I recently went on holiday and although my usual beach-reads would be cutesy contemporaries, this time I was very into autobiographical books, reading three during the week, one of which was the beautiful, Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me by Lily Collins. I have been a huge fan of Lily for as long as I can remember and have always felt in a weird way, that we were friends. Lily's natural talent for writing and personal anecdotes further exemplified this feeling and it was delightful to read such a stunning and relatable book.
Lily is one of my top actresses; Love Rosie is my all time favourite film and whilst it's clear she is an incredible actress, I was wary as to whether her writing would be up to the same standard or whether she was just publishing a book for the sake of it. I'm pleased to say that Lily is a phenomenal writer and her book is touching, meaningful and useful to so many people, especially young women.
Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me is a collection of essays detailing personal moments of Collins' life, as well as offering advice to those who read it. Lily's main focus is on her feelings of confusion and loneliness as a child which contributed to challenges she strived to overcome in her adult life such as her tendency towards unhealthy relationships and her eating disorder. She explains that if she'd realised that other people- namely the women and celebrity role models- in her life felt these same emotions, she may have felt less alone and would've found it easier to ask for help. Therefore providing this guide to be that role model for young adults.
I think it's really wonderful that Lily has used her platform as an actress to help young people and somewhat expose the falsities of the 'perfect' Hollywood to remind us that no matter what our status in life or where we are, we are not alone. Lily strives to shatter the idea of impossible beauty standards through her candid and sincere writing. Whilst Lily, as the daughter of an extremely successful musician, obviously didn't have the typical upbringing, her writing makes her seem extremely down to earth and gives off the general vibe of an older sister imparting all their wisdom on their younger sister (or brother).
I wouldn't say Unfiltered is a book which will drastically change your life, but it certainly makes you think and it's truly comforting to hear such relatable stories from a Hollywood star. Lily's extremely eloquent writing is touchingly honest and she is certainly wise beyond her years. Her continual positivity is envious but ultimately inspiring and infectious.
"You deserve happiness. You deserved to be loved just as you love others. You deserve everything."
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars