Whenever I am with her, I could hear the unfamiliar sound of my laughter. I could see the nostalgic glint in my eyes. I could feel the warmth that illuminated my heart.
For the first time in a long time, I was free. I was happy. She was the one who kept me going---my dosage of serotonin.
FACTS ABOUT INKSTEADY 📌 "I'm Idy, and I started writing on [Wattpad] on September 9, 2020". 📌 She's born on July 16, 2000. 📌 BS Psychology, Class of 2022 📌 She's from Luzon, in the Philippines 📌 She likes cats. 📌 She has over 600K followers on Wattpad
Dosage of Serotonin was unnecessarily long, spelling and some grammatical error, overall, poorly edited. I do understand it, I took the brave face and head on. And I get it.
It built that momentum to sympathize with the MC, but still really wordy… I appreciate the trigger warnings most. I get the precautions, since it dealt with such a delicate matter, there were parts that gave inconsistencies with what applications or rather showed contradictory to what the MC is saying to the reader and the actions she has done through the book.
The romance vibe it gave was forced; but I do admit the steam level is up the scale hot plus it is consenting. I did tear up a lot through what the MC was dealing with her family especially when a certain character dies. I was silently rooting for that person and doi, it hurt. If you are looking for a feel good read, nope not here. Reading Dosage of Serotonin may be a whole lot heavy than what you thought. Bring tissues if you will.
I'll edit this review once I gathered my thoughts about this book. I just know na magang maga ang mata ko and I appreciate how well-executed this story is.
Dati, ang definition ko ng comfort story is yung light lang, wala masyadong plot twist but now, parang iba na.
This is probably my new comfort story because not only I was comforted all throughout the reading process but it embraced and validated what I was feeling before I decided to read it. I never knew her words were what I needed at this moment.
So far, this is my favorite book that Ms. Inksteady has written and I can't wait for her next one.
Since this is the first in a set of six local books I'm reading before 2022 ends, I set no expectation at all.
However, the inconsistency in writing style (informal in dialogues and formal in narration) is noticeable and I really had a hard time taking the MC seriously.
I enjoyed Vina's voice, to be honest, but sometimes she says things that are actually red flag (i. e. casually thinking that she and her nephew can be considered couple with the way they look)
The love interest is expected to be angsty and I think the author overwrote him.
There are kilig moments of course but most of the time, it's a snoozefest.
2 stars for now. Will try to adjust once I read the other books.
Sa totoo lang, nahihirapan ako mag-isip kung ano bang review ang ibibigay ko sa story na 'to. Maganda naman ang plot. Dami lang trigger warnings kaya read at your own risk. Kaso hindi lang ganoon naging kalakas ang impact sa akin. Medyo na-bored ako sa ilang parts sa totoo lang. Pero kahit ganoon, okay ang writing style ng author. Alam mo talagang she did her research very well. Okay rin ang character development.
soo heavyy, but it was really fast paced with how their relationship started 😭 sorry i love a good slowburn BUT DAMN I LOVEEE LOVE LOVE CALIX AND VINA AAAA
“She was the one who kept me going—my dosage of serotonin.”
Prepare yourself for a rollercoaster ride as this book will make you giggle, invoke anger, break your heart and then heal it after. The story begins as Vina is reunited with her college crush, Calix during a birthday celebration she has attended. However, their meeting was cut short—due to an emergency call—but fate found a way to have their paths cross again; with Calix ending up as her tenant. But this is not just a cute forced proximity trope romance that we are expecting; this book offers more. It tackles heavy themes such as mental health, toxic family, grief and trauma.
I especially like how this book gives importance to taking care of our mental health; it brought awareness and showed how we should show empathy to people who are going through different conditions and disorders. This book just taught us how to combat stigma and I really appreciate that.
Idy has written this book in a beautiful way; setting the atmosphere and mood in every scene that I vividly pictured everything. It wasn’t rushed and I found it really long but because of that, a proper build-up was built, each question was answered, the emotional depth was captured perfectly and the character's feelings were handled with care. The spiritual healing was enlightening and comforting. I think everything is in perfect pace. There were minor typographical errors but that’s understandable since the version I read was unedited.
The story was wrapped up in a satisfying conclusion; every loose end was tied, justice was served, apologies were accepted—although I personally won’t forgive Vina’s family that easily but I think that’s what her spiritual journey taught her so I won’t judge her for that. I really hope Yesha gets her own happy ending too (a separate book for her please, author 🙏). I am so glad that Vina and Calix found their happy ending after everything they went through; they deserve it so much.
