The Other Side of Beautiful
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- Create Date：2021-08-09 04:51:47
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kim Lock
- ISBN：1867214903
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Summary
Lost & Found
meets The Rosie Project in a stunning break-out novel where a vulnerable misfit is forced to re-engage with the world， despite her best efforts。
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。。。
Exquisite， tender and wry， this is a break-out novel about facing anxiety and embracing life from an extraordinary new talent。
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。。。
Exquisite， tender and wry， this is a break-out novel about facing anxiety and embracing life from an extraordinary new talent。
Reviews
Sonja Arlow
，
3。5 starsThe one minute Mercy is a respected and highly sought-after obstetrics doctor and the next she is standing outside her house watching it burn to the ground。 Something happened 2 years ago that changed the trajectory of her life。Now， her impulse purchase of an old rickety camper van has her driving from Adelaide to Darwin with her dog Wasabi， a huntsman spider and the cremated remains of an unknown woman。 Mercy is forced to deal with her crippling anxiety while she navigates the lonely r 3。5 starsThe one minute Mercy is a respected and highly sought-after obstetrics doctor and the next she is standing outside her house watching it burn to the ground。 Something happened 2 years ago that changed the trajectory of her life。Now， her impulse purchase of an old rickety camper van has her driving from Adelaide to Darwin with her dog Wasabi， a huntsman spider and the cremated remains of an unknown woman。 Mercy is forced to deal with her crippling anxiety while she navigates the lonely roads， grocery shopping and all those pesky campers that just want to chat at each pitstop。 But this is nothing compared to the looming court case Mercy just cannot think about right now。I was all set to give this a satisfying 3。5 stars but I think because the book brought back memories of caravan camping as a kid and the fact that Mercy grew on me I am rounding this up to 4 stars。If you like cross country road trips， sausage dogs and a whole lot of Australian outback dust then this delightful read is for you。 。。。more
Kt
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4。5 ⭐️
Beth
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This book teaches you more than just the story on the pages， it takes you on a journey （literally） about the self discovery of someone living with anxiety。 It’s an uplifting memorable read and I loved that this book is set in Australia and that Mercy is from my hometown in Adelaide！
Liz Gordon
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Loved it， makes me want to drive a van through the middle of Australia and leave it all behind。
Renee Simpson
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Absolutely loved this book！
Debra Tidball
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A charming road trip story complete with adorable sausage dog。 I loved travelling with Mercy Blain up the centre of Australia in her little vintage van。 I felt the evolving landscape and atmosphere， I enjoyed seeing Mercy overcome the many difficulties the author threw at her， both internally and in the physical environment。 With a cast of interesting characters， I found this book to be a delightful， uplifting read， despite dealing with some deep themes。 Published by a romance publisher， I found A charming road trip story complete with adorable sausage dog。 I loved travelling with Mercy Blain up the centre of Australia in her little vintage van。 I felt the evolving landscape and atmosphere， I enjoyed seeing Mercy overcome the many difficulties the author threw at her， both internally and in the physical environment。 With a cast of interesting characters， I found this book to be a delightful， uplifting read， despite dealing with some deep themes。 Published by a romance publisher， I found the romance element perhaps unlikely， but not overdone。 。。。more
M B
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Nice， feel-good story。 That’s all I got 🤷🏼♀️
Cassandra Hale
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This glorious book takes you on a journey through outback Australia as protagonist Mercy runs away from a major trauma in her life。 After the house that has been her keeper for the past two years burns to the ground there are no choices left for Mercy but to grab her assistance dachshund Wasabi and flee。 Together， this unlikely pair road trip up the rugged centre of Australia as Mercy deals with her anxiety and the traumatic events that have caused it。I threw myself into this book and was totall This glorious book takes you on a journey through outback Australia as protagonist Mercy runs away from a major trauma in her life。 After the house that has been her keeper for the past two years burns to the ground there are no choices left for Mercy but to grab her assistance dachshund Wasabi and flee。 Together， this unlikely pair road trip up the rugged centre of Australia as Mercy deals with her anxiety and the traumatic events that have caused it。I threw myself into this book and was totally enveloped by the splendid writing style of Kim Lock。 It was my first book of hers， but I will be looking into her back catalogue with interest。 The Other Side of Beautiful is a wonderful feel-good voyage that handles metal illness with compassion and explores coping mechanisms that many may find helpful。 The character development was perfect and I fell in love with Mercy and Wasabi， together with a plethora of people she met along the way， enter the Grey Nomads who feature quite heavily。A book of love， loss， hope and overcoming fears， The Other Side of Beautiful is as perfect as any contemporary fiction book I have ever read。 Australians are so spoilt with such brilliant authors and Kim Lock is no exception。 Thank you to NeGalley and Harlequin Australia for this ARC。 。。。more
