Book Review - Fear of Fear

Fear of Fear by PJ Nkfoor

So this review is a bit different, because I have two reviews for this book.

My review of this book IN GENERAL ^

My personal opinion of this book ^

The cover of this book is very misleading because..

1. It says its a psychological thriller

2. The image looks spooky and ominous

Well it's not at all. It's actually more of a fictional self-help book.

Quick Summary

This book is about Vivi's life from when she was a young girl and to the present life when she's in her late 30's or mid 40's I believe. Vivi has agoraphobia and really bad anxiety from past traumas in her life and have only gotten worse at her older age. She finally has had enough and tries to get some help to get over her fear. Throughout the book it goes between her childhood life from being abducted, sexually abused, and loved ones dying. In her present life she met a doctor who is helping her beat her anxiety in steps. She has a supportive daughter and husband that help her through this journey and towards the end she hits another obstacle that is life-changing.

Plot

This plot mainly talks about mental health and anxiety. From the beginning of the trauma, the trauma itself, healing, grieving, therapy, etc. They also talk about how it affects home life as well and other people around her.

So this book overall is amazingly written. It kept my attention 95% of the time and pulled the heart strings a couple times. But it was so BLAND. I want to say vanilla... but vanilla is more exotic than this book. There was little to no thrill and Vivi was just not my favorite person. To me she seemed selfish, stubborn, boring, inattentive to husband and daughter, and unwilling to get help - which angers me. I also realized I might have this negative feelings because I do not suffer from mental illness so I don't understand.

I think this would be an amazing read for someone who does deal with social anxiety and mental illness because it would help to relate to a fictional life. So if you are in the mood for something light-hearted, somewhat boring, and spirtual-ish then this is your book!