Stay awake, Agatha

by Serialsleeper

Agatha suffers from a rare disorder that makes her sleep in a long period of time. But what happens when the modern-day sleeping beauty meets an idiotic guy hell-bent on keeping her awake? Well, this is the story of two special teenagers fighting for their ill-fated love.

Genres: Romance

ebook

Published April 30, 2014

About the author

(Bambi Emanuel M. Apdian)

Reviews

[louminescence · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me tell you now: This book was a fucking nightmare to get through. While it wasn't entirely bad, it wasn't entirely good (or great!) either. I tried reading this book before and I remember wondering why people loved it so much and wondering how they managed to burn through the book. I couldn't do it and found myself reading slower and slower and stopped in the 70s. I tried again and this time, I persevered! I finished it. But at what cost?

My emotional and mental integrity! I think. And it's not because it's damaging in the way the author assumed it would be. It damaged me because of how utterly rubbish this book was. Constantly, I closed the book in exasperation or in an attempt to gather more courage to flip to the next page. I would find myself scowling or grimacing at certain things because of how bad it was. There were some good things, I will give it that, but that isn't enough to outweigh the obnoxiously shitty parts of the book. Obnoxious and shitty are the same, I know. I did that on purpose.

Maybe I'm just an asshole this way but I felt no excruciating pain whatsoever throughout the story. I felt an inkling of it when Agatha died and a bit more when Cooper died.

This book failed in many aspects. Aspects that cost the book its likability. I'll be discussing it in the order that bothered me the most from the highest to lowest. I guess. Whatever. I don't know. My brain's melted by the time I began writing this review.

The Romanticising of Illnesses And How It (Might Be) Is Portrayed
First off, I hate SickLits. If you don't know what SickLits are, SickLits are books about sick teens/young adults. ‘Sick’ as in mental and physical. Popular books such as Thirteen Reasons Why or The Fault In Our Stars fall under this genre. And I absolutely despise it. Now, you wonder, why I even spent money (yes, I spent money on this goddamn book; I would smack myself on the head if I could) on this book. Well, I wanted to understand why everyone was hyping this book up and why people yell at the top of their lungs how tragic this book was. Tragic already gave me ideas on how the book might go.

Illnesses, disorders, or anything pertaining to not feeling well, in general, is not fun. It is not great. It is not hot. It is not romantic. Having cancer is not romantic. Being Bipolar is not romantic. Being chronically ill is not romantic. And people fail to understand why. These illnesses aren't meant to find you a hot dude and later have him stick his dick into yo cooch. These illnesses aren't meant to find you a charming, dashing Prince that will give you the most romantic, best time of your life. These illnesses turn your life upside down. But authors (not all) romanticise this. I never touch books from this genre. I did it now. Never again—I think.

I get it, I get it. “Oh, these books are meant to show that there are still some good things in life!” or whatever your argument might be. Let me stop you right there, just no. People die from certain illnesses. People lose the will to live because of these illnesses. But to ignore the hardships that come with it. That ruins my opinion of the book greatly.

Kelsey Miller described the genre as “…a messed-up genre that romanticizes and trivializes some of life’s most gruesome realities, exploiting our deepest traumas and fears.”

That's not the only thing that could potentially destroy the likability of a SickLit for me. If done right, I might actually give it a chance. But if the portrayal of the illness is wrong and there is minimal research done, in which case this book, I will absolutely dread every page I'll have to turn.

There is a reliance on love being the primary concern, of being attractive in a conventional sense – while ignoring the day to day inconveniences of such diseases, the sickness, the vomiting, the horrible side of a very real situation. The danger of romanticising diseases and death in the guise of bringing awareness to marginalised parts of society.

Now, people are free to love this. That's their opinion. Everyone has opinions. If you leave me to mine, I'll leave you to yours.

Furthermore, the illnesses used in this book are portrayed wrong. From Kleine-Levin Syndrome to Bipolar. I think Serial Sleeper got Myeloma somewhat right. But I shouldn't be the one to give a verdict on this. I need to have an arsenal of knowledge in the following illnesses in order to say shit like “Actually, this part's, like, wrong. Like, very wrong” with a Los Angeles Mom accent complete with the hand gestures and abnormally long coloured fake nails and a face full of makeup.

From the little I do know about Kleine-Levin and Bipolar, there are some wrong portrayals of it in this book. It seems Serial Sleeper is a little confused between Kleine-Levin and Narcolepsy. I could tell there was minimal research done and not enough to realistically portray the illness.

