Iain Kelly

The Blurb:

Annabelle Riley invites you to join her on a rocky journey to happiness, that will make you laugh and cry along the way. Annabelle has discovered that hiding what she hates about herself has caused damage to those she loves most.
Behind a sunshine smile, she has been hiding a mental health issue from family and friends since she was a child. Annabelle is about to learn a lot about herself, about friendship, about life itself, and ultimately about real love.
In the charming town of Blackwood, Annabelle has found loyal friends who support our LEARNER AT LOVE. As her own heartbreak heals, Annabelle tries to fix some of the damage she feels she has caused others. She would be glad of your support along her journey. Cheer her on as she embarks on an epic adventure that will be continued in the rest of The LEARNER AT LOVE Series.
Enjoy her lighthearted story of friendship and romance that weaves in and out of insights into Annabelle’s mind and heart.

The Review:

Full disclosure: this is not the sort of book I would normally read, or be attracted to – a romance dealing with love and broken hearts and lots of emotions and feelings – but in the spirit of widening my reading experience, I decided to give it a go.
‘We Hide What We Hate About Ourselves’ evolved out of a series of blogs and it very much feels like a serial rather than a traditional novel. This does lead to some repetition throughout, with back story and dialogue overlapping. However, if you accept it as such it’s a very readable and engaging story.
It’s a credit to the author that some heavy subjects – depression, divorce, self-harm, the loss of a child, mental health and drug abuse – are treated in a light and readable way, without dragging the whole story down. There is a lot of dialogue as characters share their feelings with each other, again, more than you would find in a traditional novel. There isn’t much introspection here, it’s all laid out in conversation. The characters are complex, sometimes engaging and sympathetic, sometimes irritating and annoying – much like well-rounded people in real life.
There is enough suspense in waiting to learn the choices that Annabelle will make between the men in her life to hold interest until the very end. I could have lived without the turn towards religion as part of the answer to her problems near the very end of the book, and her dismissal of professional medical help, although that’s a personal preference.
A few typos and spelling issues, but not enough to detract from the writing, a simple style that made it easily readable and held my interest.

Summary: An in-depth look at complex relationships of love, life and friendship. Add extra points if this sort of genre is one you enjoy, but plenty for the uninitiated to enjoy too.

‘We Hide What We Hate About Ourselves’ is available from Amazon on Kindle and in paperback: Amazon.co.uk: We Hide What We Hate About Ourselves

Melody Finch blogs at Crushed Caramel, where you can find more of her writing and links to her books.

I occasionally review books on my blog from independent and self-published authors. If you have a book you would like me to review, leave me a message and I will take a look.

For reviews of traditionally published books and to see what I’ve been reading, visit my Goodreads page.