Eliza and Her Monsters audiobook

She drew so many monsters that she became a monster herself. 4 1/2 stars. The only reason it's not 5 is that it took a little while for me to get into it. But when I did, it completely blew me away. I liked this even more than Zappia's Made You Up.I'm not going to lie to you - a huge part of my love for this book is because I related so much to Eliza. So freaking much. Well, except for the part where she's a talented webcomic artist and I'm not, but shhh. Some of you know this, but others don't-- I have long suffered with anxiety, particularly social anxiety. I get worked up about sending emails, angsting over it when replies don't come straight away (oh god, did I say something wrong?). I literally used to drink alcohol before the mandatory presentations in college (not showing up only worked for so long), and I still feel panic rising inside me whenever I have to make a phone call to someone I don't know well. Over the years, I've come to handle it better; to talk myself down from the panic. But it's still there.It's been part of who I am my whole life. From my very first school years when I almost always played alone, to later bullying because I was that "weird" and socially clueless class member who didn't get how to behave. And the way I coped? To put it simply - The Internet. The Internet provided a place for me to explore the world, find others like me, whilst also providing a barrier. I was invisible, free, and not alone in the way I was often alone in the real world. I spent hours every night on my computer, until my parents got frustrated that I spent so much time alone and not in the "real world". What they didn't get - and what Eliza's parents don't get in this book - is that I wasn't alone. I was making friends from all over the world. And they were better friends than any I'd had in "real life" at that point. And, as Eliza says: It’s stupid because that’s what I like about the internet—that it gives you time to think about what you want to say before you say it. It's always so wonderful to find a book that "gets" you. A book that puts into words feelings you've always had but have struggled to voice. Eliza and Her Monsters did just that.From my perspective, it's a very realistic portrayal of anxiety, and of someone who escapes into Internet forums. Eliza's most valued friendships are online and, of course, her well-meaning parents fail to understand or consider them "real".It's a much darker book than I was first expecting. While there is lots of geeky fandom, fanfiction, fanart, cosplay... the story of Eliza's anxiety, relationships with those around her, and even suicidal thoughts, gives the novel a more serious and emotional edge. I appreciate books like this, though. If you're looking for a geeky fandom book that is lighter and fluffier, I recommend Queens of Geek. There is a small monster in my brain that controls my doubt.The doubt itself is a stupid thing, without sense or feeling, blind and straining at the end of a long chain. The monster, though, is smart. It’s always watching, and when I am completely sure of myself, it unchains the doubt and lets it run wild. Even when I know it’s coming, I can’t stop it. There's another layer to this book, too, which I found really interesting. As well as being about Eliza's anxiety, it's also about an issue that is becoming ever more relevant today, and it's an issue that I don't recall reading anything about before-- the relationship between an artist and their fans. Or, really, anyone with a fan following. As Eliza becomes more popular online, the thing she did for herself, for her own escapism, becomes about other people and what they expect from her. People start to expect a certain type of work and feel like her popularity means she owes the world (and them) something. This opens a fascinating discussion on what artists/writers/etc. owe their fans or followers. Whether, in fact, they owe them anything. Creating art is a lonely task, which is why we introverts revel in it, but when we have fans looming over us, it becomes loneliness of a different sort. We become caged animals watched by zoo-goers, expected to perform lest the crowd grow bored or angry. It’s not always bad. Sometimes we do well, and the cage feels more like a pedestal. It was honestly such an interesting and thoughtful book. On many levels. It manages to be very emotionally moving, entertaining, beautifully-illustrated AND do something new at the same time. Eliza and Her Monsters deserves all of the hype.Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

I finished a book for the first time in more than a month!!! Yay!!!! This was such a good read! It was so much more than I was expecting and just gripped me right from the beginning. Loved it!

4.5 STARS! I REALLY REALLY REALLY LOVED THIS READ(also gonna leave this review blank for now bc I MUST FILM A VIDEO REVIEW)

Like life, what gives a story its meaning is the fact that it ends. Our stories have lives of their own—and it’s up to us to make them mean something. I am reeling with a tempest of emotions of what transpired in this book. This story was everything I wanted it to be and I couldn't wish for more. It took me longer than usual to finish this book because I held onto every page, every paragraph, every word, and every syllable refusing to let go. My love for this book hit a crescendo, and there is not one thing I want to change about this book. Eliza Mirk is a teenager with anxiety issues, a loner who thinks she is barely a footnote in anyone's life. But online she's Lady Constellation, creator of a famous webcomic called Monstrous Sea and a God who creates currents in her own world. No one knows that Lady Constellation is Eliza. LadyConstellation is the hero who defeats Eliza Mirk once a week and celebrates with her many admiring fans. She is beloved by all, even the villain because without her the villain wouldn’t exist.I am LadyConstellation.I am also Eliza Mirk.This is the paradox that can never be solved. In high school, she meets Wallace who also has a knack for her webcomic, only he doesn't know her identity too. He is the only person who understands her and a bond develops between them. But when her identity is revealed, she finds her resolve to weaken, and everything she built for herself starts slipping away. I loved the book (I probably already mentioned it, and I will continue doing so), not because I relate to Eliza or anything. I don't. If anything, we're totally different. But that didn't stop me from rooting for her. I loved the book because it was magically realistic. The depiction of Eliza's hatred for school, problems with her family, social anxiety, Wallace's ability to empathize with comic characters more than real people felt completely raw and real.I like that Eliza and Wallace complement each other really well. They are aware of each others' flaws and accept them wholeheartedly as they open up and let each other in. They see eye-to-eye on a lot of things and are fluent in the language of Monstrous Sea . Thanks to Wallace, Eliza gradually comes out of her shell and makes new friends, and meets new people. I also love how her online friends stick out for her which makes them more real than any real person she's ever known. Whatever I write about this book will only seem less to me and unworthy of even half of what this book has to offer. The blurb was so vague, I thought the story would be confined to cute romance with a lot of awkward moments and misunderstandings, but it extends much more beyond all that, signifying a lot about friendship and love and also shedding light on social issues like anxiety, depression, and suicide. All in all, this book is mired with wonderful yet heart-rending moments intricately orchestrated into a tale that will forever be embedded into the deepest recesses of my heart. Thank you, Francesca Zappia "I am Eliza Mirk, daughter and sister and friend.I am Eliza Mirk, mother of a fandom.I am Eliza Mirk"

I just binge read this in a day. No regrets. 4.5 stars. As someone who isn't the biggest fan of contemporary, THIS is the kind of contemporary for me. It's a celebration of fandom and online life. It's like Fangirl on steroids. It deals with mental health, and negativity online beautifully. AND, one of the fandoms the protagonist was a part of is actually a real serial novel the author puts up on Wattpad and Tumblr. So cool. This is a love letter to fandom and I ADORED it.

