BOOK REVIEW: No Filter by Grace Victory

Format: Hardback, birthday present!
Links: Goodreads | Amazon UK
Blurb: From struggling with an eating disorder and body image issues to flashing Harry Potter (yes, that really did happen), Grace Victory has experienced it all.

Here, in No Filter, Grace shares her inspirational story of growing up in a troubled household, battling with depression and finally overcoming it all by learning to love herself just as she is. After years of self-loathing and self-destructive behaviour, she hit an all-time low but thanks to therapy, good friends and an award-winning blog, she has rebuilt herself to become a TV presenter and an inspirational role model for young people. Thanks to her bravery, instinctive honesty and ability to break down taboos, Grace is now able to speak openly about her personal battles and she regularly offers guidance to her legion of fans.

Brimming with hilarious anecdotes and no-nonsense advice, the Internet’s Big Sister tells you everything you need to know about accepting yourself and fighting back, in style.

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Review: I’m not one to buy into the “YouTube hype”. I watch YouTube and have a few favorites which I like watching whilst I’m having a relaxing bubble bath – Grace being one of them – but I don’t really do the whole “YouTube book / merch” thing… If you get me. But when I heard Grace was bringing a book out and what it was going to entail, my interest was instantly piqued. I never thought I’d be excited over a YouTuber’s book but I really admire Grace as a person, as a role model for younger girls, as a businesswoman and creator so I really wanted to see more of what she was “all about“. I don’t look at Grace and watch Grace’s videos thinking she’s a celebrity, I feel like I’m watching a friend so I felt exactly the same reading this book.

No Filter is a bit of two worlds: Grace’s world and mine. She talks about things that have happened in her life and is very, very open and honest about all of them. Which I massively respect and appreciate because I do have to question to validity of some YouTuber’s sometimes. And she also provides helpful information, phone numbers, advice and tips for everything from domestic abuse and rape to things you should definitely be doing to feel better on your period. Although it’s very much Grace’s story and life, she somehow manages to make you feel a part of it, helps you relate (if you can) and gives you guidance (if you need it). And if you don’t, it doesn’t really matter because it’s an easy book to read and also a book you’ll learn something from.

I saw Grace’s documentary, “Clean Eating’s Dirty Secrets” and whilst I loved it, it was shocking. Truly shocking. So I  loved the chapter where she goes into more detail about the documentary and the tainted view of food a lot of us have which is hindered by these damaging and quite frankly, ridiculous, “movements and diets” which do not benefit us. I’ve had a fair few issues with disordered eating in the past and I suppose I still do, deep down, which could quite easily rear their ugly head whenever they want. So although it was a shame to read about Grace’s eating issues throughout her life, that was one area where I could understand and relate more so than others.

Grace doesn’t make this book all about her, despite it being her own story and I loved that. I was interested, of course, to hear about Grace’s life thus far, what she’s had to go through and how she got out the other side and it truly is motivating and inspiring. I don’t know whether it was the affect of the book or the universe but personally, I’ve been working so much harder at my blog during the week I was reading this… So maybe it does hold some sort of magic! But I loved how she connected to the reader and made them very much a part of the story as well. All Grace’s advice was spot on, not pushy or damaging (you know what I mean) and the phone numbers, helplines and websites were a brilliant thing to have scattered among the chapters for a reader who might not have any idea of what else to do.

So… It’s safe to say, I really enjoyed No Filter. For my first YouTuber book experience, it was a pretty good one but honestly, it would probably stop there at Grace’s because I think she’s one of the more real, honest and relate-able YouTuber’s out there. If you’re wondering about No Filter I’d say, just read it. It’s obvious that Grace put her entire heart and soul into this book. It wasn’t for the money. Or the recognition. Or fame. Or whatever. That’s very apparent. This book has done nothing but made me admire Grace as a woman even more. Girl power.