Today I’m excited to participate in the Bookstagram & Creative Tour for One Carefree Day by Whitney Amazeen hosted by MTMC Tours! In this YA Contemporary Romance with #OwnVoices OCD rep, Willow Bates must manage her obsessive-compulsive disorder before she loses her home. What she doesn’t expect? Finding love in the process. One Carefree Day releases on February 7th 2021 from Swan Pages Publishing!
Now read on below for a review, an author Q&A plus an International giveaway!
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One Carefree Day by Whitney Amazeen
Published by Swan Pages Publishing ISBN: 1734899700
on February 7, 2021
Genres: YA, Contemporary Romance
Pages: 336
Format: Paperback, Kindle
Goodreads
Buy on Amazon|Book Depository|B&N
Source: MTMC Tours, Author
I received this book for free from MTMC Tours, Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Imagine being forced to face your worst fear.
For eighteen-year-old Willow Bates, anxiety is just a part of life. With her every decision ruled by intrusive thoughts, she's worried she sometimes seems a little odd. Despite Willow's efforts to hide her OCD from those around her, it isn't always possible. Her rituals are her coping mechanism, and Willow's past has left her with a lot to cope with.
But when Willow takes things too far, her mother breaks and gives her an ultimatum: Willow must finally start taking meds to treat her obsessive-compulsive disorder, or she'll have to move out within three months. But Willow is terrified of both options, and can't afford to support herself as a new cosmetology student.
Only when Theo Tate moves in next door does Willow begin to see hope. Theo might have a way for Willow to avoid taking meds and still resist her rituals. But falling for Theo is definitely not part of the plan. And mingling with him has risks not even Willow could possibly control, let alone be prepared for.
What to expect from One Carefree Day?
“Happy.
It feels like such an imaginary concept. So far-fetched. There are times I feel at ease, sure. Content, even. But true happiness isn’t something I’ve ever experienced in what feels like as long as I can remember.”
One Carefree Day is a novel that will stick with me for a long time. We follow Willow as she navigates life with OCD & who is trying hard to manage it so she can pursue her new college studies as a cosmetologist. But life is not simple, and Willow struggles when things get out of her control.
I loved meeting Willow and I appreciate the window this novel provides to a character who deals with OCD (it’s actually been years since I read a YA book about it!). Willow’s anxiety and loneliness of trying to deal with her illness on her own made my heart ache, while also feeling so much anger at her relationship with her mother who just never seemed to want to truly listen to her daughter’s struggles. And I must confess, it also made me livid when she dared to give her an ultimatum: start taking meds to deal with your obsessive-compulsive disorder OR move out. Such a strong and sad scene, a mom who should KNOW why Willow struggles with meds (she has an extreme aversion to them thanks to an allergic reaction).
One Carefree Day is an #ownvoices novel for OCD rep and I’m sure that Willow’s obsessive rituals and her anxiety are just one experience out of many, but I think everything was explained so well. Author Whitney Amazeen did a great job when writing her character and even more by letting us to follow Willow as she tries to possibly find one carefree day.
I must also mention how much I loved her cousin Ash who is the #1 support system for Willow. A friendship like theirs is truly one hard to come by & it made me really happy for Willow. And if you are interested in romance, then you won’t be disappointed since there is plenty with Theo who is Willow’s new neighbor and the one who offers assistance to Willow when she’s desperately trying to get her OCD under control. His methods are not exactly the best, but I understand the thought.
There’s a lot more to One Carefree Day and I can’t wait for you to meet Willow. Now read on below for an epic Q&A with Author Whitney Amazeen!
Please note: OCD is a mental health illness and not just “habits”, treatment can help, but this condition can’t be cured.
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Author Q&A with Whitney Amazeen!
Hi Whitney! Thank you so much for stopping by our blog! Can you introduce yourself and your book? 🙂
Hi there! I’m Whitney and my book, One Carefree Day is about eighteen-year-old Willow Bates and her journey overcoming OCD without medication and finding love along the way.
Please tell us two inspirations behind the novel!
I was mainly inspired to write this book because of how I felt while reading other books. I’d think about how nice it would be to have a clear mind like the protagonists in stories I was reading, how freeing it would feel to not have thoughts constantly clouded with rituals and irrational scenarios. Reading was, and still is, an escape. It felt nice to take a break from my brain and read from the perspective of someone without OCD. But at the same time, it made me feel lonely, like I was the only person in the world who suffered from intrusive thoughts. I wrote the book thinking of myself and how much I needed a book with a character like Willow. Someone to prove I wasn’t alone in what I believed to be my craziness. I also wrote it hoping that anyone else who thought they were alone in their thoughts could relate to Willow and perhaps feel just a little bit less alone.
