Dear Diary

by Niko Michelle, Ebony Ford (Reader)

Something's always been off with Eva Moss, but in the African-American community, everything is prayed away, including "crazy." What happens when the answer to prayer is therapy and medication? According to Eva's mother, that's taboo. All it takes is a little more Jesus, and Eva will be normal. Normal never lasts long. After Eva's brother, Michael, is killed in a car accident, she is finally admitted to the psych ward for help. Stabilization seems within reach, until a quick trip to the pharmacy brings her face to face with Myles, the man responsible for taking her brother away from her. When Myles turns up dead, Eva has to prove her innocence. According to her, she didn't kill Myles, her deceased brother did. Can she stand trial? Should she stand trial? The question was Myles' murder really a result of her mental health disorder or premeditated murder?

1 pages, Audio CD

Published February 15, 2023

About the author

Niko Michelle began writing as a way to escape from an unpleasant childhood. Writing allowed her to create a different reality. As long as she had paper and a writing utensil, she was able to go anywhere she wanted to go and be anything she wanted to be.

With a passion for helping others, she is working to launch the H.O.P.E Initiative. Helping Others through Passionate Expressions is a way to assist those that are less fortunate through a variety of kind gestures.

Reviews

[Kendra Broomfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my very first Niko Michelle read. While I think the writing and storytelling was superb, I don't know if I can read another. Hear me out though. I've been in my romance bag for the last few years so this was the realest slap in the face. Mental health is no joke and this book resonated with me because people in my immediate family suffer from undiagnosed mental illnesses. The manic state that Eva displayed are signs that I have seen in people I love. While I am an advocate for mental health and will shout it to the mountain tops, this one was hard to finish.

I wanted so bad for Eva to stay medicated and see how much Myles truly loved her, and on the other hand, I wanted Myles to see how far in over his head he was and get out. I was torn so much with this read because although Myles may have loved Eva since childhood, I felt like his love at this point stemmed from his guilt of being responsible for killing her brother. He tried hard to love her and show love, but ultimately it lead to his death.

I do feel like Myles was cheated out of knowing that Eva dealt with mental health issues. I know it's not just something you scream as soon as you start dealing with someone, but he should've been made aware sooner so he would be equipped to make the right decisions regarding them moving forward. Overall, great read! I loved the journey, the character evolution, and (I kind of hated it) the ending (once medicated and stabilized, I do feel that Eva could have been rehabilitated).

[Monique · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started off really well. Then the story took a weird turn. I get Eva, the main character, had a mental illness but the way it was handled didn't sit well with me.

I feel like the author missed so many opportunities during the book to educate the readers about mental illness. My aunt suffered from schizophrenia with auditory and visual hallucinations. The story moved too fast and some of the scenarios seemed easy too far fetched.

I was disappointed 😞

[birdnbee · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was a good start but the ending was unsatisfying. the depiction of a mentally ill person in a relationship is actually kinda terrible lmao? i know it was tryna make a statement but tbh having her die is a cheap cop out

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good start terrible ending.