Book Review #36: All I Know Now by Carrie Hope Fletcher

Hey Guys x

Before I start the review, I just want to tell you that I've now put social media buttons into my blog on the right hand side for my twitter, google+, email and bloglovin', so hopefully it's easier for you to follow me (if that's what you want to do!)

Anyway, back to the review!

I read this book when it first came out, because I was just so excited to read a book by Carrie Hope Fletcher! She's now announced that she's writing a fiction novel which is coming out next year and I am so excited to read that!

This book is exactly what it says on the cover, Carrie's 'Wonderings and reflections on growing up gracefully'. In other words, she's writing about some mistakes that she made while growing up, and giving her advice on the best way to not make the same mistakes that she did. For example, in 'Act 2' (because her book is set up as if it's a play - which comes from her theatre background!) she has two chapters, one called 'How To Handle A Bully' and the other called: 'How To Identify If You Are A Bully', in which she tells stories about being bullied and being a 'bully'. By doing this, she gives people advice on how to handle a bully, and how to stop being a bully themselves.

I love this book! The advice that Carrie gives isn't advice from someone who thinks that they know everything there is to know about a situation, it's the advice of someone who's gone through something similar and is trying to help in the only way that can, and I love that. The title 'All I Know Now' is very appropriate because this literally is what she knows, at the age she is, with the experiences that she's had.

As well as this, in the back of the book, she has a list of numbers that are helpful to young people, in many countries, in many situations. For example, if you need a mental health helpline, and you live in Australia, there's a number in the book to help you! I think it's amazing that she (or the editor or whoever) took the time to search for all of these numbers for all of these places, just to help the people reading the book.

What was good?
This book really inspires me, as someone who has had a hard time going through their teen years. There are so many chapters that I feel like, apply directly to me, both now and when I was younger. But I also love this book as a fan of Carrie. While reading it, you can hear her voice in what she's saying, and I really like that, because you can tell how personal it is and how much it means to her. However, the book is also great if you're not a fan of Carrie, because it can be applied to almost every teenager at almost any time, which is important and what makes the book so great.

What was bad?
There are not a lot of bad things that I can say about this book - other than the fact that I wish it could come out sooner! One thing, however, is that because it's so personal to Carrie, people who are not fans of her may not even want to read the book at all. So although it's supposed to be advice for everyone, this advice may only reach as far as the 'Hopeful' community.

Overall
I think everyone going through their teen years needs to read at least a chapter of this book. The phrase 'relatable' has never seemed more relevant than with this book. Everyone will be able to relate to it and more people need to give it chance!

Thank you for reading

Comment below whether or not you're going to read this book!

Keep Smiling - Lou xx