A Semi Definitive List of Worst Nightmares

Krystal Sutherland

Age 16 +
05 September 2017
9781471406614
368 pages

Synopsis

A funny, moving love story about facing fears hand in hand - one snake/spider/potentially unstable fourth-floor balcony at a time. From acclaimed author of OUR CHEMICAL HEARTS, Krystal Sutherland.

Esther Solar's family is . . . unusual. Her father hasn't left the basement in six years. Her brother is terrified of darkness.

Esther isn't afraid of anything - because she avoids pretty much everything. Elevators are off limits, as are open spaces, crowds, family pets, birds, needles, haircuts, dolls and mirrors.

But when Esther is pickpocketed by her cocky old classmate Jonah Walker, Esther and Jonah become surprising friends. Jonah sets a challenge: every week they must work their way through the world's fifty most common phobias. Skydiving, horse riding, beekeeping, public speaking, reptilehouses - they plan to do it all.

Soon their weekly foray into fear becomes the only thing that keeps them tethered to reality, and to each other. But each is keeping a secret from the other, a secret that threatens to rip them apart.
Esther keeps a semi-definitive list of her worst nightmares on her at all times. (Don't you?) Or at least, she did, until a boy in her class named Jonah pickpocketed her and took it. Instead of returning the list, Jonah decides to help Esther face all the fears on her list. As they go, she discovers a new one: falling in love
Krystal Sutherland's latest read is packed full of humour, romance and scenes that will have you close to tears. It's an emotional turmoil and one that you should add on your TBR pile ASAP
I loved the quirkiness and the eccentric delivery. I have genuinely not seen anxiety tackled in such a fresh way before. Sutherland highlights the irrationality of fear without a "buck up" attitude