I did a little research about Kleine-Levin, and this is what the website said: Kleine-Levin syndrome (or the Sleeping Beauty Syndrome) is a rare disorder characterized by the need for excessive amounts of sleep (hypersomnolence), (i.e., up to 20 hours a day); excessive food intake (compulsive hyperphagia); and behavioural changes such as an abnormally uninhibited sexual drive. The disorder primarily affects adolescent males. When awake, affected individuals may exhibit irritability, lack of energy (lethargy), and/or lack of emotions (apathy). They may also appear confused (disoriented) and experience hallucinations. Symptoms of Kleine-Levin syndrome are cyclical (meaning—or in my understanding—) it has a routine. An affected individual may go for weeks or months without experiencing symptoms. When present, symptoms may persist for days to weeks. In some cases, the symptoms associated with Kleine-Levin syndrome eventually disappear with advancing age. However, episodes may recur later during life.

And since Agatha’s disorder has more similarities to Narcolepsy than it does with Kleine-Levin, here you go: Narcolepsy is a neurological sleep disorder characterized by chronic, excessive attacks of drowsiness during the day, sometimes called excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Attacks of drowsiness may persist for only a few seconds or several minutes. These episodes vary in frequency from a few incidents to several during a single day. Nighttime (nocturnal) sleep patterns may also be disrupted. Three additional symptoms often associated with Narcolepsy are sudden extreme muscle weakness (cataplexy), a specific type of hallucination that occurs just before falling asleep or upon awakening, and brief episodes of paralysis while waking up. Narcolepsy also may be associated with “automatic behaviour”, i.e. doing something automatically without any memory afterwards. The incidence of Narcolepsy is approximately 1 in 2,000 and most researchers believe that the disorder remains undiagnosed or misdiagnosed in many affected individuals. There is increasing evidence that Narcolepsy is an autoimmune disorder. Autoimmune disorders are caused when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue or cells. In Narcolepsy, the immune system destroys certain brain cells that produce a peptide called hypocretin. Hypocretin impacts many brain functions, but the details of its actions are not yet understood. Why the immune system attacks healthy cells in Narcolepsy is unknown and additional environmental and genetic factors may play a role in the development of the disorder.

From the get-go, this wasn’t how the illness was written and shown in the book. In the book, Agatha is this girl who hates her life because she isn’t “normal” (more on this below) and just wants friends and she’s a bit of a bitch sometimes and she’s sometimes really annoying. She has a personality—as much of a personality the author puts in, so in truth, she’s random and quirky. Agatha’s disorder is portrayed in the book as her knowing that she is about to fall asleep and that she cannot control when. She can wake up days later. And because of that, she is sent to the hospital.

In actuality, if Agatha did have Kleine-Levin, she would have been horny as fuck. She should be eating a lot more than was shown in the book—which is not much but I’m grasping at straws here. The thing Serial Sleeper kind of got right was that sometimes Agatha fell asleep for nearly a day. But a lot of it is still wrong. Her sleep schedule is irregular. In the case that Agatha is affected by this and does not have a dick hanging between her legs, she should be irritable (which is kind of how she is but only with Cooper and I’m just???), lethargic, and doesn’t feel much emotions. Yay. She would live long enough and then, the symptoms will WHOOSH! say bye-bye but will make a comeback every now and then.

Honestly, it’s like the author chose the most aesthetic-sounding illness and made it deadly.

Now, if Agatha had Narcolepsy, things would be a little different yet not really. Throughout the day, she would be randomly sleepy and (I think but I might be wrong, so don’t take my word for it) fall asleep without control without even knowing it. The sleepiness, however, only lasts for a few minutes and after that, it’s gone (I think. Again, don’t take my word for it). She would have been experiencing some hallucinations or a bit of paralysis when waking up. Still, though, I don’t trust anyone on portraying this correctly without talking to people who actually have the illness and knowing how it feels for them. She would be doing some things without having no recollection of it. She would be experiencing sudden muscle weakness. Honestly, I would have preferred—not enjoyed—reading the book if she had Narcolepsy and we saw the hardships people with Narcolepsy experience. But we didn’t.

