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Psych Major Syndrome
by
Using the skills you've learned so far in Introduction to Psychology, please write a brief self-assessment describing how things are going in your freshman year.
Presenting Concerns:
The Patient, Leigh Nolan (that would be me), has just started her first year at Stiles College. She has decided to major in psychology (even though her parents would rather she study Tarot c
...moreHardcover, 336 pages
Published
August 11th 2009
by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
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Start your review of Psych Major Syndrome

Look at the Asian guy with Miley Cyrus in this picture:

As one of only a handful of Asian-Americans in my private high school, I've been the Asian guy in this picture. It was okay because Don't worry, Mags. You are cool. We're not making fun of you. No, you're just mocking everyone who looks like me, but being "cool" means going with the flow and taking the harmless teasing. Only it's not so harmless. And it's not so cool. It's fucked up.
I got Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson based on a fe ...more

As one of only a handful of Asian-Americans in my private high school, I've been the Asian guy in this picture. It was okay because Don't worry, Mags. You are cool. We're not making fun of you. No, you're just mocking everyone who looks like me, but being "cool" means going with the flow and taking the harmless teasing. Only it's not so harmless. And it's not so cool. It's fucked up.
I got Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson based on a fe ...more

Apr 01, 2011
Flannery
rated it
really liked it
Recommended to Flannery by:
Nic & Nomes' Recommendation Service
In the movie So I Married An Axe Murderer, which is mega-quotable, Mike Myers’ dad (also played by Mike Myers, but with a Scottish accent) says that he believes there is a pentaverate of rich people that run everything in the world. My favorite member of the pentaverate is Colonel Sanders. (“because he puts an addictive chemical in his chicken that makes you crave it fortnightly, smartass!”) Anyway, I’ve started my own collection of people—the hilarious YA authors. Remember that old show called
...more

I wanted to read it for AGES. Set in college. With an older protag. It sounded fun and maybe a little bit mad crazy. Which is how I love my books to be...
When I finally got it, I started reading and couldn't put it down. Sneakily, (despite my, erm, new years resolution Reformed Sleeping Habits Commitment) I stayed up until 3:30am to finish it.
It's probably an odd book to find un-put-downable. It's not because I was sucked in to the plot, or waiting for some major twist/secret to be revealed. It' ...more
When I finally got it, I started reading and couldn't put it down. Sneakily, (despite my, erm, new years resolution Reformed Sleeping Habits Commitment) I stayed up until 3:30am to finish it.
It's probably an odd book to find un-put-downable. It's not because I was sucked in to the plot, or waiting for some major twist/secret to be revealed. It' ...more

3 stars
means I liked it but darn, I am so disappointed. This book could have been awesome. It had potential. A great idea. A nice plot. Snark, witticism, fun, clever remarks. Swoon-worthy guys.
Then why did it start off so great, deceived me for three quarters of it and then suddenly went down the drain?
Leigh Nolan is attending her first year at Stiles College, a some, alternative and barely known school in California, where her high-school sweetheart and boyfriend, the overachieving, self- ...more
Then why did it start off so great, deceived me for three quarters of it and then suddenly went down the drain?
Leigh Nolan is attending her first year at Stiles College, a some, alternative and barely known school in California, where her high-school sweetheart and boyfriend, the overachieving, self- ...more

Rating 4.5 stars
Favourite Quote: "You . . . smell like rain." Whatever I expected, that hadn't been it. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" "Good," he said. "Definitely good."
This book is a hidden gem. I hadn't heard anything really about Psych Major Syndrome until my friend and book guide Nomes read and wrote a rave review for it. I then couldn't get my hands on it fast enough and she was right this book is AMAZING! Psych Major Syndrome is funny, warm, irresistible read that is slightly qu ...more
Favourite Quote: "You . . . smell like rain." Whatever I expected, that hadn't been it. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" "Good," he said. "Definitely good."
This book is a hidden gem. I hadn't heard anything really about Psych Major Syndrome until my friend and book guide Nomes read and wrote a rave review for it. I then couldn't get my hands on it fast enough and she was right this book is AMAZING! Psych Major Syndrome is funny, warm, irresistible read that is slightly qu ...more

