The Review Chain: It's Not Your Journey by Rebecca Lombardo + GIVEAWAY! (CLOSED)

It's Not Your Journey by Rebecca Lombardo

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Rating: PG-13

Genre: Non-Fiction, Autobiography

Score: ❤❤❤❤❤

Page Count: 210

Publisher: Pubkick

Published: August 21st, 2015

In her first published work, Rebecca Lombardo collects her internationally followed blog into the pages of “It’s Not Your Journey”. The memoir candidly details Rebecca’s two year long chronicle of her struggles with Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Anxiety, Self-Injury, and recovery from a Suicide attempt. Rebecca shares her very real, raw feelings on these subjects, as well as addressing other issues that have contributed to her downward spiral and eventual climb out of her own pit of despair. Issues such as the loss of her mother to lung cancer, the death of her brother, abandonment from friends and family members due to her hospitalization, and more.

Rating:

PROS:

1. So first off, I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review by the author so a huge thank you to Rebecca and Joe Lombardo for the review copy! This review is part of The Review Chain, which is made up of a few different bloggers from around the globe who read and review select books throughout the month. This month I'm reviewing It's Not You Journey and if you want to learn more about The Review Chain, be sure to check out the link HERE! Now onto the review!

2. I don't read a ton of non-fiction books but from time to time I do pick one up just to step out of my comfort zone and read something different if I think it might be of interest and worth reading. This book was something that caught my attention and I'm really glad I ended up reading this one. This book follows the story of Rebecca and her journey with living with mental illness that includes depression, anxiety, PTSD, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and Bipolar-Disorder. All of these are bad enough on their own but for them to all interact with each other makes for an emotional roller coaster ride and Rebecca tells her story. This book is such an eye opener into what it means to live with these mental illnesses and what really goes on in someone's head who deals with such things.

3. I loved that Rebecca made points to define what differentiates certain mental illnesses and also highlights that mental illness isn't something that people can just 'get over'. Mental illness is something that not many people actually understand and the author helps those to understand just how they affect people living with such things as depression and anxiety as well as PTSD, which is another form of mental illness that affects people who haven't actually served in the armed forces at all. I learned a lot about mental illness that I didn't know before and even found some chapters to be very helpful with understanding them.

4. It was also interesting to read about as Rebecca talked about in her book how she dealt with loss, grief, and self-harm and struggled to find people who she could actually trust. It was crazy to see how many people she thought she could trust ended up leaving her as she went through her darkest times and she learned the hard way that not everyone is worth having in your life. I think this book offers a lot of valuable lessons and insight on mental illness for people who don't fully understand how it affects people on different levels.

5. I myself deal with anxiety and while mine isn't anything crippling, it still affects me in a certain way and Rebecca's story helped me to personally understand my own anxiety. I think this book is definitely worth reading for those who also live with mental illness as it might help them to understand themselves a little better. This book doesn't only talk about her struggles with depression and self-harm but it also deals with such subjects as body-image, self-esteem, setting realistic goals for yourself every day and much more. I highly recommend this one if you want to learn more about these subjects from a real person and not just general information.

You Can Purchase The Book Here:

Amazon

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I'm 42 years old and I've been happily married to my best friend for 14 years. I've known that I wanted to be an author since I was very young. I grew up in Michigan with my amazing parents, and 5 older siblings. My husband and I don't have children, but we do have 5 cats that we adore. They are all rescues. I feel very strongly about being an advocate for animals. I enjoy watching movies, sports, and all sorts of television shows. I love to read when I can find the time, and I fancy myself an amateur photographer. I write a blog detailing the struggles I've endured in my life due to a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. I have finally achieved my dream of writing a book. It's Not Your Journey is based on my blog of the same title.

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