Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: July 23, 2013
Source/Format: Bought || Hardcover
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.
OCD Love Story is not an easy read. There are moments that will make you uncomfortable, instances that will make you cringe, things that will make you unbearably emotional. All of the discomfort is centered around Bea, who suffers from severe OCD that causes her to act in questionable ways. So, to be completely honest, I can't tell you I enjoyed reading it because it just made me feel off-kilter.
Yet, it's because OCD Love Story depicts something so raw and real that I feel it's really important for readers to encounter Bea's story for themselves. Real people suffer from conditions like Bea's every day, and the novel goes a long way towards helping readers understand exactly what it could be like for them. While there are varying symptoms or levels of these conditions, this novel encourages a better understanding and true empathy for those who battle mental illnesses.
Even though she's also the source of my discomfort, Bea is also the reason I kept on reading OCD Love Story. Little glimpses into her past, into her character, into her vulnerabilities, all of that really helped me engage with her as a character. It made me want her to find solid footing among the tumult of her OCD and the hard stuff she was afraid to face, even when she was trying my patience with her choices. While it's not something that can be cured completely, OCD can be managed (based on what is mentioned in this novel, as well as what I know from real life) and I wanted that for her.
There are a lot of things going on in OCD Love Story, but to me, it's heavily focused on Bea being diagnosed with OCD and dealing with it. What stands out most in my mind is that, even though the story is messy and riddled with uncomfortable moments, it reads so authentically. In the end, Haydu's story is a testament to one simple truth: life goes on, no matter what you have to deal with in your every day. It's a hard truth, but a good one to be faced with, and I believe it will inspire readers to face the fact that life as we know it might not always be perfect - and we should persevere anyway.
It will challenge you. It will make you think. It will drop-kick you out of your comfort zone. But OCD Love Story is worth all of the time you'll spend reading it, and I sincerely hope you'll give it a shot.
It sounds like the author did an excellent job of really communicating what the MC was going through. Definitely a win when that happens!
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