A review by gen_wolfhailstorm
Open: A Toolkit for How Magic and Messed Up Life Can Be by Gemma Cairney

4.0

Actual rating: 4.5/5 stars

There are only 2 reasons this book didn't get a full 5 stars. The first was that although Gemma really went above and beyond to make this readable for all ages, I still found some portions to be more aimed at a younger audience. This isn't a bad thing at all, it just didn't impact me or was as much use as it would have been if I had been younger and was about to experience things for the first time. I was just at a different stage of life for some of the topics in this book, but it still provided excellent advice. The second reason is that yes, this book covered a wide spectrum of topics but I found some of the segments were too short to be of substantial use. Some felt like short magazine articles, whilst others were of thicker substance.

So, I picked this up on a whim because I was going through a break up and I noticed how cool Gemma looked, flipped a page and saw it said "heartbreak". I flicked through and decided then and there that I needed it, as silly as that seems. I have no regrets.

I loved that this was interactive. Personally, I don't write in my books, but I couldn't pass up on the word search. Anyway, I know a lot of people will like this because it makes the reading experience more personal and fun.

This book was really well structured; the design and layout was so full of colour. I loved the use of illustrations and the content is very diverse in both subject matter and the style of it. It is generally very easy to read and helpful too.

I liked how this included interviews and collaborations from a lot of strong women. One collaboration I particularly enjoyed was of a poem called Free by Caroline Rothstein- it was so powerful!

The letter that Gemma wrote to her 14 year old self was such a great closure for the book, and rounded up the majority of the topics talked about.

Overall, I'd recommended this to any one. I'll probably go back and consult this book when I need advise on certain parts of my life as I grow. And that's saying something as I rarely re-read books!

Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén