Spotlight: Behind the Mask by Josh Piterman

Josh is a multi-award winning musical theatre performer who has played Jean Valjean in Les Miserables and the most coveted role in the West End, the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera.  

 

A note from the author:

My intention is not only to give you a backstage VIP tour of my musical theatre world, but also to provide you with some useful tools to help navigate life, find deeper meaning, explore a growth mindset, and ensure it's all done with a touch of humour.

 

Ultimately, I would like to help you step out from behind the masks you wear, the persona you have created. I want to give you the strategies and the confidence to understand and accept who you really are - because until you ditch the distractions and learn to love yourself as 'nobody', you will never truly love yourself as 'somebody'. You need to understand who you always were before you can realise who you might become. 

 

About Behind the Mask by Josh Piterman:

In Behind the Mask Josh covers anxiety disorders, panic attacks and fear of failure in a time where mental health discussion is of the utmost importance and sought out by many.

Behind the Mask also includes guidance gathered from an array of coaches, teachers, gurus, guides, mentors, therapists and philosophers.

 

What people are saying about Behind the Mask:

 

Well written and engaging, I recommend this to his fans, and I'm interested in checking out his podcast now. - Suz (Goodreads)

 

Humour, sound advice and personal triumphant moments coupled with low blows life throws makes this a book that could be picked up multiple times when needed. - Craig and Phil (Goodreads)

 

What a beautiful soul. Written with so much honesty and reflection. Everyone should read this book to connect back with the wisdom of the soul. - Mrs Cricket (Amazon)

 

What I appreciate most is how this book doesn’t just speak to the mind but speaks to the heart. It’s reflective and practical. - Jason (Amazon)

 

Publisher: Echo Publishing

Publication date: 29th April 2025

Genre: Self Help

Pages: 224

RRP: AU$29.99 (B+ paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

 

Book Review: Shadows of Tehran by Nick Berg

FORGED IN CONFLICT: FROM IRANIAN REBEL TO AMERICAN SOLDIER

 

Shadows of Tehran would have to be the most amazing and terrifying story I've read for a long time.

 

Shadows of Tehran is a fictional tale inspired by true events from the author's lived experiences.  Nick Berg uses creative license with dialogue and thoughts of real characters.

 

My heart broke many times while reading Shadows of Tehran. It is a fascinating and timely story about fighting for what you believe in, even when the odds are stacked against you.

The story follows the life of Ricardo, born in Tehran to an Iranian mother and an American father, he never felt like he truly belonged to either culture. Abandoned by his father at a time when Iran was going through major political upheavals, Ricardo feels he must now become the head of the family, protecting his mother and younger sister.

 

At the age of 15 Ricardo joins a band of freedom fighters as the Revolutionary Guards take over Tehran with a reign of terror.

 

Shadows of Tehran is an astonishing tale of one man's will not to be broken. I'm not sure how much Nick Berg fictionalised Ricardo's story or if Ricardo is a combination of people. Either way it is a truly harrowing story of survival and the fight for a better life.

 

After capture and torture Ricardo escapes Iran and finds his way to America where he immediately joins the US Army. His knowledge and experience make him an invaluable member of his unit. However, his fight for freedom in his home country doesn't stop here.

 

Berg's writing shows the strength of courage and the power of hope that keeps people fighting for freedom against insurmountable odds. 

 

Shadows of Tehran is a must read. It's a story that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

 

Content: war, torture, child abuse, death. 

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Publisher: Fortis Publishing

Publication date: 22nd April 2025

Genre: Fiction / Autofiction / Military Thriller

Pages: 300

RRP: AU$11.99 (Kindle edition)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Smith Publicity 

 

 

Book Review: The Promise by Arnold Dix

How an Everyday Hero Made the Impossible Possible 

Arnold Dix usually worked with no fuss and no fanfare until 2023 when a single catastrophe, on the other side of the world, changed his life forever.

 

Dix, a unique blend of geologist, barrister, scientist, farmer, engineer and truck driver, captured the world's attention for his role in the rescue of forty-one men trapped in a collapsed tunnel in the Himalayas. 

