Unfiltered~ Lily Collins

The annual reading challenge was set at 50 books this year between my best friend and I. Each year we fight the reading battle and over the past two years have upped our goal by 10 books from 30 to 40 to 50. When will we stop? Who knows! So far I am on my 11th book and as we’re nearing the 4th month of 2017 I know I need to up my game. 😂This year my own personal reading goal was to read books that I normally wouldn’t, as I tend to get stuck in the cliché world of YA fiction, much to my disgust! However, recently I picked up a book that I would normally wouldn’t. Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me is the debut book of Lily Collins who you probably recognise from films such as Love, Rosie and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. Now, when I saw she was releasing a memoir I was slightly dubious. However having finished this book, in one sitting might I add, I have gained a new respect for her not only as an actress but as a woman. She explains her battle with eating disorders, her broken relationship with her alcoholic father and the struggles of dating an addict. The way in which she explains her past experiences is so raw, there’s no bullshit hiding the truth, which I applaud her for. In many ways, she helped me realise problems I didn’t think I had but highlighted the ways in which I could deal with them. The beautifully titled chapters flow from one topic to another and there wasn’t one which didn’t enthral me. The title of chapter 1, ‘The Quirky Things That Make You Different Are What Make You Beautiful’ is possibly my favourite and shows the masses of young girls (and boys) who have read this book that it’s ok to be different; something that today’s society is forever branding as wrong. In the words of Collins herself, ‘The time to be unfiltered is now’ and her gorgeously written memoir has shown me just how important it is to be ourselves and not let others, even the people we love or we think love us, squash our dreams!

M🌸