A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares

Wow, this book was fantastic, it's one of those books I didn't want to end.Esther and Jonah have some crazy chemistry even though they don't really have the best first meeting.I love the whole facing your fears aspect of it all. Plus Esther's reason for each fear.I love the more fantastical parts of the story too. Like whether the curse is real or not and whether her grandfather really knows Death.Then there's the ending which gives you a real WTF moment of maybe everything was true. Story really makes you think about cherishing what you have.

I used to read a lot when I was much younger, but stopped because my home, social, and school life became too much. Despite that, I found my love for reading again through this book. I’m not a pro at reviewing at books; however, this is a great edition to any shelf and is a great experience. It had me constantly drawn in and it’s grasp wouldn’t let me go! If you’re thinking about buying this product, I definitely recommend you give it a go :)

This is my favorite YA novel of all time. The way the author takes you through this world then wraps it up in a startling way had me hooked. I stayed up til 4 am to finish it

Daughter loved it.

This is a truly unique read! It delves into deep issues with a special kind of imaginative wit. I will remember these characters for a long time! You should have this on your Fall reading list for sure.

WOW! I was blown away with how much I adored this novel. From the first page, I was sucked into this novel and completely mesmerized. I have truly never read a book quite like this one and I don't think I will ever forget this book. This book had so much heart, humor, adventure, and romance in it. However, there were also moments of despair and dread. The author artfully weaved all of those elements into one enchanting story.The idea of having a list of nightmares and trying to overcome all of those fears really intrigued me. I thought it was so unique and completely addictive. I found myself cowering right alongside the characters while they were tackling each fear and I felt that rush of adrenaline once they completed the task. The list of nightmares sent the characters on such a fun and extraordinary journey, and I loved every moment of it.The characters in this book were all so unique and wonderful in their own ways. Esther, Jonah, and Eugene were characters that grew to love and care for deeply. I truly adored how different they were from the "norm". They all went on such emotional journeys throughout this story and my heart truly ached for me. This author made me care for the characters like they were my friends in real life.Hephzibah was another character that I liked a lot, but I wish there would have been more of. She was the best friend of Esther and Eugene, and I loved those friendships, but I wish I would have seen a little more of it.I just want to touch on how much of an absolute DELIGHT Jonah was. Jonah was a ray of sunshine that warmed my heart and soul. He did some sketchy things in the beginning, but it was easy to forgive those things once I got to know him more. Jonah was such a kind, thoughtful, resourceful, charming, and easy-going character. I loved how he was up for any and all adventures. JONAH WAS MAGNIFICENT AND EXTRAORDINARY.The romance in this book was swoony and completely adorable. I shipped the couple from their very first interaction and I never regretted it. The romance was well-paced and so FREAKING CUTE. I loved that the romance never took over the plot or felt too heavy. The author excluded the romance PERFECTLY. I WANT MORE OF IT, PLEASE?Going into this book, I was not expecting the emotional punch it was going to have. A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares touched on a lot of dark topics including mental health and abuse. Mental health was a large element of this book and I thought the author handled it in an honest and healthy way. There were multiple types of anxieties, fears, depressions, and other health concerns that were discussed in this book. It was nice to see mental health discussed so openly and freely in a YA book.Overall, this book was an addictive and memorable story. This was a book about fighting your demons, loving yourself, and so much more. A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares is a book I would recommend to everyone and anyone.4.5 / 5 Fangs*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review. *MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It Book Reviews

Who the hell tapes all the light switches and lamps in a house in the on-position, or dresses like she’s on her way to a costume party every single day? What did I start reading? Quirky novels and me, we don’t always (usually) gel well and I certainly wasn’t expecting it to be such a novel but the characters were too endearing from the start to let them go and so this novel is the exception on the rule. There’s also just something about knowing someone’s vulnerability, being allowed to read about their fears, it’s just impossible not to feel for them.Even when it’s all part of a made-up world – too unreal because there’s just too many fears and quirkiness to truly believe it – I’m sure there are people who are afraid of the dark and who see black cats as an omen. The author magnified this only a thousand times. At first sight it only seems like a crazy, bizarre and funny read with Esther tackling her bucket list of fears, but it’s definitely not all it is.There’s also a little bit of magical realism in the story that was pulled off really well and it kept me wondering throughout the novel if Death really was a person or not. Esther thinks to know for sure as she sees how The Curse spoken to her grandfather by Death himself during the war holds her entire family in a grip. He told them they would all die from their biggest fear or phobia and so far it all came true. She doesn’t want to become like them though, so she’s trying to lure Death to her by confronting her fears instead of avoiding them like she’s done for so many years. I loved following her challenges, they start easy and are funny enough but become more serious further down the list. There are even a few I’d pass up on myself.It doesn’t take long though to understand there are many layers beneath the bizarre spectacle, some obvious and others harder to see through. The novel has some deep messages about mental health issues, depression, loss, but also personal growth, being yourself and seeking help when you need it. The funny quirky characters help to keep it light enough so it has exactly the right amount of balance. And Jonah was the perfect person to bring out the best in Esther, he’s so creative and attentive and I wish and hope we can all have a Jonah in our lives.Overall a very enjoyable debut novel that makes me wonder what else she has in store. I can recommend this novel to bookworms who read or are interested in reading Turtles All The Way Down. I liked this one much better than TATWD btw.

The premise that Esther always keeps a ‘semi-definitive list’ of her worst nightmares on her seems a interesting idea for a story. However as soon as I started the story, it came across as unrealistically whimsical with some extremely unusual characters and situations and I was unclear who the target audience was: Esther’s family never go upstairs in their house because of ghosts. Her brother is terrified of the dark and has to have candles and lights on at night, her father never leaves the basement of the house, her mother is addicted to gambling and superstitious, keeping rabbits and a cockerel in the house for good luck. Esther’s best friend only communicates with her through sign language although able to talk to some other people, and Esther herself wears fancy dress to school every day and has a letter from her mother excusing her pretty much from interacting with classmates in lessons. Based on this I assumed maybe this was aimed at a younger audience as a type of quirky, light-hearted fantasy book which did not appeal to me and I almost gave up on the book at this point. However I persisted and the book soon becomes much, much darker with incidents of self-harm, parental neglect\violence, dementia, attempted suicide, spontaneous combustion of poultry and a serial killer so this is clearly aimed at a much older audience! The book starts when Esther meets an old acquaintance Jonah who tricks and robs her of money and possessions (which seems unnecessarily cruel) but they re-acquaint and he persuades Esther to address he fears and this is the storyline that drew me to the book. However, this is accompanied by a more supernatural ('Stephen King like') story of death manifested in human form, as initially told by her grandfather and this storyline continues throughout the book. While the main storyline does, in some ways, address mental health issues and has the very positive message that anyone with these types of issues should talk to someone, it seemed to me that the implication that Esther over comes her fears by throwing away her superstitious belief in a family curse, is somewhat lost in the fact that she continues to believe other equally unusual supernatural occurrences. All in all, a very strange book, and mixing the two storylines really does not work in my view.

I really enjoyed this tale of fear and uncertainty masked as magic and superstition. Original, warm and poignant. The characters were endearing in all their strange and frustrating beauty. Really makes you think about mental health.

This book reads so fluidly, the story; enrapturing.Each character is so unique, you feel yourself emphasizing with even death himselfThe dark honest truths surrounding mental health beautifully intertwine with magic love and friendship, in a manner that fills your chest with a comforting warmth.

My daughter bought this and loved it

Probably one of the best books I've ever read!Heartfelt, honest, topical, emotional, sad, happy and really quite beautiful xxx