Skip to main content

My Review of Mad Girl by Bryony Gordon @bryony_gordon

Welcome to my Review of Mad Girl by Bryony Gordon!


What They Say:

Bryony Gordon has OCD.

It's the snake in her brain that has told her ever since she was a teenager that her world is about to come crashing down: that her family might die if she doesn't repeat a phrase 5 times, or that she might have murdered someone and forgotten about it. It's caused alopecia, bulimia, and drug dependency. And Bryony is sick of it. Keeping silent about her illness has given it a cachet it simply does not deserve, so here she shares her story with trademark wit and dazzling honesty.

A hugely successful columnist for the Telegraph, a bestselling author, and a happily married mother of an adorable daughter, Bryony has managed to laugh and live well while simultaneously grappling with her illness. Now it's time for her to speak out. Writing with her characteristic warmth and dark humour, Bryony explores her relationship with her OCD and depression as only she can.

Mad Girl is a shocking, funny, unpredictable, heart-wrenching, raw and jaw-droppingly truthful celebration of life with mental illness.

What I Say:

I knew from the minute I started reading Mad Girl, my life would be changed. I read The Wrong Knickers when it came out and it was immense so when I heard that Bryony had a new book on the way, I knew I had to read it.

I was sobbing by the second page of the prologue. I was gripped from the first word and that grip didn't loosen until after the final word. I finished reading this on Friday and I'm still not sure I can write a coherent review that will do any sort of justice...

Mental health is a subject that I'm just beginning to become familiar with. But with the help of this amazing book and some amazing friends, I am now seeking treatment for the first time. Turns out, I seem to have an anxiety disorder and depression but I am on medication and awaiting counselling... I no longer feel alone or like I'm strange. Bryony gave me courage to fight for my health and strength to change my life. I know that probably sounds cliché or a bit corny, but hand on heart, this is the truth. I've been scared for so long of the consequences of seeking help and now that I've done it, I am on the path to a bright future I never thought I'd have.

So, back to the book. Mad Girl is touching and raw. It's bold, honest and so, so important. This book will change lives. Bryony is so brave and such an inspiration and I hope one day I can thank her for that. This book needs to be read and loved and shared. There are parts that are desperately hard to read, they break your heart. But I knew in the back of my mind that Bryony wrote the book so she must have survived it. She literally lived to tell the tale...

This is the kind of book that I hope one day I can write. I want to use my experiences to help people. I want to inspire women to find the courage to change their lives, however scary it may be. Seeking help is terrifying, it makes things seem real. But this amazing book makes it seem less taboo and less lonely. That's something special.

Mad Girl is just the most amazing, powerful, important book I may ever read. 11/10

Thanks to Georgina Moore at Headline for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Mad Girl is out on 7 June by Headline.

Comments

  1. Claire9 May 2016 at 08:59

    Sounds like such an important, moving book. Love reading things like this.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tishylou Is Making A Comeback!

  Hi! Fancy seeing you here! Well, actually, fancy seeing ME here as I'm the one who has been AWOL. Life has been changing so much for me these past 3 years that my love of blogging got pushed aside. But I just celebrated my 49th birthday and felt compelled to revive my blog. I have still been reading and reviewing, but it's mainly been short posts on my social media pages, like Tiktok and Instagram. I really miss long form reviews and the personal posts I used to share with you. So, I'm going back to my roots. I plan on doing a Get To Know Me post soon for those of you who aren't familiar with me and my crazy life. That will be followed by bringing and expanding some of my Tiktok reviews on here. I have chosen 10 very special books for my first 2 weeks of posts, and I hope you'll feel how much I love them and what they mean to me.  So, I'll leave you with this for now. To those who have always supported and encouraged me, thank you from the bottom of my heart. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Blog Tour Stop and Review of All Wrapped Up by Heidi Swain

Hi friends! Long time no see! I have been so bad at blogging, and any book reviews I've done have been just on my social media pages. But it's tradition that when a new Heidi Swain book comes out, it HAS to appear on my blog! In fact, my last blog post was almost a year ago, for a Heidi book. If  you  know me at all, you know I love being in Heidi's books. They are so comforting, wholesome and hope filled. The locations are always idyllic and the characters always make me want to befriend them. All Wrapped Up is no exception. What They Say : In Wynbridge, the scent of autumn is on the breeze and love is in the air…   Clemmie Bennett has been renovating beautiful Rowan Cottage on the outskirts of the small town of Wynbridge, for eighteen months following a very public heartbreak back in her childhood hometown. The popular Instagram influencer, lost her husband, sold their home, and has been cosied up the Fens and living a very private life, but now she feels it’s time for ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Blog Tour Stop with Review of Home For Christmas by Heidi Swain

Welcome to my Stop on the Blog Tour for Home For Christmas by Heidi Swain! What They Say: Bella is living her best life in Wynbridge, with her beloved Spaniel, Tink. She’s found a way to keep the house she inherited from her grandparents while expanding her dream business – Away With the Fairies – and she’s ecstatic that Christmas is on the horizon!   In fact, everything is perfect until family friend, Catherine Connelly asks Bella if she’d be willing to rent part of the house to freelance author, Jude who is researching the history of the Connelly Clan and Wynthorpe Hall ahead of turning his findings into a book. The plan had been for Jude to stay at the hall, but he can’t cope with the chaos and Bella reluctantly agrees to open her door to him.   Initially, the pair clash but then friendlier feelings begin to grow and Bella finds herself wondering if Jude could become more than just another guest before it’s time for him to leave. That is, until he announces he h...
Post a Comment
Read more