Name: Céline Zwijsen's review of Unfiltered by Lily Collins
Item: Unfiltered
Rating: 4
Author: Céline Zwijsen

Lily Collins

This international bestseller—now with a brand-new cover—features a new chapter and never-before-seen photos! In her groundbreaking debut essay collection, actress Lily Collins—Golden Globe-nominated star of Rules Don’t Apply, Mortal Instruments, and To the Bone—is opening a poignant, honest conversation about the things young women struggle with: body image, self-confidence, relationships, family, dating, and so much more. Lily shares her life and her own deepest secrets, underlining that every single one of us experiences pain and heartbreak. We all understand what it’s like to live in the light and in the dark. For Lily, it’s about making it through to the other side, where you love what you see in the mirror and where you embrace yourself just as you are. She's learned that all it takes is one person standing up and saying something for everyone else to realize they’re not alone. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Lily’s honest voice will inspire you to be who you are and say what you feel. It’s time to claim your voice! It’s time to live your life unfiltered.

No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me.

Unfiltered

Céline Zwijsen

In this groundbreaking debut essay collection, featuring never-before-seen photos, actress Lily Collins—star of Mortal Instruments and the upcoming Rules Don’t Apply—is opening a poignant, honest conversation about the things young women struggle with: body image, self-confidence, relationships, family, dating, and so much more. For the first time ever, Lily shares her life and her own deepest secrets, underlining that every single one of us experiences pain and heartbreak. We all understand what it’s like to live in the light and in the dark. For Lily, it’s about making it through to the other side, where you love what you see in the mirror and where you embrace yourself just as you are. She's learned that all it takes is one person standing up and saying something for everyone else to realize they’re not alone. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Lily’s honest voice will inspire you to be who you are and say what you feel. It’s time to claim your voice! It’s time to live your life unfiltered.

Melissa Palmer

Book #44 Read in 2017
Unfiltered by Lily Collins

Lily Collins has acted in such movies that I like as The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and The Blind Side. She is also the daughter of musician Phil Collins. Additionally, she is a young woman who has survived eating disorders, unhealthy relationships and self doubt. This collection of essays is a good, quick read and Lily's honesty shines through her writing. I borrowed this book from the public library.

alexandra

3.5/5 – i don't really have much to say aside from the fact that i enjoyed it!

Emily Chernisky

I loved how open and perceptive Lily Collins is about her life and what she has been through. I never knew some of her struggles and I am in awe of how far she has come. I enjoyed her stories about thrifting and baking. If you are into a good laugh, cry, and overall story, this book is for you.

Fátima

Me encanta Lily Collins, así que desde que sacó este libro tenía muchas ganas de leerlo, pero su momento no llegaba nunca. Hasta ahora. Es un poco difícil hablar de él de forma crítica porque es una autobiografía no una historia ficticia, y la actriz nos cuenta una serie de eventos en su vida que son bastante delicados (por ejemplo, su relación con la comida y desórdenes alimenticios, o su relación con su padre o con parejas abusivas). Creo que tener el valor de abrirte de esa forma y mostrarte vulnerable al mundo requiere muchísima fuerza, y es de admirar. Al principio admito que me irritaba un poco (especialmente en los capítulos donde hablaba sobre cómo caía una y otra vez con chicos que no eran buenos y que "necesitaban ser salvados"), pero también, a medida que avanzaba me sentía muy inspirada por lo que ella estaba narrando. Especialmente en sus capítulos sobre amor propio (algo en lo que trabajo todavía). Me daban ganas de dejarme ser vulnerable, de mostrarle un poco de mí al mundo sin tanto temor. Y el hecho de que me hizo sentir de esa forma fue lo que hizo que al final el libro me gustara tanto.

Jihad Mahmoud

" By sharing, we learn that we're not alone, that we're not so different after all. we're all human. we all want to feel part of something greater " 
I really loved the book! I loved how she can get herself up every time she falls! I loved how she is convincing herself that she is strong no matter what! the book full of quotes and related events to every girl's life! the book made me feel like I am not only who is struggling that there's hundreds of girls is struggling right now but never gave up and always keep going! I loved how realistic she was and her bravery to open up herself to people and share everything with them like they're part of her life or her friends! I really loved everything about the book! everything about it is great! and it feels great to know that there is someone feels as you feel the same no difference it's like you are connected only by the feeling :) ! I wish I could give it more than 5 because it really deserves more!

This international bestsellerfeatures a new chapter and never-before-seen photos! In this groundbreaking debut essay collection, featuring never-before-seen photos, actress Lily Collins-star of Mortal Instruments and Rules Don't Apply-is opening a poignant, honest conversation about the things young women struggle with- body image, self-confidence, relationships, family, dating and so much more. For the first time ever, Lily shares her life and her own deepest secrets, proving that every single one of us experiences pain and heartbreak. We all understand what it's like to live in the light and in the dark. For Lily, it's about making it through to the other side, where you love what you see in the mirror and where you embrace yourself just as you are. She's learned that all it takes is one person standing up and saying something for everyone else to realise they're not alone. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Lily's honest voice will inspire you to be who you are and say what you feel. It's time to claim yourvoice! It's time to live your life unfiltered.