3.5 stars
Self-Assessment:
The Reviewer (that’s me) finished Psych Major Syndrome two days ago and presents with a mild yet persistent state of indecision over how to review and rate said book.
The Reviewer states that she highly enjoyed the experience of reading Psych Major Syndrome, identifying with the main character and the sensation of “flailing” through the late teen years. (view spoiler) Reviewer has a tendency to over-analyse (case i ...more
Self-Assessment:
The Reviewer (that’s me) finished Psych Major Syndrome two days ago and presents with a mild yet persistent state of indecision over how to review and rate said book.
The Reviewer states that she highly enjoyed the experience of reading Psych Major Syndrome, identifying with the main character and the sensation of “flailing” through the late teen years. (view spoiler) Reviewer has a tendency to over-analyse (case i ...more

Feb 23, 2011
Jessica
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
Fans of good chick lit
Recommended to Jessica by:
Nic & Nomes
Rating clarification: 4.5 stars
Alright, this was so not the plan. Actually, I am reading Redeeming Love right now, or well, at least I’m supposed to be reading it right now, which I’m obviously not, but when my dear friend Mr. Postman delivered my copy of Psych Major Syndrome yesterday, I just couldn’t help myself.
See, my friends Nic and Nomes had made me so curious about this that after a few hours of constantly sneaking glances at the book, I finally caved in and abandoned Redeeming Love (whic ...more
Alright, this was so not the plan. Actually, I am reading Redeeming Love right now, or well, at least I’m supposed to be reading it right now, which I’m obviously not, but when my dear friend Mr. Postman delivered my copy of Psych Major Syndrome yesterday, I just couldn’t help myself.
See, my friends Nic and Nomes had made me so curious about this that after a few hours of constantly sneaking glances at the book, I finally caved in and abandoned Redeeming Love (whic ...more

Rating Clarification: 4.5 Stars (closer to 5)
Cognitive Fictional Character Association: A common affliction wherein an avid reader becomes highly sympathetic of a main character due to the numerous similarities in characteristics, experiences and habits.
Just in case you’re wondering, yes I made that condition up, but it best describes why I enjoyed Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson so much. This book caused some serious tear-inducing laughter with its hilarious and snarky narrative and awe ...more
Cognitive Fictional Character Association: A common affliction wherein an avid reader becomes highly sympathetic of a main character due to the numerous similarities in characteristics, experiences and habits.
Just in case you’re wondering, yes I made that condition up, but it best describes why I enjoyed Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson so much. This book caused some serious tear-inducing laughter with its hilarious and snarky narrative and awe ...more

Although "Psych Major Syndome" serves the reader a cute romance as the main course and some rather heart-melting bonding moments between the heroine, a first year student of psychology, and her hard-shelled and streetwise middle school project partner as the dessert, in my personal opinion both story and character developement turned out to be of the highly predictable and pretty much forgettable kind. After two chapters I could have outlined the rest of the plot by myself withought steering off
...more

*BEFORE READING*

It's here.

Too bad I have classes today. Why is life so cruel?

*AFTER READING*

does this book have such a low rating? Did we not read the same thing?

It was so sweet,like on Stephanie Perkins' level of cuteness. OK,maybe not that cute but still cute to land on my favorite shelf. Everybody knows I don't give those pretty lightly. So,our girl,Leigh(pst, that's her middle name. Wait till you find out her real name) is one of those Rory Gilmore type of girls which you should love(an ...more

It's here.

Too bad I have classes today. Why is life so cruel?

*AFTER READING*

does this book have such a low rating? Did we not read the same thing?

It was so sweet,like on Stephanie Perkins' level of cuteness. OK,maybe not that cute but still cute to land on my favorite shelf. Everybody knows I don't give those pretty lightly. So,our girl,Leigh(pst, that's her middle name. Wait till you find out her real name) is one of those Rory Gilmore type of girls which you should love(an ...more

What’s there to say about Psych Major Syndrome. Well, it was another book I was psyched to read (pardon the pun), but that didn’t fully deliver. It was fun as long as it lasted and I finished it in one night, but it didn’t really make a lasting impression. I knew up front that it would be very predictable, but I actually didn’t care. With books like these, the journey is the destination.
Yet, I was often annoyed by Leigh’s douche bag boyfriend and they way she let him treat her – and still belie ...more
Yet, I was often annoyed by Leigh’s douche bag boyfriend and they way she let him treat her – and still belie ...more

