Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson

Summary:
Patient Name: Leigh Nolan
Age: 18 years

Presenting Concerns:

Leigh Nolan has just started her first year at Stiles College.  She has decided to major in psychology (even though her parents would rather she study Tarot cards than Rorschach blots), despite reporting that she thinks, "Psychology is a load of crap." 

Patient has always been very good at helping her friends with their problems, but when it comes to solving her own...not so much.  

Patient has a tendency to overanalyze things, particularly when the opposite sex is involved.  Like why doesn't Andrew, her boyfriend of over a year, ever invite her to spend the night?  Or why can't she commit to taking the next step in their relationship?  And why does his roommate Nathan dislike her so much?  More importantly, why did Nathan have a starring role in a much-more-than-friendly dream?  

Aggravating factors include hyper-competitive fellow psych majors, a professor who's badly in need of her own psychoanalysis, and mentoring a middle-school-aged girl who thinks Patient is, in a word, nave.

Preliminary treatment will include Introduction to Psychology, but may require more if she's going to answer these questions and make it through her freshman year.

Diagnosis:

Psych Major Syndrome

Review:

Psych Major Syndrome was one of my WoWs a while ago, so I was beyond excited to finally get to read it. Luckily, it did not disappoint. 

While there was a bit of a slow start, this was an overall hilarious read. The main character Leigh (which is pronounced Lee, not Lay, to my surprise. Is Leigh like Lay just a southern pronunciation??), comes off critical of others at times, but Thompson does a great job of making her criticisms more funny than annoying, and by not pushing it to the point where Leigh's unlikable. Seeing Leigh grow in this novel was fabulous. While she was already outspoken, Leigh still needed to stop focusing on what others thought. As she started to do that, I started to like Leigh even more.

The other characters in the novel were spot on and complimented Leigh beautifully. I say this including her less than perfect boyfriend Andrew. They all fit perfectly and really helped Leigh discover who she is. 

Apart from hilarious moments during Leigh's mentoring program at a middle school, and an awkward, yet hilarious, road trip, there were some serious moments in the novel as well. All in all, there was a respectable balance of funny/serious moments, so it made for a great, fast read.

My Ratings:

Plot: B
There were a few fillers and some general not so important moments, but all in all a good storyline.
Characters: A
Hilarious, easily understood, and likable
Cover Art: B
Cute, but insignificant to the story. Maybe, instead, a girl surrounded by psych books? Or her lying on a psych couch and her sitting as the psychologist? 

Length: A

Complete novel. Sure there were fillers, but it was told completely. No stones unturned. 
A hilarious read, I give Psych Major Syndrome:

Four Stars!
Psych Major Syndrome is avaliable now!