The Perfect Other: A Memoir of My Sister
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- Create Date：2022-03-19 20:21:49
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kyleigh Leddy
- ISBN：B08NWV26P2
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Summary
All Kait Leddy had ever wanted was a little sister。 When Kyleigh was born， they were inseparable; Kait would protect her， include her， cuddle and comfort her， and， to Kyleigh， her big sister was her whole world。
As they grew， however， and as Kait entered adolescence， her personality began to change。 She was lashing out emotionally and physically， and losing touch with reality in certain ways。 The family struggled to keep this side of Kait private—at school and in her social life， she was still the gorgeous， effervescent life of the party with a modeling career ahead of her and big dreams。 But slowly， things began to shatter， and Kyleigh could only watch in horror as her perfect sibling’s world collapsed around her。 Kait was institutionalized with what would eventually be diagnosed as schizophrenia， leaving Kyleigh and their mother to handle the burden， shame， and guilt alone。
Then， in January 2014， Kait disappeared。 Though they never found her body， security footage showed her making her way onto a big bridge over a river， where it is presumed that she jumped。 Kyleigh is left wondering: What could she have done differently？ How could this shining light be gone？ And how will she find peace without her sister to guide her way there？
As they grew， however， and as Kait entered adolescence， her personality began to change。 She was lashing out emotionally and physically， and losing touch with reality in certain ways。 The family struggled to keep this side of Kait private—at school and in her social life， she was still the gorgeous， effervescent life of the party with a modeling career ahead of her and big dreams。 But slowly， things began to shatter， and Kyleigh could only watch in horror as her perfect sibling’s world collapsed around her。 Kait was institutionalized with what would eventually be diagnosed as schizophrenia， leaving Kyleigh and their mother to handle the burden， shame， and guilt alone。
Then， in January 2014， Kait disappeared。 Though they never found her body， security footage showed her making her way onto a big bridge over a river， where it is presumed that she jumped。 Kyleigh is left wondering: What could she have done differently？ How could this shining light be gone？ And how will she find peace without her sister to guide her way there？
Reviews
M Moore
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This is a heartfelt memoir of one sister's journey with the grief after the loss of another sister。 I appreciated the author's honesty and some of the insights shared about mental illness。 I struggled a bit with the format and writing style making it hard to follow at times。 Overall， a good read with a lot of insight about the effects of mental illness on family and friends。Thanks to Mariner books for a gifted copy。 My thoughts are my own。My reviews can also be seen at www。instagram。com/justonem This is a heartfelt memoir of one sister's journey with the grief after the loss of another sister。 I appreciated the author's honesty and some of the insights shared about mental illness。 I struggled a bit with the format and writing style making it hard to follow at times。 Overall， a good read with a lot of insight about the effects of mental illness on family and friends。Thanks to Mariner books for a gifted copy。 My thoughts are my own。My reviews can also be seen at www。instagram。com/justonemoorebook。 。。。more
Katie
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Written as a love letter to her older sister， Kait， Kyleigh Leddy examines a life filled with turmoil。 As Kait got older， things were strained between the two sisters。 Kait was lashing out physically and emotionally at home， while at school and her social circles she was the it girl of every group。 Eventually Kait was diagnosed with schizophrenia， which seemed like a relief， but one night in January Kait completely disappeared never to be seen again。 I thought this book was so incredibly well do Written as a love letter to her older sister， Kait， Kyleigh Leddy examines a life filled with turmoil。 As Kait got older， things were strained between the two sisters。 Kait was lashing out physically and emotionally at home， while at school and her social circles she was the it girl of every group。 Eventually Kait was diagnosed with schizophrenia， which seemed like a relief， but one night in January Kait completely disappeared never to be seen again。 I thought this book was so incredibly well done。 Not only does the author describe what it was like living with someone battling schizophrenia and other mental health issues， but she explains the psychology and the science behind what was happening as well。 I was very impressed with how the author paced the book and told her sister's story from many different angles。 Thank you so much to Mariner Books for the advance reading copy！ 。。。more
Beary Into Books
