Fictional books with mental health rep are so important and I’m really thrilled to chat about some of the stories that have meant the most to me.
This post was originally published during May 2023, which happens to be Mental Health Awareness Month. This month is incredibly meaningful to me and it’s something I haven’t touched on in quite some time. I thought I was overdue for a chat about mental health and wellness and what it means to me, personally.
I’ve never been one to shy away from talking about my own mental health struggles. It’s a privilege to have this platform and to live in a day and age where the stigma surrounding this topic has lessened greatly. Sure, there’s a ton of work left to do, but progress is being made and I, for one, am so grateful.
Maybe one of these days I’ll actually write up a post going into great detail about the different battles I face each day, but for the sake of this article, I’m going to give the nutshell version. Anxiety has been part of my life since I was a child (even if it didn’t have a name until I was much older). As a teenager, I was diagnosed with depression and struggled with self-harm, suicidal tendencies, anorexia nervosa, and body dysmorphia. My early 20s brought about a diagnosis of bipolar disorder II (yes, there are multiple kinds of bipolar and it’s important to know the differences), PTSD due to sexual and emotional abuse, and many OCD tendencies.
Phew, my life has been a bit of a whirlwind and the battle is never over. It’s important to note that I am a huge advocate for beneficial medication and therapy.
I’ve been a reader throughout my entire life, and there have been books that have truly felt like saviors over the years. I still find myself getting weepy when I think about some of the books that I read in high school–ones that made me feel seen for the first time. As an adult, it has become even more important to me to find books with well-written mental health rep. In the past few years, I’ve discovered a few truly incredible fictional novels that have come to mean so much to me. I’m really thrilled to share them all with you.
related posts
8 Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time // How the Library Can Help You Read More Books // Romance Books I Didn’t Love and What to Read Instead
12 Fictional Books With Incredible Mental Health Rep
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The Midnight Library
by Matt Haig
This book completely changed my life. Some may find it slow, the characters boring, etc. But me? I saw myself on every page of the story and the overwhelming sense of hope I felt was unlike anything I’d ever read. Matt Haig writes like he’s been inside my brain. This book deals with depression (suicide attempt) and anxiety.
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin
by Roseanne A Brown
There are sadly very few fantasy novels that I’ve found that touch on topics like depression, self-harm, and anxiety. Everyone is a badass so there’s often no room for “weakness.” This duology depicted anxiety in particular in such a phenomenal way. The second book had me writing down quotes like it was my job.
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Amelia Unabridged
by Ashley Schumacher
Not only is this book a beautiful ode to readers everywhere, but it also handles tough topics like panic attacks (and how challenging it may be for a “celebrity” to manage a lifestyle while struggling with them) as well as PTSD and grief. This book would’ve been my saving grace in high school – but it’s equally incredible as an adult.
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
This Might Get Awkward
by Kara McDowell
The first book that I read by McDowell was One Way or Another, and I remember gasping in awe at the way she depicted social anxiety. This is something that I have always struggled with and it was navigated so well. This Might Get Awkward does an awesome job with it as well – if not an even better job – and I think that it could help a lot of people who feel as though they’re “less than” due to this.
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill
by Abbi Waxman
I have never in my life read a book where I related with the character more than I relate with Nina Hill. She’s an introverted bookworm with often debilitating anxiety that keeps her from feeling as though she can fully enjoy her life. It made me feel as though there’s someone who understands me – even if they’re fictional.
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
The Sound of Stars
by Alechia Dow
Not only does this sci-fi story handle anxiety and panic attacks in particular in a really touching way, but it also ties in the mental health struggles that someone may face if they’re trying to understand and accept their own sexuality (ace rep).
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
It’s Kind of a Funny Story
by Ned Vizzini
This book (and the movie adaptation) were my first looks at mental health rep in fiction as a teen and my gosh were they helpful. I would go so far as to say this story saved my life during that time. It really changed my perspective on what I was going through with depression and self-harm.
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Turtles All the Way Down
by John Green
John Green’s books have truly never failed me, but Turtles All the Way Down in particular did a fantastic job of depicting anxiety – a lot of that having to do with the fact that John Green himself struggles with this, so it was very personal. Reading about how he wrote TATWD in The Anthropocene Reviewed made me appreciate the book even more. Though I read this book when it first came out, to this day I still have a whole list of quotes in my phone’s notes app that spoke to me and my own struggles.
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
by VE Schwab
You didn’t really think I’d write this post and not include The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, did you? It really touches on a few different aspects of mental illness, from panic attacks to suicidal thoughts and beyond – and then it provides the most healing quotes and hope to go right along with it all. I can’t thank Schwab enough for this book.
