Believe Me

by Alicia Lloyd

A heartbreaking verse fiction novella by Alicia Lloyd.

This is the story of a young girl named Alex. In her life, she's been emotionally abused and bullied; she’s struggled with anxiety, depression, tics. Her parents don’t understand.

Alex has been through it all… and now, she's ready to tell her story.

But what is her truth? And what horrors will it reveal?

137 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 17, 2024

Reviews

[molly ⸆⸉ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
read in one sitting
this book was a quick easy sad read that read like poetry
its captvating and has a good plot
I did fell the end was a bit of a let down as I wasn't really sure what was happening
but I do recommed this book none the less !!

[Jessica LC Weller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Do me a favor, and DON'T read this book's summary before reading the book. Read the book, then read the summary and see if they match. I was blown away. My guts were twisted and my heart was wrenched. The emotions that this young author evoked were nothing short of brilliant. I see great success as this author lives life, matures, and hones her craft of writing.

P. S. I believe you.

[Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐ rounded up.

It took me 20-30 pages to get into the story, but once I did I couldn't keep the tears out of my eyes.

This book touches on heavy subjects, but there's always an underlying message of hope, of knowing deep down that there's a brighter future waiting ahead.

The way it's written, like poetry, it's what at first made it hard for me to keep up, but once I fully got into the story, it was what made it easier for me to get emotional.

[Lilley Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is my absolute favourite of Alicia's books in which I have read so far!! I love the fact that it spreads awareness to mental abuse as well and shows how deep the scars can go despite not being visible to the naked eye. She has depicted the mental health aspects really well, as well as how damaging abuse can be!! As someone who has seen through a lot of things from this book, I want to say a massive thank you to Alicia for bringing awareness and comfort with this story. Usually, topics such as abuse can be triggering, but this book brings me so much comfort. Thank you, Alicia, and I hope you are alright as well!!

[Read_With.Rena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Believe Me follows a girl named Alex and her story about emotional abuse, tics, mental health and more.

In short I loved the book. I love how the chapters are written as poetry, it was something completely new to me and I enjoyed it very much.

Alicia did an amazing job writing this book and Alex’s story was relatable in many parts. This story truly broke my heart the way Alex felt.. how she saw the world in her eyes. I do recommend this book if you like stories about mental health and are also looking for something short to read.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man this book was heavy. Be sure to check your TWs for this book and make sure you are mentally prepared to dive into it. This is a book written in prose. It is different than anything else I've read but after a few chapters I didn't even notice anymore. The author was only 16 when she wrote this but I would not have guessed that based on her writing. Her writing is very mature and her thoughts are well put together. I hope this book gets into the hands of more people who can appreciate it.

[Verity Venus · Rating 5 out of 5]

After finding Alicia online I read her first book and LOVED it so I needed to read this one, and though the genre isn't my thing this book did not disappoint me in the slightest.

I thought people on these reviews may be exaggerating with the relatable content but they weren't, it was possible the most relatable book I personally have ever read and honestly I can't believe how well spoken literature wise at least Alicia is.

Impressive, bravo.

[Ashley Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetic, heartbreaking, full of triggering topics about real life issues and thoughts a teen girl has. I teared up and truly felt for this girl so much. I felt like most people that enjoyed 13 reasons why would enjoy this. The writing style is extremely unique poems of longing for love into a novel.

[Kirsty Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreakingly beautiful.
Alicia has the ability to open our eyes to the more sensitive subjects and cause us to search our selves.
I dare you not to shed a tear when reading this.
Stunningly written in a style that is not often found between the pages of YA books, but it works so well.
Alicia is one to watch for the future!

