Psych Major Syndrome (Hardcover)

~ Alicia Thompson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up—Leigh, a freshman at tiny Stiles College in California, is more uptight than her artsy roommate Ami, but not quite as stiff as her high school boyfriend, Andrew. She's trying to figure out how to navigate her way through a psychology major at a school that's putting more pressure on her than she expected while weathering Andrew's expectations for sex though their romance is dwindling. Added into the mix are Andrew's attractive but moody roommate, several "mean girl" types, and a healthy dose of quirky, introspective humor. Leigh's exceptional vocabulary is naturally worked into the story, which is also heavily laced with brand and celebrity names, music references, and esoteric comments about zombies and girlfriends who might like to cook your bunny rabbit. The idea that Leigh's kooky parents (who own a psychic B&B) would have her share a bedroom at their home with a young man because they want to save space for paying guests seems far-fetched, as does a contrived subplot that features an overweight matron-type who is too rigid to talk with any honesty about sex. The young woman's ongoing inner conversations about sleeping with Andrew are much more believable.—Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX END

Product Description

Using the skills you've learned so far in Introduction to Psychology, please write a brief self-assessment describing how things are going in your freshman year. Presenting Concerns: The Patient, Leigh Nolan (that would be me), 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, not Rorschach blots).

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, naive. Diagnosis: Psych Major Syndrome

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (August 11, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423114574
• ISBN-13: 978-1423114574
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #584,493 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Psych Major Syndrome, October 12, 2009

By	Runa Zaman "HPLunatic" (Charlottesville, VA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Continuing a trend that seems to have been started by Megan McCafferty is another YA book set at college instead of the typical junior high/high school ones. This is really exciting for me as a new college student, watching my books grow up along side me and keeping the material relevant and interesting. It also really helped that the main character in the story goes to a tiny school that sounds very much like my own. Anyways, the plot was cute, if not annoyingly simple. Everything was pretty predictable, and it is no wonder that Meg Cabot blurbed it--it's such utterly Cabotian fluff, just as well-written in a casual conversational tone. I love it when authors do cute gimmicky things, so I was a fan of the little psych related definitions that came before chapters and symbolically related really nicely to whatever was happening. All these characters are really well developed, and you grow to love them as the book progresses. I was really satisfied with the way everything turned out at the end, after that emotional rollercoaster of suspense resolved itself. I was a little disappointed by the lack of very much to do with psychology, but it's still a cute book--just don't expect anything intellectual out of it.

Rating: 5/5

Also, cutest U2 references ever!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Realistic and I can totally relate, September 20, 2009

By	AngellicLulu (Brandon, FL USA) - See all my reviews

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I've been out of the college life for a few years now, but this book took me back to my life as a college student. I related with the main character eerily well. Leigh (the main character) is a girl who just is. She doesn't feel the pressure to be more than what she is. But through her over-analysis of herself she starts to realize maybe gliding through life isn't as effective as she thought it was.

The college is based on the college my sister went to so I really understood the dynamics of the college. It's such a small school, everyone knows everyone else's business. This causes the rumor mill to spiral out of control. Poor Leigh can't keep any secrets about anything.

I highly recommend this book for 16-20 something ages. It's a romantic comedy that is definitely suitable to soon to be college students.

5.0 out of 5 stars Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson, December 30, 2009

By	James F. Booth "Book Chic" (Washington DC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I really enjoyed this book; it's not very often I get to read a book about a college-age protagonist. I love reading books from that perspective and there never seems to really be any around. Thompson's writing was really funny but also had its moments to let the characters' depth shine through. I loved reading about the mentoring program that Leigh gets involved in, and also the trials and tribulations of her romantic life. I went through this book pretty quickly because the writing just flowed so well and was really compelling. Definitely an author to keep an eye on in the future!