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Brave: How I Rebuilt my Life After Love Turned to Hate
Control. Jealousy. Isolation. Blame. Anger. Violence.
The inspiring true story of a young woman who suffered a terrifyingly abusive relationship culminating in a horrific acid attack from the man who claimed to love her.
Adele was just 23 years old when she was scarred for life by an acid attack arranged by her ex-boyfriend, Anthony. The attack left her partially bald and she lost her right ear. This was Anthony’s attempt to stop her from ever being attractive to another man – a final act of ‘control’ over her and the horrific end to a terrifying case of domestic abuse.
The acid attack came after she had ended her relationship of several years with Anthony Riley, the man who said he couldn’t live without her. Anthony Riley was convicted in October 2015 and was sentenced to a minimum of 13 years in prison.
This is Adele’s brave story, the story of one woman’s incredible fight to recover from the most appalling injuries and to decide that she would not be controlled, she would be strong.
The inspiring true story of a young woman who suffered a terrifyingly abusive relationship culminating in a horrific acid attack from the man who claimed to love her.
Adele was just 23 years old when she was scarred for life by an acid attack arranged by her ex-boyfriend, Anthony. The attack left her partially bald and she lost her right ear. This was Anthony’s attempt to stop her from ever being attractive to another man – a final act of ‘control’ over her and the horrific end to a terrifying case of domestic abuse.
The acid attack came after she had ended her relationship of several years with Anthony Riley, the man who said he couldn’t live without her. Anthony Riley was convicted in October 2015 and was sentenced to a minimum of 13 years in prison.
This is Adele’s brave story, the story of one woman’s incredible fight to recover from the most appalling injuries and to decide that she would not be controlled, she would be strong.
- GenresNonfictionAudiobook
294 pages, Paperback
Published November 22, 2016
21 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
February 7, 2017
The story of this brave young woman serves as a reminder of the long-lasting consequences of domestic violence. The abuses extended to her family, who became a target and later the abuser’s weapon of choice to obtain her compliance. As it often the case, Adele suffered not only from the physical trauma of the attack but also its permanent psychological effects.
In order to protect ourselves and our loved ones, we need to recognise the early signs of control and abuse and know what to do. I applaud this young woman for her courage and more so for her campaign of public talks in schools. 3.5 stars
“I told them everything, and as I spoke I realised something else, something I hadn’t realised before: my whole relationship had been about control and abuse. I was a victim of domestic violence, I could see that now so clearly, and yet until this moment I’d never seen it before. Why not? Because I was so young? Because I thought I was strong and it could never happen to me? But now when I told my story right from the beginning, not having to leave out bits that I knew would upset or anger my parents, it was obvious. What had I let this guy do to me? And that realisation gave me strength; it made me ready to fight.”
In order to protect ourselves and our loved ones, we need to recognise the early signs of control and abuse and know what to do. I applaud this young woman for her courage and more so for her campaign of public talks in schools. 3.5 stars
“I told them everything, and as I spoke I realised something else, something I hadn’t realised before: my whole relationship had been about control and abuse. I was a victim of domestic violence, I could see that now so clearly, and yet until this moment I’d never seen it before. Why not? Because I was so young? Because I thought I was strong and it could never happen to me? But now when I told my story right from the beginning, not having to leave out bits that I knew would upset or anger my parents, it was obvious. What had I let this guy do to me? And that realisation gave me strength; it made me ready to fight.”
October 23, 2016
Very well written, engaging and gripping from start to finish. Adele shows a maturity far beyond her years, as she describes the highs and lows of her relationship with a narcissistic psychopath, who, although he claims to love her, actually does everything in his power to control her every move, and to tear down her self esteem. I think the title "Brave" is very apt, as, in spite of all of the pitfalls her ex boyfriend tried to put in her way, she has risen above this and is making a good life for herself. I only wish that I could have read a book like this in my youth; it would have saved me a lot of fear and heart ache. I highly recommend this book to anyone; male or female, who is in a questionable relationship where they feel they are being heavily controlled by their girlfriend, boyfriend, partner or spouse.
