From Struggling and Reluctant Dyslexic to Avid Reader
Fonetti’s Education Manager: Victoria’s Story
At just seven years old, I was diagnosed with dyslexia. Reading was always a struggle for me, and because it took so much time and effort, I became a reluctant reader. I found little enjoyment in it — every page felt like a mountain to climb. Whenever I returned to a book the next day, I had to reread the same page just to make it sink in. The first time I read any text, I was concentrating so hard on deciphering the words that I couldn’t retain what I had actually read.
I remember, around the age of thirteen, my parents gave me a book called Flowers in the Attic by Virginia Andrews. Many of my friends had already read it and raved about it, and I desperately wanted to be able to join their conversations. Determined, I decided to give it my best shot.
I opened the book and approached it ‘one page at a time’. But the familiar pattern happened again — I would read a page, then have to reread it over and over again to make it stick. Despite this, I became hooked. Gradually, I started reading a few pages at a time, though I still had to reread the last paragraph each time I picked the book up again. It took me nine months to finish it, but when I finally reached the last page, the sense of achievement was overwhelming. I was able to discuss the story with my friends and stepsisters who had finished it months before. Riding the wave of excitement, I picked up the next book in the series, Petals on the Wind, but the progress was so slow that I eventually gave up.
Fast forward to recently: I was visiting my grandparents in Hastings when my grandmother mentioned a series she had just finished watching on Channel 5. It was Flowers in the Attic — the origin story! Hearing this instantly transported me back to my early reading struggles and the pride I felt when I finished that first novel.
That evening, I went home and binge-watched the first three episodes, staying up into the early hours, completely gripped. The series gave so much more context to the characters, especially the grandmother, and I was fascinated to learn about her younger years. The following night, I watched the final episode, and the story reignited a strong desire to reread the book.
I knew I had a copy somewhere (ironically, I thought it might be in my attic!). Unable to find it, I jumped onto Amazon and discovered that while buying the individual book cost £9.99, the entire four-book series was only £16.99. Needless to say, I bought the set!
When the books arrived the next day, I couldn’t wait to get started. That evening, I curled up and began rereading a story so close to my heart — one that had once taken me months to finish. This time was different. I couldn’t put it down. It was a bank holiday weekend, and on Monday I lay on my bed from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m., reading non-stop. I ignored my phone, not wanting any interruptions.
In just two days, I devoured the entire book.
Without missing a beat, I picked up Petals on the Wind, and I’m now racing through it, reading at every opportunity — whether it’s a spare five minutes or a quiet evening. Within just four days, I’m nearing the end, and I’m already excited to start the third book later this week.
Through my work with Fonetti, I regularly read aloud using our app to test new books and demonstrate to schools across the country. This daily reading practice has dramatically improved my fluency, confidence, and enjoyment — to the point where I can now lose myself in novels in a way I once thought impossible.
That’s not to say the challenges of dyslexia have disappeared — they haven’t. Once a dyslexic, always a dyslexic. But with practice, you learn to overcome the hurdles. I now have the skills to decode difficult words. Sometimes I still wish I could double-tap a word like you can on Fonetti to hear it read aloud — that feature would be very handy with a physical book!
It may have taken me over 40 years to truly fall in love with reading, but I can now confidently say: I am an avid bookworm.
