In Stuck On Hard Mode, the author uses a creative approach to discuss neurodivergence: by comparing life to a video game. I thought it was original and often very relatable. It's a fun way to discuss the subject.

An original and creative way of approaching the neurodivergent world from the perspective of an MMORPG gamer!

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy of Stuck in Hard Mode by Erin Phillips, to be published on March 19th, 2026.

Basically, this is the book I wish I had read when I was a kid.
An Autism/ADHD diagnosis can be anxiety-inducing, especially with the overwhelming vocabulary (and functionality) of it all. Enter this book: explaining neurodivergence using video game metaphors is incredibly clear and relatable. I really appreciate that the book focuses on both Autism and ADHD, showing that there can be a link between these categories. The overall tone of the book is empowering: The idea that neurodivergent people are not broken, just have different “stats.” I also particularly appreciated the section where the author encourages readers to stim if they need to (and offers many suggestions for how to do this covertly if readers are concerned about attracting attention).

My only question is why there wasn’t a quick note at the beginning of the book stating that not all sections may be appropriate for every reader (and that that’s okay). For example, I would feel comfortable recommending this book to a nine year old, but not if they aren’t ready to digest the lengthy section on sexuality. To be clear, the book is very encouraging and repeatedly reminds readers that everyone is different, however, I think some young readers may stop reading if they feel a section is not applicable to them (yet?).

For some young readers, this book will really speak to them and give them great insight into how they move through the world. The author uses “us” and “we,” which makes the tone welcoming and lets the reader know from the very beginning that they are not alone in facing the world (a great message for anyone).

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this e-arc for review!

As a neurodivergent and a gamer, I really enjoyed the way the author describes going through life with our struggles and how we have to do more to even the playing field compared to neurotypicals. If either or both of my children get diagnosed as neurodivergent and find things hard, I would get this book to help them mentally deal with it better since I've always also found it easier to think of life an an rpg and I just have several debuffs and didn't get to choose my stat allocations and build at the start.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

Stuck on Hard Mode is a self-help/information book for children/YA with ADHD, ASD and AuDHD told in a format of gaming which I'm sure will appeal to numerous children/YA and help them relate to the content told through a gaming narrative and language. The illustrations are fun and there is some good information within the book but what put me off the book and what I didn't think it contained when I requested it was the information relating to sexuality and gender which I do feel should be highlighted in the books information.

Stuck on Hard Mode is a short how-to guide for teens (and maybe those older than teens) on the Autism Spectrum and/or ADHD to navigate a world built for neurotypical (NT) people. Based on the notion of these people living life on “hard mode”, comes a guide that sounds much like a MMORPG manual. Using terms like “level” for age, it’s written much like you’re playing a game, but in life.exe, you only have one and there’s no respawns. While this wording might appeal to a certain crowd, I didn’t entirely vibe with it, even though I’m a gamer. Otherwise, this is a great guide for teens to navigate the real world with their unique traits (termed stats) and how to make things easier in many aspects of life. I do like that the author is an older autistic that had to learn life without knowing they were on hard mode and speaks very much like a mentor. The most important thing is that the teens know that they aren’t broken, just different with their own challenges, which might seem harder in this NT world. Part of me wished this existed when I was a teen. Highly recommended!