The second inspiration behind the novel came after I completed cosmetology school. The experience was one of a kind. I felt it was a rare setting to come across in a book, and also quite a triggering one for someone with anxiety, which made it the perfect type of school for Willow to attend.
How long did it take One Carefree Day to go from first idea to published book?
I had the idea for One Carefree Day back in late 2013 after finishing cosmetology school, but I didn’t start writing it until 2018. After many drafts and edits, the story reached its final form in early-mid 2020.
Can you introduce us to Willow?
Willow Bates is an eighteen year old biracial girl struggling with OCD at the start of the story. She likes routine, and she’s very set in her ways. If anything unexpected happens, it completely throws her off and triggers her. She has so many rituals that she regularly performs, she can’t keep track of them all. Willow is easily irritated, but she’s also considerate and cautious. She tends to shoulder the blame for everything and tries her best to succeed and keep everyone happy, herself included.
What are 3 things Willow loves?
- Odd numbers. Willow has a thing for odd numbers because they have a middle and can be centered.
- Willow loves the Harry Potter books because, like most fans, she grew up with them and they provide her with a sense of nostalgia and comfort.
- Willow loves dogs. She’s always wanted to adopt one, but her mom never let her. She settles for walking the dogs in her neighborhood to get her fix.
What’s the best writing advice you’ve received?
One of my creative writing teachers told me, “writing is never done; only due.” I never forgot it, and I think it’s amazing advice because it allowed me to give myself grace as a writer. It gave me the knowledge that yes, I have the ability to make what I wrote better and better, and no, it won’t ever be perfect, but it’s time to put the pen down because my time is up. As long as I’ve done the best work I could with the time I was given, I did my best. And I can now focus on my next book, and make it even better than the last.
Do you have any writing snacks/drinks?
I have a thing for tea. I always make myself hot black tea with some cream and sugar and I swear it makes my writing sessions magical.
What does your writing space look like?
I wish I had a dedicated writing space to show off, but the truth is that I write wherever I can. Sometimes it’s in my bed, on the couch, at a coffee shop, in the car, or at my mom’s house. I tend to bring my laptop with me everywhere. I like to make sure it’s with me in case I feel a huge wave of inspiration and need to write it all down, because I’ve definitely been in situations where I’m hit with a great idea and all I have is my phone. It’s not fun, and I end up with sore thumbs and a low battery.
Can you tell us a little secret something about your next project?
My next project is completely unrelated to One Carefree Day, but Willow makes a brief appearance in the story.
Favorite vs least favorite part of being an author!
Writing is such a personal thing. Knowing that someone is going to read the words I wrote, possibly love or hate the characters I created, and fall in love with or even be offended by the story itself is both exciting and terrifying. It’s kind of the best and worst part at the same time.
What’s something you’d like readers to take away from the story?
Willow’s OCD is in many ways the product of the way she was treated throughout her life. The situations she’s been in, the things people have said to her, and her feelings of being different have all contributed to her having to deal with having obsessive-compulsive disorder. If readers are going to take something away from the story, I’d like for it to be the realization of just how much words can impact a person’s life, how every little comment and expression and gesture and tone of voice matters and really can affect someone.
I’d also like for them to read and know they aren’t alone. Even if they don’t think exactly like Willow does, or have the same rituals and hardships as her, there is someone else out there in the world just like them, who also probably feels isolated and strange. But it’s not true, and there’s no such thing as normal.
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INTL Instagram Tour-wide Giveaway!
Head over to my Instagram account where you can enter to win 1 of 3 copies of One Carefree Day! This is open internationally & it ends on February 13th, 2021 at 11:59pm EST.
Tour Schedule:
February 1
@paperfury – Boostagram + Book Blog
February 2
@prettylittlebookshelf – Bookstagram
February 3
@thereaderandthechef – Bookstagram + Book Blog
February 4
@joyfulreader – Bookstagram
February 5
@why__read – Bookstagram + Book Blog
February 6
@midnightbooklover – Bookstagram
February 7
@thereadingcornerforall – Bookstagram + Book Blog
February 8
@thegirlonthego_reads – Bookstagram + Book Blog
February 9
@livforreading – Bookstagram
February 10
@avanireads – Bookstagram + Book Blog
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About Whitney Amazeen
Whitney Amazeen’s love for reading started in third grade and has been going strong ever since. As a result, Whitney has evolved into a full-fledged daydreamer with more stories in her head than she can count. When she’s not immersed in a novel, Whitney spends the majority of her time writing down stories about characters in her head who demand to be heard. Whitney lives in California with her husband and son, and can often be found drinking tea, hoping for foggy weather, and obsessing over fictional characters.
Aah, love this so much!!! And loved that Author Q&A!!!