Book Review | Hello You, It's Me by Hannah Todd

“Keep smiling and being you. Don’t let the world change you”

Hello Me, it’s You is a collection of letters by young adults aged 17-24 about their experiences with mental health issues. The letters are written to their 16-year-old selves, giving beautifully honest advice, insight and encouragement for all that lays ahead of them.

This book was produced by the Hello Me, it’s You charity, set up by the editor, Hannah. Hannah was diagnosed with depression and anxiety whilst at university and found comfort in talking to friends about their experiences, realising she was not alone in her situation. This inspired the idea for the charity and book. Through the creation of materials such as this, the charity aims to provide reassurance for young adults (and their families) who are experiencing mental health issues and give a voice to young adults on such an important topic. The result of that will hopefully be a reduction in the negative stigma surrounding mental health and an increase in awareness of young people’s experiences. All profits go the Hello Me, it’s You charity, for the production of future supportive books.

Trigger warning: Due to it’s nature, the content of this book may be triggering. Contains personal experiences of depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, trichotillomania and other mental health issues, as well as issues such as assault.

“…both beautiful and necessary” Sarah Franklin

Review

*This book was provided through NetGalley. All my reviews are honest.*

The interesting things about this book, is you get to look into so many people's thoughts on mental illness. I liked how this book brought together a lot of real voices, to show how time can alter people's perspectives of what they're going through.

This book is a fantastic read because it opens the doors on mental illnesses of all kinds. It shows from the sufferers perspective, how they felt when they were younger and how their thoughts have changed now they've been living with their mental illness.

There was a wide range of experiences in this book, which I really liked because it'll be able to reach and help so many different people. This is the kind of book I feel like all teenagers should be given to read. So that those suffering can see that they're not alone, that things can get better. Those who aren't suffering can learn about people who are and can hopefully learn how better to treat them.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I'd definitely recommend it.

Rating

8.5/10