself, her mother's illness, her own hypochondriac tendencies, trying not to let people down... It felt incredibly real-to-life and I could easily see lots of my teenaged self in Izzy.

But at some...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 19, 2013 Aman added it

Shelves: dnf

Ugh, DNF at 40%

I don't even know how I'm going to explain this. It's just plain weird. The dialogues, the storyline, the characters are all very weird. This book is completely off topic from what the premises indicates.

A laugh-out-loud, bittersweet debut full of wit, wisdom, heart, and a hilarious, unforgettable heroine.

In the 40% I read, I didn't laugh out loud once or learned anything. The heroine wasn't funny at all and she was definitely forgettable.

Every scene is so over exaggerated and...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Sarika Patkotwar rated it 3 of 5 stars

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of Mindy Raf's The Symptoms of My Insanity upon request from Net Galley. We thank Net Galley for the book!

I was really excited to read The Symptoms of My Insanity when I came across it on Goodreads. It sounded fun, exciting and different.
When I read my blogger friend @ Enticed By Books, Aman's review (she was the one who told me about the book being up for request on Net Galley. Thank you, Aman!), I was a little apprehensive about starting it. But obv...more

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May 19, 2013 ExLibris_Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

3.5 Stars

You get right away that Izzy is dealing with a lot in her life. Her hypochondria is clearly a coping mechanism for an absent father and a mom who shields her daughters from the severity of her illness. Pair that with a body that she clearly isn't comfortable with and Izzy's ability to keep everyone happy becomes more and more difficult. Something that really struck me about this book was how funny the writing was. Even though the subject matter was very serious, Izzy's voice is laugh-ou...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Judith (Paper Riot) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: challenge-debut-author-2013, read-in-2013, reviewed

(Full review can be found on my blog, Paper Riot.)

First thoughts:
I liked the MC, but there was a lot going on. Too much? I haven't decided yet.

More thoughts:
I don't even know where to start. The Symptoms of my Insanity was a lot of things, and mainly - a lot to take in. The first pages made me smile of hilarity, the last made me smile of compassion, but there were some iffy moments in between.

Let's start simple. I liked Izzy as a protagonist. I am a tad disappointed by the fact that her wit, whi...more (Full review can be found on my blog, Paper Riot.)

First thoughts:
I liked the MC, but there was a lot going on. Too much? I haven't decided yet.

More thoughts:
I don't even know where to start. The Symptoms of my Insanity was a lot of things, and mainly - a lot to take in. The first pages made me smile of hilarity, the last made me smile of compassion, but there were some iffy moments in between.

Let's start simple. I liked Izzy as a protagonist. I am a tad disappointed by the fact that her wit, which I loved in the early part of the story, somewhat disappeared as I read on. This might be understandable considering her home life, but I thought that she needed a little more spark. Still, as a fellow hypochondriac (though I'm not as extreme as Izzy by far) and somewhat artsy person, I really appreciated her as a character. Her struggles with wanting to help others but needing time for herself and her fear of letting people down made me both relate to her and root for her. I wanted to protect her from harm as if she were my friend.

Another thing I really liked was the way women were portrayed in this book. Yes, Izzy's relationship with her mother, sister, best friend and ex-best friend were rocky and yes, I wish that girls in YA would just have each others backs instead of fighting all the time (what is up with that? Girls, you're supposed to be besties!). But these ladies all played a different and yet important part in Izzy's story. There was a moment in this book where the high school girls grouped together and stood up for each other that made me want to pump my fist and yell "girl power". (No, I didn't actually do that. I would have gotten some weird looks from the other people on the train, probably. I settled for smiling instead.)

The only thing that bothered me was that, for me, it was too much. We have Izzy's mom's illness, Izzy's important art project, the sudden fight with her best friend, the weird thing with her best friend's brother, the somewhat iffy relationship with her sister, the teenage sexuality thing, the newfound friendship with her ex-best friend, the romance (or not?) with the most popular guy in school, the preparations for the play and the dance... I would have appreciated a simpler approach, one that was mostly about Izzy's family. I even could have accepted the girl drama, had that been the main focus, but the thing with Blake was just too much for me. Maybe it my wanting to protect Izzy, but this girl seriously didn't need any more drama in her life. I was willing to break some faces.

