Secrets for the Mad: Obsessions, Confessions and Life Lessions by Dodie Clark | Book Review

For those who don’t know, Dodie Clark (aka dodie, always with a lowercase d) is a British singer/songwriter and YouTuber. With a reputation for being completely honest and open with her followers, dodie’s book is an extension of her online presence.

I’ve been following dodie online since the ‘Charlieissocooklike’ video about 6 years ago and have been obsessed with every original song she’s released, as she’s released it. The thing I have always loved most about her music is the way she tells stories through her music. Her lyrics are beautiful in a way I’m constantly in complete awe of. With such beautiful story-telling through her songs, when I heard dodie was writing a book, I knew it was going to be brilliant.

I wasn’t disappointed.

The Writing

Dodie brings her lyrical writing style to her book. She writes her stories with the same flowing language as she uses in her songs. As someone who knows her songs well, the familiarity in her writing makes reading her book feel like a long conversation with an old friend. It is easy to read and sophisticated writing at the same time. The perfect mix.

The Structure

The structure of the book is so incredibly clever. Dodie interweaves her stories with her lyrics, using her songs to link between the stories. The way she uses the book as an opportunity to explain the back story to her songs is amazing. Having followed her for so long and learned the words to her songs as she released them, reading the book felt like her explaining the stories and situations she wrote them about to me. It felt personal. It felt friendly. Exactly what watching her YouTube videos feels like.

Dodie’s book covers topics ranging from mental health, unhealthy relationships and alcohol to dealing with grief, feeling like your world is going to end and the importance of strong friendships. It may not be relevant to people who aren’t fans of dodie’s, but for those who are, I highly recommend it.

Have you read Secrets for the Mad: Obsessions, Confessions and Life Lessons? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments.

Lucy x