There’s also this really confusing thing that happens with her when she starts taking the experimental drug that inevitably dooms her life. I don’t know what it did exactly to her but this experimental drug is what’s known as “stimulants”. And boy, oh, boy, this paints stimulants and treatment in general in a bad light. This villainises treatment, especially with the reactions surrounding Agatha’s taking of the stimulants. The stimulants are meant to keep people awake and do shit in their life: The one thing Agatha desires, right? No? Sure, sure. Shit on her and the medical staff for the “experimental drug” (this is ridiculous) putting her life in danger. But wait! The stimulants in the book are also different and I don’t know…why? In the book, the stimulants are meant to keep her awake and regulate her sleeping schedule. Okaaaay…but it comes with a price! Oh, motherfucker—

Stimulants. Aren’t. Bad.

Because Google won’t provide English answers, I saw a photo of coffee beans. And Google says caffeine is a stimulant. So there. Sorry, I’m eating—

Okay, okay, seriously. Coffee is a stimulant. There’s a drug called “Amphetamine” and it is a central nervous system stimulant that is used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Narcolepsy, and obesity. Oh! Do my eyes deceive me? I see Narcolepsy! But not Kleine-Levin.

You know, Kleine-Levin and Narcolepsy have one thing in common: They’re not necessarily life-threatening. The only danger you’ll get is with Narcolepsy and you find yourself drowsy while driving or going down the stairs or swimming.

The cause for Agatha’s death was that the experimental drug did get rid of her KLS (Kleine-Levin) but it then ruined her body…which is just??? It sometimes makes her temporarily blind and gives her chest pains and makes her body extremely weak. Santa María, Madre de Dios, Ruega por nosotros pecadores—

The love interest’s illness is actually the most (and I use this scarcely) accurate. Because I don’t know a lot about Myeloma, I feel that it is not within my right to discuss this.

Moving on, Bipolar! Our protagonist’s best friend, Reema, has Bipolar. And Reema infuriates me. Not because she has Bipolar, but because of how Bipolar is written in the book. Bipolar disorder is a brain disorder that causes changes in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function. People with Bipolar disorder experience intense emotional states that typically occur during distinct periods of days to weeks, called mood episodes. These mood episodes are categorized as manic/hypomanic (abnormally happy or irritable mood) or depressive (sad mood). People with Bipolar disorder generally have periods of neutral mood as well. When treated, people with Bipolar disorder can lead full and productive lives.

I won’t go into too much detail as I don’t know much about it. But goddamn it. There’s just this glaring fact that Bipolar is different in the book than how it actually is. It’s like Bipolar was used as a tool to paint Reema as this quirky girl. And she’s not. I actually hate her.

One of the patients, Javi, is paralysed. I can’t remember why or how but he is. He’s known for sitting in wheelchairs and being an occasional asshole, but hey, the fandom loves him. I think. I don’t join or interact with fandoms nor do I intend to. Javi should really be just having physical therapy, but by the end of the book, he says that he has accepted the fact that he’s disabled. And that sounds wrong! (Not me being ableist. I’m sure wheelchair-bound people do think this and I don’t blame them. This just feels defeatist rather than accepting that he is wheelchair-bound and will not stop him from living a full life.)

“‘Di ako professional. I just accepted the fact that I’m forever disabled.” — Javi (Page 234, Paragraph 6)

For context, this scene happened when Agatha’s condition deteriorated and she is bound to a wheelchair now. Jokingly, Javi asks if she’s up for a race since they’re both in wheelchairs. She tells him she’d lose because, by now, he’s a professional. And that’s his response.

This concludes the discussion on the illnesses. Double yay.

Check the replies for the continuations!

[Zel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bad representation of Bipolar Disorder
-Rushed relationships with the characters
-Would've been better if it was told in Cooper's POV, especially during the times Agatha was asleep so that we could fully see how Cooper treats and feels Agatha creating a more emotional connection not just with Agatha but also the readers. If this was to happen as well, we could've fully seen the actual effects of the disorder Agatha was suffering

[ArtbyKarla Gaudier · Rating 2 out of 5]

I cringed reading this book at first but reading past all of that dialogue and raw writing, there's the beating heart.

Without saying too much, I think this book... The reason why it became sort of iconic is entirely because of how the characters paved way to resolve their own problems and how they tried to keep the "found family" together despite the health issues they got going on. Friendship, love, love of oneself, and that drive to keep going for the people we love the most. THAT'S where the heart of this book is.

Albeit, again, the freaking writing in this book is not polished. I feel like this was just sent from Wattpad to the publisher, did some lil editing and called it a day, because when I was reading this...MY GOD. I had to double back on some paragraphs and lines. Redundancies, grammatical errors, pacing, these are just some of the problems I've encountered reading this book. BUT again, the characters are, in some ways relatable and I think that allowed for some of us to feel for this story. So, the character arcs and the love story between them are drafted. I would've loved this more if it was revised and thoroughly edited.

