I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This was a difficult but hopeful read at this point in my journey but is really helpful while I am on the waitlist for counselling. It was interesting to hear Lucy talk about grieving and the stages of grief as someone who recently found out I didn’t properly grieve my own diagnosis and that is still causing problems almost 5 years after. I did have to praise a few times throughout the book due to my own journey making parts painful, especially around romantic relationships but it was important to hear nonetheless. I found that there were some great exercises and listening to it as a self-narrated audiobook was amazing, getting to hear her words in her own voice.

Blind Not Broken is an inspiring memoir by Lucy Edwards, a true testament to resilience and hope. At just 17, Lucy's life changed dramatically when she lost her vision due to a rare eye condition. Despite the challenges she faced, including a failed surgery, Lucy's journey is filled with moments of joy and unwavering support from her family and friends.

Narrated by Lucy herself, the audiobook captures her emotions authentically, transforming her struggles into a motivational guide for anyone facing difficulties. With ten insightful chapters, Lucy shares coping strategies and encourages a positive mindset. Personal interviews with her loved ones provide additional depth, showcasing the strong support system around her.

This memoir is not only a story of loss but also one of empowerment and perseverance. I highly recommend Blind Not Broken to anyone seeking motivation and guidance through tough times. It’s a beautifully crafted narrative that will leave you feeling uplifted.

A really enjoyable and interesting insight into the experience of being blind. The insights into Lucy’s childhood experiences, relationships with family, and how she navigates life as a blind woman were really interesting. Less exciting were the self-help tidbit sections, which wasn’t really what I was looking for in this book. Audiobook narration was really good, and I would recommend the audio format to really get a sense of Lucy.

3 stars - good book but could have done with less self help and more breadth and depth in relation to the authors experiences.

Lucy does a great job of explaining her journey. Knowing people who are slowly losing their sight is scary and listening to this book will help me to understand them. I am giving 4 starts instead of 5 as I really didn’t feel the need for Lucy to make it a self help book with activities. Her story is powerful enough.
Thank you net galley for the chance to listen and review this arc.

What happens when your life turns pitch dark when you are just 17? This is the true story of BBC broadcaster, TikTok sensation, and disability activist Lucy Edwards.

This is a special book for me. Because it is my first audio book that I listened to with full attention and enjoyed it, even though the life of Lucy was sad at times, there was hope and happiness thriving in all corners.

Lucy lost her visual sense due to a rare eye condition called incontinentia pigmenti. Even after surgery to restore her vision, it turned out to be a complete failure. One can only empathise with Lucy’s trauma and darkened, bleak future.

However, with supportive family—father, mother, and sister—and her childhood friend and current husband, she was constantly encouraged to do what she most desired.

This book was narrated by Lucy herself, with all her emotions kept intact without getting overwhelmed by revisiting her tough journey through this book.

Rather, the book, through Lucy’s words, serves as a self-help guide and a motivating manual for all who are facing challenges, whether they are physical, mental, emotional, or financial, to get ahead in life with a positive attitude.

Blind Not Broken has 10 chapters, including a prologue, and each one has tips on how to overcome these difficult times with a disability that is obstructing one’s progress through coping mechanisms and willpower.

In addition, there are personal interviews with Lucy’s parents, family, and friends, where they share about her childhood days and how they were supportive of Lucy during her hard times.

Overall, my view on audiobooks is not as sceptical as I was earlier. However, I am sticking to non-fiction audio books currently, as I believe fiction is still a reading/visual medium.

I recommend this short memoir if you are in need of motivation and guidance.

This is an excellent reminder that just because someone has a disability, they can still be self-centered, vain, shallow, entitled, and generally embody everything wrong with online influencer culture.

I hate making light of something that may in some way be helpful for someone out there…but damn, this one is painful. There aren’t many people who should write a memoir at age 27. Including this lady. Her complete and total unawareness of her own absolutely staggering amount of privilege makes it incredibly difficult to find even the smallest amount of empathy (I knew sympathy was not a realistic expectation after the first page) for what any non-psychopath would describe as the textbook example of an unfortunate event - going blind at age 17. However, when the top 10 reasons she repeatedly cites her “trauma” all involve being unable to see and select clothing, makeup, and hair products, you start to wonder if this is some sort of parody. It does not appear to be, unfortunately.