The Promise is more a memoir of Dix's life than simply a story of the tunnel rescue. We learn what makes Arnold Dix the person he is and the life that led up to him orchestrating the tunnel rescue.

 

Dix writes with compassion and enthusiasm for everything he has undertaken in life. He comes across as intelligent, down-to-earth and unpretentious. His confidence, passion and charm draw people to him. He believes in uplifting his fellow man and treats everyone with respect and reverence. Arnold's compassion led him to assist thousands of migrant workers in Qatar, putting his own life in danger.

 

"We should lift each other up instead of tearing each other down. We should individually play our part to bring a little joy, a little kindness, to our surroundings. Collectively, those small acts of kindness will combine to leave a lasting mark." - Arnold Dix (The Promise)

 

Arnold Dix shares precious family photos and scenes from the rescue through colour plate inserts.

 

I would have liked more information on the women that came forward to clear an access road, by hand, on the mountain.

 

The Promise is an unforgettable story of a life lived to the fullest through selfless acts of kindness and bravery. This outstanding memoir will restore your faith in humankind. There are some truly selfless people in our world.

 

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication date: 29th January 2025 

Genre: Non Fiction / Memoir

Pages: 303

RRP: AU$34.99 (trade paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

 

Book Review: Lemons are a Girl's Best Friend by Janet Hayward

With girls using beauty products at a younger age Lemons are a Girl's Best Friend is a fabulous tool to empower girls to look for all natural treatments for skin, body, hair and nails. Treatments that you can make at home.

 

This cute little pocket sized book gives us 30 inexpensive and natural beauty treatments and 30 healthy treats to nourish your body from the inside and outside.

 

DIY Beauty is huge with #diybeauty and #diyskincare garnering millions of views on Tiktok.

 

Lemons are a Girl's Best Friend has a list of 30 ingredients; fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, with some facts about the benefits of each ingredient, and recipes to make delicious food and drinks with each ingredient plus how each ingredient can be made into a beauty product for skin or hair. 

I loved this little pocket book that extols healthy habits in a fun and fresh format.

 

Lemons are a Girl's Best Friend is the perfect gift for tweens and teens. It would be a great alternative to chocolate this Easter.

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication date: 30th October 2024

Genre: Non Fiction / Beauty

Pages: 128

RRP: AU$24.99 (hardcover)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

 

Book Review: No Autographs, Please! by Katherine Wiles

No Autographs, Please is the highly entertaining memoir and backstage pass to life in the chorus by decades-long member of Opera Australia, Katherine Wiles.

 

Katherine has a very personable way of writing and I don't think I've enjoyed reading a memoir as much as I enjoyed No Autographs, Please! I found myself eager to pick the book up every chance I could get. High praise from someone who doesn't read much non-fiction.

Written with candour, Katherine writes about life in the chorus; the things that went right and the things that went terribly wrong, the rehearsals, bone-aching tiredness, the glamorous and not so glamorous, the friendships and the behind the scenes hijinks.

 

I've only ever been to the opera once, and that was in high school, but after reading No Autographs, Please! I felt I had a whole new appreciation of all it takes to put on a production. I have a real yearning now to watch a performance and become a part of the whole opera experience.

 

Katherine writes about the wonderful experiences she has had through Opera Australia, the impact of Covid, her battle with stage fright and her favourite onstage performances. All written with humility and real emotion. Katherine's love for all the opera encompasses shines through on every page.

 

You don't need to be an opera fan to enjoy this open, engaging and humorous memoir about life in the chorus line.

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Publisher: Echo Publishing

Publication date: 3rd September 2024

Genre: Non-Fiction / Memoir

Pages: 288

RRP: AU$34.99 (trade paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

 

Book Review: A Single Lifeline by Heidi Coupland

A Single Lifeline

by

Heidi Coupland

Publisher: Echo Publishing

Publication date: 2nd July 2024

Genre: Memoir

Pages: 256

RRP: AU$34.99

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

Review: A Single Lifeline

I'm not a big memoir reader but I really should broaden my reading and seeing as I was sent A Single Lifeline by the publisher I thought I would give it a go. Well, I read A Single Lifeline in one sitting. I very rarely do this, even with crime thrillers.