I understand that it's a teenage thing to say parents don't get it, but they don't get it. It's not their fault they were born two and a half decades before me, but would it kill the to ask me what I'm doing on the phone before they assume it's something pointless? This is maybe one of the best contemporaries I've ever read. I mean, I read it in three sittings within the same five hours. Francesca Zappia: you're doing amazing, sweetie.♔ THEMES AND MENTAL ILLNESS What good is a career that makes you money if you hate yourself every day you do it? This book is about how teenagers get dismissed. Let me explain. Teens are vehicles for drama rather than being real people. Our feelings aren't feelings - they're drama, or teen angst. But what's the real difference when both of us are people, humans with emotions and feelings and moods and lives? It's rare to see the feelings of teenagers validated to this degree, explicitly treated as relevant by the narrative. If I have my phone out talking to you or my online friends, they think I'm ignoring them, or being disrespectful, or whatever. And it's like, no, I'm in the middle of a conversation. If you saw people talking to each other face to face, you wouldn't interrupt them and call it disrespectful, would you? The other thing I really loved thematically was the emphasis on online life as being a positive thing for some teens. See, here's the thing - having a community online has had a positive impact on my life. I mean, before I started using the internet in maybe 2014, I was pretty much the most antisocial kid ever. I had approximately three friends and two feelings. And then came the discourse, the banter, the memes, and the friends. And I got life experiences. All jokes aside, my real life is much more engaging, humorous, and brave because of experiences I've had on the internet. And I've yet to see that acknowledged in any YA books I've read thus far. I think this is a book I would recommend to parents as much as teenagers, just for how immersed I was in Eliza's experiences. “Worth as a person is not based on any tangible evidence. There's no test for it, no scale.” This is just... so important.♔ WHY THIS IS A FANTASTIC CONTEMPORARYAside from mental health handling, this is really just a fantastic book. First of all, there's the mixed media. I loved the little posts spread throughout the book of Eliza's comic - I'm super interested in seeing the full thing now. If you liked those too, you can find a full written version of the webcomic here! I also thought the text-speak was way more realistic than usual. What's most important in a good contemporary for me is having interesting, well-developed characters. And here, I can definitely say that the character work is fabulous. Eliza's perspective as a girl with anxiety was superbly realistic and enjoyable. She's fantastically developed and her character arc felt especially real to me.And I loved the romance!! The love interest, Wallace, is super cute, and I loved their relationship development. It felt authentic and honest and romantic all at the same time. It's hard to write a romance so honestly, but this is just one of the better YA contemporary romances I've ever read. VERDICT: One of the best contemporaries I've read this year, with fantastic themes and characters. Oh god, I just want everyone to read it? please. read this. Blog | Goodreads | Twitter | Youtube

"Like life, what gives a story its meaning is the fact that it ends. Our stories have lives of their own—and it’s up to us to make them mean something." I think a part of me just died because this book is over. I don’t think I can process what is happening right now. I love this book so much I don’t think my heart is beating anymore. I’m still screaming my head off internally.This book dealt with so many social and emotional issues with such clarity and depth I don’t think it gets better than this. The author put every word so perfectly and expressed every nook and corner of this masterpiece so eloquently it shouldn’t be possible. The story is a work of art I am enamored with and I vow to never forget it. Eliza Mirk is the girl who is always invisible, the person who never talks to anyone else and lives in her own world, her life is a mess.But online she is LadyConstellation the creator of a web series that went viral. She created a comic called Monstrous Sea and at this point draws like a professional. Now, there’s a new boy at her high school, Wallace, who also happens to be her most famous fanfiction writer and the only person in this school who understands her. She doesn’t tell him she’s LadyConstellation she tells him that she draws fanart and chooses to hide her true identity.Eliza battles with herself on issues of self worth and hides herself behind LadyConstellation. She has never tried to express herself as Eliza Mirk, she has only been LadyConstellation, the mastermind that created the most famous webcomic in existence and has never tries to be or understand herself as just Eliza.She is an introvert to the point where she can barely talk to another person. She hardly views herself as another human being amd chooses to lose herself in her work. And when I say lose herself I’m not exaggerating it takes physically pushing her off a chair to bring her feet back to the ground. She thinks that happens merely because she is dedicated to her work but she doesn't realise that she is subconsciously doing it to extract herself from the world into the world she created but to an extent in which she forgets to pay any attention to herself. I think she chose to express herself in the only method she found agreeable, through her art. Her emotions drive her to create something which reflects her feelings at the time. Eliza created her ideal world to escape into and drew it out.Her parents also don’t know the extent of her online life. She actually makes enough money to make a living out of her online comic. Her parents think its just a hobby and have never paid it much attention to it. I was infuriated with her parents in many parts of the story for not trusting and believing in their own daughter. They undermine her work so much and they just write her work off as a silly hobby that will get her nowhere they don't respect the fact that she is so dedicated to her work. They just assume that her art is nothing, just writing this makes me angry so I shall say no more.She has two friends online who help her manage her website and these people know her not as LadyConstellation but as Eliza Mirk and they are really close even if they do talk only online. Their conversations itself show us how clearly they could all be best friends with perfect compatibility even though they have physically never met each other. I love her brothers. Throughout the book, if you observe carefully both her brothers are so mature and have the most amazing personalities two people can have. To understand the weight that lies behind each of the words they speak we must stop looking at the situation through Eliza’s eyes and start looking at it like a bystander and then the reality of how marvelous these kids are hits you in the gut. They are not at all like Eliza, personality wise, but still found ways to understand her and accept their older sister for who she was in ways even her parents were negligent about.This book was not quite what I expected. I think the blurb set this theme of a cute contemporary with socially awkward people and a cute romance but there is so much going on in each of their lives, it’s a lot to process. The romance itself is a minor part of the book taken back by how much emotional and mental growth and destruction happens in this story. Each facet of this book has so much to learn from and holds quite a lot of wisdom.I hope I did this book justice in this review, it was a mind blowing experience and I couldn’t love it any more than I do right now. If you enjoy contemporary I definitely recommend this book to you. I give this book 5 stars.

