Ruby Elliot (or Ruby Etc as she's more commonly known) is a legend on tumblr. She makes the most interesting humorous mental-health related comics, I've been following her for years because they hit close to home.
This book is exactly that, her typical style or mental-health related comics, interlaced with her typical wittiness and relatability. She also has written a few passages that talk about her mental-health, and again they're witty and relatable. But best of all, the art is amazing.
It took me one sitting to finish this one, I really wanted to see what was next.

If you have the chance to read this book - do it. I promise you won't regret it.

When I first picked up this book, I instantly thought of "Hyperbole and A Half." A very popular book that talks about the same subjects with the same cute, simplistic drawings.

I wasn't hooked right away, but when the author began to talk of her own struggles with mental illness, to go alongside the drawings, I liked it a lot more. She was very open and honest. I could relate to a lot of what she said.

Not one of a kind, but a good book with a heartfelt reason for making it.

Sort of a cross between Hyperbole and a Half and Jenny Lawson/The Bloggess, this is a candid, humorous, and heavily illustrated look at mental illness, healing, and just life. Plus an absolutely true and hilarious section on why bra shopping is the most soul sucking activity in the world.

Finished reading: January 15th 2017

“That's what you need sometimes, whether it's a dog or a cat or a jazzy lizard or something else entirely that provides you with some emotional respite when it's all too messy - a tiny yet significant port in an almighty storm.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

Spoiler

I confess I don't have a lot of experience reading graphic novels, but when I saw It's All Absolutely Fine at Netgalley I was immediately intrigued by the promise of a combination of simple drawings and a down-to-earth description of the daily struggles of life with mental illness. It is a topic that has always interested me for various reasons... And It's All Absolutely Fine is without doubt another title to add to my list of favorites talking about mental illness. Why? First of all, I found it really easy to connect to the little stories. Ruby Elliot shows life as it is without trying to hide the ugly parts, and I can really appreciate the sincerity of it all. This bundle switches between short essays and illustrations that show the reader Ruby's experiences living with social anxiety and the daily struggles of life with mental illness. Simple drawings of sometimes 'simple' situations, but with a huge dose of sharp humor for maximum effect.



I think this illustration above gives just the right idea of what I'm talking about... Ruby Elliot's drawings are sometimes brutally honest, but they always feel 100% real. It's both an entertaining and eye-opening read that will appeal both to anyone interested in the topic and fans of memoirs such as Furiously Happy.



It's All Absolutely Fine is both an honest and unapologetic account of Ruby's daily struggle living with mental illness. She uses simple drawings and a few short essays to talk about themes like mood disorders, anxiety and issues with body image; all sprinkled with the right dose of humor. Each chapter talks about a different set of struggles, and every aspect is talked about openly without hiding the ugly parts.



It's All Absolutely Fine is a graphic novel and memoir that tries to both show what it is to live with mental illness and tell other people that it is okay to not feel okay. The drawings might be simple, but are brutally honest and have a dose of sharp humor for maximum effect. I really enjoyed reading this story and I think anyone interested in the topic would enjoy reading It's All Absolutely Fine as well. Recommended!

P.S. Find more of my reviews here.

Ahahahahahahah this is so good. I'm sure these jokes are funny as well to people who DON"T have mental illness, but for those of us on the inside these are almost too real to be funny, except they're also hilarious. Marvellously expressive scribbly drawings and a marvellously biting sense of humour wrapped around extreme vulnerability and despair and stubbornness.

*3.5 stars*

I'm at those graphic novels again ya'll since ya girl still doesn't have time to read a full text book for fun. But this was a really good read! I think that all of the mental health aspects can be super helpful and comforting to so many people and I'm glad this is out in the world for people to see.

Even though I really liked all the little comics, I often felt like they were very random and didn't always necessarily correspond to the text sections (though, maybe they weren't really supposed to). But the art style was cute and I laughed at a lot of the drawings.