Nonetheless, it's okay. I think this totally earned it's semi-iconic position in the Wattpad Philippines stage.

[Cas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book RUINED me.

[Ran · Rating 3 out of 5]

I swear that I am capable of writing more descriptive and organized reviews, but unfortunately I’m writing this review two years after I read “Stay Awake Agatha” for the first time. I was in the 7th grade when I purchased this book from my school’s yearly book fair, so naturally I haven’t read more impacting stories before this. The reason why this book is rated 3 stars for me, is mostly because, I did like it—I cried, and I ranted about it to my friend the night I read the ending words of the book, but with a 3 stars rating, there will always be many reasons as to why I dislike the book—

First of all, there are many ways to properly write a character with a sleeping and mood disorder, unfortunately, Serial Sleeper did not write them correctly. Not even close. They stigmatized ill people, to the point of almost dehumanizing them. Second, the premise of the book was interesting at first, but towards the ending, the approach and how the writer tells the story started becoming sloppy and disappointing. And thirdly—while I do have more opinions as to why I started to grow into disliking the book, I feel like it’s more important to dive into this matter as soon as possible—I don’t like how Reema’s bipolar disorder was approached and written. I’ve said it already in the beginning of this paragraph, but it just irks me so much, because while personality and mood disorders are different, it was infuriating for someone to write about her illness without having at least the necessary information of it.

Although, I did like the prologue. I’ve read far better starting sentences, sure, but it filled me with some interest at the very least. I just wished that the writer had done some research about the mentioned illnesses. The story was emotional, I’ll give it that, but the dialogue is awkward and has the atmosphere of it being staged.

I bought the book due to the good reviews I’ve read at Wattpad and YouTube, and I won’t regret buying it, but “Stay Awake Agatha” is an overrated book—it’s a shame of it being so, because it had so much more potential, but some stories are just like that.

[Aven Gvski · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, the story is kind of badly written. Di ko feek yung story, the only part na naka feel ako ng emotion is when i'm reading the last part ng story. It feels like i'm reading without feeling the whole story. A lot cringed parts but nvm, like the story if u want.

[ethel cainta · Rating 1 out of 5]

Extremely boring. Disappointed.

[Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remains one of my top wattpad reads.

[Aku Gea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over hyped. Had high expectations but just got disappointed. Hindi naman siya nakakaiyak like what other people said, but it's an easy read , so it's fine.

[Kamille Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never imagine that after a while I got out of my reading slump, I just got some encouragement from my colleague to read again, that’s why I picked up this book, oh, rather I checked out the book that’s been ages in my cart.

“Stay awake, Agatha”, is a teenage love, that I miss the most and struck me to the deeper section of my heart and remember again the past when someone tried to be with me for a while.

If you want something that will live your teenage life again, with your friends and how your first love started, read this one.

-From a reader whose been in a reading slump for awhile (about 3 years)

[She Taol · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I first started the book, I find it awkward and cringey. I realized I don't like the way the story wrote it. The way the author used some words are really bad.

The story was actually good, I just wished the author polished the book well before officially releasing it to the public.

And the ending? It was an overkill, I expected that to happen to Agatha but does Cooper deserve the same fate no matter how much he love Agatha? I think it's a big no.

Lastly, I'm curious what will happen to Reema and Javi. I wished they will have their respective books. I well written one hopefully.

[aurora · Rating 2 out of 5]

This used to be my favorite Wattpad book when I was 10 and in 5th grade. I dug up my ancient Wattpad account for a reread and, HOLY FUCK, why the fuck did I like this shit?

It was absolutely horrible and inaccurate. A stupidly written story that romanticizes chronic illnesses laced with pseudo-tragedies. Characters were easy to love on its surface level but it would be a lot easier if this wasn’t such a bad and forced SickLit that actually does nothing but misrepresent the illnesses the story revolved around.

Hahahaha! 10-year-old me really cried over this?

[Joedie Buizon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Def should read this actually teaches you na you'd actually do everything for love. After all, Agatha chose to use the pills na hindi naman sure na could work just for Cooper who admired her for a long time already. She took the risk of taking the pills just for Cooper who told her to stay awake. I learned a lot from this books, on how friendship and love works. Well, there are times that we grow apart but deep inside the old us or missing eo is still there.