No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me

Rebeca Keren Nuñez

La verdad me sorprendió porque hay un montón de cosas que no sabía de la vida de la autora. Es muy valiente ser tan abierta y honesta sobre tantas vivencias dolorosas. Me identifico mucho, porque también atravesé varios de esos problemas, por los que la entiendo y entiendo lo que vivió. Hay cosas qué tal vez suenen muy básicas, pero cuando estas pasando por un mal momento, ver que otras personas se han recuperado de lo mismo ayuda. Siempre es bienvenido un mensaje positivo.

Elizabeth 

“When someone shows you who they are, believe them.” 

 4/5 Stars 

I loved this book. It was absolutely real, raw, and emotional talking about touchy topics and relatable moments. Lily delivered this book in such a beautiful way that made it seem so unique and real. I chose to listen to the audio book and I am so happy that I did. Having her read it made this novel 10x better. She was funny and emotional all at the same time. I found myself shouting back at her quite often even though she couldn't hear me. 

All the things she talked about seemed to come full circle and I especially loved how she was able to make emotional and sensitive topics feel so relatable. I loved how she incorporated her life as a child and her life now and I think it is so amazing how she made the book feel so real and like a conversation. I didn't know much about her going into the novel but after listening, I feel like she could be my best friend. 

The end did feel a bit slow but the last chapter or two was just beautiful and tied the whole story together. If you are in the mood for a light, funny, and raw novel then this is perfect for you. It is absolutely perfect, especially the audio book.

Courtney ✿ @librarycutie

As said from my boyfriend, Lily Collins is a trooper. She’s been through so much and has found a way to become herself after batting with her troubles. I salute this beautiful wonderful lady, she’s a true inspiration and I loved listening to her tell her story

[listened on audible]

Sophia De La Garza

4.5 Stars
This book took me completely by surprise. I knew I'd enjoy and connect with parts of the novel from the videos and posts I'd seen about it, but I'd never thought I'd love it as much as I did. 
Lily made her story relatable and easy to follow and it was inspiring to read. 
I highly recommend to any females of any age, who need some motivation in life.

Jessica Williamson

4.3

One of my favorite things about this book is the first sentence. "I used to be extremely insecure about my eyebrows." 

Personally, I've always loved Lily's eyebrows. They're the first thing you see when you look at her. So it being the first thing you see on the page just seems so fitting. 

This collection of essays hits a lot of targets. Living with an eating disorder, abusive relationships, familial relationships, learning to love yourself. And even though that makes the collection have a bit of a disconnect, the theme remains the same throughout: Love yourself, love your life. Don't be afraid to say what you feel. Learn from your past, put it toward the future.

If you have issues with reading about eating disorders, I don't recommend you read this. She does go into detail about her anorexia as well as bulimia. While it is a tale of how she overcame it, it could be triggering for some.

I found a stronger connection with her stories of dating and her relationship with her father. I saw a lot of myself in her words and was able to connect with it.

This book wasn't earth shattering. It didn't make my whole world change. But it did inspire me to be more optimistic in the future. To look at my mistakes with the eye of a lesson rather than something to continuously revisit in shame or pain. 

I'll leave you with a couple of quotes.

"You have to love yourself the most and use your voice."

"So keep using your voice, honoring your past, owning your story, and making new experiences to add to it."

In this groundbreaking debut essay collection, featuring never-before-seen photos, actress Lily Collins-star of Mortal Instruments and Rules Don't Apply-is opening a poignant, honest conversation about the things young women struggle with- body image, self-confidence, relationships, family, dating and so much more. For the first time ever, Lily shares her life and her own deepest secrets, proving that every single one of us experiences pain and heartbreak. We all understand what it's like to live in the light and in the dark. For Lily, it's about making it through to the other side, where you love what you see in the mirror and where you embrace yourself just as you are. She's learned that all it takes is one person standing up and saying something for everyone else to realise they're not alone. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Lily's honest voice will inspire you to be who you are and say what you feel. It's time to claim yourvoice! It's time to live your life unfiltered.

sera

I'm a well known big fan of Lily Collins, it's amazing reading through this book knowing the backstory of her life during each era of her works. Her struggles made her this amazing person that she is today, and the honesty in telling her stories is one of the reason why people love her so much all these years.

I cried a little at the filming Okja at South Korea part☹️.

No shame, no regrets.

P/s: the audiobook enhanced the reading experience. She narrated herself, feels like she's in front of you telling the story first hand.

Mya Adams 

I found this book to be such a relief, I listened to it on audio book, because I like listening to memoirs and books written by actors and actresses. Most often those books are written and read by themselves. I needed a break from the dense book I was reading and I personally love Lily Collins so when she the book came out I knew I needed to pick it up.