There is, surprisingly, some mildly interesting information about life as a disabled person in the ADA-free (BDA?) UK, which could have been expanded upon for a much more interesting book. However, the author’s cheerful ignorance of and disinterest in anything related to public policy or people other than herself in general quickly swings the conversation back to the important work of promoting Pantene shampoo.

The audio version is particularly painful as it is read by the author in what I assume to be her “influencer” voice - that weird, breathy, giggly, flirty tone that seems to transcend language in online advertising for dubious nutritional supplements and sweatshop produced clothing. Assuming that the voices in the especially awkward segment in which she harangues her family into telling her how wonderful she is actually belong to her relatives, it seems unlikely that this is just how she talks.

I really can’t not recommend this highly enough - but hey, it fulfilled my reading challenge prompt to read a book by someone I know nothing about! So thanks, NetGalley!

Beautifully written and really tugs at your heart!

I've left a full feedback piece on goodreads but thank you for the opportunity to listen to this one. I don't often gravitate to memoirs and biographies but I'm glad I listened to this one

The author herself narrates the audiobook, which takes you on her journey through grieving her vision loss. However, this does not mean it’s only suitable for the blind or their loved ones. After each chapter, there are exercises that are useful to everyone in my opinion, even if you’re not currently in the process of grief, they can help to reflect and be mindful.
The narration itself was beautifully done and it felt like a friend was telling you a story, which I really enjoyed.

Thank You to NetGalley for the ARC.

This audiobook was a great listen, Lucy's story is inspiring and emotional to explore, she narrates in a way in which you feel as if she could be sat across the room from you, letting you in on her emotions and struggles.
Her advice about grief and moving forwards after loss is really profound, a lot more than I was originally expecting from this book. I'd reccommend to anyone who may have had an impairment develop that has made them feel lost in this new world that they find themselves in, or those who just need kind words about how to move forwards through unpredictable life.
In the physical print of this book I hope there are pages to write in at reflective points - so that readers can reflect on what has been said and apply that to their own lives.

Blind Not Broken - Lucy Edwards

Lovely audiobook narrated by Lucy herself, what an amazing young lady!
I felt the emotions that Lucy shared throughout about her sight-loss journey and I still maintain that schools should teach Brail and BSL from a young age…Anyone can go blind or deaf at any point in their life ( yet we learn foreign languages?! ), but not only that maybe then as we grow older we may be able to understand and communicate more efficiently with each other. On the same subject as a carer for the elderly & disabled it would also be a great to be able to communicate with them and I actually went to the library to source such books and both brail and BSL were unavailable 🤷‍♀️

I recommend this book to anyone who is coming to terms with loss of any kind as Lucy has taken the time to add some self help exercises.
I plan to use the notes I have taken and try some of these techniques/exercises throughout the month of July. July is a hard month for me as it’s when I lost 3 close family members.

Praise to Lucy for being a true inspiration and sharing her personal story.

This book was an emotional read, very insightful memoir and self help guide! I loved listening to this audiobook and enjoyed the narration from the author herself, with a Q&A section featuring her family and questions from social media.

This was so insightful and really important for anyone unfamiliar with the reality of living as a blind person to listen to. I loved the suggestions at the end of each chapter and relating each to stages of grief.

Such a great book for anyone dealing with disabilities, mental and/or physical, grief or just going through a bad time. The way Lucy compares the stages of grief to her own personal experiences really helps to understand her better and understand yourself and out things into perspective.
It was an emotional and helpful read. Such a good book

This book was suggested for those losing their sight or going through grief. As someone who is experiencing neither I still found this book relatable and guiding with the self help tips at the end of each chapter being a bonus! The book offers insight to things a sighted person wouldn’t even consider or see as an obstacle. The book highlights how far we have come with including those with poor sight but also how much we still have to go to improve in some areas. Lucy’s optimism is contagious and while she describes the hardships she has faced, she always seems to have a positive message and outlook. I picked this book as I’d vaguely heard of Lucy via TikTok and wanted a perspective of someone different from my own, this book was perfect for that, interesting and practical! I would recommend this book to anyone, there was nothing to dislike!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