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Just wow. Every page, every sentence, Alicia really managed to put these experiences into words. I’ve genuinely never felt a book so deeply in my soul, it’s heartbreaking but at the same time sort of comforting. Just knowing that despite how it may feel, you are never alone and there are people out there who understand.
All I can say is: go read this book and be prepared to cry

[TheAntiqueFairy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I didn’t expect to connect with a poetry book so much. I actually had to put it down a few times to process because it was hitting too close to home. Sometimes those books come into your life at the perfect time and this one did

[Riley Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure magic in words, this pulled at my heartstrings.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book

[Faith Fawcett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very powerful book that gives a very strong, emotional representation of mental health/suicidal thoughts. The poetry and the diary format allows the reader to connect with Alex on a deeper level as we are allowed private insights into how she feels about her situation.

I'd definitely check the trigger warnings for this one before reading but I really do recommend it to anyone who likes books that explore this kind of subject. Alicia did a wonderful job with it.

[Anna Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. It's very deep, what the girl went through is very sad.

[Anita Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Believe Me is a verse novel - a type of narrative poetry - that gives a strong and raw representation of mental health issues such as suicidal thoughts, OCD, anxiety, and depression from the point of view of a struggling teen girl.
Someone who has never read books regarding this topic or approached in real life with people struggling with mental health could find this reading surprisingly interesting and emotionally intense.
It was an interesting quick read (less than 200 pages) about a topic that I've already known and read several times but what impressed me is not about the plot/story itself but the writing style.
The story is written in a diary format, allowing the reader to connect with Alex, who shows drastically her struggles including insecurities, apathy, and intrusive and negative thoughts on a deep level. This was a good and poetic way of impressing readers. However, the author needs to work more on other aspects such as the plot development (some points were too repetitive) so the read could have a better flow.
She is only a 16-year-old person who has time to improve her skills, which are already great.
Rating: 3.75 Stars

[Emma Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Verse fiction is definitely where Alicia Lloyd's talent lies most... this was a really gorgeous depiction of mental health and how it feels to struggle as a teenager, feeling like nobody understands what you're going through, and I really felt for our main character. The language and structure used throughout the book was so clever, and I really appreciated the note from the author at the end - I think it was definitely so useful and gave so much more clarity to the story.

Alicia wrote this when she was so young, so there are of course a few issues... but for someone so inexperienced, her talent is raw and obvious, and it's clear that this book was written from the heart. I think maybe she could use some editing (deeper than grammar) going forwards to provide direction and clear intent to her work, but this will come with time.

I'm really excited to read her later, more mature pieces... I know she's only going to get better and better. Well done!

[Fay Watson-Goddard · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Cleared away by dust, I wiped away, I stand up to. So, stop taking credit for my success; it's all I have to my name."

The majority of this book was like reading my thoughts as a child... and some as an adult. I can honestly say that I have never felt 'heard' by a book before this one.
The emotion that filled every word on every page made me want to take Alex into my arms, cry with her, and squeeze her until all the pain was washed away.
The heartbreakingly beautiful way that it is written captivates the reader and gives you a real desire to know Alex's next thoughts.
I have never read a book of this style of writing before but I must say that it will not be the last!
A must-read for anyone with a troubling parent/child relationship! Bravo!

[Rea Loman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was beautiful! That’s it, plain as that.

The story was intriguing, relatable and heartbreaking in the best ways. I cried so many times at Alex’s story. It was pure, authentic. One of my favourite reads of the year! Truly astonishing how Lloyd manages to capture such raw emotions and make is so beautiful.

As always the writing was stunning. Alex was so well developed and I loved how we got an insight into her life with such raw emotion.

What a masterpiece!

[Lilith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in two hours in one sitting, and my goodness it was good. I’m mind-blown at the maturity at just 16, Alicia really knows how to pull at those heartstrings. This book was like no book I’ve read before but it was amazing, written so beautifully, abd tackled taboo issues which I think she addressed perfectly. Well done!

[Kitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book delves into the heavy topics of growing up and the challenges one faces. It's beautifully written, it shows the fragile sides of the author. I think this is a great read.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t have the words to describe this book. Beautiful.

[Liv Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book needs more attention ASAP, tackles so many important topics so well and written beautifully.

[Abigail Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved it I was drawn in for the whole book