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Rating 4This was a well written memoir that held my interest the whole way through。 I feel terrible for what the author went through but loved how honest her writing felt。 It truly feels like she wants to share her sister's story in order to bring awareness and help others。 It’s never easy talking about a loved one after they are gone and in this case Kyleigh never received closure about what truly happened to her sister on the day she disappeared。 She never got to say goodbye or ask her sister Rating 4This was a well written memoir that held my interest the whole way through。 I feel terrible for what the author went through but loved how honest her writing felt。 It truly feels like she wants to share her sister's story in order to bring awareness and help others。 It’s never easy talking about a loved one after they are gone and in this case Kyleigh never received closure about what truly happened to her sister on the day she disappeared。 She never got to say goodbye or ask her sister for forgiveness。 Kyleigh blames herself for not noticing her sister’s illness sooner even though she was just a child/teenager。 I think we always feel as though there is more we could/should have done。 She mentions certain situations that could have played a bigger role in her sister’s illness and how she wishes she paid attention to them。 Not only does this book share her sister’s struggle with schizophrenia it is also filled with statistics and relevant facts。 While I felt like some of the statistics were not necessary and took away from some overall parts I do understand why she included them。 Overall， I thought this book was good， hard to read at times due to the content but i would recommend it。 It’s important for everyone to read about mental health to help us all understand it。 。。。more
Mindi D'Elia
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This book right here 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 first off happy #publishingday to @kyleighleddy！！！ Everyone needs to read this memoir - Twitter warnings for sure （mental health， schizophrenia， suicide） but we need this book！ It’s raw， honest， heartfelt and more。 In todays world we need more authors like Kyleigh who share the good， bad and ugly in the mental health world。 I don’t love to rate memoirs or biographies but because of the content and the need for more books to share on the topic ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Basic B's Guide
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Thoughts to come。
Stacy40pages
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The Perfect Other by Kyleigh Leddy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Kyleigh writes her true story experience of growing up with an older sister with schizophrenia。 Talking about mental health is important and there’s been a push for it lately。 While it’s fairly normal these days to discuss depression and anxiety， illnesses such as schizophrenia as still taboo。 With her memoir， Kyleigh aims to bring schizophrenia to the conversation。 She did a great job showing us what it is like to love someone with the Illness。 A lot The Perfect Other by Kyleigh Leddy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Kyleigh writes her true story experience of growing up with an older sister with schizophrenia。 Talking about mental health is important and there’s been a push for it lately。 While it’s fairly normal these days to discuss depression and anxiety， illnesses such as schizophrenia as still taboo。 With her memoir， Kyleigh aims to bring schizophrenia to the conversation。 She did a great job showing us what it is like to love someone with the Illness。 A lot of the gritty details weren’t laid out， which I appreciated because it could overtake the meaningfulness of the story。 This was an interesting viewpoint， as Kyleigh was coming of age watching her sister’s struggles。 I also loved how the author not only spoke from her experience， but was also sure to remind the reader several times that not everyone has access to healthcare; not everyone is comfortable calling the police for help， not everyone is in a position of privilege and how that can affect treatment of mental illness。 “We had everything， and her everything would still collapse。 It wasn’t enough。 And if our foundation couldn’t save us， then whose can？ Who stands a chance against mental illness？”“My sister was the kind of girl people write books about。 I was the kind of girl who read such books， who listened to such songs and wondered how a spark in one person could light a flame in many others。”The Perfect Other came out yesterday， 3/14。 。。。more
Jo ~
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The Perfect Other by Kyleigh Leddy releases today and is a moving and heartbreaking telling of Leddy's experience growing up with her sister Kait and Kait's struggle with mental illness。 Penned with emotion that you can feel coming off the page that Leddy has and continues experience - Leddy shares openly the phases of Kait's illness， ultimately her departure from this world， and the life and grief adaptations Leddy had to form moving forward in a world without her sister。 Leddy weaves the resea The Perfect Other by Kyleigh Leddy releases today and is a moving and heartbreaking telling of Leddy's experience growing up with her sister Kait and Kait's struggle with mental illness。 Penned with emotion that you can feel coming off the page that Leddy has and continues experience - Leddy shares openly the phases of Kait's illness， ultimately her departure from this world， and the life and grief adaptations Leddy had to form moving forward in a world without her sister。 Leddy weaves the research she collected as she herself tried to make sense regarding mental illness， traumatic brain injuries， and more throughout the novel that provides insight and possibilities into the why。 This book will break your heart as you experience a moving piece Leddy shares with us to honor her sister。 Without a doubt this book is worthy of a read， but do so with care。 。。。more
