Saturday, April 29, 2017

REVIEW: Dear Reflection: I Never Meant to be a Rebel, by Jessica Bell

Growing up is hard to do. . .growing up with performing musicians who are also your parents, is even harder. Jessica Bell has written an engaging and poignant memoir which spans two distinct places: Australia and Greece. It's a whirlwind tour of learning to cope.




Jessica Bell's Memoir cover for:Dear Reflection



DEAR REFLECTION: I Never Meant to be a Rebel
Author: Jessica Bell

A lonely child uses her imagination to provide what she doesn't have--a trusted person to talk to. In listening to this mirror image alter ego, she gives permission to the voice that urges her, demeans her and chips away at her confidence. Music comes along with an early guitar and suddenly she finds something she enjoys. But is she good enough? Always the uncertainty.

There are forays into the wilder side of life for intervals, but something always seems to save her from her destructive tendencies. Family issues come and go, each teaching the young woman more about the real world. She learns the darkness of addiction to prescription drugs from her mother, the blindness of the mind that alcohol causes, and the bullying of a jealous partner.

To survive, she must accept her parents for what they are, and push back and prove to herself that the voice in the mirror and in her head is wrong. This memoir, with its moments of grittiness, is the first I've read that has kept my attention throughout. Reading this novel stirred the thought that when the going gets tough, the struggle strengthens us. 

Highly recommended for parents, teens, or anyone who has felt loneliness whether growing up or afterwards as an adult. I consider Dear Reflection: I Never Meant to be a Rebel one of Jessica's best. She handles the issues which she has lived through with sensitivity and brutal honesty. Bravo!

ALERT: Available the 1st of May. See the link to website below.

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Have you read any of Jessica Bell's other novels? Do you like memoirs? Why or why not? Do you ever think of writing a memoir? 


Please leave a comment to let me know you were here and I'll respond. Thanks for dropping by. 

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For more on this author's novels, and other talents, please visit Jessica Bell's website: http://www.jessicabellauthor.com/  


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