[Jahzaira Carrillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

waaahhh... mashucket sha,,,,, i really hope nagkaron ng POV si Cooper though pero it has a huge life lesson and na-realization hit ako especially dun sa chapter where Agatha's talking about death being inevitable ☹☹, and the EPILOGUE????? you can really see how Cooper loves Agatha, no matter the circumstances. no matter how long Agatha's deadline is. TAPOS YUNG PEP-TALK NI KUYA LEO??? huhu, lovehimsm malala

[Renz Fonte · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book will keep you reading it and I love that kind of book. I’m kinda disappointed in the plot twist of the story because it could have more twisted regarding on Agatha’s forgetfulness that could make me sob.

The side characters has also a lot of potential to build their stories.

Anyway, I like this kind of story. Heavy drama ang atake na kulangan lang ako sa atake ni Cooper sa mga sagutan.

[Chinleigh Pagsinohin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book! I bought it for a cheap price, I thought the story will be cliche but it turns out that it's not. It killed me at the end, also the way Cooper waited for Agatha to wake up even though she was already brain dead. Agatha really loved cooper so much that she was willing to mess with her health just to be awake for him. :(

[Zennica Bookish · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure why I'm not feeling as moved by the story as I expected to. It's a tragic, tear-jerking tale that was highly recommended to me. Normally, I love stories with tragic endings, so I thought I would enjoy it, but even though I like the concept of the story, I'm just not feeling as emotional as I thought I would.

[lexi ୨୧ · Rating 1 out of 5]

“Because I can’t love another woman like her.”

Finished this in one sitting. This is so average. Bit cringey and boring🤮. The concept was lame, a bad representation of the disorder. It was so predictable that they would both die at the end. Very, very plain. Agatha and Cooper have no spark. The author could've written it in 3rd person POV to widen the perspective.

[Zennica Zeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm puzzled about why I'm not as affected by the story as I anticipated. It's a tragic, tear-jerking tale that came highly recommended. Normally, I enjoy stories with tragic endings, so I expected to be moved, but even though I appreciate the concept, I'm just not feeling as emotional as I thought I would.

[BookishAika · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m a bit confused about why I’m not as affected by the story as I anticipated. It’s a tragic, tear-jerking tale that came highly recommended, and usually, I enjoy stories with heartbreaking endings. I expected to be moved, but even though I can appreciate the concept and the themes, I’m just not feeling the emotional impact I thought I would.

[heaven ⋆˚✿˖° · Rating 5 out of 5]

i still remember how hard i cried after reading this. even the weather felt it with me, it was pouring so heavily, as if an angel had just died, just like agatha and cooper. but in another universe – my universe, really (this is how i cope and stay sane), agatha and cooper are living happily, healthily, and lovingly with their children and friends huhu

[Louisiana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ll give it a two stars, although serialsleeper knows how to play with words and sentences, her description of Narcolepsy isn’t really good and it can mislead to someone who doesn’t totally know what Narcolepsy is, even with the Bipolar Disorder patient.

[Laven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know people have mixed fellings about this book but based on my likings, this book is one of my favorites. My attachment to this book is insane and if you love making yourself cry lol please do read this book ❤

[Izabel Ignacio · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a roller coaster to read this book, all their journeys and life lessons were everything. Agatha and Cooper’s love and how they presented it is my favorite thing. I definitely cried. Their love was the definition of everything true and authentic.

[Akee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m adding the books I read when I was a kid here in my goodreads and this book is one of them. My classmate in 5th grade suggested me to read this and I didn’t knew it’s going to be that heartbreaking. The first book that made me cry for an hour!

[Ae_emtheDreamer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stays at the bottom of my TBR list since my wattpad era but now I have the courage to do it. I already anticipated everything since this is a well known book, and I have read the Chasing Hurricane but nah, this still made me cry a lot

[SG · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know why the heck readers, again, like this book or why is it even famous. nakaka-iyak daw. nah. What they really mean by that are the death of the lead characters but other than that, this story is bland.

well, this proves once more that the world is really unfair.


haist. 🙄😒

[Jemima · Rating 1 out of 5]

I apologize for the 1 star. But this book was difficult to finish. Also, I've tried finishing the book hoping for a good comeback but up to the end it's a let down for me.

No kilig nor a good plot for me.

[Margo Simene · Rating 5 out of 5]

It will rip your heart.

[axel · Rating 3 out of 5]

i'll give this a 3.5 i really thought this won't be interesting anymore cuz i got spoiled, but i was wrong. it was good but i think it could be better if cooper had a pov