I was quite let down with this arc. The representation was really poorly executed. I would not recommend this book.

I was really excited to read this book. I thought I'd really enjoy the book overall, because this book seemed like a psychological thriller that was from the point of view of villain. That is not what happened. So then I thought maybe it was going to dive into the struggle of multiple personality disorder and I was sort of right.

I thought the concept was interesting but I feel like this book was geared towards a young audience but was marketed for a more mature audience. The characters aware overly dramatized and it just wasn't my style. It has a lot of potential though.

**Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publisher for a chance to read & review an E-ARC of this novel!**

This was an interesting take on the mind & how our emotions play out in our actions. I went into this one hopeful, but sadly it did not leave me feeling fulfilled. Please find my extended feedback below...along with some spoilers (beware).
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Things I Liked:
-the concept seemed very unique & interested...it certainly pulled me in
-the artwork at the end was very fun! I liked seeing how the characters would look from the author's point of view

Things That Didn't Sit Quite Right With Me:
-I really did not like the relationship between Dr. Holiday & Lexa. Professional boundaries exist for very specific reasons...they work to protect the client & the clinician. As a mental health clinician myself, I found aspect this very concerning as that relationship was a friendship that was distorted into a professional interaction when it suited the characters.
-I felt like the writing style would be more suited for a younger audience (although the story content is quite mature at times)
-The actual plot points felt very dramatic & in the readers face...it didn't feel like a story to me so much as multiple big plots points attempting to create this intense psychological thriller vibe. Unfortunately, it just left me feeling let down & drained while I continued reading.

Overall, I gave this novel 1 star. It has a promising concept, but it felt really overdramatic & the writing style was not my style.

I usually do not "DNF" books, but this one was a big exception. The writing was so choppy it was hard to read and stay focused.

The author made the main character trans, which was great as there is a lacking presence of trans people in YA books. However, they were made angry, harmful, and downright dangerous.

There were so many things that made this entire book heavy with transphobia and ableism. It honestly was not what I thought this book was when I signed up to review it.

I am highly disappointed and would not recommend this book to anyone, especially with how harmful the stigma surrounding trans people already is. The mental health community isn't very well represented either by this book. The relationship between Lexa and her therapist is not okay in the slightest.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a eARC copy of this book
Trigger warning for : transphobia, homophobia, making fun of mental disorders

This book is so disappointing!! I got about 25% and couldn’t take it. The whole aspect of Charlie was such a rude way of describing someone with Dissociative Identity Disorder. It was almost making fun of it. Yes Lexa had been really violent and traumatized but the way Charlie was described and appeared out of nowhere was not how I would wanted it to be pointed out. When someone switches personalities it’s not as easy as the girls in this book make it seem. They don’t just switch casually as this book describes. If you’re going to right a book about someone having such a serious mental illness, don’t make it about the fact that they are trans and have been bullied for it.

What happens when you go through a tragic event and can't cope with it? Hiw das is effect your mind?
From different crime shows we know that split personalities can be made up. If this isn't scary enough, imagine to have fight against one of those who try to do you harm ... in your brain.
I couldn't imagine how the story would evolve and that was what drew me to it. What I got, quite a unique diverse story if which I would have liked to have one more chapter to get answers for some questions and to know where I will leave the charactera when I finish reading.

I received a copy of this book to review from Netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity.
This book was unfortunately disappointing. It had an interesting blurb and idea but failed to deliver.
The main character is somewhat funny at times but is mainly angry. The writing is OK but did not stand out to me.
I found kind it difficult to get into the book and follow the storyline as the author adds information without fully incorporating into the story.

I received an ARC of MIND SET thanks to the publisher through NetGalley.

First and foremost this book has multiple trigger warnings, including a rape attempt, bullying, and multiple self-injuries.

Secondly, parts 1 and 2 were fantastic. You follow Lexa as she encounters a traumatic event that triggers the formation of a second personality. The description of the disorder was pretty on point for those two parts (I’m a doctoral student in psychology although I have never experienced DID personally or encountered anyone with the disorder). However, part 3 took a much more unrealistic turn that is more mentally based than physically based, which is a cool concept BUT the rest of the book did not support that change. I feel like there were other, more appropriate, ways to wrap everything up.

I also want to clarify for everyone that split personality disorder is not the diagnosis anymore, it is disassociative identity disorder according to the DSM-5 and ICD-10.

My last concern with the story is minor inconsistencies. While they do not impact the plot at all, they looked like oversights during the editing process. Something that happened on page X is ignored by something on page Y, type of things.

Overall, the story has great hope, but I really wish it had more time ironing out all those details (and possibly an entire rewrite-Sorry!!)

