ONE CAREFREE DAY

Amazeen offers a debut YA novel about a teenager who finds love while also learning to like herself.

Willow Bates, an 18-year-old biracial woman, has felt different for as long as she can remember. She was raised by her White single mother, struggles with moderate OCD, and feels like an outsider in her own home and in her own skin. When Theo, a childhood friend, returns to her life after a long absence, the upheaval she feels is all but unbearable. However, Theo’s cocky swagger hides a sensitive side and a deep empathy that gives him insight into Willow’s troubles. When her OCD symptoms drive her mother to issue a painful ultimatum, Willow turns to Theo for help, and together, they explore a form of psychotherapy called exposure and response prevention, tackling her fears one at a time and granting Willow a sense of resilience she has never known before. But when she discovers that important information is being withheld from her, she learns the full power of courage and forgiveness. In this inspiring novel of self-acceptance, Amazeen expertly brings to life the experience of a woman with OCD, dispelling common myths about the disorder along the way. The story’s romantic plotline is sweet and affecting as it offers Willow a love interest who empowers her as much as he protects her. Central to the work is the affirmation that Willow is worthy of love exactly how she is, and that fact that she finds love and empowerment on her own terms. The work has some strong language and suggestive content but will be suitable for most teens.

A novel that’s uplifting from cover to cover and full of humor and heart.