“You found me in a constellation.” Friends, I loved this story. And if the ending was a little different, this would have been such an easy five star read. I love books centered on creators on the internet. While reading this, I was constantly reminded of one my favorite books of all time, Radio Silence by Alice Oseman. Which, I’m not really sure if here is any higher praise than to be compared to that book.But basically, this book is all about putting yourself out there, carving yourself a little home on the internet, and feeling like you belong, even if your life offline isn’t the easiest to understand. And this book follows two characters very invested with the same fandom➽ Eliza Mirk - AKA: LadyConstellation, creator of one of the biggest webcomics online, Monstrous Sea.➽ Wallace Warland - The new boy that just joined Eliza’s school halfway through senior year. Oh, and Monstrous Sea’s biggest fanfiction writer. “You wrote back…” Eliza and Wallace’s paths inevitably cross, and he begins to share with her the fanfiction transcribes of the webcomic she has secretly created. And these two meeting offline was one of the most heartwarming things I’ve read all year, even though Wallace has no idea just how much Eliza is invested in this fandom. I think there is just something so beautiful about how accepting and understanding they were of the times that it’s hard to talk, or that it’s almost too much to talk. Honestly, seeing them write back and forth together, side by side, gives me more feelings than I have words for. But I loved it and thought it was so very beautiful. This book is a love letter to the power of healing that friendships can truly have. Yet, also the healing power of fandoms and celebrating your love for something with others. The magic of finding a person you can be yourself, your true self, no masks, no fakeness, no lies, it’s something that I can’t put into words. But seeing Eliza and Wallace experience that was perfection. But this is a story about art and how sharing your art is truly like sharing a piece of your heart. And this book really talks about how scary that can be! Yet, also how your art can inspire so many others’ art and it really can create such a beautiful cycle. And not to bring up Radio Silence constantly, but this book also touches upon how school isn’t for everyone, no matter what people try to make you think. That there isn’t some magical step program of getting good grades in school that will lead you to an amazing university on a full-paid scholarship, which will obviously lead you to the perfect job where you will become filthy rich and experience nonstop happiness! People have so many paths they can choose from, and so many paths that are right and wrong for them. And that’s beautiful and that’s okay. “She drew so many monsters that she became a monster herself.” Overall, I loved this book. Fandoms and having an online presence are things that I think I’ll always enjoy reading about, because it’s something very close to my heart. I will say that Wallace’s behavior at the end of this book, and the reason why he wanted Eliza to overcome it all, was just off-putting. But besides that, I loved this book. It made me soft, and warm, and ever so thankful to every single person who reads my reviews and interacts with me. Seriously, you all make me feel so blessed every single day and bring me more happiness than I can measure. Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Youtube | TwitchContent and trigger warnings for suicidal thoughts, talk of past suicide, panic attacks, abandonment, minor bullying, talk of past loss of loved ones, grief depictions, and depression depictions. ❤ I read this for Contemporary-a-thon!

