Review: Eliza and Her Monsters

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have no words. This book took my breath away and spoke to me in ways I never thought a book could. Everyone and anyone should read this book. Beautifully written and breathtakingly wonderful.

I apologise for how long this took to come out! I've been extremely busy over the past two months and just haven't had time to post or even read much lately! But finally I'm back, so here is my long overdue review of Eliza and her monsters.

4.5 out of 5 stars

The Writing:

The pacing, in my opinion, was really well done, it was slow but still kept the story moving; nothing felt stagnant or rushed. The book for me was a bit of a slower read but granted that it is nearly 400 pages long; I liked that the pace seemed to accommodate for the story. It heightened the moments of anxiety and calmed in the moments of happiness that Eliza experienced through the course of the novel.

I will say that the ending felt a little rushed to me, everything sort of happened all at once and the way things were 'resolved' happened very fast; a bit too fast for my liking. There was no real conversation regarding the conflicts towards the end and it seemed to me that it was sightly glossed over.

One thing that absolutely loved throughout the entirety of the novel was the use of the comic snippets within the story; I love that we got to see Eliza's work throughout. I think that it really helped to support the story, as it allowed the audience to get a deeper understanding of who Eliza was through her fictional characters and the story that she herself was creating.

The Characters (Potienitally light spoiler? )

I loved Eliza's character throughout the duration of the novel, at first part of me was worried that we'd see another case of 'Girl thinks she's above everyone else' but that was not the case at all. She's honest and strong in her opinions whilst still displaying her vulnerability, using her online persona as a shield; which is something a lot of young people can relate to. The way Eliza's anxiety was handled through the course of the novel was sensitive and well-done whilst still managing not to shy away from just how awful it can be to experience. I found myself relating a lot more to Eliza than I was first expecting to.

Wallace was a sweetheart, I loved how he was introduced as it wasn't forced or full-on; it was subtle which I think speaks volumes about his overall character. His silent confidence and how sure of himself he seems to be is something that I grew to absolutely love about his character; however, through his online persona, we are able to see him showing some of his vulnerability. Almost a parallel to how Eliza uses her online persona as well, they use them as shields and outlets.
His family is adorable, though his dad was out of line and he irritated me; Wallace just deserves happiness in his life.
However, I will say that I didn't like or agree with the way Wallace acted towards the end of the novel as it seemed to be a little extreme but I think part of that is because it never really felt resolved to me as it was never really touched upon or talked about.

(Potential spoiler)
The symbolism of Eliza opening up the blanket and letting Wallace displayed how open and comfortable she was beginning to feel around Wallace and I thought it was an absolutely beautiful use of the little moment between the two characters.
(End of Potential Spoiler)

Max and Emmy were good characters, I would maybe like to have seen more of them through the book. They are fierce friends and clearly care a lot about Eliza. Their dynamic is something I can relate to as the large majority of my closest friends I have met online. Being able to see their text messages is something I think lends originality to the story as it truly shows the audience, how much of Eliza's life is online.

Cole, Chandra, Leech and Megan seem to be a lovely group of friends as well; I loved the relationship between Cole and Wallace. They all showed support and passion for Eliza's comic and it was interesting to see how the dynamic between them shifted and changed throughout the course of the story.

Overall
Eliza and Her Monsters was a really great read, I had a lot of fun getting to know the characters and watching them grow. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a story about friendship, online lives, mental health and life as a teenager who is struggling to balance everything along aside school.

I would like to add a content warning as this novel does discuss themes of Bullying, Anxiety, Depression and suicidal thoughts.

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