Messy: Exposés of an Overweight, Neurodivergent Misfit

Written in the form of a memoir, Messy is the fictional recount of young woman Bridget's coming of age journey in the first decades of the 21st century amid romance, friendships, and a burgeoning self-awareness.

Meet Bridget: a twenty-something whose self-consciousness is only outpaced by her curiosity, confusion, and the joy of life's absurdity. Told with a touch of dark humor and a relatable series of mishaps, Bridget's messy journey through early adulthood includes heartfelt moments of unpacking heavy baggage, untethering her spirit to soar to new heights, and a whiplash-inducing rollercoaster of emotions, relationships, and epiphanies.

Bridget's naivety and an often impracticable outlook on life enable her exploration of cognitive powers, emotional exigencies, and sexual empowerment. Ultimately searching for self-acceptance and an appreciation of her singularity, Bridget (and the reader beside her) travel along a forgiving narrative of youth, a celebration of courage, and a quest to enjoy life with wild abandon.

Written for Millennial women and female-identifying readers, Messy is a resonating and relatable novel with built-in support for other misfits trying to survive young adulthood on their own. Beyond helping a reader navigate their 20s, Messy also seeks to communicate the value of being your whole self instead of cutting parts off to fit in someone else's box. The author infuses some of her own experiences, thoughts, and feelings into the narrative for a one-of-a-kind story that sticks with readers long after the last page.