The Make-Believe: A Memoir of Magic and Madness

by Hannah Murray

He sat me down in a chair and he told me, in no uncertain terms, that magic was real.

This is the true story of a spiritual awakening that turned into a mental breakdown. At the age of twenty-seven, an actress joins a wellness organisation and falls in love with its leader. She is sectioned for a psychotic break and diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

The Make-Believe is a deeply personal account of these events. It is a wild ride, a searching attempt for understanding and a call for radical empathy. Lyrical and playful, exploring light and dark, it takes readers on a journey to the edges of reality, to a seductive and dangerous world where magic seems possible.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography Memoir, Audiobook, Mental Health, Biography, Psychology

357 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 28, 2026

About the author

Hannah Murray is an English actress known for her roles in the television shows Game of Thrones and Skins. Her film credits include The Chosen, Brigend, Lily and Kat, and God Help the Girl, among others.

Reviews

[Holden Wunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are a lot of beautifully told celebrity memoirs and utterly moving cult survival stories, this happens to be both.

I grew up watching Hannah Murray on Skins and Cassie felt so close to home when it comes to the female experience and unfortunately there’s a lot of reason for that far beyond the talent of her as an actress. While this story doesn’t go into depth on her time in Skinsor Game of Thrones, they are of course mentioned as they are a part of her story.

Instead we focus on her humanity and frankly, it’s so much better than a tell-all of set days. People tend to forget actors, artists, and celebrities are just people trying to survive and this is a true testament on that.

We follow Murray on her journey towards healing and how warped and abused she was while fighting for something so wholesome. It’s definitely a rough story to hear. There is a lot of toxicity, abuse, mental health struggles but all you want to do is hold her through the tough times and remind her she will make it through.

This was an absolutely beautiful story and in the likeness of Jennette McCurdy, Murray has a voice and I truly hope she continues writing.

[Lukes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a truly phenomenal memoir. It’s so immersive and pacy that you almost forget this stuff actually happened. Hannah Murray really bares her soul here and I feel like she has a hugely successful career in writing ahead of her after this 🌟

[aglae]

Thank you to the publishers @penguinuk for this one!

This memoir was unlike anything I've ever read.
Hannah Murray's writing is vivid and simple, but flows very well; and had such nice pace that the events happening, which were so crazy, felt like reading fiction.
I truly appreciated the way her writing took on different forms as she was recounting different events. I found the prose reflecting her mental state of the time, to be very effective in explaining the effect of the cult on her mind. I think that's what I liked best.
Hannah is relatable and funny, and I was fascinated the whole time with her story!
You empathize with her early on, and it makes you 'understand' why she gets involved in this cult. Makes you even wonder, if you'd been in her shoes, whether you would have gotten involved too!

[Alice Hadaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5! ⭐️

This felt deeply confessional in a way that makes you feel less like a reader and more like you’re sitting across from a best friend, listening to them unravel their thoughts in real time. Hannah Murray writes so beautifully and descriptively, where even the smallest observations feel vivid.

I especially loved the interrogative nature of the prose: the rhetorical questions, the constant probing and circling of thoughts, which made the book feel intimate and searching. There’s a fascinating blurring between reality and imagination throughout, as though we’re being pulled directly inside her mind.

What stayed with me most was the honesty of it. She lays herself completely bare on the page, and because of that, the ending hit me far more emotionally than I expected.

[Mitsy_Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what the hell did I just read?? I cannot believe all the things in this book actually happened to a person, someone successful and famous. It’s terrifying how life can change quickly with one tiny thing leading to another that eventually leads someone to …this level of insanity and tragedy.

I can tell from her writing that she is still recovering, still a little unsure of her self, not the present but if she can stay off from the harmful path she went down once. She is so brave to have written this and gotten it published. I hope she is ok and she will be ok. And continue to write perhaps, anything, fiction or non-fiction, because she is a good writer. I loved the lyrical prose in this memoir. I think it can be quite difficult to write disorientation and about tipping into insanity. She did such a good job conveying the terrifying feelings she had to have.