PSYCH MAJOR SYNDROME is an absolutely winsome novel, easily one of the sweetest reads this year. It’s the literary equivalent of pictures of cute kittens and puppies, and will leave you sighing happily and “aww-ing” at the end.
The book crackles with humor, mostly the result of the stellar protagonist. Leigh has just the right balance of “intelligent college student” and “blind, drama-attracting girl” to win over both lovers of intelligent AND just-for-fun fiction. Leigh’s snarky and self-depreca ...more
The book crackles with humor, mostly the result of the stellar protagonist. Leigh has just the right balance of “intelligent college student” and “blind, drama-attracting girl” to win over both lovers of intelligent AND just-for-fun fiction. Leigh’s snarky and self-depreca ...more

Readalong with Reynje!!
This is a story of a psych-major Leigh with her boyfriend Andrew, his roommate Nathan and some fun, crazy (sometimes unrealistic) side characters. I rarely put a book with 3 stars on my enjoyed shelf unless there was something special about the book. In this case, special-something came in a package of Nathan, who plays the guitar, majors in math and has a nice voice and a very nice chest.
At the start, the book was promising with a part like this:
I'll spend countless hour ...more
This is a story of a psych-major Leigh with her boyfriend Andrew, his roommate Nathan and some fun, crazy (sometimes unrealistic) side characters. I rarely put a book with 3 stars on my enjoyed shelf unless there was something special about the book. In this case, special-something came in a package of Nathan, who plays the guitar, majors in math and has a nice voice and a very nice chest.
At the start, the book was promising with a part like this:
I'll spend countless hour ...more

Ok can I just say that I had NO idea that Disney actually published young adult books! I can't believe how blown away I was about this.
I have to give the author major kudo points for setting this book in a college campus. It's a scarce area explored in the young adult genre. I'm guessing it's harder to reach the younger audience if you set them away from home for the first time. I actually thought it was always weird that more authors didn't write about this time in a young person's life.
Leigh ...more
I have to give the author major kudo points for setting this book in a college campus. It's a scarce area explored in the young adult genre. I'm guessing it's harder to reach the younger audience if you set them away from home for the first time. I actually thought it was always weird that more authors didn't write about this time in a young person's life.
Leigh ...more

Hmmm. I have mixed feelings about this one. Psych Major Syndrome is the story of Leigh (first name: Tuesday) Nolan's first semester at Stiles College, which is an alternative to the mainstream college experience. I'll outline the things I liked and did not like below, but I won't get too specific to avoid being spoiler-y.
Pluses: Relationship confusion during freshman year of college is a biggie. I was in a long-distance relationship with my high school boyfriend (now husband) through my own univ ...more
Pluses: Relationship confusion during freshman year of college is a biggie. I was in a long-distance relationship with my high school boyfriend (now husband) through my own univ ...more

A couple of chapters in and I knew what I was getting. That said I have no problem recommending this to anyone with a penchant for cutesy happy-happy rom/coms. Because basically that’s what PSYCH MAJOR SYNDROME is. The best thing about the book is Leigh, whom I adore!
Leigh has most everything going for her… or maybe not. A girl with the tendency to over-analyze, drag her feet and take her time in everything she did, has compensate elsewhere, right? And she does, she’s funny and made observation ...more
Leigh has most everything going for her… or maybe not. A girl with the tendency to over-analyze, drag her feet and take her time in everything she did, has compensate elsewhere, right? And she does, she’s funny and made observation ...more

I LOVED this book!
"Psych Major Syndrome: A common affliction wherein a psychology major, overwhelmed by conditions, effects, and disorders, begins to overanalyze her own life.
ROTTER INCOMPLETE SENTENCES BLANK
1. I like...to read incredibly unrealistic and badly written romance novels.
2. The happiest time was...I can't remember.
3. Back home...the house smells like incense all the time
4. I regret...buying Avril's first album on the basis of one song
5.At bedtime...I make up stories in my head.
6. I a ...more
"Psych Major Syndrome: A common affliction wherein a psychology major, overwhelmed by conditions, effects, and disorders, begins to overanalyze her own life.
ROTTER INCOMPLETE SENTENCES BLANK
1. I like...to read incredibly unrealistic and badly written romance novels.
2. The happiest time was...I can't remember.
3. Back home...the house smells like incense all the time
4. I regret...buying Avril's first album on the basis of one song
5.At bedtime...I make up stories in my head.
6. I a ...more

