Nightmare in Fantasyland by Emily Bellemonte

Rating:

4 Stars

Themes:

Non-Fiction, Memoir

Thoughts:

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I appreciate that no book is for everyone but I think this is a book that everyone should read. Emily is brutally honest with her experiences through experiencing a narcissistic relationship itself and the continued manipulation while trying to leave in a way that will likely help others who are questioning things themselves to identify with and hopefully save someone else from giving years of their life to a facade like she did. She also tackles both cyberstalking and cyberbullying and the toxic nature of some fandoms through her own experience with a fandom turning on her so that we can see the human and real life impact of the actions some take online. In a way she puts a surviving human face to cyberbullying in a way that many others don’t get that shows the potential life long damage behaviours like this have. I was rooting for Emily throughout and am so glad she has gotten free and found a way to live her life despite everything she was put through and hope this book can provide the same to others.

Favourite Quote:

“When the fantasy finally shattered, I was left alone in the ruins surrounded by the broken pieces of what once was. There was no knight in shining armor coming to save me, no gallant figure charging in on a white horse with banners flying and my name on his lips. The fairy tales had lied; no rescue party was on its way. If I was to be saved, I would have to be my own savior”

With thanks to Booksirens for my advanced digital copy of this book.

Comments

Mint and Murder by Carly Winter

Rating: Stars Themes: Short Story, Cosy Mystery Thoughts: Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I had to read this book, seeing it was available, after reading Pipers Piping and Puppies last year. I did read it as a standalone (it’s not the first time I’ve read a series out of order and likely won’t be the last) I managed to follow along fine although I’m sure I’d have understood the relationship dynamics better had I read it in the correct order. I found the story great and as for the mystery I was guessing myself right the way through until Sam figured it out. Sam is a strong female main character who feels worth investing in so I may have to go search some more of the Heywood Herbalist series out. I enjoyed seeing Sam interact with her friends as they had great chemistry and it felt real, and also really liked Sam’s interactions with Doug as it added another layer of humanity to her and reality to the town. I would love ...

Porn is Not Sex Ed! by Jessica Melendez

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Young Adult Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. In the age of lessening sex education this book could be a great tool to help bridge the gap. I appreciate the talk to an adult bits that can encourage children to start to have conversations that are important but they often think are cringy. The note to trusted adults bit at the end is great too and there’s quite a few useful activities to help the messages really sink in. Some of the points here such as fetishisation and body image are really important ones that I never learned that young (which could be the reason I had such poor body image as a teen) and for the most part the book talks to kids on their level although some areas may feel a little immaturely worded for older teens. With thanks to Hachette UK and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy of this book.

The War of Sober by Edward Rand

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Self-Help, Addiction, Psychology Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a great book not just for addicts trying to establish and maintain their sobriety but also psychologists, counsellors and the people working with them. It approaches the experience of addiction from the perspective of going to war and may help those who can’t get along with the 12 steps, contingency management or other forms of therapy traditionally used. It’s also helpful to have Edward detail his own experiences and approaches throughout so it feels less clinical and shows he does know what he’s talking about when he mentions the difficulties so it comes across less patronising than some self-help addiction books. Favourite Quote: "It doesn't matter what happened yesterday. Win or lose, if we are still alive, we must decide to be different today and then make the correct choices today, because friends, ...

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