Lillyanna Lamm
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Thank you， Harper Collins， for this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 "The Perfect Other" by Kyleigh Leddy is a memoir about a sister's battle against mental illness but also about other strong elements。 I would give "The Perfect Other" by Kyleigh Leddy a 3-star review because， 1; the writing of this author is wonderful 2; it helped me learn more about Schizophrenia 3; its a very gripping story。 Thank you， Harper Collins， for this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 "The Perfect Other" by Kyleigh Leddy is a memoir about a sister's battle against mental illness but also about other strong elements。 I would give "The Perfect Other" by Kyleigh Leddy a 3-star review because， 1; the writing of this author is wonderful 2; it helped me learn more about Schizophrenia 3; its a very gripping story。 。。。more
Jennifer *Nottoomanybooks*
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3。5/5“My sister walks to the peak of the Benjamin Franklin bridge。Kait walking。Kait， then poof， gone。”I jumped out of my thriller comfort zone to read this memoir that was sent to me by Mariner Publishing and @kyleighleddy。 Right away， the synopsis interested me。 I have always been curious about schizophrenia and other similar mental illnesses。 Kyleigh did a fabulous job capturing her sister before and during her illness。 I felt the pain and hurt her family went through as her sister， Kait grew 3。5/5“My sister walks to the peak of the Benjamin Franklin bridge。Kait walking。Kait， then poof， gone。”I jumped out of my thriller comfort zone to read this memoir that was sent to me by Mariner Publishing and @kyleighleddy。 Right away， the synopsis interested me。 I have always been curious about schizophrenia and other similar mental illnesses。 Kyleigh did a fabulous job capturing her sister before and during her illness。 I felt the pain and hurt her family went through as her sister， Kait grew up and progressed in her schizophrenia。 Researching all of the possible reasons why her sister could have gotten sick…。 What stuck out to me were the theories about concussions and head trauma leading to a higher possibility of developing this illness， as well as having PCOS。 Kait grew up as a loving， kind， wild girl who fiercely loved her sister。 Little by little， signs start popping up that she may be unwell， but they aren’t anything that would make you stop and think…。。Oh my gosh！ She has a mental illness！ The instances were bits and pieces here and there， that make you wonder if she is acting out behaviorally。 That’s all。 Until they isn’t。 Her behavior gets more and more erratic and scary to the point her own family is scared of her。 The last part of the book walks us through the grieving and healing process of the family after Kait walks onto a bridge and disappears。 The police say it was suicide。 I can only imagine the horrors Kait went through struggling with things her brain was telling her while trying to keep some bit of her old self with her。 I really enjoyed this memoir， if you are looking for a true story to read， you should give this one a chance！ 。。。more
Kari
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What a beautiful yet sad memoir of a family battling mental illness with so many beautiful moments in between。 Written by the younger sister， Kyleigh of her older sister by 5 years， Kait and her slow turn toward uncontrollable & dismissive behaviors that finally received a diagnosis of schizophrenia in her teens。 The Author’s strong and unrelenting love carry’s you through the memories from when they were children and inseparable and the timeless moments that build a bond like no other。 Then to What a beautiful yet sad memoir of a family battling mental illness with so many beautiful moments in between。 Written by the younger sister， Kyleigh of her older sister by 5 years， Kait and her slow turn toward uncontrollable & dismissive behaviors that finally received a diagnosis of schizophrenia in her teens。 The Author’s strong and unrelenting love carry’s you through the memories from when they were children and inseparable and the timeless moments that build a bond like no other。 Then to see how a disease of the brain can take that away and turn the person you knew like yourself into a stranger。 Them treating you with criticism and not including you in their life。 Watching and waiting while they make disastrous decisions and not a care of the fall out on themselves or their family。 The Author’s stories combine keen precision of just how mental illness can slowly and silently strike any family and tear it apart。 Watching your loved one being taken from you while you do everything in your power to save them。 And she highlights the facts how mental illness is glossed over and not always taken seriously; referred instead to a teenager going through growing pains。 Perhaps if taken more seriously at first signs of personality change; the proper treatment could be put in place。As someone who deals with mental illnesses， I found this read to be touching and heartbreaking and I feel a bond to the Author and feel as if I suffered a loss too。 This is a must read。 。。。more