I found it difficult to put down. It’s propulsive, and a warning from her to say keep cautious, keep checking and taking care of your self, your mind, your world.

It is already making a lot of noise. Is it worth a read? Absolutely yes!

[Abbie ✨]

This was the most beautiful, heartbreaking, sincere memoir I’ve ever read.

I’m still gathering my thoughts, but wow. Will edit once I’ve sat with it for a lil while!!

Thank you to the publisher for my gifted proof copy x

[Ellis Howlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never read a book quite like this. Incredibly unique, exceptionally vulnerable - I was captivated. Really hope this is the beginning of a long writing career for Hannah Murray.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all know I love memoirs. I love them so much that I requested THE MAKE-BELIEVE on NetGalley even though I had no idea who Hannah Murray was. I've never watched SKINS or GoT; the draw for me was the premise of the book: Hannah is drawn into a mystical wellness cult and suffers a psychotic break. Say no more, my dudes! I'm in. You may not know this, but I'm a recovered new age girlie. I was woo-woo wayyyyy before it was cool; I was up in the crystal shops in like 2007. I was reading the old school spiritual gurus, I was making vision boards before Instagram existed. It's a whole story for another day, but the spell for me was broken in 2020 when I was suddenly facing my actual lying-awake-at-night-in-terror deepest fear, a global pandemic, and I realized that the tools I had always relied upon would do exactly jack shit to help me cope with the existentially horrifying reality of what was happening. I couldn't use affirmations to make it go away; I couldn't manifest not having to go through it with a wannabe-dictator in charge. Combine that with watching most of the teachers I had always looked up to take a hard-alt-right in their beliefs and becoming loudly anti-vax on top of that: girl NOPE. I was out. And it sucked. I digress, but the point is, I related deeply to the author's experience of being drawn in by the so-called magical teachings of The Organization, growing more deeply entranced as the teachers cultivated her dependence on their support, on their courses, on their "healing sessions." When everything falls apart for Hannah, she's left to pick up the pieces and disentangle the cognitive dissonance of having found real community within a predatory group and finding some level of relief from her very real mental illness but within an illusory framework. Having narrowly avoided my actual local yoga cult; again, her struggle felt very authentic to me. At times the narrative grows repetitive as Hannah describes engaging with her vices again and again, but as anyone who battles destructive patterns knows, those journal entries get real Groundhog Day real quick (ask me how I know!). If you are at all interested in the subject matter, or if you're a fan of Hannah on the large and small screens, this is an engaging account of a phenomenon that is more widespread that you may think. So many of us are desperate for answers, for deliverance from the grind, from the ubiquitous and crushing overwhelm of our modern existence, and it's easier to blame a lack of "inner peace" than it is to dismantle the actual root cause, which is pretty much always capitalism. So read this book, go check your voter registration, and keep fighting the actual good fight. I promise, the crystals won't actually fix your life. Big thanks to Random House and Hannah Murray for the e-ARC via NetGalley! THE MAKE-BELIEVE drops on June 23rd.

[Taylor Pickle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was easily one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I have been a huge Hannah Murray fan since the Skins days, so when I heard she was releasing a memoir—especially one centered on her experience with a cult—I was all in. Getting my hands on an ARC felt like a total "pinch me" moment.

The Make-Believe is a fascinating, unsettling, and deeply personal look into a world that is much weirder than your standard cult narrative. If you’re expecting a typical story about a religious fringe group or a high-control financial scheme, this isn't that. It’s less "Scientology" and more "You’re a wizard, Harry"—but in a way that’s actually quite haunting.

Murray explores a group that leaned heavily into fantasy and magical thinking, which makes the psychological grip they had over her feel both unique and incredibly surreal. Her writing is sharp and voice-driven, capturing that specific vulnerability of being young and searching for something more. The way she describes the blurring of reality and "the make-believe" is brilliant. It’s a very different kind of cult experience than anything I’ve ever read about. Her perspective is raw and honest, and because she’s such a talented actor, you can really feel the theatricality of the group she was involved with.

