I found this book hard to get in to so unfortunately I put it down and have not picked it up since maybe in the further I may give it another go

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

Be Kind A Tribute to Caroline Flack
by Emily Herbert

A beautiful well written book book about a beautiful,extremely troubled person Caroline Flack.

At points I found it quite difficult to read as it tells how broken this modern society is with regard to mental health.

Just be kind you don’t know what is going on behind closed doors .

4.5/5

This is a beautiful and poignant account of Caroline's life in the spotlight and in private. She was a strong courageous woman that sadly, like many of us, suffer internally with mental health. A beautiful but tortured soul that was taken too early.

This book has definitely reinforced the 'Be Kind' statement for us all to act upon.

Thank you Ad Lib Publishers and Netgalley.

A pretty thorough recount of Caroline flacks television career and dating history but it is it a book that gives you any insight and I didn’t feel as though there was any emotion tied to it just a very detailed factual, albeit biased on the positive view account.
I’ll be honest I started to get bored of the level of detail and how it just seemed to be going from one show to another or from one ex boyfriend to the next.
Not really what I was expecting so it wasn’t for me

It's even more apparent now how much the UK needs to educate itself on mental health problems. Caroline Flack was a much-loved presenter that has left a hole in the industry. I started reading this when a classmate committed suicide and it was what I needed to read. Suicide affects many lives, and I fear that this is a book that will be used for comfort through the global pandemic.

This book talks about Caroline Flack and her high flying TV presenter career before the sad sudden ending of her life that shocked us all.

I remember watching Caroline on CBBC growing up and following her as she went on to present The X Factor as I watched that and Big Brother too before finally Love Island as her career took off with Itv.As

The book shows the highs of her life while also highlighting that as her star took off and her fame grew her depression was very much still present and in these modern times kindness towards all should be the most important thing, great everyone as you wish to be treated!

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

This book is so sad to read. This woman with so much beauty and talent snubbed out after struggling with mental health issues and at the end of the day no matter what part the law and the media played in her downfall and ultimate suicide it was so sad to read of a young girl with so many insecurities about not being good enough when the world loved her. This was someone self deprecating and honest about her mistakes and a sad loss but I hope we do all remember to just be kind.

There has been so much written about Caroline Flack, both before and after her death and I hoped that Be Kind would reveal the true Caroline. The cover states that the book is a tribute and I genuinely feel that it is. I didn't want to know nasty celeb gossip and sex scandals but actually what lay behind the bubby personality and dazzling smile.

The book actually reveals a very vulnerable person who was desperate to be loved and suffering from debilitating mental health problems.

Emily Herbert does a good job of delivering the facts about Caroline's career and relationships, without sounding gushing or condescending. She says 'It's a cliche, but the sequins couldn't mask the heartache'. I think this must have been a hard book to write and she got the balance right.

I found the many quotes taken from tv and newspaper interviews a bit tiresome. Also, there are detailed accounts of occurrences from reality tv programs that happened years ago and didn't really involve Caroline directly.

I did want to know more about the person behind the mask and the book made me understand much more about Caroline. Small details like her love of gravy, how she misplaced her glitterball, and her work for charity were heartwarming additions to the book.

Lovers of XFactor, Strictly Come Dancing and I'm a Celebrity will love the anecdotes. I enjoyed reading about the very real and endearing friendship Caroline shared with Olly Murs, and how much she loved her family. It shows her immense talent for dancing, singing, and presenting and how she was held in huge regard throughout the showbiz industry. On the other hand, it portrays a sad and delicate person who just deserved to be treated with kindness.

Energetic, warm and down to earth, television presenter Caroline Flack was beautiful both inside and out and when news of her suicide hit the Twittersphere everyone was shocked to their core; I genuinely thought it was someone playing a sick joke but when I realised it was true I shed a tear or two. Online bullies and trolls ought to think before they act as they could be responsible for injury or death in the most extreme circumstances; they often act as judge, jury and executioner and a person can be deemed guilty in the court of public opinion with very little evidence. I understand people are upset with the news that she had apparently committed domestic violence against her then partner and I agree that is very wrong but it should not lead to constant harassment, threats and nasty remarks Caroline was receiving daily. I guess these build-up over time to where, in Caroline’s case, she felt she could no longer cope. Sadly, the violence and threat of prosecution, relentless cyberbullying, mental health issues and fame combined to devastating effect.