I absolutely loved this book. It was a little slow to start with as there was a lot of scene setting for the self help sections, however a little over half way I couldn’t stop listening. I thought I wasn’t after a self help book when I started to listen to it, however the advice is so sincere and tested by Lucy herself, and all of it seems really sound stuff that I whole heartedly agree with. This is a beautiful piece of writing that brings to attention how ableist the world we live in is which makes me sad for anyone with a disability. Lucy gives some great advice about things to do and not to do when you are interacting with anyone that has a disability. Thank you Lucy for writing this book, I have gotten so much from it, I am in awe of what you have achieved.

Having discovered Lucy on Tiktok with her "how does a blind girl" series I was intrigued to find out more about her. I think as a blind person she is doing a wonderful job to raise awareness and help to create a fairer world for those with sight loss. I am in awe that she was not only able to write a well written book on her experiences but to narrate it so flawlessly also.

After losing her sight completely at 17 Lucy's world changed in a way you could never imagine and she describes her experiences with saying goodbye to her then hopes and dreams with sadness and the frustration of having to re learn many skills. Her family and friends provided her with a loving support system which allowed her to grieve her losses and build courage and determination to engage with life again.

Written thoughtfully and honestly I really enjoyed hearing about how Lucy has navigated life with sight loss. The surprise section for me was when her family members contributed their thoughts on Lucy's sight loss and it was heartwarming to know that she is loved so much by those around her.

I received this audiobook from NetGalley and Hachette UK Audio | Hamlyn in exchange for a free and an honest review.

I found this audiobook very eye-opening as an able-bodied person I never imagined all the hoops that people with disabilities have to go through to just exist. I think that the author's description of how she lost her sight and subsequent depression was very vivid, and I feel that it is important to show others that people go through hard times and that they come out of them through support. This is especially helpful for people who suffer with depression and cannot see an ending to their woes. The instances where the author experienced ableism was quite sad and disheartening. I liked that she included a chapter on carers and family, as maintaining a strong relationship with friends, family and carers helped her get through difficult times and the tips that were shared can be used by people who are also trying to help their relatives adjust to their new normal. I was also quite pleased with everything that is being big tech is doing to empower visually impaired people from screen readers to labels that can be read by a scanning pen. Plus the charities that provide guide dogs, giving a measure of independence. However, there is a lot more to be done to make education and facilities accessible to everyone. The narration by Lucy Edwards was also well done and I hope that the final copy has a PDF to do the exercises at the end of each chapter, plus, look at the photos that she described.

Overall, an informative audiobook and would be especially useful for people with disabilities as the author also sites the need for more representation so that people see that they aren't alone and that they can have a fulfilling life.

What a fascinating and inspiring audio from Lucy Edward’s. We have a genetic eye condition in my family that can lead to blindness so I have grown up around blind family members and this book has opened my eyes and taught me a lot. My sister however has now been instructed to buy a talking microwave (who knew). I am also so impressed to hear about the work Pantene have done to make their products more accessible for their market well done guys let’s hope everyone else follows suit. From my side of things after loosing some of my mobility some years ago this book and the grief process you go through has helped me immensely. I would recommend this book to anyone..

Wow what a book. Lucy Edwards has given a powerfully moving look at the effects of loosing her sight to a very rare condition. Diagnosed at a young age she first lost her sight in her right eye. Whilst partially sighted she gave a detailed description of how she managed with day to day activities and schooling. It was heart breaking listening to how as a teenager she finally lost the sight she had. She then went on a journey of grief and depression.

But Lucy's personality shines through in this book. How, with the love of a very supportive family and friends. Yes some with four legs too !!! She has come to channel positivity into her life and those around her. In her words yes she blind not broken.

I work in a clinic where we perform specialised eye tests. As much as patients can tell you about their day to day lives you don't fully get to know them. Lucy has given me a greater understanding of the world through 'her eye's'. I will certainly be recommending my colleagues read this book.

Lucy you are amazing. The world is your oyster. I can't wait to see more chapters of your life evolving.

Lucy Edwards shares her journey after she became blind, and gives some excellent self-help tips to find your way in the midst of your grief. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.