Final note is that in the acknowledgment it is discussed that another person actually wrote this book, but there is no indication of that anywhere except on in that one paragraph at the very end. Yes, I know this is a thing in writing and ghost writing does occur, but I don’t know. This one just feels a bit off.

If you are interested in a LGBTQ+, mental illness novel with murder aspects, you might want to give this one a shot!

Lexa is a transgender college student facing bullying when she is attacked by a mugger. This tragedy triggers a battle of her emotions with fear and anger taking charge in the form of Charlie. This book takes a dark turn to address how emotions can change a person, but teaches how to overcome certain emotions and cope with tragedy. Lexa’s story also addresses how people repress memories rather than move forward. While I think it is for mature readers, it does a decent job of explaining how the brain works through different circumstances.

***I was given a free copy of this via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review***

Content note for massive transphobia and massive ableism.

Mind Set follows Lexa, a transgender woman, who's inner struggles turn into a physical fight for her life following a traumatic experience.

Honestly? I really really didn't like this, and I think it could be quite harmful. It portrays Lexa as being dangerous and unstable, which perpetuates pre-existing stigma around trans people and trans identities. An author's note at the end said that Lexa wasn't initially 'meant' to be trans, but that she became so when someone commented on her character looking 'masculine'- implying that trans women have a certain look, or masculine qualities at all. There was also a lot of deadnaming, and a constant referral to Lexa's transition as 'becoming a woman' or previously 'being a boy'. Whilst this is the narrative that fits some trans people, for others this is really harmful as it implies that they are not just developing into who they have always been. Further, the description that Lexa gives of realising her trans identity is incredibly over-simplified, as is the description of her transition. Again, such simple realisations and transitions can and do happen, but these are a minority.

It was also incredibly ableist, particularly in the language used and the way that mental health was portrayed- again, as being unstable and dangerous. People with mental illnesses are far more likely to be the victims of violence, not the perpetrators of. The book kind of tried to represent people with multiple personalities, but in a way that was massively over-exaggerated and, to the best of my knowledge, entirely unlifelike.

Think it's also worth saying as it's own point that the book used transphobic and homophobic slurs throughout, as well as some incredibly violent and discriminatory ableist language.

I feel uncomfortable commenting on the racial representation as a white reviewer, but it seemed to me quite tokenistic. Again, with the citizenship storyline, it felt like difficult and complex processes that massively impact people's lives and identities were simplified into tiny things.

Further to this- honestly, it was just a bit of a weird read. It was incredibly over-dramatic, and I didn't feel like any of the characters were realistic. Holiday and Lexa's relationship was particularly icky! There would never be such a relationship between a therapist and their patient, not an acceptable or healthy one anyway.

I'm sorry to post such a bad review, but do not think in good faith I could really say anything else, particularly as part of both the trans and mentally ill communities.

I liked the premise of this but I didn't really love the writing style that was used. It was a bit inconsistent and I could never tell whether this was a fantasy or a contemporary because of the tonal issue I had with it. I liked the rep of Lexa for the most part and thought that the dynamic between her and the girl was distinct and different. I didn't like Charlie even in the section where you are meant to and I felt that this was another area that needed work.

Mind Set is a relevant and interesting read. Lexa Price is a twenty-something, transgender, drama student, and it's the story of the worst day of her life, and the havoc the day plays on her mind and her mental health. The only thing that stops it being five stars is some of the dialogue tries to hard and feels forced and unnecessary and can be confusing for the reader and it hinders their understanding of the story.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Mind Set in exchange for an honest review.

Now, I read an early version of Mind Set so this may change, but this book felt like a cool concept that simply wasn't given the time it needed to develop. For example, the first sentence of the book alerts you that our protagonist is a trans woman so you'd assume it's a big plot element, but it's not mentioned until halfway through where it sudden becomes a big part of the plot. Not all stories featuring trans characters need to center around that aspect of their identities, but I could never tell if Mind Set was trying to focus on it or if it was just casually thrown in because while it is referenced over and over again in the later half, Lexa herself never comments on what being trans means for her and only comments on other people's reactions. When you read the author notes at the end you find out she wasn't trans originally and it shows. The narrative only partially adapted for it.

Also, the teen speak. Oh my god. This is the kind of book that could have worked just as well if it was set when the author was the MCs age, but this book makes it modern and tries to throw in as much teen speak as possible and at times it honestly made it unreadable. A lot of terms do not mean what the other thinks they mean (in the first chapter she uses OC around an older character and says 'it means own character' which I've never heard anyone ever say. Still in the first chapter, she also used tea interchangeably with beef which might have worked unless she stopped to say along the lines of 'its what our generation says when something's making them really mad'. Again maybe these will be changed by final publication but considering the sheer amount of inaccurate teen speak, I doubt it).

With more time to plot and talk to trans people and modern teens, this may have been a very good read but as is I just sat there thinking "what?"