Overall, I thought Izzy's voice was fresh and I love the way that art was such a big part of this story. I could really relate to her, and that's an important thing for me. The story of Izzy's mother made me sad and broke my heart a little. And I admired the way Raf took on such hard topics - illness and pressure are things that affect us all - but I wish the story would have focused more on some of these topics, instead of all of them. I think that by trying to tell all these different stories, the impact wasn't as big as it could have been. For me, that is.(less)

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May 12, 2013 Medeia Sharif rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2013

Izzy is a hypochondriac imagining herself ill with various diseases. She peruses online medical forums and pictures lumps underneath her flesh. One reason behind this medical obsession is her mother’s bout with cancer and the return of the disease.

Her body obsession flows into other areas. Let’s just say Izzy is voluptuous, the boys at school notice, and something private becomes public when someone in Izzy’s circle betrays her. She’s sexually harassed over something she has no control over, bec...more

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May 02, 2013 AnnaBnana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fiction

Izzy is a 16-year-old artist. Izzy's got drama with friends and boys, and to complicate matters further, her mom has a rare illness that makes Izzy obsessed with symptomaniac.com.

Izzy made this book for me. I liked her character a lot. I felt for what she was going through, and I enjoyed watching her relationships with all the people in the book grow. I think it's hard for adults to deal with, but in particular, Izzy's reaction to her short-lived relationship with Blake is super realistic. I thi...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Jaime Arkin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, 2013-april-release, have-this, dial, penguin, ya, contemporary, galley-arc, read-in-2013, stand-alone-books, sarc-2013, on-my-real-shelves

3.5 stars - If you're looking for a book with a refreshingly funny, sweet, snarky, and slightly awkward heroine then you must pick up Mindy Raf's debut.

In The Symptoms of My Insanity we meet Izzy who is an incredibly likable character. She's got a lot on her plate, her mom has been ill, (she's become a bit of a hypochondriac because of it) she's got to get her art portfolio prepared for an opportunity of a lifetime, and her best friend has volunteered her to help with the school play. On top of...more 3.5 stars - If you're looking for a book with a refreshingly funny, sweet, snarky, and slightly awkward heroine then you must pick up Mindy Raf's debut.

In The Symptoms of My Insanity we meet Izzy who is an incredibly likable character. She's got a lot on her plate, her mom has been ill, (she's become a bit of a hypochondriac because of it) she's got to get her art portfolio prepared for an opportunity of a lifetime, and her best friend has volunteered her to help with the school play. On top of all that, one of the popular boys suddenly takes an interest in her and she's not quite sure how to deal with it all.

I have to say that this is another book that tackles quite a few 'issues' specifically the issues that teen girls face daily. While it does that, I didn't feel like it bogged the story down at all. Ultimately it's about Izzy taking back her life. She's constantly giving of her time and energy, never focusing on herself and we get to see firsthand how that really is impacting her sanity.

I really enjoyed the humor and the way Raf took these serious topics, specifically teen sexuality and used the wonderful character she created in Izzy to lighten them up but still bring them to the forefront.

Izzy was my favorite thing about this story - like I said above, she wasn't the perfect heroine - she's a bit of an art nerd, a bit snarky and her voluptuous body makes her a prime target for teasing.

I'm about to ask Svenya if she feels anything suspicious when I look down and notice the cavernous cleavage I have from the monster-size underwire the Russians have strapped onto me. Holy cow! if one of these ladies dropped her pen right now, my breasts would swallow it whole. I'm like a living, breathing, busty Bermuda Triangle.

It did seem to me though, that some of her voice, the lightheartedness, the snarkiness, seemed to get lost midway through the book, and that is what drew me to her initially so I was a bit disappointed in that.

Overall, I think this was a good read... Izzy won me over and by the end I was feeling a bit insane myself, just experiencing everything she had. If you're looking for something that tackles some serious topics but does it in a funny and touching way, definitely pick up The Symptoms of My Insanity!

Thank you to Penguin & Dial Books for the advance copy for an honest review.

This review can be found on my blog, Fic Fare:

(less)

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Mar 31, 2013 Miriam rated it 2 of 5 stars

There's so much going on in this novel that reading it is almost as exhausting as the life the narrator leads. Her mother has an esoteric form of cancer, she's supposed to be preparing her art portfolio for a scholarship jury, her best friend ropes her into working on the school musical, she's being pursued by a really hot boy--or two?, her former best friend wants to be friends again--or does she just have ulterior motives?, her mother wants her to design the decorations and publicity for the s...more

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Apr 18, 2013 Deidra (Simply Books) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: net-galleys, 2013-contemporary, debut-2013, debut-author-challenge

Ok from page one, I was laughing out loud. In fact, I was laughing so hard that I had to read the first couple of pages to my mom, who was also began laughing out loud. Possibly, many people wouldn't enjoy the book half as much as I do *I have seen a lot of 3-Star reviews*. Still, I found the book to be one of the funniest books I have read so far this year.

