I've been a follower of Laura a.k.a Knee Deep in Life on Instagram for years and have always been a massive fan of her total honesty on her mental health, parenting and marriage (I love Steve). She's always been completely blunt on just how life is and just how sh*t it can be at times.

Now I haven't read her first book (sorry Laura) but was super pleased to recieve this one, hoping and expecting àits as open and 'to the point' as her Instagram posts and stories are.

After watching her in the aftermath of her complete mental breakdown (as said by Laura herself) I really wanted to understand more.

Personally I think if you don't follow Laura's account you won't really 'get' this book as much as someone who understands some of her background that shes explained brutally and uncompromisingly honestly on her page.

Whilst I don't think this is a book for everyone and it's not a book I loved , I admire just how raw and open it is and Laura's no boll*x approach is.

Note: if you don't like swearing I'd give this one a miss!!

A chaotic book about the author how recently recovered from a breakdown which is something I think a lot of people especially women can relate to, even if they haven't had a breakdown. It's so easy in the modern world to feel left behind, out of touch and plain not good enough.

There is possibly one thing that might deter some readers from this book and that possibly could be the offensive tone/ swearing but to be honest, it doesn't bother me, I feel it as an expression and expression is only a good thing for me.

The book itself is a powerful book, it almost comes under the self help genre in a way as it will help plenty of people to learn, grow and improve themselves. It's quite a poignant piece and it's definitely beautiful.

I've learnt a lot from this book, she is brilliant for women who are anxious, quiet and need to learn to invest in themselves through the art of self loving. The author makes sure to let us know that people pleasing isn't something we should be focusing on, how it infects us to our very core and how it could start to affect children around us. It also touches on how we adapt people pleasing with our children and I can say this is something I've been guilty with my step children on several occasions! It's okay to say no to people pleasing, not to feel guilty and to have no shame. I find this very raw and honest because it's definitely not easy, it's hard and to be open with so many people must take real guts.

Of course, this book won't help everyone, and it won't have the answers for every person that reads it but it does remind us, to take a moment and think is this really worth it, is my time worth this, is my self worth worth it?

Thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and Laura Belbin for the chance to read this free ARC in return for my review. I've enjoyed it immensely!

I was gifted one of Laura's previous books based on her instagram persona, Knee Deep In Life. That was a brutally honest depiction of her life and journey to motherhood, so when I saw No Shame was available I immediatley requested it as I had enjoyed the other one so much.

Make no mistake, this book is not like the previous one I read - while the author's voice is the same, the tone is very raw and at times visceral in its depiction of the difficulties Laura has experienced over the last couple of years. She lays bare her breakdown and mental health struggles and what she has been doing to try to work through these, at times it can be a difficult read as she does not sugarcoat anything.

Shame is a big topic to tackle and yet not something that is really talked about or discussed in public, even in this day and age - there is a lot Laura talks about that I could empathise with or have felt/experienced myself. I found some parts of the book uncomfortable reading, but this is more a reflection of me than the author - and links back to the topic of shame and the root cause of a lot of mental health problems for a lot of people.

The author has written the book how she speaks, which is very sweary - this won't be for everyone, as she acknowledges herself. However, I do think a lot of people will get something from it - it is honest and open and more conversational in style than many other books that try to tackle or discuss mental health and all the myriad causes/effects/experiences that can create or influence.

Laura is fantastic! I’ve followed her knee deep account for I don’t know how long and her app with Vic is so hilariously funny but this book is a different side to Laura, a pure, open, honest and raw version and made me love her even more! A strong woman with a strong message throughout the book!

I appreciated Laura’s candour over her struggles with mental health and coming to terms with seeking help. It felt like reading somebody’s diary, which isn’t exactly a criticism but some parts did feel a bit too jumbled. The constant swearing felt forced to be #realatable and #kooky. The overall narrative of Laura seeking to overcome shame was very passionate.

No Shame - Laura Belbin

Having followed Laura on Instagram (@kneedeepinlife) I was really intrigued to read her book and found it very refreshing, raw and honest. It is a quick read but has so many interesting aspects and is thought provoking to the reader. Thank you so much NetGalley and Ebury Publishing, Penguin Random House for the e-arc in return for my honest opinion.

"No Shame" by Laura Belbin is so chaotic!

The author explains that this book was created over a course of several months, in which she went through a lot of changes, and it shows, but not as an advantage. It almost seems like the author is unable to decide if "No Shame" should serve as a self-help book, and if yes, on what, a memoir or a collection of essays.

It almost felt like one of the insta-therapy accounts that are so all over the place, that as a consequence they don't cover any subject in-depth, as they focus on what subject seems to be trending at the moment. Shame? Check. Sexual self-discovery? Check. Boundaries setting? Check. But how do we get there?