GiGi Ropp
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A perfect balance of memoir， information about mental health， and an act of resistance against the stigmatization of schizophrenia。 Beautifully written with facts interspersed with memories and an abundance of love， Kyleigh Leddy truly captures the lovely soul of her sister， Kait。
Chelsea | Bookmarkingchels
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The Perfect Other was a beautifully written account of a sisterhood and adolescence thrown into despair because of one sister’s mental illness。 Kyleigh Leddy has written the most beautiful memoir of her sister， Kaitlyn， and her schizophrenia diagnosis。 Using colors to describe the stages of her life with her sister， she takes us through her childhood and it’s descent into darkness leading up to her sister’s disappearance and ultimate suicide。 While I expected to hear more about Kaitlyns diagnosi The Perfect Other was a beautifully written account of a sisterhood and adolescence thrown into despair because of one sister’s mental illness。 Kyleigh Leddy has written the most beautiful memoir of her sister， Kaitlyn， and her schizophrenia diagnosis。 Using colors to describe the stages of her life with her sister， she takes us through her childhood and it’s descent into darkness leading up to her sister’s disappearance and ultimate suicide。 While I expected to hear more about Kaitlyns diagnosis， I enjoyed the route that Leddy took。 She describes instead her relationship with her sister- how it dissolved and then how she repaired it within herself。 She also discusses how she and her mother become close because of the consistent stress and trauma they were experiencing together。 The way they felt they couldn’t talk about Kaitlyn’s problems until it was far too late。 In the end， I learned so much more about Kaitlyn as a person and schizophrenia as a disease outside of her， which I appreciated so much。 As an older sister with a similar age gap， close to Kaitlyn’s age， this book really hit close to home for me。 Leddy truly humanized Kaitlyn while also exploring her grief and the disease that took her sister from her。 。。。more
Shelby Thompson
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At 22， Kait Leddy disappeared。 She was a sister， a daughter， an aspiring model， an adored party-girl， and a schizophrenic。 It's easy to judge "mental-health" memoirs。 Those of us who have had our lives upturned again and again have our own lists， preferences， and histories of "do's and don't" that we cling to like our personal gospels， afraid that someone with a different experience and their fancy book with well thought-out words will tell us that we did everything wrong。 That the medications， At 22， Kait Leddy disappeared。 She was a sister， a daughter， an aspiring model， an adored party-girl， and a schizophrenic。 It's easy to judge "mental-health" memoirs。 Those of us who have had our lives upturned again and again have our own lists， preferences， and histories of "do's and don't" that we cling to like our personal gospels， afraid that someone with a different experience and their fancy book with well thought-out words will tell us that we did everything wrong。 That the medications， interventions， hospital facilities， and rehab centers our families ran to were the wrong ones。 That we missed the very specific footnote in the margins that could have solved the crises。 Leddy's life and grief are very different from my own experience。 But by the end of this book， it's clear that that doesn't matter。 Every family that is invaded by mental illness to this extent is just trying to plug their fingers into the holes ripping through their seawall， trying to keep their loved ones from drowning。 The heavy reliance on metaphors and the switching between first and second-person narration didn't always work for me， and I closed the book feeling like I was still missing something。 But Leddy's abiding love and dedication to the memory of Kait， as well as the beautiful relationship between her and her mother， help this story bloom in its own way。 。。。more
Hannah Cranford
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Thank you to Harper Collins for the ARC of this beautiful book。 Memoirs are not usually included in my appetite for literature， but something told me to read this one。 As someone who suffers from serious mental illness， I am so glad to consume something that shines a light on the isolation that such suffering can create for both the patient and the family。 Kyleigh could not have honored her sister， Kait， with a more beautiful memoir。
Pj