Izzy is a sorta-hypochondriac, not that she recognizes it. She is constantly worrying about what is wrong with her. She is probably trying...more Ok from page one, I was laughing out loud. In fact, I was laughing so hard that I had to read the first couple of pages to my mom, who was also began laughing out loud. Possibly, many people wouldn't enjoy the book half as much as I do *I have seen a lot of 3-Star reviews*. Still, I found the book to be one of the funniest books I have read so far this year.

Izzy is a sorta-hypochondriac, not that she recognizes it. She is constantly worrying about what is wrong with her. She is probably trying to avoid the fact that her mother has a rare form of cancer. Plus she is running out of time to create a kick-butt art portfolio. Her best friend really wants a huge chunk of her free time for the school musical. And as always, there is a boy, though all may not be what it seems.

Maybe I am just a fan of snarky humor. Perhaps that's why I enjoyed the book as much as I did. I understand what it means to be clueless. I got Izzy. I really understood her crazy which is probably why I loved the book. Now granted, I'm not a hypochondriac. I probably don't worry enough about what's wrong with me. Still, when I've had people I loved get really sick, I wanted to do anything to make them better. And I definitely wasn't always able to see things right in front of my face during high school. Izzy may be quite the naive character, but it works.

I will say that I kind of knew where some things were going, and it was like watching an upcoming train wreck. I wanted to scream at Izzy, but still I loved her. A lot of girls will understand what it's like to be Izzy when it comes to her new-found love life. And so many of us can relate to the high school issues she faces. The book is a bit overwhelming because Izzy is facing so much. I can understand who it may be too much for some people, but I just rolled with it. The Symptoms of My Insanity is full of laugh-out-loud moments, clever wit, and relatable characters that are easy to love.

I sincerely recommend this book to any book lover who really enjoys contemporary and snarky humor and can handle the book drama. It's a pretty fabulous read! (less)

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Mar 21, 2013 Kathleen Pacious rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

Written in a highly entertaining style, Symptoms of My Insanity is about Izzy, a 16 year old who is dealing with relationship trouble and her mom’s cancer. Izzy’s voice is one of the highlights of this book. She is both believable and enjoyable. For that reason alone, Symptoms is a book I wish I could recommend.

However, because we identify with Izzy and how she feels, it is easy to get as mixed up as she does in dealing with her boyfriend issues.

The main issue happens when her new boyfriend, Bla...more Written in a highly entertaining style, Symptoms of My Insanity is about Izzy, a 16 year old who is dealing with relationship trouble and her mom’s cancer. Izzy’s voice is one of the highlights of this book. She is both believable and enjoyable. For that reason alone, Symptoms is a book I wish I could recommend.

However, because we identify with Izzy and how she feels, it is easy to get as mixed up as she does in dealing with her boyfriend issues.

The main issue happens when her new boyfriend, Blake, is dared to take pornographic photos of her during a hookup session. A photo then gets texted to everyone in their high school. Izzy thinks she is being used because he took the photos, ignoring the fact that their relationship became physical on their first date. Rather than demanding respect, Izzy tells herself she is naïve and babyish for saying “no” to going all the way and that something must be “wrong” with her for stopping herself. Forget about getting to know each other, respect, conversation, or interest; from day one, their relationship is all about physical attraction.

Besides two hookup scenes that are fairly graphic without “going all the way,” Symptoms is littered with sexual references (including oral sex) and jokes (Izzy’s curvy figure provides plenty of fodder) throughout.

Raf is trying to make a point and she gets it across well, about how friendships morph and change, rumors damage, and how emptying the partying lifestyle is, but she never shows how teenage love can be real without being physical. Although she suggests that sex has damaging consequences, ultimately it’s because the guy was a jerk in the first place and that if he’s the “right” guy, then there’s no chance of being used.