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Weather Girl
by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Trigger warnings at the beginning of the book, open discussion about depression, antidepressants, mental illness in genetics, and navigating a relationship while trying to accept your own mental health challenges? This book has so much that I never knew I needed in a romance. I adored every second and strongly recommend it!
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
We Are All So Good at Smiling
by Amber McBride
Amber fought for trigger warnings at the beginning of this book and I’m so thankful she did. This book doesn’t just touch on heavy topics, it dives head-first into the grittiest and darkest parts of mental illness, while somehow turning it all into a fairytale. It’s a novel-in-verse and absolutely beautifully written. I ate it up in one sitting and know I’ll visit it again, especially when I find myself in a bad place.
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Yours Truly
by Abby Jimenez
There are only a handful of books that I’ve read over the years that accurately depict what anxiety looks like to me. This is one of them. It made me feel seen in a way very few other books have throughout my life. It’s beautifully handled and also shows the grace with which others can navigate relationships with someone who suffers from severe anxiety. I appreciate this so much.
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
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Have you read any of these books? Are there any fictional novels with mental health rep that you recommend?
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The Midnight library was so good. I loved the mental health rep and the discussion around suicide on the book.
Nice list, and it’s so wonderful to see mental health representation in so many books these days. I loved Nina Hill, The Midnight Library, and Weather Girl!
I loved you found books that have a focus on MH issues! I have not read these but weather girl was on my list to TBR so I will definitely check it out!
Ooh amazing list here! I’ve only actually read Addie LaRue from here but there are so many others I’d love to read too! A Song of Wraiths and Ruin has been on my tbr pretty much ever since it came out but I didn’t realise it dealt with mental health issues, which has only made me want to read it more. It should definitely be included more in fantasties! Thank you so much for sharing x
This is such an incredible list for mental health rep! I’ve had The Midnight Library on my TBR for a while now and I can’t wait to get to it soon. I’ll also be adding The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, The Sound of Stars, and Weather Girl to my list. Thank you for sharing your reviews and for the wonderful recommendations! (I also appreciate all of the trigger warnings!)
I agree that Matt Haig is a leader on this topic. Interesting suggestions.
I love a good book list! These look great, I’ll be adding some to my TBR pile. Thanks for sharing.
Beautiful post! Thank you for putting this together. And thank you for being so honest about your own mental health struggles and how it’s related to your love of reading. I have definitely been through some of these myself and I think that it’s so important to share about mental health in a fictional manner but also to share our own stories. I’m glad that we have this platform to support one another <3
Lizzie
http://www.lizzieinlace.com
Many of these sound amazing! Going to add a few to my list, and I will be reading The Midnight Library soon for a book club I’m in.
What an amazing list! Such an important topic and I’m adding these straight to my reading list!
Thanks for sharing this book’s list. This is a great collection we need especially as we approach the holidays.
It’s Kind of a Funny Story is such a great book!
I love reading mental health rep fictional books too! One of my favourites is Are We All Lemmings & Snowflakes? I loved Weather Girl as well x
We read It’s Kind of a Funny Story years ago. This is a great list!
It’s a phenomenal book. It was absolutely vital for me in high school – the movie too. It’s still very special to me because of that!
Thanks for sharing! I need to read Turtles All the Way Down; I love John Green!
Yes, you absolutely do! All of his books are amazing, but this one is definitely extra special to me.
I loved both The Midnight Library and The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. I also enjoyed Nina Hill Book 2 (Adult Assembly Required).
I absolutely love Abbi’s books! Have you read The Garden of Small Beginnings or I Was Told It Would Get Easier? All of her books are connected! The only one I didn’t love was Other People’s Houses.
Great list! I’ve read (and loved!) a few on here already, and the rest were pretty much already on my TBR. Always love to hear my TBR is full of great things to look forward to — and maybe bump up to the top!
Honestly, I can highly recommend any and all of Chloe Liese’s books. They made me realise things about myself that I never knew, and they do such a wonderful job of portraying real humans. So good!
Thank you so much for this! I was looking for a list like this and found you on Lemon8 ❤️
That’s amazing to hear! Thanks so much for checking out my site 🙂
I loved THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE. I read it during pandemic lockdown and it was pure poetry to my brain. Such a well-written book.
Love this list! If you haven’t already checked it out, Kristin Cashore’s Graceling Realm series is. YA fantasy series that handles PTSD and cPTSD in ways I needed as a survivor. It gets gritty at times, and there aren’t trigger warnings in the books, but the main characters are navigating life after trauma and it’s beautiful to see the hope.