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Honestly， this story sounds like most second-person accounts of “mental illness”: Supposedly “beloved” young or middle-aged person is eventually labeled by their family as a major “problem”， despite their ability to maintain good relationships in work or school settings; Key family members （parents， breadwinners， etc。） deny all responsibility for making sure the home environment is safe for EVERYONE and use psychiatry to contain their “problem” family member， conveniently ignoring that EVERY psy Honestly， this story sounds like most second-person accounts of “mental illness”: Supposedly “beloved” young or middle-aged person is eventually labeled by their family as a major “problem”， despite their ability to maintain good relationships in work or school settings; Key family members （parents， breadwinners， etc。） deny all responsibility for making sure the home environment is safe for EVERYONE and use psychiatry to contain their “problem” family member， conveniently ignoring that EVERY psychiatric diagnosis cites interpersonal stress as a pathogen; Family breaks the “deal” it sets with its scapegoat （Get “help” and we’ll start treating you like a human being again。） and life gets worse for everyone; Scapegoat dies early - in this case， VERY early - and family rewrites history。Seriously， I hope Kait is actually alive somewhere FAR from her family， living under a new identity and quietly building the loving， stable， and authentic life she was never allowed to have with her family。 。。。more
Lolly K Dandeneau
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via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog。wordpress。com/𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐞， 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞。Families are often at a complete loss in knowing how to help a child with mental illness， I think sometimes （often actually） people ignore the signs or put all their faith in one evaluation that misses the mark。 It is a relief， to go along as though nothing is wrong， it’s just a strong or fiery personality。 This is often how we fail each other。 Fear is a driving forc via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog。wordpress。com/𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐞， 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞。Families are often at a complete loss in knowing how to help a child with mental illness， I think sometimes （often actually） people ignore the signs or put all their faith in one evaluation that misses the mark。 It is a relief， to go along as though nothing is wrong， it’s just a strong or fiery personality。 This is often how we fail each other。 Fear is a driving force， this is why people try to explain away the obvious until symptoms get out of hand， and every one is dealing with disaster。 The most rotten part of all， the person who actually has to deal with the illness in their mind has no guidance， no help。 People often look away from the person who is drowning， it’s not always out of cruelty， but the terror of not knowing how to help。 The stigma， because of course it still exists with mental illness， look at all the understanding for say， autism （neurodevelopmental disorder）; I can tell you despite all the bumper stickers and ribbons， people aren’t as understanding and non-judgmental as society would have you believe。 Schizophrenia is a terrifying diagnosis for many， even with the best treatment， best intentions， all the available resources and money， a lot isn’t understood。 Many people fear mental illness and are reluctant to see their child labeled。 It isn’t easy to weigh and measure your own child， their stability。Kyleigh Leddy loved her sister， ‘lived in her footsteps’， but lost her to mental illness in a devastating act days before Kyleigh turned seventeen。 One must remember while reading this memoir that she was only a teenager， and not an expert in mental health。 It’s terrifying living in the claws of disease， and feeling helpless to rescue your loved one。 It’s a double edged sword with mental health because the behavior is hard to comprehend， there is often love entangled with resentment。 Kait was highly intelligent， mature， a force who was robbed of so much life。 As Kyleigh confides， their childhood was swaddled， protected from ‘the hard edges of life’。 Even in such families， you can fail to see the fault lines。 Sometimes living in the story， you miss so much， until you can go back and reexamine the past。A child that pushes boundaries may well just be strong willed。 Who is to assume it’s a sign of mental illness？ Certainly Kyleigh later discovered her mother worried ceaselessly over Kait， but so do many parents， children are different。 Not all ‘wild antics’ make mental illness。 How can you recognize warnings you’ve never had experience with？ We all have our eccentricities and peculiarities， especially highly intelligent people。 Just where is the line？ When did the moment arrive that foretold the mental disturbances in Kait？ What would have prevented her jump off the bridge？ How did they all fail her？ There are just as many stories of people who were told time and again there is no mental illness or it’s behavioral only。 A discipline problem， and sometimes that is the case。 Doctors don’t always see the signs either and are hesitant to label。