Symptoms of My Insanity could have been an entertaining YA novel with real characters who face significant challenges. It’s too bad that the focus gets lost in sexual situations which turn it into just another teen romance.
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May 03, 2013 Rachael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-books

Good, really good. So many things were going on in this book, but Raf pulled it together seamlessly I think. So, so proud of Izzy's growth in the book. Izzy was such a great character, I just loved her personality; she was so very real to me.
Spot on portrayal of the role and life a child when their parent is going through something absolutely devastating, both Izzy's and Allissa's experiences because really children each react differently to these types of things.
Also, that boy (and we all know...more

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Apr 26, 2013 Allison rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

This book made me angry--Izzy made me angry; the boys made me angry; Jenna, too. I just want to shake them and say wth is wrong with you?? (for a number of different reasons) So that kind of overshadowed other virtues of the book. It was funny, and all of Raf's depictions of the awkwardness and uncomfortableness of adolescence were great, but then... !!! and then it's all solved by some female (view spoiler) moment. However nice that cliche may have managed to be...more

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Apr 18, 2013 Book Twirps rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-150-challenge, earc-for-review, 2013-debut-author-challenge

Izzy is an average girl with an average life and above-average curves. She’s also a bit of a hypochondriac. When she’s not dodging the boys ogling her ample bosom, or working on her art portfolio, she scours the internet for possible explanations for a number of ailments she fears may be affecting her. A lot of this stems from the fact that her beautiful, perfect mother is suffering from stomach cancer. If it could happen to her, it could happen to anyone.

The only things that keep Izzy kind of s...more Izzy is an average girl with an average life and above-average curves. She’s also a bit of a hypochondriac. When she’s not dodging the boys ogling her ample bosom, or working on her art portfolio, she scours the internet for possible explanations for a number of ailments she fears may be affecting her. A lot of this stems from the fact that her beautiful, perfect mother is suffering from stomach cancer. If it could happen to her, it could happen to anyone.

The only things that keep Izzy kind of sane are her sense of humor, her best friend and hot guy Blake who has recently shown an interest in her and her art. But when things with the bestie and Blake fall apart and her mother’s health takes a turn for the worst, it’s all Izzy can do to keep herself from unraveling.

As far as the characters in the book go, I thought they were all fairly well drawn and interesting. I really liked Izzy. She’s self-conscious, a little self-deprecating and she wants to please everyone. I saw a lot of myself in her. I know what it’s like to want to help others, and I often put my personal needs aside to make sure everyone else’s are taken care of. I really liked her voice and I rooted for her, despite her being pretty naive and a little manic.

The rest of the characters all serve a purpose to the overall story, though, at times, I felt some of them could have been done away with. I just felt there was A LOT going on and the plot kind of got heavy with all of these tragedies. Had some of the storylines been reduced, I think some of these characters could have been cut without affecting the point of the story.

Ms. Raf has a great sense of humor and she perfectly captures Izzy’s voice. I knew her, I could relate to her and I felt for her. As I said before, I think the plot could have used some tightening. I got that the author was trying to show how Izzy put everyone’s needs before her own, but after a while it got a little too overwhelming. I think the most important part of the story was for Izzy to see that she was important, and that she was fine just the way she was and that sometimes we have to take care of ourselves. I loved the relationship she had with her mother and her sister. It was far from perfect, but her mother’s health problems added another dimension to it. I would have been perfectly okay if this had been the focus of the story and the issues with her BFF and Blake had been tossed out. They didn’t really add anything to the overall story.

Despite the weighed down plot, I did enjoy this book and a lot of it had to do with Izzy. She is an admirable and unforgettable character and for that alone, I would recommend this.(less)

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Apr 19, 2013 Juhina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: penguin, netgalley, review-books, ebook

actual rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Symptoms of My Insanity is a laugh out loud novel with a girl who is a hypochondriac. If you don't know what that is here is the definition:

A Hypochondriac is someone with an excessive preoccupation with and worry about one's health.

Basically Izzy is a girl who is so obsessive about her health that it preoccupies all her time and everything she does. This is mainly because her mother actually suffers from a rare illness and it seems like the only way she is able t...more actual rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Symptoms of My Insanity is a laugh out loud novel with a girl who is a hypochondriac. If you don't know what that is here is the definition:

A Hypochondriac is someone with an excessive preoccupation with and worry about one's health.