i havent read a book with so much extra content since ‘illuminae.’ this totally makes me want to get into webcomics. like, how cool do they sound?! and then i need to find me a wallace so we can fangirl together. serious couple goals, right there. i really liked the main story of this book, but my attention was completely drawn into the webcomic eliza created. there was so much beauty in the storyline and illustrations - i was so enthralled by it all. even though i would have loved more than the little glimpses given, i thought it was pretty well balanced. the comics offered great support, but didnt eclipse the main story. i could relate to eliza on so many levels - this book is definitely one for the introverts out there. its a really cool thing when a book is about something youve never experienced, but you relate to the character, so you feel really connected in something you know nothing about.i really wish this wasnt a standalone because i would read the crap out of this series. this was such a fun and sweet and interesting story! ps. if anyone know any good webcomics, send recommendations my way!! ↠ 4 stars

Adorable. Intense. Nerdy AF.

4.5 STARS! THIS BOOK WAS SO ADORABLE AND I FEEL LIKE I FINISHED IT IN 24 HOURS AND I COULDNT STOP THINKING ABOUT IT AND I LOVED IT SO MUCH OMG

"You found me in a constellation." *packs my stuff* Y’all can find me in a constellation because I'm outta here. What is Earth?? Wow. Who would’ve thought that picking this book up would make me forget the answer to 1+1. Who would’ve thought that picking this book up would make my skin clear. Who would’ve thought that picking this book up would make me hear colors. Who would’ve thought that picking this book up would make me question why no one gave me a "warning" warn·ingˈ/wôrniNG/ - a statement or event that indicates a possible or impending danger, or problem. ✓Impending danger? My soul being shattered ✓Problem? Someone should've told me what I was signing up for?? In other words: Never felt so unprepared in my whole life That's what reading this book feels like. Seriously, I never knew I lacked anything in my life until I read this. Krytonite? Yo Superman, forget that. This book is your new weakness. It was like Francesca Zappia knew exactly what to write in order to kill me. Well, you know what, she succeeded. Reasons why you guys should read this book1. The plot is the bomb dot com. ○ It's about Eliza Mirk who is the creator of this famous web-comic called Monstrous Sea. She goes by the name: Lady Constellation. She has millions of fans and followers online who practically worship her. But in real life, she's the opposite. She's an introvert, friendless, and weird. She never told anyone in her life about the fact she's the mastermind behind the web-comic. ○ Oh, the cool thing is, the author included art of the comic inside the book. Can we have a moment of silence? because yes. I love this. I love the art. Thanks for blessing our eyes. 2. The characters ○ I loved every single person in this book but let's be real. My two favorites are Eliza's younger brothers: Sully and Church. They are so precious and I want to adopt them. ○ Eliza mirk is my spirit animal. She prefers the presence of online friends rather than actual real people. I related to her so much to the point where I started to think that Francesca Zappia was writing my biography. I just loved how real she was. 10/10 for best character development. ○ Wallace, who is the love interest, is meh.It's not because of his name....okay it's because of his name. He was a great character, yeah I loved him and the romance between them because it was so cute. But when we get to a certain part in this book, I questioned him so hard like I was left thinking to myself, "what's wrong with this dude??" 3. Portrayal of Mental health ○ yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes○ I appreciate the fact that the mental health was the focus but it wasn't "the focus", if you get what I mean?? The author didn't go overboard. ○ They were other issues that were tackled within this book and I just love how the author handled it perfectly. I have a lot of love for this book and I'm going to stop here because I'm 100% sure I could go on forever listing reasons why you should read this. I highly recommend y'all read this. Francesca Zappia, please create more lovely books like these. Thank you very much :))You can find this review and my other reviews at Booksprens