 

Heidi Coupland's memoir is filled with heart and love. Written whilst her husband was undergoing cancer treatment some years ago and although published now it is narrated in real time.

 

From her husband's diagnosis with Leukaemia through to the treatments, the ups and many downs Heidi shows a strength that comes from the deep love she and her husband have for each other.

Pete's journey through chemo, bone marrow transplant and setback after setback is harrowing and the human will to survive against insurmountable odds is amazing.

Heidi Coupland doesn't try to wring the emotion, preferring to focus on her and Pete's strength through love. It was the generosity of friends and strangers that brought tears to my eyes. Everyone pitching in to help out with their children.

Heidi also covers their early life together, meeting, having children and how their different personalities complement each other.

A Single Lifeline is a raw and honest read as Heidi recounts the emotional as well as the physical journey after a cancer diagnosis.

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Book Review: Stories My Grandmothers Didn't Tell Me by Andra Putnis

 Stories My Grandmothers Didn't Tell Me

by

Andra Putnis

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Publication date: 2nd July 2024

Genre: Non Fiction / Biography

Pages: 304

RRP: AU$34.99 (paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

Review: Stories My Grandmothers Didn't Tell Me

I often wonder with biographies if we are really getting the full story or just the watered down version of the person's life. The nice bits.

 

I can honestly say that Stories My Grandmothers Didn't Tell Me comes across as a 'warts and all' telling. The grandmothers reveal long held secrets and even air, what might be considered to them to be, their dirty washing.

 

I loved Andra Putnis' grandmothers for their honesty. Nothing is held back in this sincere biography.

 

Stories My Grandmothers Didn't Tell Me is a heartfelt story on a grand scale. I have read much about the lives of ordinary people displaced by World War II and the measures they went to to escape persecution; however I have never come across anything on the war in Latvia and the people who were forced to flee their homeland.

Stories My Grandmothers Didn't Tell Me is a book that champions the courage and resilience of these remarkable women. It opened my eyes and my heart to these women.

 

Andra retells conversations with her grandmothers, Milda and Aline, and also other members of the family and people from the Latvian Community in Australia. The story goes beyond the war and escaping Russian rule to venture into life in Australia and trying to adapt to a new country whilst also trying to hold onto their own heritage.

 

Thank you Andra Putris for sharing your family's story with me and also your treasured family photos which were truly an honour to pore over.

 

Stories My Grandmothers Didn't Tell Me is an emotional story, filled to the brim with love.

Do yourself a favour and read this remarkable book!

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Book Review: The Sunday Story Club by Doris Brett & Kerry Cue

 The Sunday Story Club

by

Doris Brett & Kerry Cue

An anthology of stories from the heart

 

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

Publication date: 25th June 2019

Genre: Non-Fiction / Anthology

Pages: 272

RRP: $32.99 (trade paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

Review: The Sunday Story Club

The Sunday Story Club is a collection of stories that have evolved from a real life face-to-face gathering of women where through contemplative questions the group have deep and structured conversations about things that really matter.

 

Doris, a psychologist, author, poet and psychotherapist and Kerry, an author, journalist and mathematician came together to organise a salon at which people could engage in meaningful, in-depth conversations but instead of discussing weighty topics of the day they would discuss their own inner worlds.

The Sunday Story Club is a collection of fifteen questions and ensuing short stories that have been explored at some of their meetings.

I didn't expect to be quite so moved by the stories shared in this book. Each story was unique showing vastly different circumstances but all highlighting resilience, bravery and hard-won wisdom. There are stories included with themes of bullying, dysfunctional families, anorexia, cancer, infertility, depression and self-image; each woman speaks from the heart about her life experiences.

In this busy technical age of emails and texts The Story Book Club is a book to remind us of the power behind real face-to-face conversations to enlighten and heal.

Brett and Cue have also included notes on starting your own story salon and sample questions to steer the conversations.

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the authors

Doris Brett is a clinical psychologist as well as multi-award winning author. She his published books in a variety of genres ranging from novels to poetry to memoir, to narrative therapy for children and even a book on bread-baking. She lives in Melbourne with her husband.

 

Kerry Cue is a humourist, mathematician and journalist who has written for every major newspaper in Australia. Kerry is also the maths blogger, Mathspig. She studied Science/Engineering at Melbourne University and taught maths and science for ten years before becoming a bestselling author of twenty humorous and education books.

Book Review: Undefendable by Sulari Gentill & Sarah Kynaston

 Undefendable

Edited by

Sulari Gentill & Sarah Kynaston

The story of a town under fire

 

Publisher: Clan Destine Press

Publication date: 26th November 2022

Genre: Non Fiction

Pages: 178

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

Review: Undefendable: The Story of a Town Under Fire 

As we approach another dry, hot summer who can forget the summer Australia burned.

 

In the summer of 2019/2020 the township of Batlow in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains was declared ‘undefendable’ from the fire megafront. While most evacuated, many stayed to fight. In the end, the undefendable town was saved by volunteers – by farmers, teachers, electricians, retirees, and boys barely out of high school.

Sulari Gentill and Sarah Kynaston have delivered a heart-warming collection of poems, recollections and photographs from the very people who were on the ground during the fires of the summer of 2019/2020.

Sulari Gentill is herself a resident of the small close-knit community of Batlow - the town that was declared undefendable against the fires.

With a united front the residents, the Bush Fire Brigade and the Town Brigade banded together to do everything possible to save their town. They took on the fire and they won!

Everyone tells the story of their own personal experiences during that time. Most of the stories are in a conversational tone and told almost two years after the fires the awe and pride the story tellers feel comes through in the prose.

I really enjoyed Edmund Gentill's recollections. His writing is eloquent and with the resilience of youth his words are laced with humour.

Undefendable is a heart-felt anthology that showcases a town united, coming together and surviving when all odds were against them.

My rating 5/ 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the editors

 

Sarah Kyneston is a berry grower, beekeeper and (as Sulari says) the person in Batlow who knows everyone.

Sulari Gentill is also the author of the 10-book Rowland Sinclair mysteries series, The Hero Trilogy (YA); and two standalone crime novels, Crossing the Lines, and The Woman in the Library.

 

Book Review: The Journey by James Norbury

The Journey

by

James Norbury

Big Panda and Tiny Dragon 

 

Publisher: Penguin Australia

Imprint: Michael Joseph

 

Publication date: 18th October 2022 

 

Pages: 160

 

RRP: $35.00AU Hardcover

 

Source: Beauty & Lace Book Club

 

The following review appeared first on Beauty & Lace Book Club 

 

My review of The Journey: Big Panda and Tiny Dragon

This is the perfect book if you are having a bit of self doubt or wondering where you are heading in life. James Norbury has used Buddhist philosophies as Big Panda guides Tiny Dragon through some of life's trying moments. Having a friend by your side makes change just that little bit easier.

My granddaughter grabbed this book and read it as soon as it arrived. She loved the enchanting story about Panda and his best friend Dragon.

The Journey is not aimed at one particular age group, its appeal is all-inclusive.

For children it's an exciting adventure story. For adults it is a story of friendship, overcoming adversity, being in the moment, acceptance, gratitude and weathering life's storms.

The Journey is a beautiful book that would make a precious gift for both child and adult. Charmingly presented in hardcover with gold foil features and a ribbon bookmark. The illustrations move from black and white sketches to colour water washes to tie in with the mood of the story.

This is the second book in the Big Panda and Tiny Dragon series and I'm eager to get the first.