I really liked this, but I think that a lot of other people who struggle with mental health a lot more than I do might find it much more hard-hitting than I did.

Synopsis

In this nonfiction, memoir-esque graphic novel Elliot does a marvelous job of depicting what it’s like to live with mental illness–specifically depression and anxiety. This memoir is touching, heartbreaking, thought-provoking, sometimes incredibly funny, and one of those books that seems to say everything that you can’t express. The best part, though, is the message buried in this book that overreaches through each comic, and that’s one that mental illness is hard, and it’s okay to not be okay, and that there is a difference between healing and managing, since most-often with mental illness it is all about managing it.

It’s All Absolutely Fine: Life is Complicated, so I’ve Drawn it Instead by Ruby Elliot

★★★★★
Genre: Humor/Memoir/Nonfiction/Graphic Novel
Release Date: November 2016 (Re-Released 31 January 2017)
Source: Free Copy via Netgalley
On My Shelf: It Will Be! (I need a copy ASAP)

This. Book. Was. Incredible.

I’m so thankful to the publisher for providing me a copy of this book via Netgalley because I needed this in my life. I was already familiar with some of Elliot’s work via social media and had sort of heard of this book, but once I saw it on Netgalley, I knew I had to read it.

Elliot does a marvelous job of depicting mental illness through comics. I have OCD, so my anxiety and depression is a bit different than hers, but this comic was still so relatable. I found myself nodding on so many pages because Elliot found a way to illustrate (literally) what it’s like to live with unstable mental health. This is a very raw book, and I’m thankful Elliot was brave enough to bare her soul in such a way to share her experiences with others.

Not only is this an excellent read that is often times hilarious (I’m talking laugh out loud funny)–even if it is often a dark sense of humor, this book is also incredibly educational/helpful. Elliot takes time to write out and explain her mental illness, how she sought help, and what she does to manage her issues. This book is a great resource on so many levels, even if it’s just needing a laugh or to know that you’re not alone.

What else can I say about this book? Literally so many things. But, I guess I’ll talk about Elliot’s drawing style. I adore Elliot’s work. Her art is simplistic and choppy around the edges yet somehow so beautiful. There’s not a panel that I didn’t enjoy looking at. There’s something about her style that just fits so well with the topics in this book. I can’t really explain it, but there’s a connection there that I, as the reader, could sense.

I’ve always been a fan of Elliot’s work, but I’m so incredibly invested after reading this. There’s no going back now. I hope she continues to create graphic novels (or any sort of art), because I will buy anything with her name on it. This book has convinced me whole-heartedly, and I feel sort of bonded with her in a way now (not in a creepy way, though, I swear!), to the point that I will be eagerly looking forward to her future work.

There are so many wonderful things I could say about this book, but I’ll wrap things up and simply say YOU HAVE TO READ THIS! Yes, the caps and exclamation point were absolutely necessary! Even if you do not have a mental illness, this book is still a great read and is a great resource to learn a bit more about how mental illness works and what some of the effects of it may be.

I just…you need to read this.

I recommend this book to everyone!

Review originally published on my Wordpress blog Dreaming Through Literature

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my rating. All thoughts are and remain my own.*

What can I say? There are a lot of on-line cartoons that are slice of life of the cartoonist. Not all appeal to all people. This one is that one for me. It sometimes makes me laugh, but other times I just shrug my shoulders.

So, if you like Ruby, this is a whole book. I mean, it isn't like I didn't go through some of the every-woman things that she has had to deal with. Yeah, bra shopping is a pain. Yeah, so is body image.

This is not to say I didn't find her funny. There were fun bits such as these two below:





So, if these two make you think you need more, then yes, Ruby is for you. For me, it is a little too much of been there done that to be funny. I'm probably just an old fart then.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Extremely vulnerable vignettes of mental illness illustrated in simple, bold cartoons. Even if I couldn't directly relate to everything, I could appreciate how much it took to compile these stories to share with strangers.