Review: The Symptoms of My Insanity by Mindy Raf

Title: The Symptoms of My Insanity
Author: Mindy Raf
Publisher: Dial Books For Young Readers

Publication date: April 18, 2013

Genre(s): Young Adult (Contemporary)

Source: NetGalley

Format: eARC

Pages: 384

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A laugh-out-loud, bittersweet debut full of wit, wisdom, heart, and a hilarious, unforgettable heroine.

When you’re a hypochondriac, there are a million different things that could be wrong with you, but for Izzy, focusing on what could be wrong might be keeping her from dealing with what’s really wrong.

I almost raised my hand, but what would I say? “Mr. Bayer, may I please be excused? I’m not totally positive, but I think I might have cancer.” No way. Then everyone at school would know, and they would treat me differently, and I would be known as “Izzy, that poor girl who diagnosed herself with breast cancer during biology.”

But Izzy’s sense of humor can only get her so far when suddenly her best friend appears to have undergone a personality transplant, her mother’s health takes a turn for the worse, and her beautiful maybe-boyfriend is going all hot and cold. Izzy thinks she’s preparing for the worst-case scenario, but when the worst-case scenario actually hits, it’s a different story altogether—and there’s no tidy list of symptoms to help her through the insanity.

The Symptoms of My Insanity is a laugh out loud novel with a girl who is a hypochondriac. If you don't know what that is here is the definition: 

A Hypochondriac is someone with an excessive preoccupation with and worry about one's health. 

Basically Izzy is a girl who is so obsessive about her health that it preoccupies all her time and everything she does. This is mainly because her mother actually suffers from a rare illness and it seems like the only way she is able to cope with it is by submerging herself in medical forums and searching up every tiny and even imaginative symptom she thinks she has. I found that to be quite funny. One time she would be talking to the guy she likes sitting on a sofa but she would also be thinking of how dirty that pillow is and maybe she shouldn't lean too far back because she might contract a rare fungus that would make her drop dead or something. I really enjoyed these scenes. However I didn't enjoy the whole romantic plot in this novel. It felt a bit too predictable and forced at times. This is a book where I feel that the omission of the romance actually benefits the novel. 

I did enjoy some of the characters in The Symptoms of My Insanity, specifically Izzy's mom's Yiddish talk as well as Pam, who is Izzy's mom's best friend. I loved how caring Pam was and wished I got to see more of her. Izzy's best friend was a bit annoying at times, especially when she kept on piling work on Izzy even though she knows she's already preoccupied with her mother's sickness as well as getting ready to complete her art portfolio that is due. There is also Marcus, who is Jenna's brother and potential love interest. He was very charming in a goofy kind of way. At times I also didn't like Izzy's monologues. 

I have to say that The Symptoms of My Insanity was a bit too long for such a plot and I hoped some parts were omitted. All in all it was enjoyable, especially the humorous parts of the novel. It was also heartwarming, especially the hospital scenes between Izzy, her sister, and her mom. I did have some issues with it, but it was a great contemporary novel.