Unfiltered by Lily Collins: Book Review

In this groundbreaking debut essay collection, featuring never-before-seen photos, actress Lily Collins―star of Mortal Instruments and Rules Don’t Apply―is opening a poignant, honest conversation about the things young women struggle with: body image, self-confidence, relationships, family, dating and so much more. 

For the first time ever, Lily shares her life and her own deepest secrets, proving that every single one of us experiences pain and heartbreak. We all understand what it’s like to live in the light and in the dark. For Lily, it’s about making it through to the other side, where you love what you see in the mirror and where you embrace yourself just as you are. She's learned that all it takes is one person standing up and saying something for everyone else to realise they’re not alone.

By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Lily’s honest voice will inspire you to be who you are and say what you feel. It’s time to claim your voice! It’s time to live your life unfiltered.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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The very first time I remember seeing Lily Collins on screen was the 2013 release of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and I couldn't help but be enamoured by her performance. I wasn't ever totally obsessed with her like I had previously been at different stages of my life with Avril Lavigne, Miley Cyrus, or Kristen Stewart, but something about her made me strangely intrigued by her unique look and imbued confidence. The second time I started to really find her fascinating as a person was when I realised that she was basically Sasha Alsberg's dopplegänger - Sasha had vlogged her day out to The Mortal Instruments movie cast signing and Lily had pointed her out, noticing their similarities, and asked to take a photo with Sasha. Here is a photo of them together and the video if you would like to watch it:

Anyways, I digress! This book was so good from the first page that I dreaded not just sitting down and finishing it as soon as receiving it! I always have university work to do so therefore it was important to do that first or I won't pass this year! But I basically read half in the first couple of days that I had received it and then waited about a week before devouring the rest. I am honestly so sad that it was so short but it was definitely worth it and not a time waster at all!

I've been planning for a very long time to write my very own memoir so you can probably only imagine how inspired I've become since reading about Lily's life. She is the not-so-typical sweet chick who has had an abundance of confidence ever since she was young and isn't afraid to be who she is and do what she wants. The way she has opened up to her fans in this book shows how grateful she is to the world and the opportunities she has been given in order to live the life that she always wanted. She has explained in rough details how her relationships started to define her life and why we should never let a guy (or girl) make us feel like we don't deserve to be happy. If there is anyone in the world that I feel most inspired by right now, it would have to be the woman of the hour: Lily Collins!

Now I know this may sound a little cliché, but I honestly think that Lily and I could be the best of friends if we had have met, despite the obvious circumstances - her being an international sell-out with her movies and now her already best-selling memoir, and me who is trying to get by in a tiny country where only so many have been able to be recognised by the world (the few including Lorde, Broods, Six 60, K.J. Apa–the guy who plays Archie on Riverdale that used to be on Shortland Street– and Temuera Morrison). But other than that, we share so many similarities! Like our passion for writing about what we love and speak our minds about the topics that matter. Or the fact that we found our love for baking while trying to impress our boyfriends and ended up being somewhat of a therapy to take our minds off of the craziness of life. Lily can be that girl-next-door who knows exactly when you need that hug you've needed all day or the smile that lifts you up when nothing else can improve your mood. If you need a new best friend, then pick up Unfiltered and become inspired like I did!

Because the book was so tiny, I don't want to give too much away - all I'd like to say is that I've never enjoyed a memoir so much in my life and I know that everyone would live the best three hours of their lives if they bought a copy and read it. Lily has managed to write a masterpiece of brilliance, inspiration, and creativity, all while she was still filming many different films in the time frame of a year. Um, hello... it has taken me three years just to get a basic outline and fourteen chapters of my fantasy novel! So with that, I have decided to give Infiltered a five out of five stars for its unique stories and spark of ingenuity that has changed my life for the better. Now if you see my memoir out sooner than later, you can thank Lily for being such a gem for pushing me out of my comfort zone to help others like myself as well. There's nothing better than to feel like you can be just like the celebrity you love.

Thank you Penguin Random House NZ for the review copy!

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Official Website: http://penguin.co.nz/

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Go add Unfiltered to your Goodreads list HERE

Go buy it on MightyApe with 1 day delivery in New Zealand HERE

Buy it on Book Depository with free shipping world wide HERE

Find it on the Penguin Random House NZ website HERE

Are you suffering with a mental illness such as depression or anxiety? Here are some helpful links from BetterHelp that you can check out and find tips on how to live a happier life:

BetterHelp Advice - Anxiety
BetterHelp Advice - Depression
How To Deal with Depression: Tips, Techniques And Finding the Right Treatment

How Do I Find A Therapist Near Me?