I think what would help "No Shame" is an extensive editing process, because it feels so incoherent that I found it too hard to trust in the author's expertise in any subjects relating to mental health and wellbeing, that aren't her own. It's valuable to share personal stories and battles to give people hope, once the healing has happened and there's some distance to this chapter of life. What it seems like the author does, is inserting personal stories when the topic resonates with her life journey and diagnosis, and other times posing as an expert, deriving from what she read or learned elsewhere. I'd have much more appreciation to this book, if it would focus either on the personal story, or take shape as a more generic self-help book.

No Shame by Laura Belbin is about ways of the process of finding confidence and not apologising for who you are.

A very refreshingly honest book, I follow Laura on social media, so it was good to read about her and an insight into her life.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

An immensely powerful book from Laura detailing her recent breakdown. I would recommend any potential reader to follow her on Instagram or FB for a while to see the no holds barred content @kneedeepinlife Don't read if you are easily offended or dislike honest language/ swear words. I sincerely applaud Laura for her absolute honesty in opening up her core being to put mental health issues at the forefront in an entirely unapologetic way. Bravo again. xx

Beautiful. Poignant. Phenomenal.
This was a beautiful read and I learnt so much. I cried and I smiled and there was nothing more that I wanted from this book. Truly a gem.

This book was fantastic as women we still worry contantly about what we look like, what we are wearing, what we are eating, what our body shapes are like and what other people think about all those things and it is exhausting.
This book shows everything that is real about being a woman and life and gives absolutely no f*cks about it, I wish I could be more like that, hell, after this book I may be more like that

No Shame is not a traditional self-help book, not that it claims to be, but it will help many, many people. It is a frankly honest account from Laura Belbin about her mental health, and how she has moved forwards from a number of distressing (and at times, traumatic) points in her life. It's written from the heart but with a purpose. Reading No Shame and the experiences and feelings of Laura will resonate with so many people. We might not all have been in her shoes with everything, but I can guarantee you that we've all felt feelings of shame, and the associated consequences at some time in our own lives. In actual fact, you may not have even realised it at the time, or even now. How many of us default to people pleaser mode, especially with our children, when we feel guilty about something? I know I'm guilty of that, and I know it's not the right answer, but in the heat of the moment it's my natural response. No Shame doesn't have the answers for everyone, but there's so much in there to make you stop and think, and acknowledge that you want to make things better, for yourself.

Read it. You'll feel better.

I've followed Laura Belbin on Instagram for a long time and I've always appreciated how honest she is with her followers. I must admit that I haven't got around to reading her first book yet (it's on my shelf), but having followed Laura through the aftermath of her "breakdown" (this is the word she uses), I knew I needed to read No Shame.

Firstly, let me just say that if swearing easily offends you then I don't think this book is for you.

Laura is unwaveringly open and honest as she shares her traumas, her intrusive thoughts, her rock bottom, her therapy journey and the techniques she has found helpful to her. If you follow her on Instagram then, like me, I'm sure you'll read No Shame imagining Laura's voice (I believe she reads the audiobook actually). Her writing style is very much like the way she speaks. It feels like she could be sat right beside you on the sofa sharing her story.

In all honesty, I'm not sure how I would've got on with the book if I wasn't familiar with Laura's instagram account. I felt that background knowledge added to my experience of the book.

This book won't be for everyone (a fact that the author acknowledges herself), but I took a lot from this book - not least that I also have horrendously low self esteem!

I can't say I loved this book but I really appreciated Laura's no bullsh*t approach, her total honesty, and valued her sharing the tools that have helped her to get to where she is.

No Shame is a book written by someone who has a PTSD diagnosis and wants to discuss all the way people are shamed in society for their own feelings. It's a quick read but I thought it was really interesting, informative and worthwhile.

I LOVE Laura and have been following her Instagram for ages so I was really happy to be approved for this book. I read her previous book so was keen to get into her latest release.
The title of this book really let's you know what you're in for.
Her writing is honest, refreshing and leaves nothing unsaid.
I'm even more of a fan now and hope she releases a third book.

No Shame by Laura Belpin

Do we own it? Being a woman that is. Do we fuck! We live in fear of how we look, what we eat, how we age and what we do. Wow, it's 2022 and we're still churning out that same old shit.I

I love , love , love Laura , I follow her on Knee Deep in Life and she always brings a smile to my face.
She gives us an insight to her struggles with mental health , and makes no excuse not shame for it which is absolutely correct 100%.
She's sweary but hilarious with it so don't read if easily offended . But long may she reign .
Thank you for showing us there is no such thing as normal , and thank f**k for that !