Dosage of Serotonin is perfect for those who want to experience deeply emotional books who are comfortable with sensitive topics. Trigger warnings include: toxic household, abuse (physical, mental, verbal, emotional, sexual), suicide, suicide ideations, child abuse, death, mental disorders and conditions. It’s certainly not an easy read—I had to take a lot of breaks—but it’s definitely worth it.
If you're looking for a book that will make you feel giddy all throughout the story, this is not the book for you. Dosage of Serotonin is for the middle child, the breadwinners, for those who love others more than themselves, who give more to others than what they give to themselves, for those who are feeling lost, and fights alone. It's for those who see themselves in the shoes of Vina, Calix, and Mark.
The story feels painfully realistic because it doesn’t shy away from issues such as mental health, toxic family dynamics, societal pressure, and stereotypes. That’s what makes it hit so hard—what the characters go through are struggles you might relate to or even be experiencing yourself. The decisions of the characters might frustrate or annoy you, but those who truly knows them will understand them.
This book is such an experience. Also, I like how the theme of mental health is portrayed here. My heart hurts for Vina, Calix, Mark, and Yesha. Dosage of Serotonin left me with lot of messages and moral lessons—some parts I resonated with. Definitely a recommend, read at your own risk though.
widening my reading by trying out a book from wattpad! why not diba
this is a contemporary ya (?) romance that centers on this 30-something years old woman who is a well-esteemed psychiatrist. one day, during a event, she is unexpectedly reunited with a 30-something years old man (very handsome one), and she just knew that she already fell for him. and then we just basically follow the story of their relationship together. the book is mainly told based on the perspective of the woman. but at the end, for the prologue, we get to see, tho not equally in length, the perspective of the man.
i believe the strongest asset of this book, is its ability to present fragile topics very well. the book contains conflicts such as family problems, financial frustration, rape, suicide, domestic abuse, depression, death, and more. when we come to the parts where such topics are discussed, it's just so well-done. you really get to feel the anger and the frustration of our mc because of the arguments presented. i also think that the other strong point of this book, is how it really gives the reader a chance to judge the characters in full context, because the book never missed to give the two sides of a story. even though one may potentially be mislead of character judgement on the first few pages, the rest of the book still managed to provide what is adequate to really explore the characters. the integration of psychology and psychiatry onto the very plot is also a very good initiative. mental health is a very heavy and fragile subject, and since such field of medicine was incorporated into the book, it lead to a more satisfying study and representation of mental health.
but still, even though there were many parts that i thought were very well-done, there were also some that i thought weren't that polished. first, the writing i thought was not amazing. it was just okay. coming from only having read international books, to this—i definitely felt the change in prose, style, and language of course. moreover, i thought that some of the dialogues of the characters were too unrealistic and unlikely at times. next, i felt that the book was quite predictable, not totally tho, just quite. to be clear, the values, morals and the topics covered in the book were amazing. it's more on the execution that I had problems with. but overall, i thought this was still good! definitely a starter to reading more of what wattpad has to offer!
I needed a good cry, and this book not only brought me to tears, but it swallowed me whole and literally destroyed me. It was such a smooth pain, and I cried for 30 minutes straight while reading, and I loved it. I absolutely love books that can make me feel things, and if a book is emotional and makes me cry, that's even better. It is automatically rated 5 stars.
This book did more than just make me so emotionally invested and mentally exhausted that I was almost numb to continue reading. This book had such an impact on me that I finished it in such a short period of time. It's fascinating, beautifully composed and structured, and it's both painful and romantic, which is exactly what I wanted from this book.
Reading it made me fall in love with Calix Fujimoto, the greenest green flag ever. He was written in such a beautiful, refreshing, and flawless manner. I admire him for being himself, loving God, showing and showering Vina with love, and teaching her to love God as well. To be honest, that scene with God in the book made me cry the most.
The romance in this book is also a serotonin boost. It was heartwarming and not as cringe-worthy as some of the books I've read. Because of how flirtatious the two are, I was literally kicking my feet out of happiness. It's really amazing how much they managed to grow and went through. They both deserve each other so much.
This book was fantastic for discussing specific topics, particularly trauma and family abandonment and responsibilities. It's a healthy and toxic discussion about certain topics that may be triggering to a few, so read the trigger warnings carefully. This book, in my opinion, flows a little too fast, but it truly shatters and consumes the heart. Definitely worth reading. I wish I could read it again for the first time.
