Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses by Kristen O'Neal is a young adult novel. Priya worked hard to pursue her premed dreams at Stanford, but a diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease during her sophomore year sends her back to her loving but overbearing family in New Jersey—and leaves her wondering if she’ll ever be able to return to the way things were. Thankfully she has her online pen pal, Brigid, and the rest of the members of “oof ouch my bones,” a virtual support group that meets on Discord to crack jokes and vent about their own chronic illnesses. When Brigid suddenly goes offline, Priya does something out of character: she steals the family car and drives to Pennsylvania to check on Brigid. Priya isn’t sure what to expect, but it isn’t the horrifying creature that's shut in the basement. With Brigid nowhere to be found, Priya begins to puzzle together an impossible but obvious truth: the creature might be a werewolf—and the werewolf might be Brigid. As Brigid's unique condition worsens, their friendship will be deepened and challenged in unexpected ways, forcing them to reckon with their own ideas of what it means to be normal.
Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses is a book that started slow for me, but quickly hooked me into caring about all the members of the chronic illness support group. That was what kept me reading, and I am very glad I did. I like the honest and well researched way the illness and the character's experiences with them- and other people's reactions to them- were described. It was all very real and honest, which I appreciated. So often we do not see some of the hardest aspects of being chronically ill, the emotional and mental components. I loved the character and relationship development, and find myself wondering how the future goes for the characters. I have a feeling these characters will stick with me for quite a while. Everything felt real, and honestly if there are werewolves this is pretty much what I think they might be.
Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses is a read that will draw readers in, foster understanding, and leave readers wanting more.