My rating 5/5  🐼🐉🐼🐉🐼

 

 

Book Review: The School by Brendan James Murray

 The School: The ups and downs of one year in the classroom

by

Brendan James Murray

One teacher. One school. One year.

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

 

Imprint: Picador Australia

 

Publication date: 25th May 2021

 

Genre: Non-Fiction / Biography 

 

Pages: 416

 

RRP: $ 34.99AUD

 

Format read: Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

My review of The School

 

Brendan James Murray has been a high school teacher for over a decade. In The School he combines students and events from his vast teaching career into one year at a Government high school situated on the Victorian coast.

 

Murray includes moments from his own life as a student filled with self doubt and bullying as the story moves from present day to his own days at school. His obvious affection for his students shines through as he talks about a myriad of students that come and go through his teaching life and the ones that made a lasting impression. 

 

I didn't agree with all of Murray's thoughts on the education system but I must admit I was nodding along to many of his words.

 

Highly recommended reading for all teachers and parents of teenagers. Adolescence is a hard road and for some teens their teachers are the only positive role models they have. It was encouraging to read about a teacher who is so passionate about his role, not only as a teacher but also as a mentor to these children.

 

The School is an insightful and, at times, heart-wrenching account of life in a secondary school. 

 

My rating 4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

 

Photo credit: Yanni

Brendan James Murray is an award-winning author and teacher. He has twice received National Literary Awards from the Fellowship of Australian Writers for his short stories, and his first book The Drowned Man, was joint winner of the Ned Kelly Award for Best True Crime in 2017. His second book, the critically acclaimed Venom, was featured in the ABC's Conversations program as part of the 'Best of 2018' series. He lives in the Mornington Peninsula with his wife, who is also a teacher.

Book Review: The Magical Girl's Guide to Life by Jacque Aye

The Magical Girl's Guide to Life

by

Jacque Aye 

 

Find your inner power, fight everyday evil & save the day with self-care.

 

Publisher: Ulysses Press

 

Publication date: 21st December 2021

 

Genre: Self Help

 

Pages: 192

 

RRP: $17.95US  $24.95CAN

 

Format read: Hardcover

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Pacific & Court Publicity

 

My review

 

The Magical Girl's Guide to Life is a unique pocket sized book aimed at finding your inner magic and dispelling self-doubt. 

I originally thought this was a middle grade book, just going by the manga style cover, however the book is geared toward a young adult and older readership.

 

Jacque Aye uses scenarios from her favourite anime shows, such as Sailor Moon, Winx Club and cardcaptor Sakura, and explains how these magical girls handled different situations.

 

There are lots of fun exercises, journal prompts and personality tests throughout the book and sections on making friends, expelling self-doubt, caring for yourself, finding love and how to survive a broken heart. I found the book helpful to read a bit at a time, having fun with the quizzes, and learning more about my inner power.

 

Author Jacque Aye is an advocate and vocal supporter of mental health awareness and self-care. The Magical Girl's Guide to Life is a fun little book that will be especially loved by followers of anime and manga readers but will also find a special place on the shelf of any girl who wants their life to be a little less boring and a whole lot more magical.

 

My rating 3 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

 

Jacque Aye is a therapist-in-training and “Head Magical Girl” of the Adorned by Chi lifestyle brand, Since launching Adorned by Chi in 2015 Jacque has grown her business tremendously, racking in 6-figure sales within the first two years of operation and a development deal within the first five. Adorned by Chi has also worked with the likes of Sanrio, collaborating on a collection for their Small Business, Big Smile initiative. As a leader in the manga and anime space, Jacque has grown her small tight knit community into one that boasts over 100,000 magical beings across social media. She is a vocal supporter of mental health awareness and self care amongst Black women, and advocates for those suffering from social anxiety. In 2020, Adorned by Chi was able to donate $10,000 to the Loveland Foundation. 

