Everything Here Is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee, that came out last year, is a novel that essentially deals with mental illness.
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The book centers around two Chinese-American sisters: Miranda who is responsible and protector and Lucia that is known to be wild and headstrong. One day, Lucia is diagnosed with a mental illness. The doctors aren’t sure if it’s a bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or something in between. This is a tale about the complexities of living with such an illness and how it affects the loved ones.
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I really enjoyed that, besides dealing with mental illness, Everything Here Is Beautiful also explores immigration and multiculturalism. Not only the main characters are Chinese-American, as Lee also introduces characters from Latin America and Israel. Throughout the story, Miranda ends up moving to Switzerland and Lucia to Ecuador. So I really enjoyed that constant diversity! 🗺 I also appreciated how the main theme - Lucia's mental illness - was treated and developed in this book. I think it was an accurate portrayal. 💭
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However, some things in this book didn’t work that well in my opinion. This book is told in many different POVs. I think it could have been a great idea had it been executed properly. We would have learnt how each character felt towards the mental illness. But I just really cared about Lucia and Miranda's POV because those felt like the strongest and most enriching ones. When the chapters were told by other characters, I felt like they wouldn’t add much to the story most times. It came to a point where I mostly cared about how it would end for Lucia and Miranda and the other characters felt really peripheral. 3⭐️
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Have you read this book? Do you want to read it? I'd like to thank @vikingbooks and @penguinrandomhouse for sending a review copy my way! (outfit details tagged on the picture.)
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I've just noticed that Hot Milk is the second book I read this month that has women wearing bathing suits on the cover, evoking the perfect Summer vibes - the other was Demi-Gods by Eliza Robertson. And, although they're very different, I found the main tone was quite similar! 🙈 This was a just happy coincidence I wanted to share!
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Hot Milk by Deborah Levy follows the lives of Sofia and her mother, Rose, who arrived on the Spanish Coast (hello Almería☀️🍓) to seek help. Rose doesn’t feel well. Her legs stopped moving and no one knows why. In Almería, a city that is caught between the desert and the deep blue sea, lives the famous Dr. Gomez and his glamorous assistant, Nurse Sunshine. This book deals with universal questions, sexuality, a complicated mother/daughter relationship and self-discovery.
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Deborah Levy is such a singular writer. I loved Things I Don’t Want to Know and The Cost of Living last year. But Hot Milk was my first fiction book of Levy. Although I didn’t find it as good as her non-fiction, I really enjoyed it. 💘
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Reading this dreamlike story is embarking on a trip. Sofia was born in England to a Greek father and is now living in South of Spain. Her Greek ancestry is a presence in this book (I loved that) and Levy perfectly crafted the life in Almería so it felt like a very exotic and enticing book. The way the author depicts certain details like women screaming in the fish markets was beautiful and real. The writing is also really good. It’s Levy, after all. But I know this book won’t be for everybody! It’s slow and oneiric. Although I usually love this kind of books, sometimes it required an effort to read it and feel engrossed. If that’s your cup of tea, give it a go! 3.5⭐️ (I am not the kind of reader who usually gives half-star ratings to books but here I am for the second time this month 😂)
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Have you read it? Are you a fan of Levy like myself? 🍒♥️ (outfit details tagged on the picture)
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International Giveaway // TWO books, TWO winners! 🌼 I still can’t believe there are 20K of you who care about my reads and my crazy mind! To celebrate that, I am giving away two copies of Vagina by Lynn Enright! 💋 You have no idea how fun it is to shoot this book in the middle of the streets. Everyone has that face that says 'is that girl holding a book that says VAGINA?'
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As you know, I loved Vagina! It sheds light on a number of topics: female anatomy, the hymen and its myths, the clitoris (including issues like FGM), female orgasm and masturbation, periods, women's health, fertility, pregnancy and menopause. Definitely a five-star read for me! Thanks to @atlanticbooks for partnering up with me! 💘
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To enter:
✍️ Must be following me @booksturnyouon and @atlanticbooks ;
✍️ Like this post;
✍️AND comment: TAG friends. For EACH friend you tag, you'll get an entry. So tag as many people as you'd like. But, bear in mind, each tag in a SEPARATE comment!
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Additional entries:
✍️ Post my feed to your story for 24 hours and say why you enjoy following me. Don't forget to tag me so I can see it (1 additional entry).
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This giveaway is not affiliated with Instagram or Amazon, and winner must have permission from guardian if under 18 when entering. No giveaway accounts accepted. Giveaway closes on Thursday June 27th.
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