Try Not to Die: By Your Own Hand – Renee S. DeCamillis

4 stars

Try Not to Die: By Your Own Hand follows a young woman named Dahlia, who life really seems to have a grudge against. She’s been through abusive relationships, crippling anxiety and depression, school stress, a traumatic past come back to haunt her….you name it. Our task, as the reader, is to help her navigate life and make it through all of the hardships that she’s facing.

This book is so different from the usual Try Not to Die in that you aren’t actually trying to die in horrifically unfortunate ways. You’re trying your best to survive and make the right choices for Dahlia’s mental health. It’s a really heavy book, but a book that’s so important.

TNTD By Your Own Hand is a reminder on two fronts: it’s a reminder that we never know what someone is dealing with every day, and a reminder for those of us who are struggling that you are never as alone as you think, that life won’t always feel so heavy.

While there weren’t as many choices as I’m used to, this made each choice feel far more important and weighted as I was making them.

Thank you to Mark and Renee for putting this book out and to anyone whose headspace is darker than they think they can handle, there’s always a light to be found, sometimes in the most unexpected of places.