I just want to say that my name's Amber, I have no clue if you can change your user because my mom created my e-mail when I was a kid (you probably know what I'm talking about). Also, my native language is Dutch so sorry for everyting I write down haha. Also, I had a bit of red wine so I might be tipsy while writing this.
My story starts when I was 10 I think, a big part in this is that my parents got divorced when I was 7 and my dad moved away to live with someone else far away from where my mom lives. My sister and I went to visit him every 2 weeks in the weekend. We skip forward to when I was 10 or 11 I'm not sure, I started reading Twilight. Those books got me into reading! At that moment I had some problems with the woman my dad called his girlfriend, I didn't really like her. When I was 14 I thought it was time to finally watch Harry Potter, I had never read the books because I thought they were for "nerds" I was 14 please forgive me. So I binge watched the movies when I had summer holidays! I loved them, so I went to my local library to read the books. I think I finished the first one, and then I got the second one and took it with me when I went to see my dad. It was a normal summer day, very warm, no clouds in the sky... A perfect day to sit in the garden and read! So I was sitting at the table, enjoying myself reading Chamber of secrets while my sister and half sister were playing in the pool. My step mom came at me and asked: "Sometimes I wonder if you like it here, because you're always reading." And it might not sound like much to you, but she made a lot of comments over the years about how I dressed, the way I behaved... She got mad so easily and I didn't know what I did wrong. So when she said that to me I just, I don't know. I said I just wanted to finish the book because I liked it... In the years that passed I suffered from a depression untill I was 17 I think. In those years I read a lot, and when I got happier, I don't know what happened. I started reading less, and spend more time on my computer. And I think that's sad. I might add that my sister and I had a talk with our dad and his wife (yes they got married...) and she wanted to be there when we talked. So I told them I didn't want her to intervine in my life that much. The next day we went home and that was the last day I saw him. It's been 3 and a half years that i've last seen him. Back to the reading -> I went back and read the first two books of Harry Potter again this year, and now I'm beta reading your new book! And I actually love beta reading your book, it's so weird but I actually like it even more than reading published books! It's just a great experiance that I get to share my thoughts about the book with you! I hope that after I finish reading it I'll find my passion back. Only now I realise that reading got me through my depression, I was so sad that I wanted to be in an other world. That's the reason why I read fantasy books, they're nothing like the real world, they bring me there into this world that doesn't exist. It's pretty there, it's nice and I can go on amazing adventures. The books got me though the worst time's of my life and I will always be gratefull for those bundled pieces of paper where words are printed on. And they also smell good ;)
I think that was kinda it, I'm not re reading this because I might not post this because I think I might be scared and chicken out. But you know, sometimes a story needs to be told, it's not everything I have to say, but I don't think I trust "random" people enough to tell you everyting.
Amber