Sam
，
The Other Side of Beautiful was a moving story of a womans journey to self-acceptance， self-understanding and coping with side effects of grief and trauma。Mercy Blain has shut herself away from the world for the past two years as a culmination of anxiety， ptsd， grief and trauma。 She had so many life altering events happen in the span of a week that she just can't deal any more。 Fast forward to two years and her house burnt down leaving Mercy and her sausage dog Wasabi homeless。 Mercy now has no The Other Side of Beautiful was a moving story of a womans journey to self-acceptance， self-understanding and coping with side effects of grief and trauma。Mercy Blain has shut herself away from the world for the past two years as a culmination of anxiety， ptsd， grief and trauma。 She had so many life altering events happen in the span of a week that she just can't deal any more。 Fast forward to two years and her house burnt down leaving Mercy and her sausage dog Wasabi homeless。 Mercy now has no other way but forward and trying to figure out where she fits within the world now and how she fits within herself。As someone who has Generalised Anxiety Disorder and deals with panic attacks， I found this book at times quite confronting with how on point the depictions of anxiety and panic are。 I felt myself reliving my own experiences whilst we walk Mercy's path with her and her 'assistance dog' Wasabi。 As a carer for someone with severe mental health issues I also felt the same frustrations that some people in Mercy's life felt with her， combined with the understanding that mental health is a complex beast and so empathy must be at the core。Mercy decides that the best path to undertake after her house burns down is to go on a road trip from Adelaide to Darwin in a campervan she bought from someone who promised her it was roadworthy。 Throughout these 3，000kms we are introduced to loveable side characters， beautiful towns and heart-warming locals。 It was wonderful seeing the Australian outback depicted in such a gorgeous way and it makes me want to see more of my own country。This book made me laugh， it made me cringe， it made me annoyed and it also made me cry。 I felt a wide gamut of emotions throughout this book and I can't wait to pass it along to my nana for her to read。I was provided a free copy of this book by the publisher as part of The Book Stack book community in exchange for an honest review。 I read a mixture of this physical book along with an audiobook I purchased from Audible。 Both were a fantastic choice。 。。。more
Emma Balkin
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When you’re in lockdown， it’s nice to read a novel about someone escaping from their own life。 Mercy， is a doctor whose life has gotten messy。 She finds herself making a lot of impulsive decisions， which results in her travelling up the middle of Australia in a tiny， worn out camper van with no company except her beloved sausage dog， Wasabi。 Mercy is literally out of her comfort zone， and through a series of awkward encounters， faces her demons。 Despite attempts to distance herself from others， When you’re in lockdown， it’s nice to read a novel about someone escaping from their own life。 Mercy， is a doctor whose life has gotten messy。 She finds herself making a lot of impulsive decisions， which results in her travelling up the middle of Australia in a tiny， worn out camper van with no company except her beloved sausage dog， Wasabi。 Mercy is literally out of her comfort zone， and through a series of awkward encounters， faces her demons。 Despite attempts to distance herself from others， she keeps bumping into a random assortment of strangers。 She is covered in the red dust of the Australian outback and eventually works out what she’s running away from in order to think about where she wants to go。Despite the challenges faced by Mercy， this is an uplifting read， reminiscent of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart and Lost and Found。 。。。more
Helen G
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Living with anxiety is hard and this story explores the extent of this distress and the pathway out of such anxiety if one women。 A journey in Australia’s Northern Territory as a ‘nomad’ is a journey back to calm。 This journey and the characters we meet on the trek give hope that anxiety does not have to be a life sentence。 I listened on audible and it was an easy listen and kept me company as I worked。
Tiffany
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Great Aussie book。 Loved all the characters and the story was well developed
Justine
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An easy read and enjoyable enough - storyline stretched belief at times and characters not overly likeable
Donna Cope
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*3。5
Angela Pirotta
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book What a nice read
Sharon Metcalf
，
