Book review

lilies and anxieties
​by: anik bellefleur

Book Synopsis

Lily has never had problems with her mental health. She’s never worried about anything, not even her massive credit card debt or the creditors that insist on calling her daily. But that changes when she gets into a small car crash. Suddenly, Lily is unable to even think about leaving her apartment without having a panic attack.

Thankfully, Lily’s two best friends, Autumn and Cora, live down the hall from her. They help her manage day-to-day tasks like walking her blind beagle, Phil, but Lily is still left alone for much of the day. An opportunity for more companionship presents itself when Cora decides to sign up for a dating app and matches with Michael the police officer. Too busy with work to chat with Michael, Cora leaves her phone with Lily during the day so she can talk to Michael while pretending to be Cora. But Lily keeps forgetting she’s meant to be chatting as Cora and keeps telling Michael facts about herself. When Cora and Michael finally meet, there’s confusion, mayhem, and a whole lot of explaining to do. Has Lily taken on too much or can she successfully navigate her mental health and a mistaken identity?

About the Author

Anik Bellefleur has been a mental health counsellor for seventeen years. Reading has always helped distract her from her own mental health struggles, and she hopes her own book can not only do the same for others, but also help erase some of the stigma surrounding mental health. When she isn’t reading or writing, Anik enjoys gardening, meditating, practising yoga, shopping, and spending time with her dogs. She currently lives in Nasonworth, New Brunswick, with her husband and their three dogs.

Review
5/5 *

As someone who has been diagnosed with anxiety myself, it was very refreshing to read a story with an accurate portrayal of what it feels like, and that it doesn't always after some huge trauma, there are so many things that can trigger it. Every person is different, every person heals in different ways. Mixed in with a story of friendship, romance, and humour, this book was an easy read and hard to put down. I breezed through this book on a weekend away camping, reading any time my kids gave me some downtime. Check out Anik's website below and pick yourself up a copy. You wont regret it.

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