
A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares
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Narrated by:
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Tara Sands
About this listen
From the author of Our Chemical Hearts comes the hilarious, reality-bending tale of two outsiders facing their greatest fears about life and love—one debilitating phobia at a time.
Ever since Esther Solar's grandfather was cursed by Death, everyone in her family has been doomed to suffer one great fear in their lifetime. Esther's father is agoraphobic and hasn't left the basement in six years, her twin brother can't be in the dark without a light on, and her mother is terrified of bad luck.
The Solars are consumed by their fears and, according to the legend of the curse, destined to die from them.
Esther doesn't know what her great fear is yet (nor does she want to), a feat achieved by avoiding pretty much everything. Elevators, small spaces, and crowds are all off-limits. So are haircuts, spiders, dolls, mirrors, and three dozen other phobias she keeps a record of in her semi-definitive list of worst nightmares.
Then Esther is pickpocketed by Jonah Smallwood, an old elementary school classmate. Along with her phone, money, and a fruit roll-up she'd been saving, Jonah also steals her list of fears. Despite the theft, Esther and Jonah become friends, and he sets a challenge for them: In an effort to break the curse that has crippled her family, they will meet every Sunday of senior year to work their way through the list, facing one terrifying fear at a time, including one that Esther hadn't counted on: love.
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Critic reviews
An Amazon Editor's Favorite YA Book for Fall 2017
An Amazon September Best of the Month Pick—YA/Teens
A Hello Giggles Best of September Pick
A Bustle Best of September YA Pick
A 2017 B&N Best Young Adult Book
★ “Imbue[d] with energy, fascinating histories, wisps of humor and, ultimately, grace. . . Equal parts inspiring and good fun.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
“[A] bewitching book . . . Sutherland's fertile imagination makes this book a deep dive into the intricacies of family, friends, and personal history. . . . A fresh and compelling look at mental illness.”—Kirkus Reviews
“[A] darkly ironic tale about an offbeat dysfunctional family.”—Publishers Weekly
I loved it
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Death cursed the Solar family, and the interludes where you learn more about that is a nice touch, but the main arc of the story is Jonah helping Esther overcome her small fears while driving her to face her biggest fear. The writing is really good, I hate when YA books are dumbed down.
Tara Sands does a nice job. You can tell the characters apart and she injects the right amount of feeling into her reading.
Great book!
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Unique, superstitious, interesting teen drama
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It was a Tik Tok recommendation.
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I felt seen.
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Sweet but raw
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