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Title: High Functioning
Author: Jasmine Haastrup
Genre: Psychological Horror / Literary Fiction
Tone: Haunting, atmospheric, slow-burning, introspective
Themes: Mental illness, identity decay, familial pressure, dissociation, perfectionism, invisible suffering
Audience: Fans of Sharp Objects, Black Swan, I'm Thinking of Ending Things.

To the world, Relly's calm, put-together, and perfectly fine — a 23 year old who gives, smiles, volunteers, and always there for everyone's needs. But beneath the clean makeup and practiced politeness is a hollow scream no one hears. Something else is moving beneath her skin.

Her days blur. Her reflection twitches. Conversations echo like she's hearing them secondhand. She forgets where she's been. And sometimes she remembers things she swears she didn't live.

And something inside her is watching.

Waiting.

Ready to take control.

Trigger Warning:

This book contains mature themes including mental illness, dissociation, grief, emotional manipulation, and glimpses of sexually explicit content. It portrays psychological horror and emotional distress that may be triggering for some readers. Please proceed with care.

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Author's note

Hiya.

I am so honored that you chose to read this book.

High Functioning is a story that talks about how life steals from us, even before we notice. I've seen what happens when someone loses themselves piece by piece while still going to work or school, still being polite, still holding other people together.

This is for anyone who's ever smiled through an existential collapse, or apologized for being too quiet at a party when they could barely breathe.

This is for the ones who keep showing up even when they're not all the way there.

I hope you feel seen.

XOXO

Jasmine Stars

PS. if you relate to this book, don't forget to drop your comments and opinions. I would really love to hear all about it. Your comments mean so much to me and I never shy away from giving shout outs to my steady/recurring commenters, so don't miss out on this.

Thank You.

Copyright © Jasmine Haastrup. 2025
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or real events is purely coincidental.