Laugh It Off - The Monster Manual

By Derek Dykstra

Senior year is supposed to be the victory lap.

Instead, it feels like a countdown you didn't agree to.

Jayla is doing fine. Mostly. She's getting through her days, laughing at the right moments, and pretending she isn't quietly panicking every time someone asks, "So... what are your plans after graduation?"

That's when the monsters show up.

There's the Catastrophizer, convinced one wrong choice will ruin her entire life.
The Comparison Monster, fluent in everyone else's highlight reel.
The Time Monster, obsessed with deadlines and running out of chances.
And the Shame Monster, who sounds suspiciously like her own voice.

With the help of her friends Max (professional humor deflector) and Rafi (calm, observant, and always a step ahead), Jayla does something unexpected: she stops trying to defeat the monsters-and starts naming them, studying them, and laughing at them just enough to take their power away.

Laugh It Off: The Monster Manual is a sharp, funny, and deeply honest story about pressure, growing up, and the messy space between "not ready" and "not failing." It's about senior year, anxiety, friendship, humor as survival, and learning that not having all the answers doesn't mean you're behind.

You don't defeat monsters.
You learn their patterns.
And sometimes, that's enough to keep going.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GF1JH3WC
• ISBN13: 9798242591486
• Release Date: January 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 258 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"