Because the subject matter is so abstract and "magical," there were a few spots where I felt a little lost in the logistics of how the group actually functioned. It’s a very internal, emotional memoir, so if you’re looking for a dry, investigative "true crime" style breakdown, this might feel a bit more like a fever dream.

It’s a powerful, strange, and beautiful coming-of-age story that just happens to involve a cult. If you like memoirs that focus on the psychology of belief and the power of narrative, you need to read this. Thank you so so much NetGalley for the eARC!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was emotionally intense, unflinchingly honest, and utterly gripping.

Like many people my age, I grew up watching Hannah Murray on Skins and Game of Thrones. Cassie was always a favourite of mine on the series, but I knew little of the actress herself. At the age of 27, Hannah Murray joined a ‘wellness organisation’ and quickly fell in love with its leader. What followed was a rapid downward spiral, a psychotic break, and a life-changing diagnosis. In her new memoir, Hannah recounts her story of magic and madness, and the devastating impact on her career, her mind, and her health.

I was so absorbed by this book. It reads as though a friend is telling you their story, and it was hard to put down. Hannah is so honest about her risky choices and erratic behaviour before she joined the organisation - it’s so sad seeing warning signs on the page and knowing what is coming. While the story is gripping, and at times fantastical, overall I felt very sad for Hannah and what she went through. It was clear from the start that at turns she was vulnerable, lonely, and always searching, which made her a prime target for the group. She never makes excuses, and is at times embarrassed by what happened, but in pouring her heart out through this cautionary tale she exposes the tactics used to draw her in, and the warning signs that were missed as her mental state and grip on reality declined. It is a brave and honest account of a traumatic period and the rebuilding of her life. While I am sure many would shy away from the story and try to forget it, Hannah Murray courageously recounts the darkest of experiences.

This is a must read if you enjoyed Dinner for Vampires, I’m Glad My Mom Dïed, From Here to the Great Unknown, and other brutally honest celebrity memories.

Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like many teens of my generation, I was fascinated by Skins and the characters therein. The show launched the career of several young actors - Murray portrayed Cassie, a troubled young teen., with heartbreaking realism. In the days of tumblr, Cassie was everywhere with her melancholic smile and thin limbs, eccentric and self-desctructive and beautiful.

Murray's memoir centers around her initiation into system of beliefs that fractured her psyche. Of course, cults don't advertise themselves as cults - Murray was referred for energy healing, and her healer connected her with the organization after. She uses pseudonyms for members and never names the organization in her book, so those curious will have to research on their own. This intense pressure coupled with her undiagnosed bipolar disorder led to a psychotic break - the most heartbreaking sections for me were how this organization continued to communicate with her and validate the delusions they created even after she was in a psychiatric facility. It was fascinating to read about her thought process throughout the experience, and I especially loved the final review where she discussed how pulling away from a manipulative organization was not a clean break.

Excellent, fascinating read. I love Murray's prose, and hearing about her life and experiences. It was more honest and raw than many memoirs go, especially for those in the spotlight.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of this Digital ARC.

[Jen 🌙 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel bad rating this a 3 because it’s not a bad book and it’s a memoir. I feel like I’m rating someone’s life. This is a very vulnerable book written by Hannah Murray about the events that lead to her mental breakdown, joining a cult and eventually leaving acting. I was a huge skins back in the day and thought she did a great job playing cassie, a teenage girl struggling with anorexia. Then like the rest of the world, I was a big fan of game of thrones and Cassie was Gilly in game of thrones. I’ve always been curious as to why Hannah Murray and Kaya Scodelerio haven’t hit the same mainstream success that Nicholas hoult, Jack O’donnall and dev Patel from skins had hit, even if Kaya still acts. Reading that Hannah left made a lot of sense.
One thing I liked about this was that Hannah didn’t make herself look better in any of the parts, she just said it like it was. Not everything painted her in a good light, which is how things should be. I think it’s interesting to see a modern day cult that focuses more on “hippy/reiki” concepts. I just felt a distance between the text and Hannah that I didn’t feel when I’ve read some other memoirs (dinner with vampires, I’m glad my mom died). I also struggled with how focused Hannah was on just having a man in her life for a lot of it. I was happy to read that she had left it completely and seemed to be a in a much better place.