It is a hard book to read so certainly it must have been very hard to write for Kyleigh。 It’s easy to imagine yourself as a savior in other people’s stories， how you would have done this， or prevented that。 It’s all untrue。 We fail people so often in our own lives， unintentionally。 We have our blind spots， every single one of us。 Even parents who go through the ‘proper’ channels and push to diagnose and go to treatments。 I am not any smarter myself for helping my son through autism challenges， I am no hero， I can look back and see how I could have done this or that better and I had supports in place。 Life can turn on a dime。 Living with any health struggle （mental， or otherwise） is trial and error， none of us are experts， what works for one won’t work for another and it’s because we are individuals。 There are just as many families who fight to get their loved ones to proper doctors， services and are failed （rich or not）。 You can be all in and still， progress isn’t happening。 There are no quick fixes， it is a lifelong journey。 There are people who refuse help and those who have tried to take the meds or therapies。 Meds themselves cause symptoms， that you can’t ignore and fail to understand why a patient may give up on them。 I hear so many people say， ‘well why did they stop taking their meds’？ As if they have ever had to cope with the symptoms， or live in another’s headspace or try to rally the energy and money and time to care for someone。 I learned a long time ago watching my grandmother and family with my uncle’s schizophrenia that there are no easy answers。 It’s so easy to look at the mistakes others made in hindsight。 Even armed with expertise， there are mistakes。 Was it the head injury that caused everything for Kait？ It’s plausible。One of the wisest lines， “It would be an injustice not to acknowledge how hard it is to care for someone when they are both suffering and inflicting suffering onto you。” Support is necessary for every family member。 You can’t help another if you are overwhelmed and hurting yourself。 We are not superhumans， nor saints。 I think this is an important read， if another’s experience can help you spot the signs， or relate to their emotional experience then it should be welcomed。 Both sisters have different experiences with mental illness， it disrupted both of their lives， and sadly it stole Kait’s future。 If a family member struggles with any disease or health issue， they all have to cope with it， in varying degrees。Moving， heartbreaking。Publication Date: March 15， 2022Mariner Books 。。。more
Carlee Miller
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tAs soon as I started this book， I knew it was going to be hard to put down。 This memoir tells the story of Kyleigh’s family and her older sister Kaitlyn’s （aka Kait） experience with schizophrenia。 Leddy is incredibly honest， backs stories of her sister up with research， and fully acknowledges her inability to tell this story of her sister， her sister’s mental illness， and how it affected their family perfectly。 I was so impressed with this book。 It is so hard to watch someone you love struggle tAs soon as I started this book， I knew it was going to be hard to put down。 This memoir tells the story of Kyleigh’s family and her older sister Kaitlyn’s （aka Kait） experience with schizophrenia。 Leddy is incredibly honest， backs stories of her sister up with research， and fully acknowledges her inability to tell this story of her sister， her sister’s mental illness， and how it affected their family perfectly。 I was so impressed with this book。 It is so hard to watch someone you love struggle in any way， but particularly when their mind is messing with them。 An eye-opening read on the devastating effects of mental health on those affected by something like schizophrenia， as well as their family members。 I would definitely recommend this book to anyone。 Thank you to Mariner Books for providing me with this ARC for an honest review！ 。。。more
Meg Vondriska
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I found this book pretentious with a healthy dose of holier than thou。 Leddy talks about her family's struggle to understand her sister's diagnosis and the horror of seeing her transform in her most destructive moments; as painful as those passages are， they fall to the side to lengthy pages discussing the linguistic origin of schizophrenia and seemingly random statistics。While I empathize with Leddy's story， and how scary it must have been to see the dark side of her sister， I struggle， too， wi I found this book pretentious with a healthy dose of holier than thou。 Leddy talks about her family's struggle to understand her sister's diagnosis and the horror of seeing her transform in her most destructive moments; as painful as those passages are， they fall to the side to lengthy pages discussing the linguistic origin of schizophrenia and seemingly random statistics。While I empathize with Leddy's story， and how scary it must have been to see the dark side of her sister， I struggle， too， with it。 Leddy's family had the financial means and access to find answers， but instead， when Kait was 13， they took her to a single child psychologist who ruled Kait fine and never pursued a diagnosis again。 And while this is a somewhat memoir， as much as Leddy discusses the roots of schizophrenia， and how it took so long for her sister to be diagnosed， she glosses over that diagnoses for it are much more difficult if you are person of color。 I felt a lot of the book was rooted in elitism and was unintentionally pretentious， with Leddy slipping in sentences of how her mom had a florist on speed dial， how they summered in Nantucket， the private schools they attended。。。 I feel for Leddy and her family， but hers is not the only sister with mental illness who has vanished 。。。more