This book revealed a lot we didn't know about Lily as well as her talking in depth about things we did know about her. She was candid in the book and never once did I think she was holding back her feelings. I loved her voice and how she constantly spoke about finding her voice and encouraging other young men and women to find there voices as well and speak up.

She talks about all the things she has done in her life good and bad. It's really a tell all book, that by the end I wished there was more because I was even more in love with her than when I had picked the book up. Definitely a book that will inspire anyone to conquer the world. I recommend this book highly to anyone.

Lovisa

Nej alltså nej. Jag förstår om hon skrivit en bok om det svåra i hennes liv, men det får så lite utrymme och talar istället mer till: jag är inte som alla andra tjejer, jag är så random och tycker om att dansa! Wow så galen jag är! 
Nej, tråkigt

Alejandra Bran

I like Lily Collins, unfortunately I can’t relate to most of this book. Which if you see it in a good way, that means I didn’t have much issues growing up. 

It was a very inspiring book, I would definitely recommend it to my teenage sisters.

Julia Steiner

Isabella Stocka

THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS


"You deserve happiness. You deserve to be loved just as you love others. You deserve everything."

This is the most beautiful quote and I will try to take it with me in my heart everyday.



"The universe gives us nuggets of inspiration every oncein a while during our most trying times and, if we're open and willing to see, they can prompt immense growth."

...and this book is one of those nuggets.
We all know Lily as the "daugther of" or as an actress. But little we know that she is an intelligent beautiful soul and an amazing author and such a amazing role model.
I first saw Lily in "Blind Side", I love her in "The Mortal Instruments" (perfect Clary) and completly adore her in "Love, Rosie".
From how she is doing her job as an actor and watching her interviews during press tours for the movies she plays in I knew that this girl/woman is more then just a pretty face and an amazing actress.

I preorderd my copy and couldn't wait to finally read it.
So I got my copy a day after it was published and finished it in two days.

What I love most about the book is that is isn't a typical biographie. It is more a retrospective about growing up, feeling lost, dealing with difficult topics and finding your own way to be happy and that shown on her own life and experiences.
I am the same age as Lily and I pretty much saw myself in the stories she shares.
Growing up in one country, moving to another. Trying despreatly to fit in the new environment and hoping no one would laugh about me. Being unsure about everyone and everything and developing anxieties and while growing up feeling lost. Don't know where I will fit in and what I should do. 

It feels good to know that a lot of people are going through the same problems and have to find a way to deal with it, accept it or learn that they don't want to be around certain people and situations.
The problem is that our society still don't talk about everything. Even hide some topics. There are still too much taboo topic which should be discussed openly . People need to know that it is okay to not always feel happy. But they also need to know that when they feel bad that they can always go to someone and talk about it. Like Lily says, it isn't a sign of weakness if you ask for help. It is a sign of strength!

What made me cry was how openly Lily talks about her food disorder. I can only imagine how hard it was after so many years to talk about it. To tell what made her do it and how she reflects on it. I love the chapter when Lily shares the story where she talked to a friends daughter who was 14 at the time and the girl is telling her that she is unhappy that she doesn't look like the famous woman in the magazines. Lily included. 
I love how Lily is talking about this part of her life. It is all about the right balance in life. Even with food.
Accept that it is okay and beautiful to look the way you are! 

As mentioned before this book isn't just a biography. It is an example, a guide.
This book teaches me a lot. Let me reflect on myself and reminds me about so many things. Like this quotes:

"By sharing, we learn that we're not alone, that we're not so different after all. We're all human. We all want to feel part of something greater."


"I was proof that it's possible to have lots in common with other people no matter where you live."
In these modern times we life in it is easier to connect with people. If you may not have any luck with people around you, you may be lucky to find someone worldwide. 
Something I can perfectly realate to. Communication is the key for so much. I agree 100%, Lily. 



"Don't live a boring life if you can add a little silly into it every once in a while."

Another thing I love about this wonderful honest book is that it is mentioned that it is okay to "standing out in a crowd" because it "is much more rewarding then blending in".
Embrace your inner nerd and love that part of yourself because it is such a precious wounderful thing which we should never lose.


I want to finish with another quote because this is so important:
"What is it about their stories that makes you feel connected to them? Now think about how powerful that book, article, movie or album is if it makes people all over the world feel just as affected as you do. Those stories teach us, unite us, inspire us. Their authors inspire us. And, who knows, you too may already serve as a huge inspiration for someone. So keep using your voice, honoring your past, owning your story, an making new experiences to add to it. The more character you meet, the more character you build. The more colorful your story, the more colorful your life."

Céline Zwijsen &
Unfiltered by Lily Collins

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Céline Zwijsen &Unfiltered by Lily Collins

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Céline Zwijsen &
Unfiltered by Lily Collins