500000/5 stars He had found her in a constellation. Hey warning. There’s spoilers. I forgot to mark them. Also I kinda get lost in thought with this review a bit so I kinda get off track but whatever. Thanks for reading and have a good day. Heart emoji and all that. Do you know what? Let’s just get personal here why don’t we? I was just shy of 19 years old when I read Eliza for the first time. I just finished my first year of college, where I had made a grand total of zero friends so far. I had decided to move into a new dorm room to see if I could get a fresh start. Make a friend. But the two girls that lived there already wanted nothing to do with me. I think part of it was because I didn’t know how to talk to them because I have this little thing called social anxiety. I tried to make conversations, but I never know how to talk to people so the words I said didn’t do any good. Those two girls had made it clear to me that they weren’t going to be my friend, (because in all honesty, I do suck). Instead, I locked myself in my dorm room and read and read and read. I worked three days a week and talked to some people from Goodreads and that was about all the socialization that I had. College wasn’t the best time of my life up until that point. (Don’t worry though. It did get much better a few months later (right after the 3 year reading slump I'm still in started) when I got a new roommate who didn’t care that I suck. We went to Disneyland and got matching tattoos. I went to her baby shower this weekend-she’s doing great.) So, when I read Eliza three years ago, it was one of the first times when I really saw myself in a character. Eliza was just a year younger than I was. Her friends and her life were online, just as mine had been. She was as passionate about her art as I was about writing book reviews (I wrote book reviews a lot back then). The way she described her thoughts and feelings reflected the same way I thought. Her thoughts would spiral just as mine always did. Her social anxiety reflected what mine was. Then add in a plot and characters that I came to care a lot for in the 400 pages. I was proud of Eliza for the webcomic she created. My heart broke for Wallace when he wrote that email for his dad. I related to Emmy when she described how much she hated her teachers. Almost instantly, I was in love with this book. This book was a small beacon of hope to me that things change. Things get better even when it feels like everything sucked. This book has always been filed away in my mind under "phenomenal read" I'm 21 now. It's been almost four years since I graduated from high school, which seems like so much longer than it really is. I used to read 100 books a year. For the past two and a half years, I’ve maybe read 30. And the past few years of my life, ever since I read Eliza, things have changed dramatically. Both for the good and the worst. That three-year slump hit. I moved back home from college. I took a break from schooling. I started working full time at a car dealership. My childhood dog died. My dad died. I got a niece (who's watching me type this and is really trying to either help me write this or eat my laptop. Who knows?). I started school again. And, most importantly, I finally get to see my one true love, Harry Styles, in concert in 133 days. I mentioned this because, when I randomly picked up Eliza again yesterday, I was worried that I wouldn’t love it as much. My social anxiety isn’t as bad lately as it has been in the past. I am at a different state of life than Eliza was at this point. Maybe I won’t relate to her as much as I used to? What if that is the reason why I loved this book so much and all that is gone?But the answer is no. I still found myself in Eliza’s thoughts. I loved following her to school and her home life and seeing the world through her eyes I loved getting to know more about her webcomic and how much she loved it. I love watching her slowly open up to someone new. I saw myself in Eliza in a way that I’ve never see myself. While I read, I didn’t feel as alone as I still feel sometimes when I don’t know how to talk to someone or why I keep thinking about the worst-case scenario even though nothing bad even happened. I love the writing. I love the plot. I just love this book. And even this time around, I’ve connected to other characters that I didn’t really connect to the first time around. After the death of my own dad, I understand Wallace’s desire to not speak. Being slightly older than 19, I understand her parents desire a little more than I did when I first read this. I get why they want her to open up a bit more. They care. Eliza and Her Monsters is one of those books that reminds me why I love books so much. It reminds me of what I’ve been missing lately when I don’t read. I posted when I started this book that I just needed quality content in my life and I meant it. I needed something that I knew would make me happy. In conclusion, book is good. A good representation of mental health imho. Eliza is great. Wallace is great. Must read. Anyways, sorry about getting a bit personal. I know you don’t really care. Sorry this review isn’t very detailed about the book either. Also, sorry there’s no gifs. I couldn’t find ones to fit. Thanks for reading. Byeeee.

I haven't related more to a character since Cath in Fangirl.