Basically Izzy is a girl who is so obsessive about her health that it preoccupies all her time and everything she does. This is mainly because her mother actually suffers from a rare illness and it seems like the only way she is able to cope with it is by submerging herself in medical forums and searching up every tiny and even imaginative symptom she thinks she has. I found that to be quite funny. One time she would be talking to the guy she likes sitting on a sofa but she would also be thinking of how dirty that pillow is and maybe she shouldn't lean too far back because she might contract a rare fungus that would make her drop dead or something. I really enjoyed these scenes. However I didn't enjoy the whole romantic plot in this novel. It felt a bit too predictable and forced at times. This is a book where I feel that the omission of the romance actually benefits the novel.

I did enjoy some of the characters in The Symptoms of My Insanity, specifically Izzy's mom's Yiddish talk as well as Pam, who is Izzy's mom's best friend. I loved how caring Pam was and wished I got to see more of her. Izzy's best friend was a bit annoying at times, especially when she kept on piling work on Izzy even though she knows she's already preoccupied with her mother's sickness as well as getting ready to complete her art portfolio that is due. There is also Marcus, who is Jenna's brother and potential love interest. He was very charming in a goofy kind of way. At times I also didn't like Izzy's monologues.
I have to say that The Symptoms of My Insanity was a bit too long for such a plot and I hoped some parts were omitted. All in all it was enjoyable, especially the humorous parts of the novel. It was also heartwarming, especially the hospital scenes between Izzy, her sister, and her mom. I did have some issues with it, but it was a great contemporary novel.(less)

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May 13, 2013 E. Anderson rated it 5 of 5 stars

I found myself describing this book to friends while I was reading it. Conversations went like this:

Me: I'm reading this super fun book!
Friend: Oooooh!
Me: It's this book about this girl who is an artist and there's a boy she likes and he seems too good to be true and then there's the fact that she has pretty intense hypochondria and her mom has this really weird cancer and --
Friend: I thought you said it was fun?
Me: Oh, yeah, I know all this serious stuff is, like, tragic, but, I swear, it's HIL...more

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Apr 17, 2013 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Yet again, my strong desire for a book stemmed from the awesome cover (not the final cover shown above) more than the blurb. Sure, the blurb is funny and all, but that's not what really raised my interest. This turns out to be yet another reminder that I should probably stop seeking out books that I wasn't especially interested in before I saw the cover. Though I didn't precisely dislike The Symptoms of My Insanity and some of it was quite humorous, I had a lot of issues with it as well.

What Min...more Yet again, my strong desire for a book stemmed from the awesome cover (not the final cover shown above) more than the blurb. Sure, the blurb is funny and all, but that's not what really raised my interest. This turns out to be yet another reminder that I should probably stop seeking out books that I wasn't especially interested in before I saw the cover. Though I didn't precisely dislike The Symptoms of My Insanity and some of it was quite humorous, I had a lot of issues with it as well.

What Mindy Raf does best are the funny, awkward scenes, and those are where she comes closest to capturing teenage life. The horrors of getting fitted for a bra, the discomfort with you body, and getting your long hair stuck on someone's glasses, prolonging an already tense moment. Those things work well, and Raf made me chuckle a handful of times. These small moments, the teasing and the day-to-day stuff are the aspects of The Symptoms of My Insanity that really worked.

For the most part, I feel like this novel couldn't decide whether to be serious or funny, and often ends up being vaguely disquieting, as the lighthearted tone jars with the serious subject matter. Mindy Raf attempts to tackle cancer, sexual harassment, friendship, and slut-shaming, all while keeping things funny, and the darker subjects do not get the respect they deserve.

Take, for example, Izzy's hypochondria, which she develops as a coping mechanism for her mother's slow but fatal cancer. Izzy started out researching her mother's disease, and gradually became a bit addicted to an online web diagnosis site, paranoid that every sniffle or stomach ache is an omen of disaster. Sure, hypochondria can be rife with humor, and Izzy's development of it in correlation to her mother's illness is convincing. What is less convincing is the way that, once a few jokes have been told at her expense and her hypochondria has been pointed out to her by more than one person, poof, it disappears. Awareness of a problem does not immediately conquer it.

Then there's Izzy's mother, who I suppose I ought to be sympathizing with, since she's dying a slow death from cancer. However, she is enormously hard to like, since she tears down Izzy's self-esteem left and right. Izzy's body issues mostly come from her mother, who suspects her of being a lesbian if she wears loose clothes and accuses her of being inappropriate if she wears anything tight. Apparently, if a girl has large breasts, wearing anything form-fitting or remotely low cut is inappropriate. Way to make her feel like her body is disgusting. Yes, Izzy's mom learns lessons about this in the long run, but, again, I felt like the denouement was rushed, and a bit unsatisfying, since it came basically two pages from the end after hundreds of pages of narrow-minded vitriol.

Most upsetting by far, though, is the plot line involving sexual harassment. Izzy ends up in a compromising position with a boy, very much against her will. Despite the fact that he and his friends have similarly harassed two other girls, her friends, Izzy doesn't report him or do anything other than give him the cold shoulder. Izzy and her friends are just sending them off to hurt other girls, because, if they hadn't learned their lessons hurting the two friends, they certainly won't have learned it now.

Along this vein, I don't think the female friendships were handled well. Jenna and Izzy are supposedly best friends, but neither one seems to care for the other at all. Jenna withholds information that could help Izzy avoid pain, all because Jenna felt neglected by Izzy over the summer. Now, I get feeling neglected, but the reason Izzy was so busy was taking care of her mother who was going through cancer treatments, so how about a little leeway. Yes, Izzy could have been more thoughtful of her best friend, but she also didn't know anything was happening. Of course, once Izzy learns what Jenna's issues were, she still doesn't inquire or support Jenna, so there's that. Meredith, who neither liked much at the outset, proved a much better friend to both, even they judged her unfairly.

The language is a bit stilted, and rarely does Izzy really coalesce into a character I had a strong handle on. Her personality doesn't seem particularly set in stone yet, and, if I were to describe her in one word, that word would be naive. So many things are going on that should be obvious to Izzy, like the issues with her crush or Jenna. I called what was up with both of them in their earliest scenes, but Izzy was completely shocked to figure out the truth hundreds of pages later. For all that she's concerned about her mom's health, that, too, takes her time actually believing that she's having health problems, despite the really obvious evidence and her obsession with all things medical.

Izzy's burgeoning healthy romance I did like. In fact, for once, I am wishing for more romance, rather than having that as the weak point in a novel. The scenes in which Izzy speaks with the boy are the ones where the dialog feels most natural, even in the way they end up saying the wrong things and fighting. They banter and have things in common the way that Izzy and the rest of her friends and family do not really seem to. Overall, there was an authenticity of character and emotion that was lacking.

I realize this has turned into a rant, but I did like parts of this novel quite a bit, and I do envision a good future for Raf as a writer. The humor is well done in places, and the tougher subjects show promise. The Symptoms of My Insanity tries to do too much and ends up not quite satisfying overall. Though I didn't end up loving this, I will be open to trying Raf's sophomore novel.(less)

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Apr 22, 2013 Joli rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, read-in-2013

Straight up - I loved this book. Mindy Raf has given us an extremely entertaining and enlightening story about how one girl deals with the pressures and anxiety of high-school, home life, and maybe a little hypochondria.

It's safe to say that Izzy is very developed, physically, for her age and everyone has an opinion about it - her mother, her sister, her friends, her friend's mother, and too many boys at school. While this seems like a small part of the story, it plays a major role in who Izzy i...more

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May 02, 2013 Gabrielle Carolina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: april, penguin, 2013, 2013-debut-author

3.5

Firstly I want to say I absolutely enjoyed reading this one; technically it was all there, an absolute 5/5. but I did have some problems with the resolutions, and serious lack of consequences/proper tone for the pandemic of douchery going on at Izzy's school. There is no way to write this review without touching on some spoilers, so please consider yourself forewarned!

(view spoiler)...more 3.5

Firstly I want to say I absolutely enjoyed reading this one; technically it was all there, an absolute 5/5. but I did have some problems with the resolutions, and serious lack of consequences/proper tone for the pandemic of douchery going on at Izzy's school. There is no way to write this review without touching on some spoilers, so please consider yourself forewarned!

(view spoiler)[ The Basketball team all has "tasks" to complete, which basically is all about molesting the girls each of them have a crush on and then to finish the job by publicly humiliating them all in different ways. Izzy, after repeatedly saying "no" and trying to get up from under the boy she's been on one date with, a picture is taken of her breast without her knowledge and then the photo is distributed to the entire school. In response to this the community calls for the girl responsible for the distribution of child pornography to come forward. So when Izzy tries to admit that it is her breast to the principal of the school, and the attitude is one of "sorry people were FORCED to look at my breast. It's all on me. I deserve punishment, and not protection. Her friends, her well-meaning friends, get all the young girls at school to say it was their breast so that Izzy won't get in trouble for the photo.