Emily Shannon
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The Perfect Other is a tragic story about sisters。 Kait is the perfect sister。 She’s beautiful。 She shines bright。 She exceeds at everything。 But as she enters adolescence， things begin to change。 This is the story of one sister’s experience on how mental health challenges can happen so fast。 It’s easy to miss early signs。 It’s heartbreaking and grief-ridden。 But a very gripping read。 Thank you to Mariner Books and Harper Collins for the ARC。 If you want a heart-gripping nonfiction novel， than t The Perfect Other is a tragic story about sisters。 Kait is the perfect sister。 She’s beautiful。 She shines bright。 She exceeds at everything。 But as she enters adolescence， things begin to change。 This is the story of one sister’s experience on how mental health challenges can happen so fast。 It’s easy to miss early signs。 It’s heartbreaking and grief-ridden。 But a very gripping read。 Thank you to Mariner Books and Harper Collins for the ARC。 If you want a heart-gripping nonfiction novel， than this your book！ 。。。more
Whitney Seitzer
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I received this as an ARC through Goodreads giveaways and it is a powerful story。 It sheds light on schizophrenia， which is so stigmatized and not well understood by the general public。 Leddy’s writing is superb and the second half of the book is so amazing as she describes her grief and how she moves on with her life and heals from her trauma。
Kristina
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In The Perfect Other， Kyleigh Leddy chronicles her relationship with her sister Kait and Kait's deterioration into serious mental illness。 They were very close as children- Kait wanted a little sister and when Kyleigh arrived， they were inseparable。 She charts Kait's decline with a family move to Philadelphia and her entrance into adolescence。 This is a common age for mental illnesses， especially psychotic disorders to begin to emerge。 The prodromal period of schizophrenia is one not often descr In The Perfect Other， Kyleigh Leddy chronicles her relationship with her sister Kait and Kait's deterioration into serious mental illness。 They were very close as children- Kait wanted a little sister and when Kyleigh arrived， they were inseparable。 She charts Kait's decline with a family move to Philadelphia and her entrance into adolescence。 This is a common age for mental illnesses， especially psychotic disorders to begin to emerge。 The prodromal period of schizophrenia is one not often described nor well understood。 Leddy offers up some ideas as to what she believes may have contributed to her sister's illness including multiple brain injuries she sustained， but it appears to me that she was already exhibiting early symptoms prior to those accidents。 As Kait's illness worsens， Kyleigh and their mother are left to deal with the wreckage Kait leaves behind， leading to Kait disappearing- a body is never found， though she is presumed dead。 This memoir is a fascinating tale told from the side of a family member。 At times she goes into more research and theories about her sister's illness， but I found her recollections of their life together the most rewarding portions of the book。 This is also a good portrayal of how serious mental health issues affect not only the sufferer of those symptoms。 Thank you to Mariner Books via NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review。 。。。more
Melissa Schwartz
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“I thought I was writing this to make my sister’s life matter， but it already does”， Leddy writes。 This ARC was a GR giveaway; thanks so much to Harper Collins for it。 Content warnings for this book include schizophrenia， mental illness， and suicide。 Kyleigh Leddy did a remarkable job recounting her sister Kait’s difficult battle with schizophrenia， and how that and Kait’s assumed suicide impacted her and her family’s lives。 In the acknowledgments she frankly admits how difficult it was to reliv “I thought I was writing this to make my sister’s life matter， but it already does”， Leddy writes。 This ARC was a GR giveaway; thanks so much to Harper Collins for it。 Content warnings for this book include schizophrenia， mental illness， and suicide。 Kyleigh Leddy did a remarkable job recounting her sister Kait’s difficult battle with schizophrenia， and how that and Kait’s assumed suicide impacted her and her family’s lives。 In the acknowledgments she frankly admits how difficult it was to relive all of it， which for readers I think is always important in connecting and relating to an author。 She writes that she “wished to use writing and the study of psychology to illuminate misconceptions about mental illness”， and she did just that。 I did feel， however， that there was a bit too much jumping around the timeline of events。 It was often hard to follow as a result。 In that light， there was often 2 or 3 separate stories being told at once。 I also wonder why this is being referred to as a memoir; because while it is for much of the book， a large chunk talks more about grief and the specifics around schizophrenia and mental illness。 All in all， I’m glad Leddy shared it all with us。 。。。more