Personally, I would never forgive Vina's family. Despite the fact that some of the themes of the book are redemptive and finding it in your heart to forgive, I would never forget.
Ito yung book na hindi ko pa nababasa pero nagiging comfort ko na...
Woww... Just woww this book was so full of plot twist, plot twist na sobrang unexpected at unthinkable talaga. I first thought that no one deserved Vina esp Calix, hindi ko kayang maatim lahat ng pinagdaanan niya then somebody will just claim her? Na parang wala lang? But after knowing what Calix been going through, his ultimate reason to unintentionally hurt Vina? It made me believe otherwise. I think they both deserved each other.
But let me have this clearer way of how this book made me ugly-cry. My tears won't stop from falling, I just can't take jt when Mark urghhh I don't wanna spoil u guys.
Kinda nabitin lang ako sa epilogue I was expecting for more details about Calix's struggles when he was still a kid. But I love how ate inksteady focus on the healing part of both protagonist of the story.
This books was so full of worship words. It talks about mental, and emotional health, abusive content so If you're not comfortable with that kind of book better not let this book get through you. What I love about this book is how the author spread God's word. I love how she made God be the who made them believe that "to believe is to see" . It also talks about faith, faith with yourself, faith with your own race in life, faith with your dreams most esp faith with God.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I picked this book up out of curiosity because of the hype, and now I get why people are drawn to it.
The FMC's story hit close to home for me. Coming from a toxic household, there were times I had to pause while reading because it brought back painful memories. It wasn't an easy experience, but it made the book feel more personal.
The romance, though, didn't fully work for me. It felt a little forced, and I was expecting more angst. The MMC also came off a bit overdone. The book was longer than it needed to be, and some parts could have been trimmed down, but my main issue was with the execution.
Still, I'd call it a good read. Not the best, but it has its strong moments and it made me want to check out more Wattpad books. This isn't a light or feel-good story, Dosage of Serotonin is heavier than it looks, mixing love with the harsh realities of life.
Please check the trigger warnings before reading. It deals with sensitive topics like suicid3 and rap3, and I hope future physical copies will have detailed trigger warnings for readers.
When you think you’ve reach the most painful of them all, inksteady surprises you with “may isasakit pa yan”. I initially thought it would be light (joke time kasi si inksteady nga pala author) because of the dynamics of the character. However, as the story progresses, I kept on balling up on my bed, and eventually crying my eyes out.
This book really made me see the impact of mental health and how sometimes, faith is part of the healing process. Men like Calix are rare finds, and sometimes it’s guys like them that make us see things in a different perspective.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS! However, prepare yourself mentally and emotionally before going into it because it tends to be heavy at times. Don’t pressure yourself to finish it instantly and take it one page at a time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I give this story 4.50 stars because this story made my heart broken. Honestly, mas maganda 'to kung gawing English version. Anyway, the author is too brave for me to write this story. I only saw a few Filipino writers writing stories that have a lot of trigger warnings specially this story has family problems, suicide, rape, self-pity and depression. This is not an easy task to do but I love how Inksteady wrote this.
Somehow, there are a lot of descriptive words that are unnecessary and it makes it repetitive. But I understand she is a rookie writer and she was just expressing herself through her stories.
Thus the story also promotes taking care of ourselves.
P.S.: Though I already read this, I'm not brave enough to read this again.
For a moment, I was against Wattpad stories just because of how cringy it is sometimes. However, this novel was the total opposite. The way it was written is amazing. I wanted a good book to cry on, and this book didn't disappoint. I love this! I realized that communication is important when it comes to relationships. I've read some of Inksteady's other novels, The plots are always the same - they fall in love, break up for some reason, and fall in love again. I've read a lot of Wattpad that has the same theme as this, but this story is just different. I adore this book. Calix and Vina will always have a special place in my heart. This might be my new favorite Wattpad novel - so close to beating Chasing in the Wild.
This book is my dosage of serotonin! Calix is my inkboy (and Leon🤪) I love Calix very much; he's my soft inkboy. The greenest of all. I love them. That's why I can't forgive Vina's family like they did.
Just like how her other books made me cry, this also broke me. The scene when her parents couldn't accept him, her nephew, her problem with her family, 🍇pe, d3ath, and more—it destroyed me. This book tackles a lot of issues (including your relationship with God), so prepare yourself and your tissues before reading it. (The author's so brave and amazing to write those.)
This had me giggling and kicking my feet at 3 a.m. and made me burst out crying at 4 a.m. The book has flaws, but it is definitely worth reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This book will forever hold a special place in my heart🥺❤️ The tranquility, the million dozens of painful needles piercing through my heart, the therapeutic timeless love; such a roller-coaster ride. Despite all their circumstances, everything ends up falling into its own places. I wish that one day, I'll find my own Calix that will shower me with endless love🥺❤️ Aside from such a therapeutic romance that gives me serotonin, the lessons about mental health is absolutely something that everyone should know. I cried a river😭 It's been awhile since I've cried from a book before and this just made me so emotional that I had to process everything for days before I can start a new book🥺🫶🏻 I would pay anything and give everything to erase my memory and re-read this again istg🥺
Out of all the wattpad books I have read, inksteady's books are the one I love. The composition of the book, it is well written an well versed. The plot twists - muy bien 🤌🏼
FOR THE DEEP FEELERS ONLY. (not the typical cliche, all easygoing stories) You have a lot of takeaways from each book. For me it made me aware of different mental health issues or disorders and I can't wait to reread all of the books once I have the physical of the book.
Cheers inksteady! Ease your mind and you take a lot of rest. We will wait your beautiful mind.
Amazing!!! Hands down I loved the plot and the overall setting of the novel. Ready your tissues cus you’ll need it 🤣 ang ganda grabe although there are grammatical errors (which is normal since walang editing to), hindi siya nakaka umay basahin. I really really enjoyed it. Parang everything was so perfect at the end, it made my heart ache and giddy, break but was rebuild again. This was a work of art, author also knows her topics well👌
I'd give it a five in terms of enjoyment. I love Kalix and Vina so much. They have the best chemistry sa lahat mg sinulat ni Ms. Idy na couples imk. This story tackled a lot of sensitive topics and it was talked about very well. Im really impressed by how well it was talked about. This book can be a bit heavy and there were times when i had to take a break but it's good and worth it. I super love everything in this story.
kakatapos ko laaang basahin ang doss AND I AM SOO HAPPY TO SAY NA ANG GANDA GANDA NG BOOK nagreresonate ako nang sobra kay calix at vina, parehong mahal na mahal ko silaaaaa,, GRABE ANG BUILD UP AT GRABE DIN ANG PAG IYAK KO HAHSHAH ito ang first inksteady book koo at excited na ako na basahin ang ibaaa paaa NAPAKAGANDA AT NAPAKAGALING,, WOULD RECOMMENDDDDD!! we miss you mark, i love you mark and yesha
This book… masakit, but I didn’t shed a single tear. Hindi dahil di ako affected or what, but because manhid na yata talaga ko lolx!
I liked how the plot centered on God. It deeply moved and inspired me to strengthen my relationship with God and be closer to Him. I want this kind of relationship where the center of it all is God.
I appreciated how the book openly and honestly addressed mental health issues without shame.
It killed me emotionally. Very good book, it has many realizations, moral lessons, and more that you can learn from. Calix is very God fearing. If someday I have the time to re-read this story again and my perspective, my thoughts about this book might change. Then I would write a new review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I can't write a good review right now because im so emotional right now😭 this book is really something else, I didn't expect this book to be this good! I learned so many things from this book. I will surely miss my Vina and Calix so much.😭
Thank you, author! For creating this masterpiece!!
This book has the combination of love and problems we face reality. Definitely check trigger warnings because this book contains sensitive topics such as suicide and rape. This book made me cry so hard my parents thought i was heart broken though they were right but not fully right you know what i mean?? I really recommend this to people who read wattpad
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Ang dami kong knowledge na nakuha sa story ni author grabe!! Ang grabe ng impact sa'kin!! Hindi lang ako naiyak dito kasi nung binasa ko siya kanina nasa klase ako, bigla pa akong natawag habang nagbabasa jusko.
I WASN'T PREPARED FOR THE EMOTIONAL DAMAGED THIS STORY CAUSED ME. I NEVER CRIED FOR SOL, CHIN AND REESE. I WAS HURT BUT NEVER CRIED TO THE POINT I WAS BAWLING LIKE HELL. YEP. I CRIED LIKE A BABY. I LOVE YOU MARK. :( I NEED WEEKS TO RECOVER. I AM SO DAMAGED.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.