September 17, 2018
Control. Jealousy. Isolation. Blame. Anger. Violence. Adele was 23 years old when she was scarred for life by an acid attack arranged by her ex boyfriend. WOW!! The true story of an inspiring woman and how she managed with her family and friends to get justice and put the men behind her attack behind bars. Domestic violence does kill and can affect not only the person but also the loved one. There are some absolute scum in this world. I wish Adele a bright future 🌸
September 26, 2018
ugh this was annoyign to listen to even at 1.5x. she's just really irritating, stupid, and trashy. how many times do you have to repeat a mistake before realizing that you should stop making it.
why is it that she keeps going back to him even though his "pregnant sister" beat her up (but seriously if you were to fight back you'd hit a pregnant woman...), he makes suicide and murder threats, calls her a slut, makes many unfound accusations, he has a baby with a "baby mama" who i don't even think adele knows who she is since she doesn't even get mad at him over it but is just happy that he has a baby who was born while adele and him were dating (wtf)... yes it's the cycle of abuse and she should've read lundy bancroft's book a long time ago but it's so damn irritating. she doesn't even realize how low her self-esteem is. i highly recommend lundy bancroft's book.
she says alot of things in the book that i feel promote abuse culture which is ironic and a big pet peeve of mine... and i get the sense she wasn't very educated on the topic of abuse when she wrote this book. you can't be writing a book that deals with abuse if you don't know jackshit about abuse.... because you end up promoting abuse culture.
many parts of this book irritated me but I remember this part where she goes the only way for me to deal with this is so stay with him and stroke his ego and cater to all his demands and my friends knew it. i just thought no.. it's the exact opposite. no, alcohol doesn't make people abusive... please go read lundy bancroft's book. STOP PROMOTING ABUSE CULTURE
the writing is not good. it's very tedious.
why is it that she keeps going back to him even though his "pregnant sister" beat her up (but seriously if you were to fight back you'd hit a pregnant woman...), he makes suicide and murder threats, calls her a slut, makes many unfound accusations, he has a baby with a "baby mama" who i don't even think adele knows who she is since she doesn't even get mad at him over it but is just happy that he has a baby who was born while adele and him were dating (wtf)... yes it's the cycle of abuse and she should've read lundy bancroft's book a long time ago but it's so damn irritating. she doesn't even realize how low her self-esteem is. i highly recommend lundy bancroft's book.
she says alot of things in the book that i feel promote abuse culture which is ironic and a big pet peeve of mine... and i get the sense she wasn't very educated on the topic of abuse when she wrote this book. you can't be writing a book that deals with abuse if you don't know jackshit about abuse.... because you end up promoting abuse culture.
many parts of this book irritated me but I remember this part where she goes the only way for me to deal with this is so stay with him and stroke his ego and cater to all his demands and my friends knew it. i just thought no.. it's the exact opposite. no, alcohol doesn't make people abusive... please go read lundy bancroft's book. STOP PROMOTING ABUSE CULTURE
the writing is not good. it's very tedious.
October 17, 2016
Omg this should be ten stars ,
This book had me in tears from start to finish as I totally understand what adele went through , as I myself have been through this with my ex husband , the facts and the accounts leading up to what happened in the end , had me on end of my seat and couldn't put this down , I wish to lots of love and hope you have a good recovery, and that they keep Anthony the SCUM bag behind bars where he belongs ,xx
This book had me in tears from start to finish as I totally understand what adele went through , as I myself have been through this with my ex husband , the facts and the accounts leading up to what happened in the end , had me on end of my seat and couldn't put this down , I wish to lots of love and hope you have a good recovery, and that they keep Anthony the SCUM bag behind bars where he belongs ,xx
March 3, 2022
This story is based on her true story about her abusive and jealousy ex-boyfriend. Anthony such a SCUMBAG person i ever know. Adele, you deserve better, wishing you all the best in the future Adele. Such a brave woman you are. When i read the story back then, i really hope you realize that Anthony kind of person, wishing you don't get back with him after all you have been through. I really cried during your accident with acid😭
March 13, 2018
A sad story of an immature, precocious girl and an abusive (in every form) boyfriend.
Most of the book is about breaking-up and making-up. Sure - it did her good to get everything out into the open, but I found wading though and reading all the awful facts was tedious and anger-provoking. Yes, she was brave to work through the worst experience in life, but she would have proven herself much braver had she stopped the relationship at the very start - there were so many 'red flags' which she chose to ignore. What sort of compelling love did she feel for this fellow? Alcohol changed his demeanour into a raging bull which made her lose her inhibitions and also her strength of character and resolve. Her mother warned her that she was too young to go through this, yet she put her supportive family through the wringer.