 

 

 

 

Book Review: Christians by Greg Sheridan

 Christians

by

Greg Sheridan

 

The urgent case for Jesus in our world

 

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

 

Publication date: August 2021

 

Genre: Non Fiction / Religion

 

Pages: 384

 

RRP: $32.95 AUD

 

Format read: paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via DMCPRMedia

 

About the book

 

From the historical Jesus and his disciples through to the present day, Greg Sheridan has written an impassioned, informed and utterly compelling case for the truth and importance of Christianity in our lives. He presents a strong argument for the historical reliability of the New Testament, meets the living Jesus there, explores the extraordinary personality of Paul, celebrates Mary's activism and examines the magnificent richness of John.

Filled with insights, intelligence, warmth and humor, Greg also introduces us to a range of fascinating Christians today, among them political leaders, and young activists offering the radical Christian interpretation of love to their generation. His book explores the journey of those who have been guided by faith, such as Gemma Sisia, whose school in Tanzania has transformed the lives of thousands of children, and the dynamic Chinese Christians pursuing their beliefs under harsh restrictions. He examines where Jesus can be found in popular culture and talks to Christian leaders - Pentecostal, Catholic, Evangelical and others - in Australia, the US and Britain.

 

My review

 

From the media release: At a time when the chasm of understanding between secularism and faith has never seemed wider, Christians is timely, relevant and convincing. Bill Hayden tells the moving story of his long journey to belief and Peter Cosgrove recounts the experience of prayer and religious belief in the midst of deadly combat.

Christians is a new take on Christianity in popular culture, revealing how people and the New Testament work to powerfully affect lives today. 

 

Christians is a book to learn about the living Jesus. An awe-inspiring look inside the New Testament. Sheridan is not so much trying to convert people but give Christians a fresh look at Christianity and re-invigorate their faith.

Filled with indisputable facts. It does help to know some basics of the bible to understand what Sheridan is explaining about history.

 

Written in a conversational tone Sheridan explores the gospels and uses historical fact to back up his musings. I did find the book hard to read as a novel. It was more a case of picking it up and reading parts of the book to suit my mood.

 

 "Much of the New Testament is sublimely beautiful as literature. Apart from it's religious significance, it justifies reading for aesthetic pleasure as well as literary appreciation and scholarship."

 

Christians was highly entertaining, fascinating reading and thought provoking.

 

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

 

Greg Sheridan is foreign editor of The Australian and a hugely respected journalist for over 40 years. Greg is fascinated by intellectual, spiritual and human aspects of Christianity, and his previous books include God is Good For You and When We Were Young and Foolish.

Challenges entered: Non Fiction Reading Challenge

                                  Aussie Author Challenge

 

 

 

Book Review: Exit Through the Gift Shop by Maryam Master

Exit Through the Gift Shop

by

Maryam Master

Illustrated by Astred Hicks

 

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

Imprint: Pan Australia

Publication date: 27th July 2021

Genre: Children's / Teen

Pages: 216

RRP: $16.99AUD

Format read: paperback

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Beauty & Lace Book Club

 

About the book

 

Anahita Rosalind Ghorban-Galaszczuk (yes, that really is her name but you can call her Ana) is discovering that life is absurd. As if dying of cancer at the age of 12.5 isn't bad enough, she still has to endure daily insults from her nemesis, Alyssa (Queen Mean) Anderson.

 

Ana's on a wild roller-coaster of life and death, kindness and cruelty, ordinary and extraordinary.

 

And she's got a few things to do before she exits.....

 

My review

 

Exit Through the Gift Shop is Ana’s story. Ana is a 12.5 year old girl with cancer. She writes the book as an English assignment about the last year of her life.

Can I say this is a fun book! Cancer and dying are tough topics but at no time does Maryam Master try to wring the emotion out of her readers.
We follow Ana through what she is told will be her final year of life as she contemplates her own mortality, succumbs to cancer treatments, takes a last hope trip to the USA and faces a ruthless bully.

Ana is very down to earth and philosophical. She has accepted her fate and is ready to make the most of the time that she has. She has quite a sense of humour and her story is written in a dramatic (comedic) way with lots of big bold words and sketches on the pages.

