Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately it’s not for me. Did not finish @ 23%.

I am so glad Jonny is still here. We need more people talking about their pain, especially men. Life is hard and we need to support each other.

Fabulous read deep and searching characters and supporting storyline. The timelines helped and added significant depth to the novel Thankyou

I found this book hard to get into, but I think thats down to me rather than the book. I am going to give it another go.

Jonny and Neil came into school to speak to our students and made a huge impression so I was keen to read this book and it doesn’t disappoint. Although their meeting is the main point of the ‘story’, what really comes across is Jonny’s strength in coming to terms with his demons, despite several setbacks, and his drive to change the system on behalf of those it is currently failing. His honesty is an inspiration and this is a book every school library should have available.

Moving memoir about a depressed suicidal man who searches for the man who talked him down from the bridge and finds him. It's not an easy story with a pat happy ending but it's an interesting read.

The Stranger on the Bridge by Jonny Benjamin* tells Jonny's story about his mental health and his quest to find the stranger who spoke to him when he was standing on the edge of a bridge contemplating suicide, so he could thank him. This became a documentary which I saw a couple of years ago and found very moving.

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley.

This is a memoir from Jonny, who has spent much of his life battling mental illness, which almost came to a distressing end when one day he stands on the edge of Waterloo Bridge about to jump. Jonny is still here today to tell his story and raise awareness thanks to a stranger who stopped on the bridge to help him. This is an incredibly poignant read, and will leave a lasting impression on me.

I hadn't heard of Jonny before requesting this book, which now seems crazy to me. He has done lots of work for years now to raise awareness around mental health, including making several television appearances and having his own documentary made about his life, and his search for the stranger on the bridge so that they can be reunited.

Jonny's journey is far from easy, and he is testament to the fact that taking care of your mental health should be an on going process. He relapses several times, and has many close calls due to stress, overworking himself, and just not taking care of himself. I think this book would be helpful to people who suffer with their own mental health struggles, but it is also eye opening to everyone. We all need to learn to take better care of ourselves inside as well as out. I love how strong Jonny is, and how much his story has already helped people around the world. Hopefully as more people gain the strength to share their experiences, mental health can be something that continues to be fought rather than seen as a weakness.

I really enjoyed this book and it was so well written that I became emotionally involved in Jonny's journey and was routing for him all the way through. The addition of the samples of his poetry in most chapters was a lovely treat that I was not expecting and I was hugely impressed with his talents. A great book for anyone and everyone to read, full of hope, faith and inspiration and I wish Jonny and Neil and Rethink Mental Illness all the best.

It's great that nowadays more & more people feel able to speak out about mental health, though there's a still a long way to go as we see from Jonny's very personal story. What I really liked about Jonny & Neil's approach was their belief that it isn't just in the speaking out - it's in having the support once you have spoken to someone, and that's an area that still needs a lot of work, and funding, here in the UK.
Much food for thought in this book.

This was a really lovely read- Jonny Benjamin's life is drawn out in accessible language and his experiences, though a hard read, are all the more effective by virtue of his own commitment to trying to improve mental health care in the UK. His relationship with Neil is probably the most special part of all this- I remember the #FindMike campaign and knowing what the outcome was filled my heart with joy.

I think this book has the potential to be hard for people who struggle with mental health (myself included), but the overall positive message and the willingness to accept that it's a permanent battle is quite inspiring. Very glad I read this.

One January morning in 2008, 20 year old Jonny Benjamin stood on a busy bridge frequented by commuters every morning, determined to take his own life. He had escaped from a psychiatric hospital where he was being treated for newly diagnosed schizophrenia and was single-minded in his pursuit to take his life. A stranger stopped to speak to him, initiating a conversation which saved Benjamin’s life.

This is the story of how the author got to the point where life was so painful that suicide seemed like the only option and what happened next. I had followed Benjamin's story since his social media search for the man who saved his life that day so already felt invested in the story but I don't think you need any prior knowledge to "get" this book. It's about the desperation that mental illness can drive you to but also inspires gives an insight into the power of humanity. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know in the hope that it may inspire a small act that could change (or save) someone's life.

