Are we all Lemmings and Snowflakes? By Holly Bourne – Book Review

When I heard about this book I thought it was really intriguing and it was about mental health so I just had to pick it up when it released and I’m so glad I did! It’s such a wonderful book and I highly recommend reading it!

So what is this book about? Well you can read the synopsis here, taken from Goodreads:

Welcome to Camp Reset, a summer camp with a difference. A place offering a shot at “normality” for Olive, a girl on the edge, and for the new friends she never expected to make – who each have their own reasons for being there. Luckily Olive has a plan to solve all their problems. But how do you fix the world when you can’t fix yourself?

The first thing I want to say is that this book has such great mental health rep! It a realistic, honest view on mental health. The characters are so real and have great character development that shows exactly how managing and dealing with mental health can be. It’s not a straight line up, there’s up and downs but you still keep going.

One of the things I loved was that through the story I actually learnt a lot about mental health services and different mental health conditions, but it was never pretentious of preachy. It all just felt naturally part of the story.

The story itself was so interesting and so relatable and the messages it gave were wonderful! The message about being kind not only to others but also to yourself were so powerful and really makes you think.

“You don’t have to stop looking after yourself just to help the world. In fact, sometimes it’s better for the world if you put yourself first. That’s not being selfish, in fact looking after yourself is the greatest act of kindness you can give the world. Loving yourself first is the best way to spread love. You’ve tried so hard to be kind, but you’ve not started with you, and maybe that’s where it’s gone wrong?”

Each character was genuine and fully fleshed out. They were more than their mental illness and I loved that about them. I also loved that despite them being in a place which will hopefully help them to learn how to manage and live a better quality life they had moments where they did relapse but also made progress. It all felt so real! I honestly can’t explain how much I loved the portrayal of each character! It was real and respectful.

I’m so glad books like this are being written now as they are so needed. Because we need books with good mental health rep not only for those who suffer from it but also for others so that more people can understand what it is like. The message of this book is so important; kindness to ourselves and others is so important. The world could be a much better place if we were kinder. And remember #KindnessIsContagious so spread it!

“I think real kindness, real compassion, is having the strength to stop and try and see where another person is coming from. To try and work out why they’re being the way they’re being. It takes time and patience. It’s not easy, but that’s real kindness.”