10 Depression Quotes That May Change Your Life

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Not That Kind Of Girl by Lena Dunham: Book Review

From the acclaimed creator, producer, and star of HBO's Girls comes a hilarious, wise, and fiercely candid collection of personal essays that establishes Lena Dunham as one of the most original young talents writing today.

In Not that Kind of Girl, Dunham illuminates the experiences that are part of making one's way in the world: falling in love, feeling alone, being ten pounds overweight despite eating only health food, having to prove yourself in a room full of men twice your age, finding true love, and, most of all, having the guts to believe that your story is one that deserves to be told.

Exuberant, moving, and keenly observed, Not that Kind of Girl is a series of dispatches from the frontlines of the struggle that is growing up. "I'm already predicting my future shame at thinking I had anything to offer you," Dunham writes. "But if I can take what I've learned and make one menial job easier for you, or prevent you from having the kind of sex where you feel you must keep your sneakers on in case you want to run away during the act, then every misstep of mine will have been worthwhile."

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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Lena Dunham is an actress that I have yet to learn much more about in terms of actually just watching her on her tv show, Girls which she wrote, produced and directed. Since finishing her memoir I feel like I only really know who she was when she was younger and not as successful as she is now. The book includes almost every embarrasing moment, every down side to life and every upside, the perks of living in New York and not needing to worry about getting your license because who does that in a city where everyone gets around in cabs anyway. Lena has always been destined for success and a job in something where she can say the word, "vagina" ten times in a row without getting fired or having weird looks from her co-workers.

Lena is funny, sarcastic and intelligent and all this shines throughout her constant witty humor. The book is ordered in a range of topics which include personal body issues such as weight, diets, and sex. She also mentions love, relationships and friendships; all of which have a completely different outcome. We get an exclusive sneak peak into her schedule of what she ate each day and the count of calories so that we can start feeling self conscious about what we ate in the day and start counting the calorie intake of that. However, it's all good - this is Lena Dunham and she is teaching us that we can do everything she's done and still become a Hollywood success like herself if we dare to dream. I feel like the point of this book is to completely reveal herself as an open and honest person to prove that not everyone who makes it in Hollywood is all perfect and pristine. They're not all the type of people who will f*ck their way to the top in the hopes of big money and fancy parties so they can say they talked to JLo but really they just fell into her while drunk off their ass and said a brief, "Sorry".

Things I LOVE about Not That Kind Of Girl:

* Lena is totally raw and open about her experiences! If there was a definition of a type of girl that literally did not give two asses about what anyone thought of her or what she put in a memoir, the answer to that my friend, is Lena Dunham. She is such an out-there chick and to be fully honest I would absolutely love to have an interview with her and then go out for drinks after to get drunk and talk about what life means. Lena is the girl that you can't expect to be who you want and I appreciate people like that. We need more people in the world like Lena Dunham.

* The "10 Things I've Learned..." lists are the most hilarious parts of this book and I will re-read every single list again just to laugh out loud! If there is anything I've learnt about reading Lena's memoir, it is that I need to add the "10 things..." list because everybody loves reading ten basic things you like, love, hate or just learnt about something or someone. Okay wait, nah that's just me but if that's you too then I like you already.

* I feel sorry for the shit she's gone through even though she doesn't make you feel like that on purpose. It's the point of a memoir, you're honest with your readers! I absolutely love how she's so honest about her relationships and what she's had to deal with in the past. I'm so glad she's been able to find someone deserving of her and who makes her happy. The dicks who have just used her as a play-thing make me wanna go hug her and then hunt them down with a paintball gun and shoot them in the crotch. Yeah I'm a little sadistic when it comes to getting guys back for being an asshole to either me or others. Lena should have that friend.

Overall I have given this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars because she is so descriptive and has written her memoir almost like if her life was just out of a drama novel. It pulls you in and even though my eyes sometimes got lazy and didn't want to read or process some of the "big" words, Lena really looked like she put so much effort into this book so she really deserves some extra credit for her work. I hope that her tv show, Girls does really well in the future. I think I might start watching it at some point.

Thank you HarperCollins New Zealand for the review copy! Go like their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/Harpercollinsnz?fref=ts

Go add Not That Kind Of Girl to your Goodreads list HERE

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