The final chapters of the book showed how she had matured and did invoke both empathy and sympathy.
Most of the book is about breaking-up and making-up. Sure - it did her good to get everything out into the open, but I found wading though and reading all the awful facts was tedious and anger-provoking. Yes, she was brave to work through the worst experience in life, but she would have proven herself much braver had she stopped the relationship at the very start - there were so many 'red flags' which she chose to ignore. What sort of compelling love did she feel for this fellow? Alcohol changed his demeanour into a raging bull which made her lose her inhibitions and also her strength of character and resolve. Her mother warned her that she was too young to go through this, yet she put her supportive family through the wringer.
The final chapters of the book showed how she had matured and did invoke both empathy and sympathy.
October 24, 2016
Amazing Read .
This book is an amazing read although you want tell the young girl throughout this story to JUST LEAVE !!
But if you have ever been in an abusive controlling relationship you can understand where her mindset was at that time.
This book is an amazing read although you want tell the young girl throughout this story to JUST LEAVE !!
But if you have ever been in an abusive controlling relationship you can understand where her mindset was at that time.
July 20, 2020
Wzruszająca historia kobiety, która była ofiarą przemocy domowej przez ponad 7 lat. Ciężko mi ocenić nawet tę książkę, to po prostu trzeba przeczytać.
October 22, 2019
Brutal to read, unimaginable to have lived through.
This took courage to write. I was taken aback by how naive this young woman was and even angry at times how she kept giving this psychopath so many excuses for his behavior. She appeared to have come from a loving family environment and seemed to have the smarts to make good decisions so what did she lack in self esteem to have fallen so low that this monster was able to monopolize and control her so easily? She had so many people advising her to steer clear from the maniac but she kept going back to him. That still haunts me and I hope she's had an opportunity to come to some understanding of her own "why".
No one deserves to have experienced this terror and I have never been so glad to hear of his guilty verdict. I hope other young women can learn from her book.
This took courage to write. I was taken aback by how naive this young woman was and even angry at times how she kept giving this psychopath so many excuses for his behavior. She appeared to have come from a loving family environment and seemed to have the smarts to make good decisions so what did she lack in self esteem to have fallen so low that this monster was able to monopolize and control her so easily? She had so many people advising her to steer clear from the maniac but she kept going back to him. That still haunts me and I hope she's had an opportunity to come to some understanding of her own "why".
No one deserves to have experienced this terror and I have never been so glad to hear of his guilty verdict. I hope other young women can learn from her book.
January 9, 2021
Brave is an understatement
What a courageous young woman Adele is, I read this book in one sitting. Anthony Reilly is a psychopath. Absolutely evil. It's a disgrace how he was able to get out all those times and terrorise Adele and her family, it was clear he was going to really harm her one day. How this is allowed to happen because its seen up and down the country daily, many times with the woman being killed but still these men are let out after being in a cell over night.
Adeles story resonates with me, I knew an Anthony Reilly, every page I recognised the traits, it was if it was the same person. With only pure luck did I get out early enough. But I remember the fear.
Adeles revenge to Anthony is the life she's living now. She has love in her life. He has nothing. This book was brilliant, and her bravery and beauty amazed me.
What a courageous young woman Adele is, I read this book in one sitting. Anthony Reilly is a psychopath. Absolutely evil. It's a disgrace how he was able to get out all those times and terrorise Adele and her family, it was clear he was going to really harm her one day. How this is allowed to happen because its seen up and down the country daily, many times with the woman being killed but still these men are let out after being in a cell over night.
Adeles story resonates with me, I knew an Anthony Reilly, every page I recognised the traits, it was if it was the same person. With only pure luck did I get out early enough. But I remember the fear.
Adeles revenge to Anthony is the life she's living now. She has love in her life. He has nothing. This book was brilliant, and her bravery and beauty amazed me.
April 15, 2019
This was a hard book to read and not one I would say "I liked".
Adele's parents must have been horrified that she kept going back to her violent and her manipulative boyfriend, putting the whole family at risk. At times I just wanted to shake her for being so naive, but she was a young girl thinking she was in love. If only we had the wisdom we eventually gain, usually the hard way!
I hope Adele remains safe as unfortunately he will be out of prison far too soon and this sort of offender sadly never changes. It was interesting reading about her recovery and I wish her all the best.