Jul 21, 2010
Valerie
rated it
really liked it
Recommended to Valerie by:
Cara, Ash
Shelves:
realistic-fiction
I think this is my first book set in college life. Nearly all young adults books are set in high school which makes sense, but I still liked the change.
Now this book is no great piece of literature. It's chick-lit and mostly fluff. Leigh is a bit annoying in the beginning. Looks like she's making drama where there is none. And Nathan likes cats, not that I have anything against cats; just that it's strange. I feel like guys who like cats should be dealt with caution.
Though if you can pass this ...more
Now this book is no great piece of literature. It's chick-lit and mostly fluff. Leigh is a bit annoying in the beginning. Looks like she's making drama where there is none. And Nathan likes cats, not that I have anything against cats; just that it's strange. I feel like guys who like cats should be dealt with caution.
Though if you can pass this ...more

Why doesn't goodreads allow us to do half stars? Seriously, asking this has become a cliché and yet nothing is done to solve it.
Anyway, I'd give this 3.5 stars (a B-/C+), and I absolutely mean that in a good way because I read this in one sitting and really enjoyed it. I'd give it four stars because up until the ending, I thought it was a very good light romance read with a character who's very aware of herself and THERE, as opposed to being an Everygirl and a developed hero and antihero who we ...more
Anyway, I'd give this 3.5 stars (a B-/C+), and I absolutely mean that in a good way because I read this in one sitting and really enjoyed it. I'd give it four stars because up until the ending, I thought it was a very good light romance read with a character who's very aware of herself and THERE, as opposed to being an Everygirl and a developed hero and antihero who we ...more

so this book was definitely a read-in-one-sitting book for me! such a light and easy and fun and swoony book. I flipped through the pages laughing and smiling with the main protagonist, Leigh, and then scowling with dislike about Andrew, (seriously wanted to slap him sometimes) and then getting all fluttery whenever Nathan was around.... the book was so engaging I found myself talking to Leigh ( good thing I was at home on the couch when doing this talking!!), these one sided conversations mainl
...more

OH. MY. GOSH.
I have never before experienced reading about myself. This girl is ME. LITERALLY. ME. I AM SHOOK. Down to the littlest details, I felt like I was reading about myself. It made me cry. I felt more understood than I ever have. I couldn’t put it down. (Literally - I should have been doing homework the past two hours.)
This book is good, but if you’re expecting something deep, that’s not what it is. It’s simply a fun, relaxing, non-complicated read. So for that, and for how much I rela ...more
I have never before experienced reading about myself. This girl is ME. LITERALLY. ME. I AM SHOOK. Down to the littlest details, I felt like I was reading about myself. It made me cry. I felt more understood than I ever have. I couldn’t put it down. (Literally - I should have been doing homework the past two hours.)
This book is good, but if you’re expecting something deep, that’s not what it is. It’s simply a fun, relaxing, non-complicated read. So for that, and for how much I rela ...more

If you're anything like me, this book will make you laugh.
...more

Original post at One More Page
When I was applying for admission to different colleges ten (!!!) years ago, my top 3 courses were Computer Science, Journalism/English-related course and one fall back course that seemed pretty interesting. One of them was Electronics and Communications Engineering which was crazy because I don't know how I would survive college with all the math if I got into that course. In another college, I remember choosing Behavorial Science, which was the closest I could get ...more
When I was applying for admission to different colleges ten (!!!) years ago, my top 3 courses were Computer Science, Journalism/English-related course and one fall back course that seemed pretty interesting. One of them was Electronics and Communications Engineering which was crazy because I don't know how I would survive college with all the math if I got into that course. In another college, I remember choosing Behavorial Science, which was the closest I could get ...more

Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars!
After seeing a raving review from my soulmate Angie at Disquietus Reads, I just knew that this book was going to be something that I needed to read, and stat. Her raving and my impeccable sense of what I will and will not like proved to be correct: I really liked this book!
Leigh is starting her freshman year of college and is studying to become a Psychology major. She, like everyone who has ever taken a Psychology class, is taking everything she is learning in class and ...more
After seeing a raving review from my soulmate Angie at Disquietus Reads, I just knew that this book was going to be something that I needed to read, and stat. Her raving and my impeccable sense of what I will and will not like proved to be correct: I really liked this book!
Leigh is starting her freshman year of college and is studying to become a Psychology major. She, like everyone who has ever taken a Psychology class, is taking everything she is learning in class and ...more

