First published 2024
Cheslie Kryst had everything the world could see. She passed two bar exams, won the Miss USA crown, and landed a coveted role as an entertainment correspondent for Extra. She advocated tirelessly for charitable causes and seemed to embody success at every turn. But beneath the public triumphs, Cheslie battled persistent depression that few understood. In the manuscript she wrote before her death by suicide on January 30, 2022, Cheslie reveals the stark contrast between her public achievements and private struggles. She chronicles the heartbreak and betrayal that compounded her mental health challenges. When her mother April Simpkins takes over the narrative, she confronts the devastating aftermath of losing her daughter. April shares her own journey through grief and the search for meaning after such profound loss. Together, their voices create a raw account of how mental illness can affect anyone, regardless of outward success, and how families can find ways to continue after tragedy strikes.
Genres: mental-health, non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: grief, mental-illness, tragedy
Period: 2022
224 pages · Hardcover · Forefront Books
Content warnings: depression, mental-illness, suicide