Adele's parents must have been horrified that she kept going back to her violent and her manipulative boyfriend, putting the whole family at risk. At times I just wanted to shake her for being so naive, but she was a young girl thinking she was in love. If only we had the wisdom we eventually gain, usually the hard way!
I hope Adele remains safe as unfortunately he will be out of prison far too soon and this sort of offender sadly never changes. It was interesting reading about her recovery and I wish her all the best.
August 28, 2017
Very inspirational and moving account of one woman's relationship with a controlling abuser which culminated in an acid attack leaving her scarred for life. I like the way each of the early chapters are given names which apply to constrictive and abusive relationships, ie blame, control, jealousy. Adele's positive attitude is amazing.
January 2, 2019
Absolutely Heart breaking,but Adele came through it strength and determination,she is an inspiration.I suffered domestic abuse for 8 years,it is horrendous,Thank you Adele for sharing your story
I would recommend anyone going through abuse to read this book,it might just give them the strength to leave.I couldn't put it down
I would recommend anyone going through abuse to read this book,it might just give them the strength to leave.I couldn't put it down
April 7, 2020
Such a tragic story. I really feel for Adele. I do feel that it is important to highlight that this is not a story about love - it is a story about codependency. I really wished it addressed the chronic low-self worth and codependency issues underlying the continuous return to her abuser. It would have been such a help to readers in a similar situation.
February 13, 2018
sorry but I found this book very boring. I skipped most of it. I also go annoyed at her. she clearly couldn't see control. but her writing style was more like reading a diary, no decent description everything was basically under the influence of alcohol.
January 12, 2021
Really enjoyed this! It is written very well and is heart breaking yet a story of so much strength! I cannot imagine how Adele had the strength and grace to get up everyday and keep going after everything that was done to her. Highly recommend!
September 16, 2023
This is a painful, stressful read at times, but worth reading. Probably hard for those who've experience domestic violence, and educational/warning for those who haven't. If you get into a relationship with this kind of man, you need to see the warning signs and get out ASAP.
January 31, 2017
What a terrible ordeal this girl went through but I can see how she was coerced into staying. The way she was controlled must have been very frightening.
May 10, 2017
Just wow ... Adele is so brave and inspiring to share her story with the World. All Love and power to her!
October 29, 2020
Good book, upsetting subject but worth a read
September 2, 2024
Well done Adele
In hope you are doing well Adele, for ,coming through this and making you a stronger person. You indeed are inspiration to others
In hope you are doing well Adele, for ,coming through this and making you a stronger person. You indeed are inspiration to others
January 6, 2018
Brave lady
Very good book. Just awful what this poor lady went through, I wish her all the luck in the world.
Very good book. Just awful what this poor lady went through, I wish her all the luck in the world.
November 5, 2018
Adele’s story really is a fascinating read. Controlled and manipulated by her abusive boyfriend, her story tragically culminates in her being attacked with acid. The frustrating story about her story is how much any outsider can see that she needs to escape, and I’m sure any reader can recognise the traits of her boyfriend in one or two people they know. I found myself internally screaming at her throughout the book, shouting at her just to get away from the guy, but as we all know, it’s just not as easy as that to get out of an abusive relationship. It’s great to read however that she’s turned her life around and it’s very brave of her to share her story.
May 3, 2021
Omg
Breathtaking story. I cannot believe the strength of you Adele. Stay strong and I trust you are living your happiest best life in spite of the evil Anthony and all his evil wrongdoings. Stay strong xxx
Breathtaking story. I cannot believe the strength of you Adele. Stay strong and I trust you are living your happiest best life in spite of the evil Anthony and all his evil wrongdoings. Stay strong xxx
December 5, 2016
Brilliant and disturbing account of the darker side of love. Too many times I could relate to Adele's words, as brave as they are. I think this book is excellent for anyone who has been affected by a violent relationship, it gives hope and courage to those who have been there. I have been moved by this book in many ways, most notably to never give up and keep trying.
July 30, 2021
Heart Wrenching
Very Gripping book about Adele Bellis and her violent relationship with a sadistic monster of a man.
A must read, highly recommend it.
Very Gripping book about Adele Bellis and her violent relationship with a sadistic monster of a man.
A must read, highly recommend it.
September 6, 2020
Truly horrific what this lady went through - the books grips you as you cannot quite believe it - but honest and brave as the title..
April 18, 2021
Adele is so inspirational. Its traumatising to read about what happened to her but her strength is amazing,
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews