After hiding away from the world in her home in Adelaide for two years Mercy Blain is thrown back out into the world when a fire totally destroys her house. With no where else to go her not quite ex-husband takes her in, but faced with his new lover also living there, Mercy knows she has to move on, which is how she finds herself embarking on a road trip to Darwin in an ancient campervan with her only her sausage dog Wasabi for company.

This is a wonderful tale of a woman rediscovering herself and learning to enjoy life again. As a woman suffering PTSD and panic attacks after a traumatic incident at work, Mercy finds it tough to be back in the world having to navigate simple things like going into a shop. Along the way she slowly starts to unwind as the journey and the beauty of the land around her start to work their magic. She also offered support from strangers making the same journey, although it takes some time for her to allow them in. Great writing and lovely characters. I really enjoyed taking this journey with Mercy and cheering her on as she took baby steps to reclaim her life.

It’s rare that you read a book that lives up to it’s premise, in my experience at least. This is one such book that bucks that trend.

I felt Mercy’s anxiety, her discomfort, her joy, the quiet letting go of the past and embracing the present. I lived the journey with her. I felt the dust on the van as it made it’s way across the country. I heard her companion’s voices in my head. It really isn’t about the destination, it’s about the journey, and Mercy’s journey was a painful one to endure, for her as well for the reader, but oh so worth it in the end. Loved the characterisations and the descriptiveness, everything had that slightly tarnished, blurry edge of reality to it. A well-written, highly addictive read, I finished this book within a couple of days, even with a hectic schedule and heavy workload. It was just too good to put down.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity and to Ms Lock for a five-star read!
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Oh my goodness, I adored this book SO much! I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face as I read this. I love the relatability of the story, and how my heart swelled with understanding and empathy for Mercy as it went along. This beautiful book made me gush with the cute and awkward moments, laugh out loud so many times, and fight tears of compassion for her anguish and bravery. I love her character, I love the characters of her fellow travellers whom she meets along her journey, I love everything about her adventure and this entire story. It is simply gorgeous and being added to my favourites list.
This is a book that will warm your heart and stay with you. It is gentle, sweet and lovely. 5 beautiful stars 😍
Thank you Net Galley for a copy of this book in return for an honest review and thank you to Kim Lock for your talent and your raw and real writing about the true feelings we all face at times. You are amazing and I cannot wait to read your other books!

Mercy hadn’t stepped outside her house for 2 years, until it burns down! Mercy’s almost ex-husband Eugene isn’t in a position for her to move in with him, so she buys a campervan and heads from Adelaide to Darwin.
Mercy could have been a character with little substance, I walked with her, feeling her roller coaster of emotions and loved being on a road trip with her.
This book is written with feeling and understanding of anxiety. I loved how Mercy learns about herself and begins to cope and face her fears, a wonderfully warm story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was drawn to this book because it is set in Australia, but also because the main character, a doctor called Mercy Blain, suffers from crippling anxiety. She has panic attacks just thinking about leaving her house. I suffered panic attacks decades ago as well and I know how frightening and debilitating it is so Mercy was instantly relatable. Thankfully my case was a lot less serious than hers. I should add the author wrote this after her own journey with anxiety.

So poor Mercy has had this problem for two years. She doesn’t leave the house, she shops online and has online friends. Her only real companion is the adorable little dachshund, Wasabi. One night her house catches fire. She doesn’t leave, it is her refuge. Luckily a neighbour, whom she hadn’t met due to being housebound, rushes in when he sees the fire and drags her out. Wasabi, of course, is only too keen to get outside! Already she is stressed just being outside and surrounded by emergency services personnel. Luckily (again) her not-quite-ex husband, Eugene, arrives and whisks her to his place which he now shares with young barista, Jose.

Mercy’s house is a write off and she can’t quite bring herself to go into a serviced apartment which would be covered by her insurance. It is all too much. At the same time, Jose is clearly not happy having her there and is telling Eugene to get rid of her. By a fluke of fate and literary license an old man is just putting a for sale sign on an old camper van across the road. In a fit of daring Mercy dashes across the road and has a look. The man starts his sales pitch but mistakes her conversational reticence for haggling so she finds herself the owner of a heavily discounted old and ratty camper van and no clue where to go.

Mercy and Wasabi find themselves heading north from Adelaide, she has no plan, no essential supplies and no clue, but that’s the best part. Soon Mercy decides to go all the way to Darwin, an epic trek through the outback. And this is the story - along the she picks up some new friends and discards some of her hang-ups. After all we can only carry so much. It wasn’t all roses however, she had many challenges to face along the way but good people and desperation have a way of sorting things out. This was a heartwarming journey. The people Mercy met were mostly very friendly and surprisingly non-judgemental. Outback folk generally are this way, salt of the earth and all that. With no one fussing over her or thinking she is nuts, the natural beauty of the landscape and slow pace of the journey soon lulls Mercy into a sense of, if not calm, certainly less anxiety inducing.

She is able to put her problems into some sort of perspective and realise it wasn’t all her fault, after all she was hit with three tragedies in one week two years ago. She needs to suddenly head back to Adelaide for legal reasons and the old panic rears it’s head again but she finally realises she is okay. While Mercy could have been an annoying character she was also very thoughtful and understood her condition well enough to reason with herself when she had to. Her journey was very brave though. I couldn’t have done when I was having my problems. So all in all I really enjoyed story and I can happily report that the little dog had a great time and came to no harm. I received an advance review copy for free from Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Loved, loved this book. It was just the tonic I needed and finished in under 24 hours, so it was a very easy read.
Mercy has been in hibernation for 2 years, she was a successful professional but a work related incident has rendered her with PTSD. Now after her house, her refuge, has caught fire and burnt to the ground she has nowhere to go, she certainly doesn’t want to stay with her ex husband and his young, male lover. On a spur of the moment she purchasers a cult classic campervan, with assurances from the elderly owner that it runs like clockwork. Somehow she finds herself driving north towards Darwin with her sausage dog Wasabi.
I loved Mercy, gently we are given details of her back story and I really felt for her. I could relate to all her travels and the people she meets and maybe that is because we own a small campervan and see these people on our trips. I enjoyed watching Mercy grow and shake off her anxiety and finally finding herself again. With themes of PTSD, cyber bullying, anxiety and of course Australian travel, it had all the feels that left me in a good place once I finished. Highly recommended for escapism.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

As someone who has travelled the outback in 4WDs with tent, (but no dog), I enjoyed this road trip with Mercy--a likeable woman with more than her fair share of grief, anxiety, work and mother-issues to deal with--as she finds her way across the country and out the other side of her own anxiety and problems. Recommended..

So many of my favourite things in one book; a road trip, and a story that slowly infolds, not giving everything away at the start.

This is one woman's story about how she dealt with something terrible that happened to her.

It’s a great book, looking at trauma,, mental health anxiety and how our brains deal with it.

Mercy, the main character, after her house burns down, buys a weird looking camper van, and drives. She’s not sure where she is going, but she knows she has to move. This story is full of quirky characters and quirky locations, it made me want to take a drive up through the middle of Australia. After so long living inside her own head, Mercy finds that being out in the world again, might be just what she needed to face her trauma, and get back on track.

There are notes in the back, explaining the authors own mental health issues. I always believe that if an author is writing from personal experience and from the heart , it translates into a more powerful book, and I think that’s what the author has done here.

What do you do when your house burns down and not even your ex-husband will have you? If you’re Mercy Blain, you go on a road trip – from Adelaide to Darwin accompanied by Wasabi, the sausage dog. But, how will Mercy cope in the outback with very few supplies as well as her agoraphobia, anxiety and panic attacks?
This is a story of Mercy’s journey in the literal and metaphorical sense. Travelling through the middle of Australia, she comes across a range of people and challenges. The descriptions of life on the road in Australia are well written and all in all it’s just a beautiful story which was easy to read. I felt like I was on the journey with Mercy and was cheering her on all the way.
The novel was inspired by the author’s own challenges with anxiety and panic attacks. This was my first experience reading a Kim Lock book – and if her others are like this, I will go back for more!
Put this one on your TBR list for 2021.
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy of book.

The novel opens with Mercy Blain’s house burning down – and the revelation that Mercy hasn’t been outside it for two years. Immediately, the reader wants to know why. Mercy ends up at her ex-husband’s house, where his current boyfriend also lives, but that clearly isn’t going to work either. Mercy’s severe anxiety disorder, coupled with the loss of her house, means she is thrown completely adrift, with only borrowed clothes, her daschund, Wasabi, and her phone.
It’s more a desperate desire to get away from Eugene’s unwelcoming house than any thought of an adventure that sees Mercy buy – on impulse – an old, tiny campervan from a man in the street, and set off. Where? She doesn’t know at first, until she gets the idea to simply go to the other side of the country. Darwin and the sea. Never mind that she doesn’t really understand how long the trip will be, or how hot. Just to buy food at a small supermarket seems more insurmountable.

Mercy’s trip through the centre of Australia is full of the kinds of people you hear about but have probably never met. Keen grey nomads, shopkeepers in tiny towns, bush mechanics and the occasional (but special) British tourist in a “real” campervan.

I’m probably not the first reviewer to read this fabulous book and say, “At last, I’ve found a fitting companion book for Eleanor Oliphant”, but I’ll say it anyway. There are similarities in the main character having a truly distinct world view and a unique way of dealing with the stressful life around them, but Mercy has the potential to change, so that’s where The Other Side of Beautiful diverges. But like Eleanor, Mercy captured my heart. I read the book in less than three days – I couldn’t wait to get back to it.

Having owned some pretty dodgy cars in my life, I kept waiting for Mercy’s campervan to die, but it didn’t, despite some funny disasters and urgent repairs. The sausage dog, Wasabi, was a character in his own right and “companion dog” was a very apt term. This was a joy of a book to read and I will be recommending it to all my friends.

Mercy is struggling with agoraphobia and an anxiety disorder following an incident at the hospital where she works. She hasn’t left her home foe two years, but things are going to chance. After her home burns down, Mercy is running away. She takes her sausage dog and heads for the outback in a camper van.

A heat warming story that deals with mental health issues beautifully.

This book tactfully and engagingly tells the story of Mercy, in the weeks following the burning down of her house.

Mercy has been confined to her house due to a series of undisclosed events that caused her anxiety, panic attacks and to ultimately find she hasn’t left her house in 2 years. As the events preceding this are slowly revealed and Mercy confronts each of the challenges presented by finding herself the owner of an ancient vehicle in an impromptu drive across Australia.

The author creates a realistic experience of the characters anxiety and depression and these struggles are part of the character rather than her defining feature. The authors experience with these shows with the compassionate and authentic way she presents the challenges of being a human in a crisis.

As an Australian who has done the kind of travelling the book portrays I appreciated both the authors capturing of the landscape and environment as well as the culture of friendly and frequent interactions of travelling the same long road.

I greatly enjoyed this book and look forward to seeing more of this authors work.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review of this book.

This self discovery tale, follows Mercy as she deals with the internal chaos of her anxiety and grief. Mercy's house burns down and she is left with nothing but her sausage dog Wasabi. Mercy buys an old run down campervan and drives away from her troubles in Adelaide. On the trip up to the Northern Territory, Mercy tries to get on the other side of her issues as she gets to the other side of Australia. Ultimately this results in her facing her work trauma, failed marriage and her tumultuous relationship with her mother.
This heartfelt road trip where Mercy finds friends and foes may be a predictable read, but still a pleasurable one.

3.5 stars for me

A special thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Australia for an ARC of this book.

Mercy is running away, away from the fire, away from her career, and away from her life. The Australian outback, grey nomads and her campervan are her new life. Panic attacks have crippled Mercy but can the freedom if the Australian Outback save her. This book is beautiful, life affirming and bittersweet. A fantastic read.

The Other Side of Beautiful from Kim Lock was a highly enjoyable read. It’s a story about Mercy who hasn’t left her house in 2 years and her experiences of anxiety and self-isolation. Mercy is rescue from her burning house and we follow her story of how she processes her situation. I found Kim Lock wrote the mental health components of this book really well and it showed the complexity of anxiety and depression, and I was constantly cheering on Mercy as took steps towards healing. Even though the book tackles challenging topics, it was done in a way that made me laugh and cry as Mercy went on journey through Central Australia.

Thank you for Netgalley and Harlequin Australia for a review copy of this book.

We often find ourselves in difficult situations Sometimes we fight, other times we run and that is exactly what Mercy did. Mercy had to run..she had to escape.
Going on a road trip from Adelaide to Darwin, Mercy was in her element, confined to a house on wheels, she was able to be in her safe bubble but she was able to venture out.

Mental illness plays a strong aspect in this book. Mercy suffering from anxiety and Agoraphobia, she overcomes her fears, step by step. The book explores the reasons why or what made Mercy who is she, letting in small vital information bits at a time.

I like that it was written in first and third person. The storyline and the characters flowed really well, which in turn made it a page turner for me. I laughed at sections while cringed at other sections.

Sadly I felt the ending was a bit rushed and put together. I was hoping for something big to happen to maybe spruce it up a bit, however it still was an enjoyable read.

I want to thank Netgalley, Harlequin Australia for the gifting of this book.

What a sensitively written and moving story Kim Lock has given us. She manages to share with us Mercy's crippling anxiety while holding back on how it happened, inching us forward to the shocking revelation of accumulated abuses. It is difficult for 'normal' people not to jump to conclusions and make judgments about people who act differently, so the mixed crew and the kindnesses she meets on the journey are refreshing. It seems when you are out of your habitual zone you temporarily suspend that quick judgment. It was lovely to experience that and a great reminder without being preachy or didactic. I loved the outback descriptions and the grittiness of Mercy's experience on the road. I don't want to give away the outcome. Read it. You won't be disappointed.

A very enjoyable book. Always lovely to read books set in places you know and love, with very real human stories of striving to live comfortably in this modern crazy world. I would recommend this book to anyone.

The Other Side of Beautiful was an sweet story about Mercy and her adventure after her house burns down. It tackles mental health in a realistic way and highlights the difficulties when Mercy is forced to undertake 'normal, everyday tasks'. Mercy meets some wonderful characters along the way and her dog Wasabit is a great addition to the story. As a South Australian, I really enjoyed the journey through the South Australian and Northern Territory outback. It felt like I was on the trip with Mercy. Very enjoyable read.

Great story and quite different from recent books I have read which is always refreshing. I loved Mercy she was very relatable and I enjoyed following her through her travels and awakening.