The Existence of Amy, by Lana Grace Riva

I absolutely adored this book for so many reasons. It is about a young woman who suffers from severe mental health disorders and faces enormous (yet invisible) battles with her mind on a daily basis. I felt like this gave such a brilliant insight into the mind, thoughts and perceptions of an individual with anxiety, OCD and depression, who on the outside might seem fine.

If you enjoyed ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’, you might also enjoy this - in a similar way it gives you an insight into the otherwise invisible struggles and thoughts going on in someone else's head. I found many similarities between the two and wanted to hug both protagonists so badly at points (even though they are not huggers).

There are some delightful characters that I fell in love with, and although this book deals with some really dark topics, overall it is so hopeful and inspiring. Whilst it was heart-breaking to see her suffering and the way some people misjudged and perceived her, there were equally so many moments that were filled with compassion, kindness and understanding from others.

How dyslexia-friendly is it?

This book was so effortless to read. It was so accessible, yet dealing with such delicate and complex topics so well - I know this is really hard to do. The writing was clear, there are very few character names to remember, the font is large and dyslexia & visual stress-friendly and the pages are not bright white.

Thank you so much to the author for sending me a copy of the book, all opinions expressed are my own! :)