It is a biography that begins by detailing Caroline’s childhood and formative years but the central focus is her rise to fame and the aftermath of it all. Of course, it isn't surprising that the Caroline we viewers knew on screen was a persona and she was quite different in real life; she had huge insecurities and struggled to come to terms with the fact she was becoming a rising star in the world of presenting and the wider entertainment industry. She made no secret of the fact that she was desperately lonely and longing for someone to love her for who she was; I find it both tragic and ironic that she helped many couples get together on Love Island yet her pining for a lover will never be possible. I particularly appreciate that Herbert focused more on revealing Caroline as a person and stuck to talking about her life rather than dwelling on her death. An emotional, deeply moving and heartbreaking narrative of the girl-next-door. RIP Caroline. Many thanks to Ad Lib for an ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This book centres around the life and tragic death of TV presenter Caroline Flack. I was intrigued by this book as I wasn’t a fan of Caroline but I didn’t dislike her either. I didn’t really think about her or follow her on social media at all. But I was saddened when she died after taking her own life. I didn’t know the ins and outs of her life as I feel all celebrities deserve a private life separate to what they show the rest of the world. If I’m quite honest, this book wasn’t that good. It didn’t really tell me much about who Caroline was, it spoke of her career mainly, with private relationships discussed in between, with hearsay rather than facts. There was a lot of things in the book that was completely unnecessary, such as explaining each game show she’d been on (presenting Gladiators and the author gave a blow by blow of how the game works and who competed). The same can be said about other shows described in the book, we were given lots of contestants names from The X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing, and Love Island. These parts of the book gave no impact and were completely unnecessary (if readers want to know the finer details of who was on the shows she presented then Google is your friend). I left not knowing anymore about who Caroline was, and all the promised personal accounts from celebrity friends were basically copied and pasted from various news outlets. There was nothing new in this book, and it didn’t feel like a tribute at all. I feel this book was written to make a quick buck on the back of such a tragic death of a young woman who couldn’t continue fighting her demons.

This was a sad but very interesting book. Some of the content I feel was not needed really and it didn't seem to be very personal in a sense no one very close to Caroline was in this book. You won't learn nothing new that hasn't already been out in the media but it was still a good read and has a good message - Be kind.

Really nicely written over something so tragic. Some parts were not necessary as they did not involve Caroline directly. I also didn’t feel like I learn a lot that I hadn’t already heard in the press, from the description I thought it would be friends and colleagues recalling stories etc about her life.

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

A very fitting tribute to a beautiful soul who never realised her full worth. Thankfully Emily Herbert dwelt more on Caroline's life than her very sad death but tissues were required all the same. R.I.P.

Be Kind shows the Caroline Flack behind the media stories. A woman who loved hard, fiercely loyal to her friends and battled with depression and her own demons, All the while asking for the world to be kind to each other. Caroline's story is tragically one that was cut short, subjected one too many times to the court of social media, the trend of people online having an opinion on a complete stranger in the public eye without having all the facts, of being fodder for the media. When the truth is neither showed who Caroline was truly. Like so many of us she had her flaws, she made mistakes but it didn't stop her from being a talented, loving and smart lady.

I struggled with this book. The parts about Caroline were very interesting but there were pages and pages of the goings on on Love Island that were unnecessary and did not feature Caroline. Such a tragic story and I am glad it has been told, but it is just missing something.

A thoughtful look at the brilliant life and tragic death of Caroline Flack.
Caroline Flack should be remembered as a pint sized, gorgeous legged girl who was fizzing with energy and ambition. She was loved by many and had such an electric presence on screen, and stage I learnt for a short while.
She created loveliness and warmth all around her and seemed to be very much loved.
This story tells how grew up with a loving family and twin sister and how she rose to stardom after appearing in Strictly come dancing and became the nations favourite.
She seemed to achieve a huge amount in her short life and will be remembered for her antics as being the girl next door and someone who's energy we all wanted. She was a sweetheart and this book is very well written in telling her story and life. Very professional Emily Herbert and you are right.. Lets just be kind!

I think this definitely could've gone more in depth and been more thorough but for a quite biography to read, I think it served it's purpose.

We all know Caroline Flack. That beautiful effervescent presenter and entertainer who tragically took her own life sparking the trend ‘Be Kind’.
Caroline and her twin Jody, along with their siblings grew up in Norfolk. She was self conscious of her weight and skin in childhood which led to bullying. This was the start of her insecurities.
The book details her career after moving to London. Her love of children’s tv that brought out her wacky side. It explores her television roles, her love interests and her friends.
Emily Herbert has also shown Caroline’s worrying obsession with Social Media. It also shows that the Caroline we saw on screen was another in real life.
The author does not dwell on her death. Which I feel is appropriate as Caroline Flack should be known for more that the tragic woman we saw in the last few months of her life. She was a brilliant entertainer who just longed to find someone to deeply love her. Through reading this book I feel I know more about the person she was.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc in return for an honest review
#NetGalley. #BeKind #CarolineFlack. #EmilyHerbert