**thank you netgalley and random house for the e-arc**

[Connie]

Thank you Penguin for the advanced copy 🫶🏻

I’m quite conflicted about this one, I’m familiar with Hannah after watching her in Skins as a teenager and I think in a way this subconsciously affected the way my brain pictured her and thought of her throughout this story, particularly given she doesn’t seem too dissimilar to the character she plays in the show.

This, combined with the subject matter of cults made the whole reading experience quite uncomfortable. I’m struggling to pinpoint exactly why this was the case, particularly because I have read a number of books about cults, including another memoir, and not had the same response.

However, I did also whizz through the book and found myself desperate to find out what happened and how it ended, which is more in line with how I’ve reacted to this subject matter previously as I generally find cults an insanely interesting subject.

I don’t think I’ll be jumping at the chance to recommend this one but it can’t argue with the fact that it is a compulsive read.

[Ella Hamilton Savory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much @penguinukbooks for this early copy, it did not disappoint!!

You may know Hannah Murray for her acting as the staple character Cassie from Skins, or from her work in Game of Thrones, but in this book is everything you DIDN’T know about her.

The Make-Believe tells of what happened in Murray’s personal life, following her wrapping shooting the movie Detroit. After finding herself in a place of trauma and overwhelm, Murray finds aid in a spiritual wellness community, highly recommended to her - though there is much more to the community than what she initially finds at the surface.

The novel is a really important and fascinating exploration of susceptibility when vulnerable, mental health and mania, never skirting around the uncomfortable.

The Make-Believe comes out May 28th and I would wholeheartedly recommend the read! It’s not just another celebrity memoir, in fact it is very lacking in anything to do with Murray’s celebrity status.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book, Hannah gives us an insight into how MLM cults target and take advantage of vulnerable people, even facilitating their delusions to ensure they continue to contribute financially to the organisation. Hannah's story describes how easily a person who is already struggling can be drawn into these organisations and led down a path to their own mental and financial destruction.


It is a dark and unsettling story and Hannah's voice remains clear throughout. She describes the experience of psychosis and bipolar in a way that really brings the reader into her mind during these episodes.


I couldn't wait to get into this book once the ARC was approved and it didn't disappoint. Hannah's storytelling gripped me immediately and held onto me all the way to the end.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this didn’t really feel like reading a book. It felt more like being let into Murray’s head during one of the harder chapters of her life, and being trusted to just sit there with her.
The beginning was a little slow for me, but once it found its footing I couldn’t put it down.
At its core this is a book about mental health, about cults and how easy it is to slip into them, and about the kind of isolation that makes everything so much harder. Murray captures that last part particularly well.
Overall a raw, honest and genuinely interesting read. I’m glad I picked it up.

Thank you to the Dial Press and Netgalley for the e-ARC.

[Lydia Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy of The Make-Believe. Hannah Murray writes with vulnerability, really letting us into the intimate details of her experience as a talented actress who gets entwined in healing arts and a cult-like group. In the journey I even started to believe some of it could be real, and that’s the trick of our minds..what’s real and what’s not. But she manages to come out the other side with grace. I enjoyed her writing and voice and hope we hear more from her.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

[Hannah Jung · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to keep picking my jaw up off the floor whilst reading this.

Raw, open, vulnerable and mind-blowingly bizarre, this memoir of Hannah Murray’s initiation into a magical cult and consequent psychotic breakdown was an addictive read.

It was fascinating and horrifying, and so well-written, I was completely invested in her experiences and desire for her recovery.

These events took place ten years ago, so she can look back on them with hindsight and maturity, reflecting on her mental health from childhood to now.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

The Make-Believe is one of the most unique celebrity memoirs I've read. Reading about Hannah Murray's slow immersion into a cult was terrifying, and I didn't see how she was going to unravel herself from its grip.

