Bex Ollerton is neurodivergent, and she is opening up and sharing what that’s like for her through colorful comics about her life and mental health. The truth is this world is not made for the neurodivergent. Those with autism, ADHD, and mental illness (aka a neurodivergent cocktail) struggle to do basic daily activities, and Bex is no exception. In these comics, she opens up about her challenges to understand mixed messages, to find the motivation to answer a months old email, to get back on track after getting knocked off.

If you are neurodivergent or have someone in your life who is, these comics will help you find compassion and understanding for yourself or your friend or family member. Bex is not only open about her struggles, about her thoughts and feelings, and about how her anxiety affects her relationships, but she also expresses herself through her comics and her writing in a way that many neurodivergents can’t. Bex shows how she cycles through a difficult task just to be faced with another one. She expresses how she wants to ask for help, and she know that she deserves help, but she can’t articulate exactly what she needs or what will be beneficial for her. She doesn’t want to be a burden on her friends, and she is careful to keep a lot of her issues to herself. but that makes her feel disconnected and alone.

Lavender Clouds starts off a little sad, a little more blue, but through these comics, Bex finds herself walking from shame and discouragement to taking small steps at self-care and self-compassion. While there are no magic fixes, she finds small steps she can take to help her with her shame spirals. She is open about her depression, her burnout, her anxiety. and how hard she works to find solutions that work for her. But she is also encouraging, setting an honest example of being neurodivergent but also finding success in her friendships, in her work, in her mind.

As the colors brighten the drawings, hope and happiness infuse the words as Bex comes out from the dark and finds kindness, forgiveness, and acceptance of her whole self. She works to heal from her traumas and take chances. She tries harder to stay connected to her friends and to take care of herself, even if that just means doing her laundry. Lavender Clouds is a lovely journey from pain to healing, from darkness to sunshine, and reading about her journey can help those who feel stuck in their own journeys.

I thought Lavender Clouds was really beautiful. The courage that Bex brings to her story, to her honest reckoning with life with autism and ADHD, to her shortcomings and her hard work, is an inspiration. To see her journey from sadness and isolation to connection and growth is lovely. As someone with a neurodivergent brain myself, I found myself nodding along and feeling seen as I read this book, and I know that sharing this book with those who can’t understand what life is like for me would help open their eyes to the reality of life with autism, with ADD or ADHD, or with mental illness. This book is a special gift, and I feel grateful to Bex for sharing it with readers.

Egalleys for Lavender Cloud were provided by Andrews McMeel Publishing through Edelweiss, with many thanks.