Posted on K-Books
http://kayleigh-m-books.blogspot.com/...
When I heard about this book, I instantly wanted to read it. As a psychology major myself I was really interested in reading this story and thought it would be quite enjoyable to read.
I was not disappointed, I really enjoyed this book. It's a great chic lit book and if you are a sucker for a love story then Psych Major Syndrome is definitely for you.
Leigh is a Psychology major at Stiles college. She chose to go to Stiles as it was the same ...more
http://kayleigh-m-books.blogspot.com/...
When I heard about this book, I instantly wanted to read it. As a psychology major myself I was really interested in reading this story and thought it would be quite enjoyable to read.
I was not disappointed, I really enjoyed this book. It's a great chic lit book and if you are a sucker for a love story then Psych Major Syndrome is definitely for you.
Leigh is a Psychology major at Stiles college. She chose to go to Stiles as it was the same ...more

Leigh Nolan has enough problems in her life already. Add a roommate who hates her boyfriend, boyfriend's roommate who hates her, trouble with her boyfriend, and a mentoring program with her arch rival and things get even more crazy. Oh and then she has to go and analyze it all.
Leigh likes her college. She doesn't really get graded there so things seem pretty easy and she's studying what she wants to study, not what her parents want her to study. So why does it seem like everyone is rushing her a ...more
Leigh likes her college. She doesn't really get graded there so things seem pretty easy and she's studying what she wants to study, not what her parents want her to study. So why does it seem like everyone is rushing her a ...more

4.5 stars, rounded up.
Okay, look. This is not the type of book that would usually get 5 stars from me (4.5, but whatever). However, sometimes I read a book at just the exact perfect moment in my life - perhaps after 3 long weeks of being sick and stressed and desperate for something to cheer me up - and it makes me love it so much more than if I had read it at an earlier or later time. I think this book is one of those books. I can't even tell you why I loved it, I just did!
If I had read this a ...more
Okay, look. This is not the type of book that would usually get 5 stars from me (4.5, but whatever). However, sometimes I read a book at just the exact perfect moment in my life - perhaps after 3 long weeks of being sick and stressed and desperate for something to cheer me up - and it makes me love it so much more than if I had read it at an earlier or later time. I think this book is one of those books. I can't even tell you why I loved it, I just did!
If I had read this a ...more

What should have been an entertaining and insightful YA but can pass for "A" book, instead deeply disappointed. Our heroine, Leigh, comes complete with stereotypical tarot reading cards (her real name is Tuesday) parents who read minds and auras in Sedona while their daughter pursues a psych degree in a small liberal college. Thompson cuts her characters out of cardboard - flaky artist, narcissistic snot nose, etc - and takes all of her plot development tricks from your very worst, cheesiest and
...more

Actual rating: 3.75 stars.
I have never read a book where the main character reminded me so much of... well, me. The very first page, with the Incomplete Sentences, made me go ''Holy crap!'' because it was exactly how I would have filed it out. The more I read, the more I related. Leigh's a much cooler version of me.
Leigh has a really strong and amazing voice. She seemed like a real teen with real problems. I liked that I felt like I knew her. I felt that way with all of the characters, actually ...more
I have never read a book where the main character reminded me so much of... well, me. The very first page, with the Incomplete Sentences, made me go ''Holy crap!'' because it was exactly how I would have filed it out. The more I read, the more I related. Leigh's a much cooler version of me.
Leigh has a really strong and amazing voice. She seemed like a real teen with real problems. I liked that I felt like I knew her. I felt that way with all of the characters, actually ...more
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Alicia Thompson graduated from the New College of Florida in 2006 with a degree in psychology, and wrote her debut novel in between pulling all-nighters on her senior thesis. Her short stories, “Abby Greene for President” and “Stealing Mark Twain,” have appeared in Girls’ Life magazine. She is currently working on an MFA in fiction writing at the University of South Florida, where she still pulls
...more
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10 trivia questions
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“I've never told another soul about the stories I make up while I'm trying to fall asleep, and I would never even consider writing them down. They're just too personal. Nathan fell silent as well, and I realized that maybe I wasn't the only one who felt that way. I wondered how many people in the world have daydreams spinning around in their heads that they would never put into words. Probably more than you would think.”
—
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“You . . . smell like rain." Whatever I expected, that hadn't been it. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" "Good," he said. "Definitely good.”
—
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