Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Review: OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu

Title: OCD Love Story
Author: Corey Ann Haydu
Published: July 23rd 2013
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
*An ARC was provided in excange for an honest review*
In this raw and relatable romance, Bea learns that some things just can’t be controlled.

When Bea meets Beck, she knows instantly that he’s her kind of crazy. Sweet, strong, kinda-messed-up Beck understands her like no one else can. He makes her feel almost normal. He makes her feel like she could fall in love again.

But despite her feelings for Beck, Bea can’t stop thinking about someone else: a guy who is gorgeous and magnetic... and has no idea Bea even exists. But Bea knows a lot about him. She spends a lot of time watching him. She has a journal full of notes. Some might even say she’s obsessed.

Bea tells herself she’s got it all under control. But this isn’t a choice, it’s a compulsion. The truth is, she’s breaking down...and she might end up breaking her own heart.

In addition to it being one of my most anticipated books of 2013, it was my first request on Edelweiss and I got approved. Whohoo!! (Thank you, Simon Pulse.) I was super stoked to get my hand dirty so to speak and dive into the unknown since I have heard of OCD and I know the basics, but not the details and to be inside someone's head who has obsessive compulsive disorder was a truly intirguing idea.

I can't trap the words before they come out. If I didn't know any better, I'd think I suffer from some sort of Tourette's-autism hybrid, but Dr. Pat insists I can control the impulse to say whatever pops into my head. That it's, like, a defensive mechanism, not a biological imperative. Therapists think everyone is a defence mechanism. Just me thinking that in my head, right now, is a defence mechanism. (page 30 of the arc.)

The story. Bea is our main character and she attends this dance between two schools and suddenly the power goes out. She hears a guy having a panic attack and goes to help him since she's familiar with the case. They kind of bond through that experience and Bea does something a little reckless. A little later on in the novel they meet in group therapy and it turnes out that Beck isn't that normal either. Bea has serious issues, which she doesn't realize at first. She has OCD and this is her story.

My thoughts. I liked Bea as a character. She's such a conflict for me as a peronality since I could not decide if I really loved her or was completely disturbed by her. I think it was a little bit of both. Her thoughts were all over the place to the point where these tiny little details meant  everything to her and she really did suffer under these compulsions that Dr. Pat--her therapist--talked about in their group sessions. At first I didn't realize that the other kids who attended these group therapy sessions had just as strong if not stronger compulsions themselves, but as the novel progressed, we got to see different sides of obsessive compulsion disorder and it was kind of an eye-opening experience for me.

I really enjoyed the love story between Beck and Bea. While Bea is more under the compulsion of people and dreaming, Beck is a guy who is obsessed with the number 8. For instance, there was this one part where he needed to take a shower, he wanted to pull it off with 8 minutes, but didn't make it, so 88 minutes it was. He is a gym-a-holic and an obsessive hand washer. These two shouldn't really work, but they do. The attraction between the two is there from page one as you can imagine.

It wasn't only about the romance though. OCD Love Story was also a book that shows us how this disease affects family relationships, friendships, one's life in general and even strangers. I enjoyed all of the characters in this book. It wasn't a light read by any means, it gives you this disturbed feeling throughout the entire book and that's okay because it is meant to portray the hard parts of a person suffering from OCD. I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing, no. I think these people are interesting and if they want, they can take on any task they set themselves up for and this novel portrays it beautifully.

The final verdict is that I adored this book even if being in Bea's head was at times awkward and really disturbing. She was also a fun character to spend time with and she cracked me up quite a bit. I have never read anything like this and I enjoyed that it was written from first person point of view since it gave us an intimate relationship with Bea and we saw firsthand how OCD affects a person and the people surrounding one. I definitely recommend this book to all of you who are the tiniest bit interested. Even if you end up disliking it, it's a book you will most certainly not forget.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Meet the author

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13 comments:

  1. This story sounds like such a great one Siiri! I can't believe I didn't pay much attention to it before. I like stories which are cute and fun, but also provide something different! I definitely think that I would end up enjoying this one too! Thanks for putting it on my radar! Lovely review! :)

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  2. OMG Siiri! Your review!! It's perfect.
    You definitely sounds like a book that I would enjoy. From the sounds of it, the author really captured the essence of OCD patients. I love the sound of Bea. She seems intriguing and I'm curious as to how her relationship with Beck develops.
    I love it when authors tackle important issues in their books and OCD isn't one I've seen too frequently. And the friends and family play a significant role? I'm totally reading this!
    Fabulous review, Siiri! :)

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  3. First, YAY FOR GETTING APPROVED ON EDELWEISS! I know I did a happy dance the first time I got approved, especially since I kept getting rejected on NetGalley. Fail.:)

    Love the sound of this one, I just want to hug both Bea and Beck. Especially Beck with his number 8 obsession. I can't even imagine taking an 88 minute shower! I definitely need to add this to my list, it just seems so different and fascinating and moving. Beautiful review my friend!

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  4. I really want to read this one. I think that it's interesting to get to know more about OCD. I think that I would like this one. I requested it, but got declined. Simon Pulse hates me on Edelweiss. I will have to pick it up or get it from my library.

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  5. I really want to read this one. I think I'm going to buy it because I'm sooo curious about it. I've read another good review, and yours is enough to sell me!

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  6. YAY! I am so happy that you ended up faring so well with this one, Siiri! I loved it too. I thought the feelings were conveyed so well the I felt like I had OCD while I read it! LOL

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  7. Oh yes, a very different kind of book, and I felt same way about being in her head

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  8. Reading books that deal w/OCD always make me anxious, b/c I'm afraid my tendencies will pop back up. (I have issues with counting.) I love that the author seems to have dealt with this realistically, and I will definitely be reading OCD Love Story. Great review!

    You should try Perfect Escape by Jennifer Brown. It has a great story that dealt with OCD.

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  9. I love books about characters with mental illness, especially when we learn to care about them. This book sounds pretty fascinating. I like that we see how Bea's entire life is affected by her OCD. I also love when two people meet who shouldn't bond but then we get to fall in love with them as they fall for each other. LOVE that Beck is as much of a mess as Bea is. Have you read WILD AWAKE? This book sounds a bit like that one, especially the craziness of being inside the mind of someone with an illness. Congrats on getting this from Edelweiss too! That's a tough site to navigate.

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  10. I've not read a book that deals with OCD before, this one sounds really intriguing and I've never heard of the book. It definitely caught my eye though and Bea sounds like a very very interesting character. Great review!

    Janina @ Synchronized Reading

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  11. Ahhhh, this one is EVERYWHERE on the blogosphere. And everything you said, about the characters--about not being sure where to love or feel disturbed, about the attraction between Beck and Bea, about the intensity of Bea and how OCD affects her life, family, relationships, etc. -- everything you said, I've seen around, but it seems like everyone is rating the book differently despite agreeing on a lot of the same points. I suppose this one is very hard to categorize except in how you might react to the story. Glad you enjoyed it! I still find myself curious, though I've got to keep up that book buying ban :O.

    Congrats to getting approved on EW! Lol, I've been blogging for almost two and a half years and I only recently figured out how to use EW...

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  12. I sometimes get tired of the same romance novels and this one sounds very different. I like that! Wonderful review, Siiri. I'll have to check this out. :)

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  13. I got this off Edelweiss and have been meaning to read it but I put it off the backseat for a while so I can read my print books first. BUT WHY DID I DO THAT??? I seriously need to get on this STAT! And I love love your review, you perfectly sold it to me! <3

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