Murray is a wonderful writer, and she the insight she provided into her time in the hospital was so insightful and I think she delved into her mental state in such a fascinating manner.

I hope she continues to write, and I cannot wait to see what she does next.

[Kane Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

Hannah Murray is someone many of us watched on tv and subsequently watched disappear from our screens. The Make-Believe lets us in on why. It’s such a surreal story and I think paints a really vivid picture the psychological process of being sucked into a cult-like organisation. Murray’s journey in to this world, climaxing with a psychotic break, and her journey out into recovery afterwards is extremely interesting to read about. I do feel the first two thirds of the book were a quite slow and repetitive for me but I definitely enjoyed the latter half much more.

[Nina Vasic · Rating 5 out of 5]

DAMN, THIS SHIT IS CRAZY BRO! DID YOU SEE SHE DRANK HER OWN PISS BRO!
Jokes aside. I have to say being this honest in a celebrity memoir is pretty fucking baller. You truly get the sense that Hannah didn’t hold anything back here which is extremely hard to do and therefore I have no choice but to stan. She made reading the part where she “goes mad” (her words) and gets sectioned make a lot of sense. Walking away from this read I feel like I have lot more understanding of people who go into psychosis.

[Vmndetta ᛑᛗᛛ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hannah Murray didn't hold back in this book. It's very raw and visceral. A memoir that doesn't play around and is completely blunt and unfiltered. Reading it is never boring; there's always something strange and bizarre happening inside. It feels like reading a suspenseful cult fiction story. But then it blows your mind because this is a true story, not fiction. Phew, what a wow reading experience.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was primed to like this memoir, being a fan of Hannah Murray since her Skins day, but even I was surprised by how thoughtfully and honestly well-written it was.

At 26 and arguably the height of her notoriety as an actress, Murray experiences a severe mania and psychotic break that is complemented/induced by an introduction to a Spiritual Healing cult. She end up being hospitalized and slowly, slowly making her way back to reality.

[Jaclyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow!! This memoir was something, Hannah's writing was incredible and beautiful. Even though her story was terrifying, she presented it so clearly. As her mental health declined, I felt that decline with her, and her initiation into The Organization was just so raw.
I'm excited for this book to be published and what conversations it'll spark. I'm also very excited to see what Hannah does next.

[Sabina · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely INSANE read!!! You know Hannah Murray from Skins and Game of Thrones, but until you read this you don’t know about her falling Alice-down-the-rabbit-hole style into a cult that fully sent her into a psychotic break. The peeks into her mind are super well-written, I was locked in to this story until the very last page!!

[Isobel Macleod · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a ride. I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting. Hannah Murray has such an engaging style, her words pack so much effortlessly and she writes with a, sometimes uncomfortable, vital honesty. A harrowing insight into the realities that can befall people when they're at their most vulnerable.

[ruthie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hannah Murray was the ultimate cool girl for those of us growing up on tumblr and myspace, and I remember thinking I can't wait to see what she goes on to do. It's such a shame this cult consumed her and took everything from her. I'm glad she got out and got help. Not an easy read, but a ✨joy✨ to listen to the audiobook where Hannah tells her story in her own words!

[Allyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

“But there is magic in my life still, it was always there. That is how the story goes. You go on a journey, a quest, in search of something that was inside you all along. You just couldn’t see it until now.”

I ate the audiobook of this up in a day. I find it so interesting hearing people’s experiences of being lured in by different types of cults and Hannah’s story was no exception.

[Katie McPhee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐ very compelling memoir of this period of her life and a well written journey into madness. Hard to criticise someone’s personal account but I would have liked some objectivity and deeper reflection at the end. I expect this book will blow up so it also feels like an opportunity missed to signpost resources etc.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Make- Believe by Hannah Murray was so raw and vulnerable I absolutely couldn’t put it down! It felt as personal as reading a journal and I truly appreciated how authentic and engrossing this memoir was. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!