Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella (no spoilers)

Hello guys! How are you? As you can see I’m a little behind on reviewing all the books I have read recently oops! But moving swiftly past this as you can see I’m reviewing Finding Audrey and if you haven’t read it here’s a quick non spoiler review:

Non spoiler review

I have never read a Sophie Kinsella book before so I can’t really compare it but I imagine they are all very similar. The reason I picked up this book was solely its premise. I suffer from anxiety and just wanted to see how well Sophie had addressed the issue. Let me tell you know I was very happy and part of the book actually made me feel a little anxious but I reminded myself it’s just in the book.

The story starts off with Audrey who struggles with Agoraphobia which essentially means she can’t leave the house or her “safe place”. She’s your typical teenager otherwise has arguments with her family especially her brother and they sit down to eat together and watch movies together. When Linus appears it’s all a bit too much for Audrey and consequently runs off and tries to get back to her safe place. Audrey does manage to see a therapist and I think it’s nice that Sophie has shown someone with a mental illness getting help and talking about how she’s feeling. *if you are suffering yourself please talk to someone, anyone will listen*
Eventually Audrey trusts Linus and her life sort of does a u turn but not everything turns out great, in fact just like a lot of people Audrey has a few relapses.

The book is just all consuming and it didn’t take me long to read it at all. Audrey is so relatable for me the way she thinks about dangers and conquers some of those fears. I also liked Audrey’s brother as he had a very relaxed way of approaching Audrey; it kind of reminded me of my 3 brothers. They never really knew how to handle my anxiety or panic attacks. Overall it has a beautiful story, lovely characters and I loved the setting.

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone that wants a light read with a touch of mental illness thrown in. I honestly enjoyed consuming this book and it only took me a few days!
Now onto my next book which is The Priory Of The Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon.

Thanks for reading guys!
Love Becky.

endometriosis awareness

#truthfulmother 

It’s been a while since I’ve posted simply because I’ve been really lazy! But I’ve been waiting all year to do this post 😁 

Moving onto what I’m actually writing about. It’s officially endometriosis awareness month! Raising awareness about this illness is very important to me and we need to find a cure. When women go through these pains are awful and so debilitating. 

• 1 in 10 women of reproductive age in the UK suffer from endometriosis. 

• Endometriosis is the second most common gynaecological condition in the UK.

• The cause of endometriosis is unknown and there is no definite cure.

SYMPTOMS: 

• Pain with intercourse. Pain during or after sex is common with endometriosis.

• Pain with bowel movements or urination. You're most likely to experience these symptoms during your period.

• Excessive bleeding. You may experience occasional heavy periods (menorrhagia) or bleeding between periods (menometrorrhagia).

• Infertility. Endometriosis is first diagnosed in some women who are seeking treatment for infertility.

• Other symptoms. You may also experience fatigue, diarrhea, constipation, bloating or nausea, especially during menstrual periods.

MY STORY: 

It took me over a decade to get diagnosed with endometriosis. It all started with heavy periods, headaches and excruciating cramps; but because of my age they put it down to normal cycles for me. I was put on pill after pills without really having any answers. It wasn’t until I was hospitalised they realised this needed more investigation. They finally sent me to a gynaecologist and he was brilliant! He finally gave me something to look forward to. A diagnosis. My story is a little different as he offered to just start treatment straight away but as I was in so much pain I begged him to do the operation. It still took me 4 months of pain to wait for my operation. Once the operation was completed I was sent home and I felt like a new women little did I know my story wasn’t finished. My endometriosis operation failed terribly and my battle goes on. 

If you do have endometriosis keep fighting you are strong and even though there isn’t a cure yet one day there will be! 

And if you do suspect you have endometriosis go and get checked out as it is not an easy thing to live with. There are so many treatment options, they may just work for you. 

https://www.endometriosis-uk.org

#endometriosisawareness #endometriosis #raisingawareness #painfulperiods