I loved everything about this book.

Jonny is truly amazing and inspirational.

I can relate to most of his story and I think that's also why I loved it so so much.

I was sent this after a request I placed on Netgalley and I'm so so pleased I was excepted.

I aim to carry on reccomened ing this book, as I already have done to many many people I've crossed in the last few weeks, whilst giving my own Lived Experience talks during my Godmothers Training courses she delivers on Mental Health First Aid.

Aswell as it being Mental Health Awareness Week last week, I think this book should be up there with the Top 10 Mental awareness Books...aswell as being a book to reccomened to all Men/Males who are struggling with life.

Well done Jonny, I follow you on Twitter and hope one day I too will get a reply from you 😊

all the best with life and your recovery.

Everyone, pick up this book x

This is an incredibly powerful and important book, dealing with a difficult subject that needs more public discussion to create a better understanding of the issue, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
The book opens with one of the most desperate days of Jonny Benjamin's life. In his early twenties, he had suffered from mental health problems all his life, with diagnoses ranging from depression to schizophrenia, and fleeing his current psychiatric hospital he made his way to Waterloo Bridge, determined to put an end to his misery. The only thing that stopped him was a young man who struck up a conversation with him, and eventually convinced him to go for a coffee, Before he could take up the stranger's kind offer he was arrested for his own safety and returned to a mental health facility. Several years later, when he was finally starting to feel in a better place he was approached by a television company who wanted to help him find this stranger as part of documentary.
Scattered throughout the book are various diary entries and pieces of poetry Johnny had written throughout his life, cataloging his struggles with self image, mood and the deepest secret of all, his sexuality. While he displayed symptoms from an early age, he did not seek help until he was in his teens, and it was his experiences with an understaffed and overstretched NHS system that lead to him becoming an advocate for better mental health facilities for children and teens in later years.
While the search for the stranger on the bridge is in some ways the driving force of this book, the real heart is Johnny himself, his honesty, even about things that were clearly difficult and unpleasant for him, shines through on every page, and I really felt like I got to know him just a little by reading his story . What an admirable and inspiring man, and what a difficult but worthwhile story he tells. For anyone who wants to understand what living with mental health issues is like, I cannot think of a single book I would recommend more.

I remember seeing the Find Mike campaign on the news and so was interested to read Jonny's story. I read most of this with a sense of sadness of how Jonny had felt for most of his life. I did enjoy the book and the way it was written.

The Stranger on the Bridge surprised me. I admit that I somehow missed the media storm that surrounded Jonny Benjamin and #findmike, but I was still able to appreciate Jonny’s story and his reality behind the camera.

This memoir offers a valuable insight in the life of someone with a mental illness but is unique as it shows what happens when said person is thrust into the spotlight. There is no attempt to mask the truth - the honesty offered throughout is eye-opening and often difficult to digest. This is what makes The Stranger on the Bridge well worth reading.

Highlighting mental illness and how Johnny came to help others. An enthralling and uplifting read. Would recommend.

Great book highlighting the ongoing struggles of mental illness, and how it doesn't mean you can't carry on with life and make a difference

I'd heard a lot about this book recently as it had been revealed that the Royal Family were endorsing the book - to be honest this did make me trepidatious. I needn't have .worried - from the beginning Johnny's honesty just shone through and it was painful to read his about his ups and downs but at the same time incredibly important. There is too much stigma surrounding mental health problems and the statistics he uses are shocking - and how true the points about the divide in how everyone treats physical health so differently from mental health.
I am so pleased that Johnny was saved from jumping from the bridge and the way the story plays out over the next few years is an important one to share.

I have followed Jonnys story on and off during the past few years and so really keen to read this.
I also trained as a mental health first aider last year so to read a book to give me a deeper understanding of mental health issues really on my agenda.

This is a great insight into mental illness and Jonny’s battle to stay well. The episode on the bridge just one of many during his life and i have a serious amount of respect for how he continues to battle against such debilitating health issues.

Personally the most powerful parts were Jonny’s diary excerpts and poetry. Would have loved more of these.