My Path to Happy: Struggles with my mental health and all the wonderful things that happened after

by Charlotte Reed

From 2008, Charlotte Reed suffered from crippling depression. She decided not to take antidepressants and to instead fight her depression by making lifestyle changes such as exercise, diet and acupuncture. In addition, she started an online ‘Thought for the Day’ – a positive thought she posted on Facebook each day. These daily thoughts became a massive hit among her friends and Charlotte credits them with playing a huge part in her recovery from depression two years later. She went on to publish them in a book, May The Thoughts be With You, which she has sold thousands of copies of at the world-famous Portbello Road Market in Notting Hill, London.  My Portobello Road to Recovery is the story of her illness and recovery. Equally moving as it is hopeful, this beautifully illustrated book will resonate with anyone who has experienced depression – either as a sufferer themselves or as a helpless bystander. Written simply and illustrated appealingly, Charlotte powerfully conveys the nature and experience of this illness and what helped her to ultimately overcome it. At a time when, as a society, we are becoming more and more open about our mental health, this book will appeal to anyone who has experienced depression either first hand or as a helpless bystander.  Charlotte has a weekly 'Thought for the Day' in London's Evening Standard.

Genres: Nonfiction

80 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 2, 2019

Reviews

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this kind of heart-to-heart honest kind of writing when it comes to memoirs of any kind (illustrations or written) especially when it's talking about the journey of someone's mental health. I really appreciate the genuine presentation of the author's journey through her journal kind of expression and easy to relate illustrations. The artstyle is simple and relatable. Anxiety, depression, ways and means to deal with it with the undying support of near and dear ones have been discussed well.
We need more of such books no matter what!
The only thing I would want to suggest is that the presentation might have been a little more polished and I would suggest the readers not to expect a 'traditional'ly 'wholesome' book when picking up this one. This book is just a simple short representation of the author's journey while battling depression and anxiety.

Thank you #NetGalley for the book #MyPathtoHappy

[Cynthia Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read of how someone dealt with their mental health problems. Hand drawn and hand written.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a Todd Parr book for - I was going to say ‘adults’, but really for anyone who’s ready to hear it.

Thank you Charlotte Reed.

[Chahat · Rating 3 out of 5]

my dad made me read this hahhahahahah and for all its faults it did make me feel better so for that it gets 3 stars

[Rach Jameson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely little book with some sound advice tied up in the author's honest experience. Great way to spend 20 minutes!

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

digital version provided by NetGalley

Since this is a graphic style story telling, I will first comment on the aesthetics of the book. The images are all doodle quality, which often works in these types of quick reads, however I found them a bit too juvenile. I liked the handwritten text for the most part, but some pages have very large blocks of narrative which are a bit rough on the eyes in this sloppy style.

As for the story telling- I really appreciate the bravery it takes to produce something so personal in nature. I wish that the author would make some mention that pharmaceuticals, while not something she wanted to take, can be helpful to some people and that there is no shame in taking that route to healing. She was very dismissive of medication, and while I relate to her desire not to take antidepressants (I made the same choice recently), I think it would be worth a note in support of those who do use medication of this sort. I do appreciate that she details the alternative paths she chose to follow to help herself, while being honest in admitting that nothing is a once and for all fix.

The delivery of the story did feel a little 'after school special' to me. It didn't come across as conversational or natural, but a bit too much like an inspirational speaker at a convention... but that is totally a matter of personal preference as I am one to avoid anything in the realm of self help, which I feel this toed the line of.

Overall, it is a quick read and worth taking the time for in a comfy bed, or with a nice warm drink. especially if the feelings are something you are familiar with (I had some pretty bad anxiety lately), It is comforting to find a line or two that you can relate to. I loved the way she details her sister's support, and it reminded me of how I turned to my mother in much the same way. I also found her self-publishing and self promoting of her book to be very inspirational. It definitely leaves me thinking, hey maybe I should give this a try...

[MKF]

This book should not be printed because it can be dangerous to those who are seriously ill. The author refuses medications then whines about how terrible it was getting which could of been solved with the medications she turned down. Then she promotes acupuncture as a better alternative even though it is one of those alternative medicine garbage. Then she pushes the idea of diet and exercise which is helpful to an extent but would help you more if you were also taking medications to help. And, finally there it was the whole positive thoughts that go along with the rest of the garbage that so many claim can magically cure you of your ills. A person isn't mentally ill just because they have negative thoughts so it's stupid to keep telling them that your illness is your fault because your just not thinking positively. If you are I'll then researc, rreach out to doctors and other professionals and if they recommend medications then take them. Do that before rushing off to try alternative medicine since they will be the ones that can help you the most.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed my time with this little book that brings to life the author's journey with her depression. The drawings were cute and slightly juvenile. If you read this as the story of one person and her journey through this really dark time in her life, I think there's a lot of authenticity and hope in her own journey even though not a lot of depth. However, I would not recommend giving this to anyone currently suffering from depression. The author makes a lot of choices for herself where she experiments with different ideas and ignores doctor recommendations. That might be completely ok for her but not necessarily great as advice to others since it's important to see a professional and make your own choices around your mental health.

thank you to netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing fr an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

'My Path to Happy: Struggles with my mental health and all the wonderful things that happened after' with words and illustrations by Charlotte Reed is a personal story about a real struggle.

Starting in 2008, Charlotte Reed battle with crippling depression. She saw doctors but didn't want to rely on chemicals, so she toughed it out. Things were hard, but her siblings were there to help. This is her story of those days and what happened later.

I liked this handwritten true story. The illustrations add a personal touch. I've never dealt with anything like this, but it must take immense courage to go through what this author has.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

[Shauna Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested and received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

I loved how honest Charlotte was about her struggles with depression, anxiety, and depersonalization disorder. If more people shared their stories it would help de-stigmatize mental health issues and help people feel like they were not alone. I loved that Charlotte points out that just because some treatments work for her they might not work for others; we are not all the same. I love that Charlotte wrote the whole book by hand and that she draws the amazing stick figures you see throughout the book. I cannot wait to read ‘’May The Thoughts Be With You’ and purchase the journal!

#MyPathtoHappy #NetGalley

[Stefanie Bevins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlotte's story is inspiring. I love that she wrote about something so personal and relatable. There are so many times in life when it seems like things are amazing and then something completely wild happens and knocks you down. Thank you to Charlotte for being real and for showing others that it is possible to rise again.

[Soumya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual rating - 4.5

[Cody · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of a gift shop type book about depression, anxiety, "Depersonalization Disorder" and DIY recovery.