Thank you to @headlinebooks for sending me a proof of Mad Girl by Bryony Gordon. I loved it!! I've done a (probably waffley and badly punctuated) review for anyone who is interested in reading Mad Girl. I apologise for the bad grammar and waffle in advance as I'm new to the reviewing game. I hope you enjoy... :) I'm not usually a great non-fiction reader but I read Mad Girl within a few days which goes to show just how great this book is! I was really intrigued by the concept of Mad Girl, as someone who has ocd I thought it would be interesting to read about another persons experience with living with ocd and other mental health issues. Normally these sorts of books can become too formed - explaining the research into the cause of mental health issues in depth or can be too overwhelming with information, and in terms of fiction books, although they are generally great stories and a brilliant way to create awareness, they are often written by people who haven't experienced ocd themselves so sometimes the accuracy of the representation of ocd and mental health can be misleading, but Bryony Gordon writes her accounts with having ocd and other mental health problems with such honesty, relatability and humour. She had me laughing in places and comforted and deep in understanding in others. It is not a book that perceives that mental health issues can be waved away by a magic wand but with making a decision to look after yourself, shaming the voices inside your head rather than shaming yourself by finding a way that will help you cope with your mental health problem that works best for you will help defeat the demons in your head, quieten them and let you be yourself and live with the mute button on your mental health issue. Bryony Gordon shows the other side of mental health illnesses that generally get overlooked through the media - the darker, lesser known symptoms of ocd for example, the topics that the obsessions can ruminate on, how it effects your relationships with the people around you and the decisions you make. She doesn't glamourise or shy away from the truths of mental health illness's, doesn't put a gloss on the effects that it can have on your life but she does showcase the bully that is mental health illness as the irrational, horrible and worthless bully that likes to take up accommodation in its victims head and she shows that with determination, humour and your toolbox of coping mechanisms at the ready, that this bully won't win! This book is a brilliant and I can't wait to share it with others.
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