There is a best friend, Al, by her side to support and cheer her up. He is also a little bit silly and not worried about what people think of him. And what’s a teen novel without a nemesis! Here, Alyssa takes the cake with relentless bullying which Ana expects to stop when Alyssa finds out she has cancer. Ana has already graciously decided to forgive her. Alyssa would have to be the embodiment of bullying. I think Alyssa's character is over dramatic but isn't that what a teen novel is all about, the drama!

Maryam Master has written an entertaining novel that will be ideal as a school study novel with the inclusion of metaphors, alliteration and exaggeration. Alyssa, the bully, would be a good case study and excellent discussion point.

Recommended for ages 12 – 16 years

 

My rating  4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

 

About the author

 

Maryam Master was born in Iran and moved to Australia when she was nine. She is a screenwriter and playwright who loves creating shows for young audiences.
She began her career in TV, writing for shows like Home and Away, Blinky Bill and the Jim Henson Company's Bambaloo, in 2011 she was selected by Sesame Workshop as the writer for Elmo's tour of Australia.
Exit Through the Gift Shop is her first novel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Challenges Entered: Australian Women Writers Challenge AWW2021

 

                                   Aussie Author Challenge #Aussieauthor21 

 

Book Review: The Other Side of Beautiful by Kim Lock

The Other Side of Beautiful

by

Kim Lock

 

What happens when fate says 'go'?

 

 

Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises Australia

 

Imprint: HQ - Fiction

Publication date: 7th July 2021

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Pages: 368

RRP: $29.99AUD

Format read: Paperback

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

About the book

 

Meet Mercy Blain, whose house has just burnt down. Unfortunately for Mercy, this goes beyond the disaster it would be for most people: she hasn't been outside that house for two years now.

Flung out into the world she's been studiously ignoring, Mercy goes to the only place she can. Her not-quite-ex-husband Eugene's house. But it turns out she can't stay there, either.

And so begins Mercy's unwilling journey. After the chance purchase of a cult classic campervan (read tiny, old and smelly), with the company of her sausage dog, Wasabi, and a mysterious box of cremated remains, Mercy heads north from Adelaide to Darwin.

On the road, through badly timed breakdowns, gregarious troupes of grey nomads, and run-ins with a rogue adversary, Mercy's carefully constructed walls start crumbling. But what was Mercy hiding from in her house? And why is Eugene desperate to have her back in the city? They say you can't run forever...

 

My review

 

In The Other Side of Beautiful Kim Lock takes the reader on a journey. Not only a vividly described journey by land from Spalding, South Australia to Darwin, Northern Territory (over 3000 kms) but also a journey of self discovery.

The reader takes this eventful ride right along side Mercy and her pet dachshund, Wasabi.

 

Inspired by the author's own experience with acute anxiety Mercy Blain is a true to life character and her crushing fear felt very real.

 

The Other Side of Beautiful shows how a series of tragedies, one after another, can trigger anxiety and lead to a breakdown. How easy would it be to just hide in your house! That's exactly what Mercy has been doing for the last two years and the book opens with Mercy's home burning to the ground.

 

This all sounds a bit depressing but the story isn't at all depressing as Kim Lock has sprinkled the storyline with humour and quite a few scenes had me laughing out loud. We get to cheer Mercy on as she fights her irrational dread and wild imagination and starts a trip, a bit by accident and a bit on purpose, to prove to herself that she is more than her fear.

Along the way she will face quite a few dramas, some mini meltdowns, an old nemesis and make new friends.

 

The Other Side of Beautiful is rich in humour and vivid imagery of outback  Australian roads, towns and landscapes. This is a sensitive, honest, insightful and heartfelt story, not to be missed.

 

5 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

 

Credit: Goodreads

Kim Lock is an internationally published author of four novels. Her writing has also appeared in Kill Your Darlings, The Guardian, Daily Life and The Sydney Morning Herald online, among others. She lives in regional South Australia with her family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Challenges Entered: Australian Women Writers Challenge AWW2021

 

                                   Aussie Author Challenge #Aussieauthor21