Obviously. Obviously! I have problems with this whole thing. As much as I enjoyed the tone of the story, the sweet, gentle junior-YA vibe about a hypochondriac navigating her mother's illness and her typical young-woman problems are not enough to face the meat of the issues Raf presented with the basketball team sexualizing and victimizing the girls at this school. The questions of how long has this been going on? How many girls are victims? And how far has it gone? Beyond being molested, have any girls been raped? Was Jenna raped, or did she actually want sex? That was never clear either. Of course none of the girls confide in grownups, none of them expose the "tasks" to an authority and this terrible cycle might just persist past Izzy's experience because of the well-meaning girls who didn't realize that instead of claiming they were each responsible should have shed light on the terrible, hidden rape-culture institutionalized at this high school.

Of course I'm proud of Izzy for over-coming the shame and claiming the photo as her own in a very unique way, but I wish so many other things for her and for the girls and young men who will come after her in that school. I also wish SOMEONE along the way of Symptom's publishing journey had seen how unresolved and irresponsible the plot thread became. (view spoiler)
(hide spoiler)](less)

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May 21, 2013 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Amanda Moon

Shelves: pre-ordered

Wow, what a great emotional, sad, funny, and tragic ride. I was a little apprehensive when I started this novel. Some of the reviews talked about the book losing momentum. However, I think it fit the subject matter. When an author tackles a subject as heavy as cancer it cannot be a fast-paced book. Cancer is slow and fickle. It is very difficult to balance a dense subject matter, such as cancer, and not have the entire book be dark. I think it is well balanced and a great story about growth. Let...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Bill rated it 2 of 5 stars

I just couldn’t get into this – god knows, I tried – and managed to read about a fifth – but then I got bogged down. You know why? It just didn’t sound real. It sounded like an adult trying to sound like a teen. I have taught teens for years and read hundreds of YA novels – this one doesn’t cut it. Oh, it's boring too.

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Apr 25, 2013 Stephanie rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: dnf, 2013

Far too much boring dialogue, dull characters, and not enough insanity. PSA to the author: both Arbor Drugs and Farmer Jack left Michigan years ago. I spent quite a while trying to figure out if The Symptoms of My Insanity took place in the early 90s.

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Feb 25, 2013 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-or-mg-reads

Even though things tied up a little too neatly to be true to life for me in the end- I work with junior high kids, so some of the actions were a little off the mark for me- I really enjoyed Raf's humor. Important topics -though handled lightly - make it a good high school pick.

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May 10, 2013 Kambri Crews rated it 5 of 5 stars

I haven't read a YA book since I was a YA myself, but I loved this book by my friend Mindy. I identified with and felt invested in the main character instantly.

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Apr 20, 2013 Katelyn Fiery rated it 2 of 5 stars

It was not the book for me. I found izzy verrrry annoying & the serious issues weren't touched upon as well as I would have liked.

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Sep 09, 2012 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars

Teens will love Raf's debut - she's a comedian and she writes of a hypochondriac, busty teen girl with humor and grace. I loved it!

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Oct 05, 2012 Liz Van Buren rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: humor, jra-books, ya

I was totally in love with this book. How could I not - Izzy is the exact replica of me as a high school senior- physically, emotionally, and in the fact that she is a total art nerd. Ugh. Mindy Raf had me laughing from page 1. Totally recommended for those who love snarky YA "issue" novels. Plus, the cover is totally kick ass.

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Feb 03, 2013 Clare Cannon marked it as grg-reviewer

KP offered to review @ www.GoodReadingGuide.com
netgalley requested

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About Mindy Raf

Mindy Raf is a writer, comedy performer, and musician based in Brooklyn, NY. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan, and grew up in a Detroit suburb right around here (visualize someone pointing to the inner part of their thumb). She has written for VH1 and CollegeHumor.com. The Symptoms of My Insanity is her first novel.

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“You don't stop loving someone just because they do something that surprises or even disappoints you. Maybe facts and formulas comfort Marcus, but I think that article he read was totally wrong. You don't love chemical reactions or particles or neuron receptors. You love whole people. Including the parts you didn't know were there, and the parts you're waiting for them to become.” — 11 people liked it

“I mean, I'm not antisocial or anything, but I sometimes don't see the point of hanging out with a whole bunch of people at a party if all you really want to do is hang out with just one person.” — 8 people liked it

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