A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares

 By: Krystal Sutherland 

Location: FIC SUT

Genre: Teen Life, Romance, Contemporary

“Look, fearless people are stupid, ‘cause they don’t even understand what fear is. You gotta be scared right down to your bones for bravery to mean anything.”

“Everything you want is on the other side of fear.”

Ever since Esther Solar's grandfather was cursed by Death, everyone in her family has been doomed to suffer one great fear in their lifetime. Esther's father is agoraphobic and hasn't left the basement in six years, her twin brother can t be in the dark without a light on, and her mother is terrified of bad luck.The Solars are consumed by their fears and, according to the legend of the curse, destined to die from them.Esther doesn't know what her great fear is yet (nor does she want to), a feat achieved by avoiding pretty much everything. Elevators, small spaces, and crowds are all off-limits. So are haircuts, spiders, dolls, mirrors and three dozen other phobias she keeps a record of in her semi-definitive list of worst nightmares.Then Esther is pickpocketed by Jonah Smallwood, an old elementary school classmate. Along with her phone, money and a fruit roll-up she d been saving, Jonah also steals her list of fears. Despite the theft, Esther and Jonah become friends, and he sets a challenge for in an effort to break the curse that has crippled her family, they will meet every Sunday of senior year to work their way through the list, facing one terrifying fear at a time, including one that Esther hadn't counted love.

Review by Warda:

Just one of those books again that rock my world, give it meaning and make me feel whole. Understood.

I don't know where to begin to review this book properly. So many emotions poured out of me whilst reading it and so many thoughts. It might take a while for me to comprehend my feelings and put it in writing.

I think this has to be one of the best YA books that deals with mental illness. Sutherland did her research and she did it well. Trigger warnings for anxiety, self-harm and suicide.

I don't think I'll be able to review it right, so for now what I'll say is this. It's a unique, magical and full of dry humour type story about coming to terms with your fears, however insignificant they may be. The type of fear that paralyses you. Finding out that you're not alone in it. That mental illness needs to be more spoken off and tackled and that most families are broken and parents aren't godlike. That you just need to be you for magic to actually occur. And to make it actually happen.