I wish I had listened to my gut. It takes guts to listen to your gut, though. It takes bravery to walk away from something because part of your bowel tells you to. I mean, who does that? That is crazy. Okay this is a tough one to review. It’s one in the morning and I am tired, but I NEEDED to finish this story. This is something that needs to be told.

I personally related to Amelie in a number of ways. Both of us are Yorkshire girls, both of us left the comfort of the world we knew to go to the south of England where people say "bath" like "barf", yet make fun of our accents, and don't know that gravy on chips is the best thing ever. For Amelie, though, the change was much harder. She left her friends and loving boyfriend right in the middle of her A levels, out of necessity for her dad's job. She went to a new town and school where she had no friends, no support group, no one to "get" her and make her feel important. If I were to make a playlist for this book it would be I knew you were trouble over and over and OVER AGAIN.Nothing that incriminating, of course. Nothing that couldn't be shushed away with a "you're too sensitive/needy/clingy/crazy". But damaging, nonetheless.

It questions romantic love as a recipe for happiness and explores the many shapes and forms love can take and what coping strategies we can use when things go pear-shaped. I’m starting to realize that craziness may not always come from within. I’m starting to think lows aren’t worth the highs - not in love. Not in something where the most important thing is to feel safe. Consistency is underrated.” The scenes in the book with the therapist are moving and informative, as this is where the reader gets an insight about how trauma bonds work and why the love of those who abuse is so addictive. Through Amelie's journey, we discover that she isn't just emotionally abused, she is also physically abused but the author doesn't focus on the physical. Instead, she raises the signs of the emotional abuse as this is often harder to notice and can in some circumstances have an even worst effect. The Chapter names- They are all based on the names of the places or the reasons why she cried and absolutely no idea why, but I loved them. Something that I feel I took away from this, is the power of friendship, Amelie had so many bad things happen and the friendships that came from this, was such light in a dark book.

CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably)

Amelie, however, is an exception. She’s wept in Clapham Junction waiting room, the music classroom, the bench on top of the common and plenty more places besides. And what has been the reason for her tears? As I said, this a very poignant story. It is raw. And it would make you uncomfortable. It would make your heart heavy and you - sad. It gives you insight on grief, assault and abuse, trauma and importance of therapy. But most important - what is a healthy relationship. When you must know your relationship is going in wrong direction and when to listen to your instincts. I really appreciate the author for writing something with such a strong message.