Somehow I seem to have affixed the adverb "just" to the term "panic attack"， as in "it was justa panic attack"。 Being fortunate to never have had a panic attack I had the impression it was a bit of a scare， a period of discomfort， maybe an inflated heart rate for a few minutes and then it passed。 I would， of course， have been wrong about that as I now know thanks to the terrific book The Other Side Of Beautiful。 Author Kim Lock opened my eyes and my mind to the reality of panic attacks， t Somehow I seem to have affixed the adverb "just" to the term "panic attack"， as in "it was justa panic attack"。 Being fortunate to never have had a panic attack I had the impression it was a bit of a scare， a period of discomfort， maybe an inflated heart rate for a few minutes and then it passed。 I would， of course， have been wrong about that as I now know thanks to the terrific book The Other Side Of Beautiful。 Author Kim Lock opened my eyes and my mind to the reality of panic attacks， the intensity， the severity， and the debilitating impacts they may have on a person。 This was no dry， medical tome however。 It was a tremendously readable， highly engaging novel and was one of those where I was conflicted between wanting to rush to finish it to see how it ended whilst wanting to slow down so I got to stay in this story for longer。 The story opened with Mercy Blain being attended to by paramedics outside her home which was being ravaged by flames。 We soon learn Mercy had been housebound for two years but the reasons for this are only gradually revealed as the story progresses。 At first we get just a hint - a few words that intrigue rather than inform。 Each hint becomes a little more expansive， and as we get to know snippets of Mercy's life it all comes together。 I'll refrain from touching upon this aspect as the book does this so well and I'd hate to spoil it for other readers。There were many themes running through the book。 Naturally panic was up there but another strong theme was grief。 Relationships another - parents， partners， relationships that ended suddenly， friendships that were thrown away and the tentative steps into developing new ones， and let's not forget the gorgeous Wasabi her companion dog。 There was also some very pointed commentary worked in about online commentators， opinion writers who sensationalise issues， incite readers without any regard for the facts nor the way their words might harm others。 The Australian Outback was the backdrop to all of this and Kim Lock painted a magnificent picture and I loved her inclusion of the cast of Aussie retirees， aka Grey Nomads， hitching up vans to their vehicles and setting out to see this great country of ours。 I haven't mentioned the writing but I absolutely appreciated it and found myself highlighting great chunks of text。 Kim Lock wrote with a truly authentic， contemporary Australian voice and her Author Note at the start of the book set the tone perfectly。 She wrote with such candour about her own nervous breakdown， acknowledging this term is no longer used but that she believed it perfectly described the physical and emotional experience of it: a breaking。 She so clearly wrote what she knew and I thank her for incorporating those feelings and experiences into a fabulous story with Mercy at its centre。My thanks to Kim Lock， HQ Fiction andNetGalley for the opportunity of reading this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review which it was my pleasure to provide。 。。。more
Sarah
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“Looking for the next Eleanor Oliphant？ Meet Mercy Blain”。 That’s how this heart-warming contemporary novel was brought the my attention， but I enjoyed it so much more！ Mercy， an Australian obstetrician， finds herself at a crossroad where she can no longer continue the life she’s living and leaves it up to fate to decide which path she will take。 Anxiety has confined her to four walls for two years after going through the most tragic week of her life。 Unable to face her fears and process her gri “Looking for the next Eleanor Oliphant？ Meet Mercy Blain”。 That’s how this heart-warming contemporary novel was brought the my attention， but I enjoyed it so much more！ Mercy， an Australian obstetrician， finds herself at a crossroad where she can no longer continue the life she’s living and leaves it up to fate to decide which path she will take。 Anxiety has confined her to four walls for two years after going through the most tragic week of her life。 Unable to face her fears and process her grief， Mercy felt that staying inside was the better alternative …until it wasn’t。 Mercy goes on a journey to get away from her past life and her past self。 She meets a great bunch of Aussie characters that are willing to give her a helping hand。 And she finally faces her ultimate fear。 Mercy is a very likeable character。 I was able to sympathise with her right throughout the book。 As someone who has also struggled with anxiety， the author captures the difficulty of doing simple tasks perfectly。 I’m so glad that Mercy wasn’t the next Eleanor。 Mercy’s story was so much more enjoyable to read， I was never left feeling frustrated at her like I was with Eleanor。 Highly recommend to lovers of contemporary or Australian fiction。 I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Marianne
，
