Twelve Months of Awkward Moments

Dani is a college student who suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and she lives in an orderly world with a specific routine, which is exactly what she wants. Over summer break, she visits with her therapist who issues Dani a challenge: date three men over the next semester at school. While Dani thinks the assignment is ridiculous, her best friend and mother convince her to give it a whirl. As Dani meets several men during the semester, she struggles to overcome her fears and to give at least one of them a genuine chance. However, someone is sending Dani terrorizing messages via signs on her door, letters left in her mailbox, and an attempt to drug her. Who could it possibly be? And will Dani learn to let go of her fears enough to  learn to care for one of the men in her life?

“Twelve Months of Awkward Moments” is a journal, of sorts, of the inner workings of Dani’s mind and heart as she accepts the challenge issued by her therapist. Lisa Acerbo does a fabulous job of accurately depicting how overpowering a mental illness, such as OCD, can consume a person with irrational thoughts and fears. The story is full of personal reflections of various moments throughout the story. There are moments when readers may want to shake Dani, just as her best friends do, to make her relax and just live. Yet, step by step, moment by moment, Ms. Acerbo writes of Dani’s courage as she finds a love that was in front of her the entire time. "Twelve Months" is a  great story that will resonate with many readers. Kudos, Ms. Acerbo!

Tiffany Landers