Jessica Lawrence
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Amazing。 Eye opening。 Inspiring。 Kyleigh takes us through her life in a way I’ve never read before。
Ashley Holstrom
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Oh look， another absolutely devastating family memoir。 “You wish there was an adequate term for what you are—like orphan or widower—a term that says ‘I once meant something to somebody。’” The only thing 6-year-old Kait Leddy wanted in life was a sister。 When Kyleigh finally arrived， the two were inseparable—until Kait hit adolescence， suffered head injuries， and started to change in scary ways。 She was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia and lived a volatile life in and out of healthcare faci Oh look， another absolutely devastating family memoir。 “You wish there was an adequate term for what you are—like orphan or widower—a term that says ‘I once meant something to somebody。’” The only thing 6-year-old Kait Leddy wanted in life was a sister。 When Kyleigh finally arrived， the two were inseparable—until Kait hit adolescence， suffered head injuries， and started to change in scary ways。 She was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia and lived a volatile life in and out of healthcare facilities while Kyleigh watched on with a mix of fear and annoyance。 The day after Kait disappeared， Kyleigh went to school， expecting it to be another incident they would move past。 But that didn’t happen。 Kait was last seen crossing a bridge， but never on the other side。 A body was never found。The Perfect Other is a beautiful book about grief and loving someone who is mentally ill。 Leddy’s work as a mental health advocate， especially with psychotic disorders， makes this an even more powerful book。✨ From Mental Health Memoirs From the Sidelines at Crooked Reads。 。。。more
Ashton
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So excited to read Kyleigh！！！！！！
Kelly Long
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review。I had a hard time getting through about the first 30% of this book but after that， I feel like it got much more interesting。 The close bond between these two sisters is amazing when they were both young children。 It's incredibly sad how schizophrenia took away most of that bond piece by piece but it never totally took the bond。 The lack of closure is definitely a difficult thing to accept。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review。I had a hard time getting through about the first 30% of this book but after that， I feel like it got much more interesting。 The close bond between these two sisters is amazing when they were both young children。 It's incredibly sad how schizophrenia took away most of that bond piece by piece but it never totally took the bond。 The lack of closure is definitely a difficult thing to accept。 。。。more
Lbmayson
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This is a potentially very helpful book for those trying to understand mental illness in a friend or family member， particularly paranoid schizophrenia。 The author switches back and forth between memories of her sister and a pretty advanced medical understanding of the disease。 The last few chapters were very poignant and I wiped away some tears， but really appreciate this perspective。
Lissa00
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3。5 starsThe author， Kyliegh Leddy， is only in her twenties but she writes beautifully about her sister who suffered so tragically with mental illness。 Her vivacious sister started slowly exhibiting the warning signs of schizophrenia throughout her teens but quickly fell into the throes of full-blown mental illness after a head injury。 The author， who is several years younger， and her stoic mother were left to deal with an increasingly violent situation。 I found this terrifying and tragic and lo 3。5 starsThe author， Kyliegh Leddy， is only in her twenties but she writes beautifully about her sister who suffered so tragically with mental illness。 Her vivacious sister started slowly exhibiting the warning signs of schizophrenia throughout her teens but quickly fell into the throes of full-blown mental illness after a head injury。 The author， who is several years younger， and her stoic mother were left to deal with an increasingly violent situation。 I found this terrifying and tragic and lovingly written。 I do think it could have been edited down as it sometimes felt overwritten and the best parts were when her sentences were clear， sparse and haunting。 I definitely see the potential in this young author and will make sure to follow her career。 I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Christina
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