The Other Side Of Beautiful is the fourth novel by Australian author， Kim Lock。 The day after her thirty-sixth birthday， two days after her house has burnt to the ground， Mercy Blain leaves: “In a tiny beat-up van that was almost as old as she was， with her Dachshund beside her and the wind in her hair， Mercy’s whole world was rattling north along a rural South Australian highway， with only the borrowed clothes on her back， cheap thongs on her feet and adrenaline pulsing through her veins。 She h The Other Side Of Beautiful is the fourth novel by Australian author， Kim Lock。 The day after her thirty-sixth birthday， two days after her house has burnt to the ground， Mercy Blain leaves: “In a tiny beat-up van that was almost as old as she was， with her Dachshund beside her and the wind in her hair， Mercy’s whole world was rattling north along a rural South Australian highway， with only the borrowed clothes on her back， cheap thongs on her feet and adrenaline pulsing through her veins。 She had absolutely no idea where she was going， or what she was going to do。”Her not-quite-ex-husband had come to her immediate rescue with a place to stay， as she stood on the nature strip in front of the fire but， despite his undeniable care for her， remaining in his house is intolerable。 The Daihatsu HiJet with its hand-painted epithet （Home is wherever you ARE） presents a solution: “For two years Mercy had not left her home but now she had a home she could carry with her。 Like a hermit crab。 Or more accurately， given her speed on the road， a snail。”Driving with a vague aim to reach the country’s northern shores， when she discovers a box of cremains （Jenny Cleggett） in the sparsely outfitted van， Mercy decides to return to Adelaide， but a certain huntsman spider spoils that plan; she continues northwards， appreciating the company of her loyal dog， Wasabi， and encountering quirky Grey Nomads， intimidating road trains， a rather attractive touring Scot， and a certain journalist who contributed to her pain two years earlier。While the unenviable circumstances of her marriage break-up might have been to upset anyone’s equilibrium， and it certainly destabilised her， this wasn’t the sole impetus to withdraw from the world， but Mercy scrupulously avoids discussing， and even thinking about， what happened， so the reader pieces the story together bit by bit as Mercy eventually opens up to the kindness of strangers。Mercy’s lack of preparation will have the heads of veteran nomads shaking， but provide amusement， as do Mercy’s haircut with a paring knife， escape through a toilet window， drunken phone call， beer-garden dancing and much of the dialogue:“‘What’s the collective noun for a group of caravans？’Andy pondered it。 ‘A swagger。’ ‘A gloat？’ ‘A boast。’ ‘A grandstand。’Andy asked， ‘What’s the opposite of an apology？ A confession？’ ‘A flagrant？’ ‘An entitlement？’ This went on for a while， back and forth， until Andy finally suggested， ‘An ostentation。 An ostentation of caravans，’ at which Shiraz came out of Mercy’s nose and the subject was settled。”Lock manages to cover some potentially sensitive topics with humour and insight， and wraps them all in marvellous descriptive prose。 Her portrayal of panic attacks is both highly credible and informative， as “moments of fear strung together like beads on a wire of anticipation” and “Besides the terror， the sense of doom and the pounding heart， one of the things she found most trying about panic attacks was how tiring they were” illustrate。 Funny， heart-warming and uplifting。This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and HQ Fiction。 。。。more
Cassie Hamer
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This was exactly the story I needed - a road trip adventure with huge emotional heart and terrific writing。 Mercy Blain is a character who reels you in page by page。 To be inside her head is a challenging but rewarding experience。 A genuine reading pleasure。
Janine
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A heartwarming story。
Rowena Stanley
，
Loved it
Christine
，
I really enjoyed this novel for a number of reasons。 The story described a road trip that I have travelled myself and it brought back fond memories 。 It also slowly released the back story of the main character as she emerged from a long period of trauma。 The author was very good at drawing me into the emotion of the character; the sadness， the confusion ， the feelings of anxiety and eventually the blossoming of the woman as she completed the road trip。
Becky
，
Good。 A bit predictable
Kerry RM
，
What a gorgeous book！ Loved it all？
Jo - •。★Reading Is My Bliss★。•
，
Just over two years ago Mercy was working as an Obstetrician at the local hospital， living with her husband Eugene and generally happy。 In the space of one week she suffered three life changing losses which were simply just too overwhelming for one person to cope with。 For the past two years she has pretty much been housebound trying to live with crippling anxiety。Mercy has enough shit to deal with each day when the unthinkable happens and her house catches on fire。 She loses everything， except Just over two years ago Mercy was working as an Obstetrician at the local hospital， living with her husband Eugene and generally happy。 In the space of one week she suffered three life changing losses which were simply just too overwhelming for one person to cope with。 For the past two years she has pretty much been housebound trying to live with crippling anxiety。Mercy has enough shit to deal with each day when the unthinkable happens and her house catches on fire。 She loses everything， except herself and her beloved sausage dog called Wasabi。 Now she has no choice but to face the confronting world outside of the four walls that gave her comfort and security。 ‘She had taken her comfort and security for granted。 Now it was gone。’After her temporary residence becomes just too unbearable， she makes an impulsive decision to buy a second hand Hijet van with the basics needed for camping and decides to set off from Adelaide to Darwin。 Wearing just the borrowed clothes on her back Mercy navigates her new normal which now includes going into stores to make purchases and encounters with the various people she meets at the camping grounds she stays at。 ‘When Mercy thought of her old self from before it had all happened， she wanted to go back in time and shake herself for taking the simplest tasks for granted。’Mercy faces her fears head on and I was really proud of the way she dealt with the many occasions she was completely out of her comfort zone。 One of the travellers she meets along the way is Andy from Scotland， this ends up developing into a wonderfully warm friendship that was completely unexpected but something they both needed。 Mercy is not completely alone in her travels， she is also carrying the remains of a human cremation and a huntsman spider who has taken residence in a hidden space of her van。 She is focused on getting to her destination whilst dodging calls from her ex about a pending court case she knows is looming。I am an avid romance reader but felt like reading something a bit different and this story was definitely the right choice。 。。。more
Sheree | Keeping Up With The Penguins
，
Mercy Blain’s story is wonderful and heart-felt， one of overcoming fear and finding home wherever you are。 Lock’s alarmingly accurate depictions of Mercy’s physical experience of anxiety were a little triggering， to be honest， but the wonderful rhythm of her writing carried me through the discomfort。 This is one of the best books I’ve read this year。My full review of The Other Side Of Beautiful is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins。 Mercy Blain’s story is wonderful and heart-felt， one of overcoming fear and finding home wherever you are。 Lock’s alarmingly accurate depictions of Mercy’s physical experience of anxiety were a little triggering， to be honest， but the wonderful rhythm of her writing carried me through the discomfort。 This is one of the best books I’ve read this year。My full review of The Other Side Of Beautiful is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins。 。。。more
Celia
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4。5
Kaffeeklatsch and Books
，
#theothersideofbeautiful has an amazing cover and spine andis being compared to Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine in the blurb。Mercy， our main character is a doctor， 36， has a sausage dog named Wasabi and hasn't left her house in 2 years due to three life-changing events。 She's battling anxiety and agoraphobia until one fateful night， she's forcefully pushed out of her house and has to confront life。*SPOILER ALERT*I honestly had a hard time relating to Mercy。 I've had problems with anxiety in #theothersideofbeautiful has an amazing cover and spine andis being compared to Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine in the blurb。Mercy， our main character is a doctor， 36， has a sausage dog named Wasabi and hasn't left her house in 2 years due to three life-changing events。 She's battling anxiety and agoraphobia until one fateful night， she's forcefully pushed out of her house and has to confront life。*SPOILER ALERT*I honestly had a hard time relating to Mercy。 I've had problems with anxiety in the past and experienced one panic attack， but I personally didn't find it relatable。 I do understand that different people feel differently， so others might see themselves better represented。 Another thing that frustrated me immensely was that Mercy is a 36 year old doctor， but she hardly showed any common sense， was extremely reckless， rude and unworldly。 She wonders why her camper doesn't come fully equipped， she thinks at one point she's driving a Japanese cult vehicle， she wonders how a portable fridge works， she has no other friends， family or colleagues。 I'm not sure if those were supposed to be charming jokes or if this behavior was intended by the author to underline her mental state。 When Andy is sitting there bleeding with a head wound， she makes him drive？！ That didn't make any sense to me。 Again she's a doctor （and had a patient die） and then she's treating it like a headwound is nothing at all and don't get me started when she's driving off into the storm。。。*SPOILER END*I still read this in two days， because I enjoyed the writing and the road trip trope， but I was frustrated with Mercy's behavior altogether。 You can have anxiety and depression AND common sense。I can recommend this to anybody who likes road trip novels and books with mental health rep。3 out of 5 coffee cupsThank you @hqstories and @harpercollinsaustralia for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review。#bookreview #newbookrelease #hq #harpercollinspublishers #illustratedcover #contemporarybooks #aussienove 。。。more
honestlyjasminereads
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"There is a difference between pain， you know， and suffering。 The former is a fact to surrender to， the latter is a choice。"The other side of beautiful was a slow burn for me however I persisted and I am glad that I did。 It was hard not fall in love with Mercy and the pain and struggles that she has endured were so relatable and left me wanting to know how her story was going to end。 The book gives an accurate insight into what it is like to live with anxiety and touches on topics that are so re "There is a difference between pain， you know， and suffering。 The former is a fact to surrender to， the latter is a choice。"The other side of beautiful was a slow burn for me however I persisted and I am glad that I did。 It was hard not fall in love with Mercy and the pain and struggles that she has endured were so relatable and left me wanting to know how her story was going to end。 The book gives an accurate insight into what it is like to live with anxiety and touches on topics that are so relatable。 And what a fun read it was to be part of adventure that was happening here in Australia！ 。。。more
Tash
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